SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment Extends Rudolph Contract

[GAcoaster]

SEAWORLD PARKS & ENTERTAINMENT AND CHARACTER ARTS ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP EXTENSION

Classic Christmas characters will continue to be featured at SeaWorld, Busch Gardens and Sesame Place holiday celebrations

Orlando, Fla. (August 14, 2018) -- Beloved Christmas characters Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and friends, including Clarice, Bumble, the Abominable Snow Monster and Yukon Cornelius, and Rudolph themed attractions will continue to be featured as part of the Christmas Celebration™ events at SeaWorld parks in Orlando, Fla., San Antonio and San Diego; Christmas Town™ at Busch Gardens parks in Tampa, Fla. and Williamsburg, Va. and A Very Furry Christmas at Sesame Place in Langhorne, Pa.

The five-year contract extension was announced today by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment and Character Arts, LLC, the exclusive licensor of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and all of the characters from the 1964-television special. The extension ensures that Rudolph & Friends will continue to add holiday fun to the theme parks’ already popular Christmas events through January 31, 2024.

Walk-around characters, photo areas, dining opportunities and games are just some of the ways the world’s most famous reindeer will be featured at the theme parks.

“We are thrilled that Rudolph will continue to be part of the wonderful Christmas experiences at SeaWorld, Busch Gardens and Sesame Place,” said Jonathan Flom, founder, Character Arts. “These characters have already been so well-received by park guests, and we are looking forward to continuing sharing the holiday fun.”

“Generations of our guests have grown up with Rudolph and we are happy to continue the tradition at our popular holiday events,” said John Reilly, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment’s interim CEO. “We are always looking for ways to provide our guests with best-in-class experiences; Rudolph & Friends certainly help us do that with unique, interactive elements for the entire family.”

SeaWorld, Busch Gardens and Sesame Place’s holiday celebrations will launch in late November and run throughout the month of December. For additional holiday information, visit: www.SeaWorldParks.com

 

[GadgetGuru]

This is kind of fascinating. Doesn’t Universal own all of those characters now?

 

[Mad Dog]

Character Arts looks like a small mom & pop operation. 1 employee. Company revenue under $250,000 a year. These rights must be pretty cheap to acquire. They have Spookley the Pumpkin rights also. Three of the company board are family members....They've had a lot of dealings with Lionsgate in the past with some minor film rights & Spookley years ago.

 

[Doug A.]

This is kind of fascinating. Doesn’t Universal own all of those characters now?

I believe they own the Rankin Bass version? Not sure if they are the same so forgive my ignorance if they are the same.

 

[GAcoaster]

This is the Rankin Bass version. Licensed from the film company.

 

[JungleSkip]

Uni owns the broadcast rights/Tv shows themselves. The characters’ liscensing rights are owned by another entity