Peanuts at IOA?

[KonataUniversal]

I just read from an old post here that when IOA was in development, they wrote concepts for several rides, including the Simpsons and Nickelodeon (which happened at USF), Casper, and PEANUTS?!?!

It was to be a show where the characters would act out holiday vignettes (like Lucy being the Statue of Liberty, which happened in a commercial for The Lady Foundation) in a school play, but things got out of hand, and Linus would clarify the true meaning of the holidays.

This would've been GREAT!! However, if Universal got Peanuts, then Cedar Fair wouldn't have been able to use them (just like Disney and Marvel.) I think the reason WB said no to Universal about DC and Looney Tunes was because of Six Flags. Universal Japan has Peanuts; so maybe this happened in a way??

I can imagine an alternate universe where it's Charlie Brown Christmas at IOA instead of Grinchmas. And from the looks of it, they would've gotten to use the TV special iterations (Cedar Fair can only use the comic iterations, which is why Vince Guaraldi never plays at the Planet Snoopy areas.)

 

[TheUniC6]

I think the reason WB said no to Universal about DC and Looney Tunes was because of Six Flags

There were actually pretty detailed plans for the DC land at IOA which would have been split into half Gotham and half Metropolis. However, these plans fell through when Universal and Warner couldn't come to terms with the financials regarding the licensing.

What If Universal Had DC Comics in Islands of Adventure Instead of Marvel?

Universal's original plans to use DC Comics characters would have changed theme park – and entertainment – history.

allears.net

 

[Universal 4 Life]

Things worked out just fine for all parties involved. Disney obviously benefitted the most.

 

[Mad Dog]

I just read from an old post here that when IOA was in development, they wrote concepts for several rides, including the Simpsons and Nickelodeon (which happened at USF), Casper, and PEANUTS?!?!

It was to be a show where the characters would act out holiday vignettes (like Lucy being the Statue of Liberty, which happened in a commercial for The Lady Foundation) in a school play, but things got out of hand, and Linus would clarify the true meaning of the holidays.

This would've been GREAT!! However, if Universal got Peanuts, then Cedar Fair wouldn't have been able to use them (just like Disney and Marvel.) I think the reason WB said no to Universal about DC and Looney Tunes was because of Six Flags. Universal Japan has Peanuts; so maybe this happened in a way??

I can imagine an alternate universe where it's Charlie Brown Christmas at IOA instead of Grinchmas. And from the looks of it, they would've gotten to use the TV special iterations (Cedar Fair can only use the comic iterations, which is why Vince Guaraldi never plays at the Planet Snoopy areas.)

No. It was a money and reputation thing. Universal wouldn't budge on what they'd paid Warner for the rights. And it was just a really small amount. But Universal, which represented most of the Hollywood talent through their talent agency, always played the tough guy in negotiations and weren't going to back down even if it was just insignificant amount of money. (From "Jaybangs")

 

[KonataUniversal]

There were actually pretty detailed plans for the DC land at IOA which would have been split into half Gotham and half Metropolis. However, these plans fell through when Universal and Warner couldn't come to terms with the financials regarding the licensing.

What If Universal Had DC Comics in Islands of Adventure Instead of Marvel?

Universal's original plans to use DC Comics characters would have changed theme park – and entertainment – history.

allears.net

This was when Six Flags was owned by Warner, as well...

 

[GA-MBIT]

The lack of Peanuts and Garfield representation in Universal's comic strip-themed land is certainly notable, but Popeye and Betty Boop have seemed to anchor the land fine enough by themselves for a few decades now. It also gave room for a lot of the more niche Kings Comics offerings to get vignettes and themed storefronts, which I think is pretty neat, and imo certainly wouldn't have happened had those larger IP been on the table from the start.