ORLANDO — SeaWorld is moving further away from its controversial killer whale shows and closer to the more kid-friendly Sesame Street neighborhood.
SeaWorld Entertainment Inc. and Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit behind the long-running “Sesame Street” children’s educational show on PBS, have announced they plan to build a second theme park in Orlando by 2022.
They also said they are considering adding more parks in the future.
SeaWorld already has one Sesame Place theme park at its Langhorne, Pa., location near Philadelphia that offers roller coasters, water rides, shows, parades, games and interactions with Sesame Street mascots.
The company also has smaller Sesame Street Bay of Play kiddie areas in its San Diego, San Antonio and Tampa theme parks.
SeaWorld’s current licensing agreement with Sesame Street allows it to use Sesame Street characters in its parks. It had been set to expire in 2021. The new agreement extends the partnership through 2031.
By expanding its licensing agreement with Sesame Street, SeaWorld continues to move away from the controversy over its orca shows that attracted intense animal rights protests and an a critical documentary, “Blackfish.”
The company ended its orca-breeding program last year after years of declining attendance and pressure from activists following the 2013 release of the documentary, which chronicled the life of an orca that killed a SeaWorld trainer during a performance in Orlando in 2010.
“We do want to continue to diversify, and strategically, I think that’s the main point,” Joel Manby, president and CEO of SeaWorld Entertainment, told the Associated Press.
“Sesame Street as it exists today only exists on television,” Manby said. “We’d like to build the actual Sesame Street that kids can be on and walk down. We will have hopefully a Sesame parade, rides (and a) show where they can see and meet the Sesame characters.”
The new attraction at Orlando’s SeaWorld will be an overhaul of the Shamu’s Happy Harbor play area, which has children’s rides and a net climb.
For Sesame Workshop, the park expansion allows it to spread its brand via theme parks during a time of intense competition for children’s viewing attention.
“I think it occurred to us that there was a market opportunity to build more of them,” said Jeffrey Dunn, CEO of Sesame Workshop. “At Sesame, we know that the theme parks are a great way to deeply engage our fans with the characters that they love.”
SeaWorld and Sesame Street haven’t decided where the next Sesame Place theme park after Orlando will be located, but they say they want to go to an underserved market.
SeaWorld operates parks under the SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, Aquatica, Discovery Cove, Water Country USA and Adventure Island brands. Manby said it’s possible that someday Sesame Place parks might outnumber the other brands.
