New Sesame Street Area Debuts in 2009, Expands Park's Boundaries and Kid Offerings
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (Aug. 8, 2008) - "Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street?" Just follow the signs to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Va., as the park expands its children's offerings with a new home for Elmo, Cookie Monster, Abby Cadabby and Big Bird.
The new Sesame Street attraction opens spring 2009, adding an all-new village adjacent to the England section of the park. Four new anchor rides offer kid-size versions of popular attractions, including a junior roller coaster and log flume themed after Sesame's beloved characters and designed for parents and children to share together. This new European-themed Sesame Street village will feature wet and dry play areas with net-and-rope climbs, retail and food outlets, including character dining, a 4-D movie, several stage performances by some of Sesame Street's most beloved characters, and a "1, 2, 3 Smile With Me" photo studio so families can capture memorable moments of their children interacting with Sesame Street's characters.
England's 900-seat Globe Theatre will be taken over by Sesame Street's biggest stars in a new 4-D movie that is as fun as it is imaginative.
"Sesame Street presents Lights, Camera, Imagination!" features Elmo, Bert, Ernie, Cookie Monster, Big Bird and others trying to save the Sesame Street Film Festival. Guests will not only see and hear the action - they will be immersed in it through state-of-the art visual effects and sensory surprises. Families that want even more Sesame Street interaction can dine with Elmo and mingle with the cast of characters over breakfast or lunch at a Sesame Street-themed, indoor dining facility. Parents and children can pose for pictures with the furry red monster and his Sesame Street friends, creating memories that will last a lifetime.
"Sesame Street and Busch Gardens are both brands known for their unwavering commitment to quality. Combining the familiarity of Sesame Street's characters and Busch Gardens' family-friendly atmosphere makes for a natural partnership between these two iconic brands," said John Reilly, general manager and executive vice president of Busch Gardens. "The new Sesame Street attraction provides our youngest guests with kid-size versions of our grown-up rides, offering them an introduction to the park that only Busch Gardens and Sesame Workshop can offer."
The Sesame Street-themed area expands Busch Gardens' kid-focused attractions. The park's current lineup of kid friendly rides and attractions will remain, including the popular Land of the Dragons play area and junior rides throughout the park.
For nearly 40 years, Sesame Street has been engaging audiences around the world. The creation of Sesame Street-themed attractions is part of a long-term relationship announced in 2006 between the non-profit educational organization Sesame Workshop, and the Worlds of Discovery® parks.
Busch Gardens is a Worlds of Discovery park. Other Worlds of Discovery parks include Water Country USA in Williamsburg; Busch Gardens in Tampa, Fl.; the SeaWorld parks in San Diego, San Antonio and Orlando, Fl.; Sesame Place near Philadelphia; Discovery Cove in Orlando; Adventure Island in Tampa; and Aquatica, SeaWorld's water park, in Orlando.
Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit educational organization that changed television forever with the legendary
Sesame Street. As the single largest informal educator of young children, local
Sesame Street programs produced in countries as diverse as South Africa, Bangladesh and India are making a difference in over 120 nations. Using proprietary research to create engaging and enriching content, Sesame Workshop produces programs such as
Dragon Tales and
Pinky Dinky Doo. In addition, multimedia needs-driven initiatives provide families tools for addressing such issues as children's health, military deployment and emergency preparedness. As a nonprofit, product proceeds and philanthropic donations support Sesame Workshop's educational research and creative content for children around the world. Learn more at
http://www.sesameworkshop.org.
# # # Sesame Workshop ®, Sesame Street ® and associated characters, trademarks and design elements are owned and licensed by Sesame Workshop. © 2008 Sesame Workshop. All Rights Reserved.
