Knott’s Berry Farm cut the red ribbon on the reimagined Camp Snoopy with folding scissors from a giant Swiss Army pocket knife, but the refreshed kiddie land was not ready for the grand reopening with more than half of the new additions unfinished or slashed from the budget.
Camp Snoopy returned on Thursday, June 27 during a media ceremony at the Buena Park theme park after a seven-month refurbishment of the 41-year-old Peanuts themed land.
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The plan for the Camp Snoopy makeover called for a new family coaster, super-sized kids swing and outdoor theater and an updated off-road rally race and miniature train ride while removing two original attractions from the themed land that opened in 1983.
But not all those additions were finished in time for the grand reopening of Camp Snoopy on Thursday — with the swing and train still under construction and the theater cut from the project that was supposed to open on Memorial Day Weekend.
The reimagined Camp Snoopy reopens at Knott’s Berry Farm. (Photo by Brady MacDonald, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Construction delays, adverse weather and shrinking budgets all played a role in the kiddie land debuting to the public in an unfinished state.
Kids and their parents running for the new Snoopy’s Tenderpaw Twister didn’t seem to notice the missing pieces as they raced to get in line for the new Zamperla family coaster.
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The adorable Tenderpaw Twister with Beagle Scout Snoopy in the driver’s seat was whisper quiet, zippy fast and the perfect first coaster for kids eager to ride but tentative about thrills.
The family coaster intended for kids and their parents proved unforgiving for some moms and dads not accustomed to the Walk of Shame that oversize riders know all too well.
The lap bar requirements forced some parents to abandon the ride after their legs proved too long or bellies too big.
Camp Snoopy’s Off-Road Rally debuts in the reimagined Camp Snoopy at Knott’s Berry Farm. (Photo by Brady MacDonald, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Mom and dad fit better on Camp Snoopy’s Off-Road Rally, which has an elevated back seat perfect for parents and grandparents while the kids do the driving. No need to worry about speeding tickets on the Jeep rally ride that crawls so slow the kids could get out and walk faster.
The Camp Swing kiddie swing remained behind construction walls with crews actively working to complete the new ride — hopefully in the coming weeks.
The Beagle Express Railroad kiddie train that got a new electric steam engine, fresh paint job and Peanuts themed scenes along the route wasn’t ready for the grand reopening either — and also expected to debut in the coming weeks as well.
The bulldozed Camp Snoopy Theater that Knott’s planned to replace with a new and improved stage has been turned into a vast expanse of artificial turf with a few scattered picnic tables.
Two wood cabins at the back of Beagle Scout Acres offered Adirondack and rocking chairs in a small patch of shade.
Umbrellas, lighting, a small campground stage and entertainment are coming soon — but they weren’t there on opening day when sunny skies in the 80s baked the shadeless expanse of fake grass.
The refreshed Snoopy’s Camp Store remains the place for all things Peanuts. Beach towels, jigsaw puzzles and candles were available alongside the obligatory t-shirts, hats and plush dolls — including at $100 life-size Charlie Brown plush doll.