Sesame Place (Pennsylvania)

Sesame Place Philadelphia is a children's theme park and water park based on the children's educational television program ''Sesame Street''. It is one of the two Sesame Place theme parks owned and operated by United Parks & Resorts under an exclusive license from Sesame Workshop, the non-profit owner of ''Sesame Street''. Located outside of Philadelphia in Middletown Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania (with a Langhorne mailing address), it is the older of the two ''Sesame Street'' theme parks in the United States (the other being Sesame Place San Diego). Sesame Place Philadelphia includes a variety of rides, shows and water attractions suited for young children, and is the first theme park in the world to become a certified autism center.

History

Sesame Place first opened in 1980 near the Oxford Valley Mall and initiated the expansion of the commercial complex in the vicinity. It was designed by Eric McMillan, a Canadian designer, Sandra Hanna of Lambertville, New Jersey and several other designers.

The park is open from early May through Halloween for The Count's Halloween "Spooktacular", and mid-November through December for "A Very Furry Christmas". The original park was and featured play areas and large computer labs where kids could color their favorite Sesame Street characters. Since then, it has expanded to with rides and water attractions. The expansions included the construction of Cookie's Monster Land in 2014 – the park's largest renovation to date.

The theme park is described as having implemented features to make it accessible to children with autism, and on World Autism Awareness Day in 2018 was announced to be the first theme park that is a Certified Autism Center. Certified Autism Centers "elpbusinesses better serve guests and clients with cognitive disorders, including autism".

In 2007, it became the first theme park in Pennsylvania to become completely smoke-free.

Beginning in January 2021, the park began its year-round operation. The park's previous operating season ran from April through early January; however, 2021 was the first time the park has ever been open during the winter months. Each weekend was a limited capacity event that featured rides, dance parties, and a parade. In 2023, Sesame Place did not continue year-round operation but only closed between mid-January to mid-February.

In July 2022, a family claimed in an Instagram post that the character Rosita snubbed their two young black children by ignoring them as they waved to her. The video went viral as other users posted similar incidents of costumed characters and black children, with those on social media calling for a boycott of the park. The park released a statement that the costume had made it difficult for the performer to see the girls. They later followed with another statement that the performer had not intentionally snubbed the girls, but instead rejected a request "from someone in the crowd who asked Rosita to hold their child for a photo, which is not permitted." On July 19, Sesame Place Philadelphia formally apologized to the family and invited the family back for a personal meet-and-greet with the characters. They also announced that their employees will undergo racial bias training to ensure park guests have an "inclusive, equitable and entertaining" experience.

Attractions

Sesame Place features dry rides and water rides. Dry rides are open during Elmo's Springtacular, the summer season, The Count's Halloween Spooktacular and A Very Furry Christmas. Water rides are open only in the summer season (Memorial Day-Labor Day). Other rides are only operated during Elmo's Springtacular, The Count's Halloween Spooktacular, or A Very Furry Christmas.

Sesame Plaza

The front entrance.

Sesame City

An area themed to mass transit and a big city.

Big Bird's Beach

Formerly known as "Twiddlebug Land" from 1993 until 2023.

Sesame Island

An area featuring water-based attractions.

Sesame Neighborhood

A full-scale replica of Sesame Street. Opened in 1988.

The Count's Court

Themed after Count von Count and features water rides. The special Count-themed dry attractions only operate during special events and are listed below.

Elmo's World

Themed after Elmo, more specifically the ''Elmo's World'' segment.

Cookie's Monster Land

Named after Cookie Monster. Opened in 2014.

Special Event Rides

These rides only operate during specific seasonal events.

Former attractions

References

Further reading

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External links

Sesame Place official site
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1980 establishments in Pennsylvania
Amusement parks in Pennsylvania
Amusement parks opened in 1980
Buildings and structures in Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Sesame Street
Tourist attractions in Bucks County, Pennsylvania
United Parks & Resorts