Snoopy coaster opens May 24 at Kings Island, delayed at Knott's

Cedar Fair provided updates on the opening of Snoopy’s Soap Box Racers at Kings Island and Snoopy’s Tenderpaw Twister Coaster at Knott’s.

Charlie Brown roller coaster train at Kings Island — _{Images courtesy of Cedar Fair}

Update, June 6, 2024: Knott’s Berry Farm announced its reimagined Camp Snoopy — complete with Snoopy’s Tenderpaw Twister Coaster, Sally’s Swing Along, and Camp Snoopy Theater — will officially open June 27, 2024.

Kings Island in Mason, Ohio and Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, Calif. will both introduce new roller coasters this summer themed to Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and the Peanuts gang. Both parks are operated by Cedar Fair, and both new coasters are part of larger overhauls of each park’s respective Peanuts children’s area.

While the attractions’ aesthetics share similarities, the coasters themselves are completely different from one another. This week, Cedar Fair shared updated information about each coaster’s opening date timeframe.

Snoopy’s Soap Box Racers at Kings Island

Snoopy’s Soap Box Racers will open May 24, 2024 at Kings Island. The family boomerang coaster will travel forward and backward along its track, reaching speeds of up to 36 mph. Snoopy’s Soap Box Racers will be the 16th roller coaster in the park.

Snoopy's Soap Box Racers boomerang coaster at Kings Island — *_{Snoopy’s Soap Box Racers at Kings Island.}*

The debut of Snoopy’s Soap Box Racers is part of an expansion of the Planet Snoopy area. In recent years, other Cedar Fair parks have outright replaced Planet Snoopy with Camp Snoopy altogether. Kings Island will have both. Other additions will include the Beagle Scout Acres shaded play area and the Pig Pen’s Mess Hall dining location.

Beagle Scout Acres in Camp Snoopy at Kings Island — *_{Camp Snoopy at Kings Island.}*

Snoopy’s Tenderpaw Twister Coaster at Knott’s Berry Farm

Snoopy’s Tenderpaw Twister Coaster will open “early summer,” as reported by the Orange County Register (citing Knott’s Berry Farm officials). The attraction was initially expected to debut Memorial Day Weekend.

The new family coaster will send riders around its track twice. Cedar Fair calls Snoopy’s Tenderpaw Twister Coaster “the only family coaster that takes parents and kids up a lift hill and delivers a pint-sized launch,” an unverifiable example of a trend we’ve noticed among new roller coasters.

Unlike Kings Island’s Peanuts area, which will introduce Camp Snoopy branding for the first time this season, the Knott’s counterpart of Camp Snoopy opened in 1983.

A flat ride called Sally’s Swing Along and the new Camp Snoopy Theater will also debut simultaneously as Snoopy’s Tenderpaw Twister Coaster in “early summer” at Knott’s. Meanwhile, the attraction formerly known as The Grand Sierra Railroad will become Beagle Express. Similarly, Rocky Mountain Trucking Company will become Camp Snoopy’s Off-Road Rally.

Sally's Swing Along at Knott's Berry Farm — *_{Concept art for Sally’s Swing Along and Camp Snoopy Theater at Knott’s Berry Farm.}*

Camp Snoopy Theater at Knott's Berry Farm — *_{Concept art for Sally’s Swing Along and Camp Snoopy Theater at Knott’s Berry Farm.}*

So Many New Roller Coasters

It’s a packed month of roller coaster grand openings around the U.S. Last weekend alone, Good Gravy! Family Coaster opened at Holiday World, Iron Menace opened at Dorney Park, and an overhauled Loch Ness Monster reopened at Busch Gardens Williamsburg.

Cedar Point briefly introduced Top Thrill 2 earlier this month, but closed the coaster May 11 for “mechanical modification.”