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Hanna-Barbera Land

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Hanna-Barbera Land was a theme park based on the cartoons of the Hanna-Barbera animation studio. It was located in the Spring, Texas, United States, north of Houston,[1] and operated for the 1984 and 1985 seasons. After the park's closure following the 1985 season, the rides were sold and the land was reused as a water park, which is now operating as Six Flags Hurricane Harbor SplashTown.

Hanna-Barbera Land
LocationSpring, Texas, U.S.
Coordinates30°04′12″N 95°25′55″W / 30.070°N 95.432°W / 30.070; -95.432
StatusDefunct
OpenedMarch 31, 1984; 40 years ago (1984-03-31)
Closed1985 (1985)
OwnerKings Entertainment Company
General managerJoseph Barbera
ThemeHanna-Barbera

History

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Subsections of larger theme parks featured characters from the Hanna-Barbera animation studio prior to 1984, primarily the parks owned by Taft Broadcasting such as Kings Island (1972), Kings Dominion (1975), Carowinds (1975), and Canada's Wonderland (1981).

The standalone theme park in Spring was built by Taft Broadcasting,[2] which became the Kings Entertainment Company as of opening.[3] Kings also owned the Australia's Wonderland, Canada's Wonderland, Carowinds, Kings Dominion, and Kings Island theme parks. The park was open daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. except Saturdays, when the park closed at 10 p.m. The 1984 season lasted until Labor Day.[4] Admission was US$6.50 (equivalent to $19 in 2023) for children and adults from Sunday through Friday, rising to US$7.50 (equivalent to $22 in 2023) on Saturdays; one grandparent was admitted free with each paid admission.[5]

Despite increased attendance in 1985, a number of factors led to the park's closure. An oil bust in the early 1980s severely impacted the economy of the Greater Houston area, along with competition with the well-established and more centrally-located AstroWorld, as well as minimal spending in the park on concessions, gift shop purchases, and souvenirs all eventually doomed the park.[6]

The park was sold to private investors and the SplashTown USA water park was built in its place; the water park was sold again to Bryant Morris, then to Six Flags which purchased it in 1999. After initially not wanting to brand and call it "a member of the Six Flags family," Six Flags eventually decided to re-brand it as Six Flags SplashTown. In 2007 it was sold to PARC Management, which renamed it to Wet N' Wild Splashtown. After the park returned to Six Flags management as part of a 2019 operating agreement, it was rebranded Six Flags Hurricane Harbor SplashTown.[7]

Attractions

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Visitors entered the park through a large rainbow archway.[8]

The park featured:

  • A character carousel, including Jabberjaw, Dino, and Yogi Bear[9]
  • A Scooby-Doo roller coaster, now at California's Great America as Woodstock's Express[10]
  • Boulder Bumpers
  • Silly Stix, an enormous jungle gym of sorts that looked like it was constructed out of giant Tinker Toys;[11][12] it was repainted and rebranded as "Pepsi Pavilion" for the replacement water park.[13]
  • H.B.L. Funliner[14][15]
  • The Funsonium, a "do-seum" designed by Edwin Schlossberg[16] which housed interactive and educational hands-on games and experiences such as Your Name in Lights and You Are the Star; in addition, a continuous feed of Scooby-Doo cartoons was shown[4]
  • Pedal boats with themed characters including Snagglepuss, Quick Draw McGraw, and Huckleberry Hound[17][18]
  • Water body slides, added for 1985[19]
  • Puppet shows
  • Papa Smurf's Forest restaurant
  • A live Keystone Cops brass band (branded the 'Kops of Komedy')[4] that performed Hanna Barbera theme songs
  • 'Rufus the Rainmaker', a live performance featuring the "leading authority in the art of rainmaking"[4]

References

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  1. ^ Gill, Julian (January 3, 2019). "What it looked like to vacation in Houston as a kid in the 1970s and 80s". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  2. ^ Schwab III, N. (April 1983). "A New Generation of Theme Parks Rolls In". Urban Land. Urban Land Institute. p. 8. ISSN 0042-0891.
  3. ^ Clavé, Salvador Anton (2007). The Global Theme Park Industry. CABI p. 121. ISBN 978-1-8459-3210-7.
  4. ^ a b c d "Hanna Barbera Land adds three attractions to park". Longview News-Journal. July 29, 1984. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  5. ^ "Hanna Barbera land in Houston is now open". Shreveport Times. May 18, 1984. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  6. ^ "The 1980s Oil Bust Almost Broke Houston. Almost". Houstonia Magazine. June 2020.
  7. ^ Takahashi, Paul (February 12, 2019). "Six Flags to rename, renovate Wet 'n' Wild Splashtown". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  8. ^ Syverson, Larry (August 1984). "Houston, TX - Hanna Barbera Land". flickr. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  9. ^ Syverson, Larry (August 1984). "Houston, TX - Hanna Barbera Land". flickr. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  10. ^ Scooby Doo at the Roller Coaster DataBase
  11. ^ Davenport, John C. (1985). Houston: Your Complete Guide to Texas' Largest City. Texas Monthly Press p. 73. ISBN 978-0-9320-1280-7.
  12. ^ Syverson, Larry (August 1984). "Houston, TX - Hanna Barbera Land". flickr. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  13. ^ "Splashtown". Carbon-izer. Fall 2009. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  14. ^ Syverson, Larry (August 1984). "Houston, TX - Hanna Barbera Land". flickr. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  15. ^ Syverson, Larry (August 1984). "Houston, TX - Hanna Barbera Land". flickr. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  16. ^ Friend, Tad (April 1987). "Mr. Caroline Kennedy, Renaissance Man". Spy. New York, New York: Spy Publishing Partners, L.P. pp. 28–36. ISSN 0890-1759. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  17. ^ Syverson, Larry (August 1984). "Houston, TX - Hanna Barbera Land". flickr. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  18. ^ Syverson, Larry (August 1984). "Houston, TX - Hanna Barbera Land". flickr. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  19. ^ "For Children". Texas Monthly. May 1985. p. 73. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
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