Florida-based SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment and Sesame Workshop are opening a Sesame Street-themed amusement park in San Diego, the second of its kind in the US.
Sesame Place San Diego will feature many of the iconic Sesame Street characters, such as Big Bird, Cookie Monster, and Elmo, inside a 17-acre theme park in Chula Vista, about 20 minutes south of Sea World. There’s also a Sesame Place in Langhorne, Pennsylvania.
“When you first walk into the park, you’ll see a carousel with all of your favourite Sesame Street characters. It sits in the middle of the Sesame Street neighbourhood,” said Erika Diprofio, Vice President of Marketing at Sesame Place San Diego. “It’s like walking into Sesame Street, the one you see on TV.”
But can Big Bird and Elmo compete in a highly competitive Southern California theme park market dominated by Mickey Mouse, Harry Potter and Snoopy? Sesame Place is banking on nostalgia from the older folks, Gen Xers, and millennials who grew up and remembered watching the iconic television show that began airing in 1969.
“Everything old is new again,” said Diprofio. “There’s a lot of multigenerational excitement and experiences with Sesame Place.”
Experts say there’s a market and appeal for Sesame Street, but whether it can thrive depends on its execution.
