Knott’s Berry Farm pushes back opening date for Camp Snoopy makeover
Peanuts fans, grade schoolers and their parents will have to wait a little longer to get their Camp Snoopy fix now that Knott’s Berry Farm has delayed the grand reopening of the kiddie land undergoing its first extensive overhaul in a decade.
Construction delays have postponed the official debut of the reimagined Camp Snoopy from Memorial Day Weekend to early summer, according to Knott’s Berry Farm officials.
The new timeframe likely pushes back the full return of Camp Snoopy to late June or early July.
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The Camp Snoopy makeover will add a new family coaster and super-sized kids swing and update an off-road rally race and miniature train ride while removing two original attractions from the themed land that opened in 1983.
The last major Camp Snoopy overhaul took place in 2014 for the 30th anniversary of the kiddie land when Knott’s added Charlie Brown’s Kite Flyer, Pig Pen’s Mud Buggies and Linus Launcher — all from Italy-based ridemaker Zamperla.
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The four new and refreshed attractions will be ready when Camp Snoopy finally returns this summer.
Snoopy’s Tenderpaw Twister Coaster
The new Snoopy’s Tenderpaw Twister Coaster will take the place of the 1983 Timberline Twister roller coaster and the 1992 Camp Bus flying carpet ride.
The Tenderpaw family coaster will take riders on an off-road adventure with Snoopy at the wheel of a jeep-like vehicle in his Beagle Scout uniform. The launched coaster will travel twice around the twin helix track during each ride.
The new Zamperla family coaster will be similar to the Daddy Pig’s coaster at the Peppa Pig mini-park at Legoland Florida.
Sally’s Swing Along
The new Sally’s Swing Along will replace the 1983 High Sierra Ferris Wheel that offered birds-eye views of Camp Snoopy, La Palma Avenue and the Claim Jumper restaurant just outside the park.
The two-sided backyard swing set will sweep young riders 10 feet in the air as they sway back and forth on a bench seat.
The Zamperla Happy Swing will be themed to Charlie Brown’s younger sister Sally with a playlist of songs she longs to sing to her long-time unrequited crush Linus.
Camp Snoopy’s Off Road Rally
Camp Snoopy’s Off Road Rally will revamp the Rocky Mountain Trucking Company road rally ride — transforming the big rig trucks into four-wheel jeeps.
The new backstory for the ride will be a celebration of the annual Camp Jamboree with humorous checkpoints along the route marked by Woodstock sculptures.
Each of the jeeps will be themed to an individual Peanuts character — including Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, Lucy, Franklin, Sally, Pigpen and Peppermint Patty.
Beagle Express
The Grand Sierra Railroad will be rethemed as the Beagle Express with a new electric locomotive in place of the steam engine.
Show scenes along the miniature train route will reflect the Camp Jamboree theme — with Charlie Brown participating in a sack race with a sack over his head and Beagle Scouts earning their horticulture badge by tending to the boysenberry vines.
With a little help from Woodstock, the Beagle Scouts will wrap Lucy in bandages from head to toe like a mummy.
Camp Snoopy Theater
The Camp Snoopy Theater will not reopen this summer with no return date set yet for the outdoor theater.
The Camp Snoopy Theater will be reoriented with the relocated stage facing the midway and a shade cover over new log-style seating.
During the theater closure, Peanuts fans will still be able to take photos with Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Pigpen and Peppermint Patty.
The first extensive makeover of Camp Snoopy in a decade took out several rides from the 1983 birth of the themed land as a High Sierras camping experience unrelated to Peanuts.
The Timberline Twister roller coaster, High Sierra Ferris Wheel and Camp Bus magic carpet ride were removed as part of the makeover while Woodstock’s Airmail kiddie drop tower will be relocated.
The Timberline Twister was the first roller coaster experience for generations of Knott’s riders during the past four decades. The 1983 Bradley and Kaye Little Dipper climbed to a height of 30 feet before taking riders on a twisting and dipping course over 480 feet of track, according to Roller Coaster Database. Each ride came to end with the help of a manual hand brake.