Snoopy’s Beagle Scouts will celebrate the annual Camp Jamboree when Knott’s Berry Farm adds another dose of Peanuts storytelling to Camp Snoopy during the first extensive overhaul of the kiddie land in a decade.
The Camp Snoopy makeover set to debut Memorial Day Weekend 2024 at the Buena Park theme park 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.
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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 Italian ridemaker Zamperla.
A new “Camp Snoopy” animated television show coming soon to Apple TV will offer some inspiration for the revamped rides — even if the refreshed land won’t be directly tied to the new TV show.
One goal of the Camp Snoopy refresh is to make Knott’s visitors feel like they are joining the Peanuts characters during a day at camp, according to Cedar Fair Creative Development Director Ken Parks, who headed up the Camp Snoopy makeover.
“How would the Peanuts kids use Camp Snoopy if this were a real camp?” Parks said during an online video interview. “That’s really at the core. It will feel like the kids go to camp here.”
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A meet-and-greet area tucked in a back corner will be removed so the Peanuts characters will be out and about more in the land.
“It will feel like they live at Camp Snoopy,” Parks said. “That they’re really inhabiting the land.”
Another goal of the Camp Snoopy overhaul at Knott’s is to add more attractions that children can ride with their parents and grandparents — rather than the adults standing off to the side watching their kids have fun.
“One of the things that we hear from our guests is that they really want to play together,” Parks said. “Whether it’s a new attraction or an older attraction, we are making it so that everybody can go on the rides together.”
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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 launch is certainly thrilling,” Parks said.
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 offers 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 yearns to sing to her long-time unrequited crush Linus.
“Sally wants to go and meet Linus so they can sit in the swing together,” Parks said. “Unfortunately, he has stood her up.”
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.
“Each character has created their own jeep,” Parks said. “The designs reflect all of the individual characters.”
The expanded track and terrain will include obstacles to go around, over and under.
The nearby Balloon Race ride will also incorporate the Camp Jamboree theme.
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 — including Charlie Brown participating in a sack race with a sack over his head and Beagle Scouts earning their horticulture badges 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.
“Linus, who is our tour guide, says that is definitely helping those in need,” Parks said with a laugh.
Camp Snoopy Theater
Elsewhere in the land, the Camp Snoopy Theater will be reoriented with the relocated stage facing the midway and a shade cover over new log-style seating. The Grizzly Creek Lodge restaurant will be rethemed as a campground mess hall.
The first extensive makeover of Camp Snoopy in a decade will take out several rides from the 1983 birth of the themed land as a High Sierras camping experience.
The Timberline Twister roller coaster, High Sierra Ferris Wheel and Camp Bus magic carpet ride will be 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.
