Future of Toon Lagoon

[Dinoman96]

I always did feel like securing the rights to Garfield would have definitely gone a long way in making the Comic Strip Lane part of Toon Lagoon feel a bit more timeless. Growing up going to IOA, I was always a bit confused to why neither him nor Calvin & Hobbes were anywhere to be seen there (though obviously for the latter it should be pretty obvious to why).

 

[AustinT]

I wonder if Universal is doing the mental math on how adults would react to a SpongeBob themed land.

They don't have to do any mental math. It would be super well received, even if it was just an overlay of all the current attractions. SpongeBob has surpassed popularity within one generation and is now an evergreen IP. However I do think whatever weird decisions or reasons that forced them to dial back on the accurate Krusty Krab in the Frisco Kids park will hurt that land's adult reception overall. Hope there's no food licensing issues related to all the brand deals Paramount constantly does...

Heck, just today some tweets showing off some SpongeBob pineapple house walkthrough attraction somewhere were trending. People of all ages would kill to walk into the environments from the show, but the food for this IP is more essential than any other aside from Potter, so if there's licensing issues there, I'd honestly think they should consider a different IP for any Toon Lagoon re-theme.

 

[mccgavin]

However I do think whatever weird decisions or reasons that forced them to dial back on the accurate Krusty Krab in the Frisco Kids park will hurt that land's adult reception overall.

I don't believe an "accurate Krusty Krab" was ever in consideration for Universal Kids. What was seemingly planned was an outdoor counter-service location that was shaped like the building. Its unclear if if was ever even intended to sell burgers.

 

[AustinT]

outdoor counter-service location that was shaped like the building. Its unclear if if was ever even intended to sell burgers.

A Sponge land without a Krusty Krab or burgers is just about the stupidest thing anyone could ever do. That's almost like a Harry Potter land without Hogwarts. The concept art up until the most recent ones at least showed a Krusty Krab facade. Now if they were not allowed to build a Krusty Krab or sell burgers for whatever reason, that's a different story.

 

[Mad Dog]

I always did feel like securing the rights to Garfield would have definitely gone a long way in making the Comic Strip Lane part of Toon Lagoon feel a bit more timeless. Growing up going to IOA, I was always a bit confused to why neither him nor Calvin & Hobbes were anywhere to be seen there (though obviously for the latter it should be pretty obvious to why).

Be careful what you wish for when it comes to Garfield. Palace Entertainment had the rights and put a Garfield Dark ride in Kennywood
Park. Trust me, it was probably the 'worst' dark ride of all time. And, Kennywood officials said Garfield creator Jim Davis was terrible to
work with. He was arrogant, contributed very little input, and would rarely show up for meetings when they were creating the attraction.

 

[Disneyhead]

Be careful what you wish for when it comes to Garfield. Palace Entertainment had the rights and put a Garfield Dark ride in Kennywood
Park. Trust me, it was probably the 'worst' dark ride of all time. And, Kennywood officials said Garfield creator Bill Davis was terrible to
work with. He was arrogant, contributed very little input, and would rarely show up for meetings when they were creating the attraction.

Garfield's Nightmare was so bad. I was fortunate enough to ride it when it was still The Old Mill. I love the story of how, when it was built in 1901, to make sure the water trough went down all the way through the attraction, they rolled a bowling ball into the start of the ride and waited until it rolled out at the end.

 

[Andysol]

All I know is that whatever IP takes over, they can demo the entirety of the land for all I care.

But if they touch Popeye's Bilge Rat Barges beyond an overlay; I'm going to riot.

 

[FBarnhill]

Scooby Doo overlay or don't bother.

 

[Freak]

Scooby Doo overlay or don't bother.

This is what I REALLY want!

 

[cdogsumo]

Scooby Doo overlay or don't bother.

It’s funny to think that Scooby Doo is roughly equivalent to what the Toon Lagoon IP was when it opened — something that was at its most popular 50 years ago but still has cultural relevance today (or in Toon Lagoon’s case 1999).

 

[Cwoolboy]

I can't be the only one who randomly finds themselves suddenly yearning for a ride on Dudley. I'm currently stuck in SoFlo, but Accuweather says it's in the low 40s in Orlando. Me thinks this would be the perfect day to join the Royal Canadian Mounted Police with Dudley! (I'm the crazy person who rode Popeye and Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges in 40 degree weather twice in a row, which might explain why I feel this way.)

 

[Mad Dog]

I can't be the only one who randomly finds themselves suddenly yearning for a ride on Dudley. I'm currently stuck in SoFlo, but Accuweather says it's in the low 40s in Orlando. Me thinks this would be the perfect day to join the Royal Canadian Mounted Police with Dudley! (I'm the crazy person who rode Popeye and Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges in 40 degree weather twice in a row, which might explain why I feel this way.)

You need to come to Pittsburgh's Point State Park and take a dip into the freezing Monongahela/Allegheny/Ohio River with the Polar Bears Club that
does that every winter. That will help solve that yearn.

 

[ZachPL]

Just retheme this quickly to SpongeBob. It’s easy, it’s there, wouldn’t be hard to revamp the rides, shouldn’t take long.

Agreed, and both rides are water rides. Bikini Bottom is notoriously underwater.

 

[TheCodeMan95]

I don't know if any retheme would be easier and make more sense than Toon Lagoon > Bikini Bottom.

 

[DOOMBOT]

I braved the chills on New Years Eve 2016 in order to be there on Wet N' Wild's final operating day, from park open to close. Fun day! Obviously it wasn't too busy haha, and I was able to ride every slide a good number of times to say goodbye ... But I did have to rush directly from the exit of each slide back to my chair to dry off as quickly as possible, lest the wind chill send me into cryonic shock.

That was about the same week I joined here actually!

 

[HHN Maddux]

I don't know if any retheme would be easier and make more sense than Toon Lagoon > Bikini Bottom.

I believe it was @UniversalRBLX who proposed this a while back, but tear down the theater for a SpongeBob dark ride, retheme Comic Strip Cafe to the Krusty Krab with a portion of Toon Extra becoming a meet-n-greet area, and voila- not only do you keep Toon Lagoon, but you effectively expand it with a Bikini Bottom mini-land, a Jurassic/Skull Island situation. This could also allow StorePants in USF to be closed for a proper DreamWorks store.

 

[DOOMBOT]

I believe it was @UniversalRBLX who proposed this a while back, but tear down the theater for a SpongeBob dark ride, retheme Comic Strip Cafe to the Krusty Krab with a portion of Toon Extra becoming a meet-n-greet area, and voila- not only do you keep Toon Lagoon, but you effectively expand it with a Bikini Bottom mini-land, a Jurassic/Skull Island situation. This could also allow StorePants in USF to be closed for a proper DreamWorks store.

I think you have to bring Spongebob at least down to Blondie's, so you can have Chum Bucket operating across from the Krusty Krab.

 

[TheCodeMan95]

I think you have to bring Spongebob at least down to Blondie's, so you can have Chum Bucket operating across from the Krusty Krab.

Blondies = Chum Bucket
Comic Strip Cafe = Krusty Krab

Ripsaw Falls = Glove World
Bilgerat Barges = Jellyfish Fields

 

[UniversalRBLX]

I believe it was @UniversalRBLX who proposed this a while back, but tear down the theater for a SpongeBob dark ride, retheme Comic Strip Cafe to the Krusty Krab with a portion of Toon Extra becoming a meet-n-greet area, and voila- not only do you keep Toon Lagoon, but you effectively expand it with a Bikini Bottom mini-land, a Jurassic/Skull Island situation. This could also allow StorePants in USF to be closed for a proper DreamWorks store.

Adding here for reference as to what a TL replacement could look like. It's virtually all re-usable as the "bones" of Toon Lagoon are fine for a land... it's current content is just severely outdated (and not making much revenue).



SpongeBob, as evident by Universal Kids, just prints money... even in 2026.

 

[TheCodeMan95]

Adding here for reference as to what a TL replacement could look like. It's virtually all re-usable as the "bones" of Toon Lagoon are fine for a land... it's current content is just severely outdated (and not making much revenue).

View attachment 28763

SpongeBob, as evident by Universal Kids, just prints money... even in 2026.

The perfect Bikini Bottom background loop exists - the Battle for Bikini Bottom soundtrack!