‘Globally recognized IP’ coming to SeaWorld, Busch Gardens theme parks + mystery attraction planned for Orlando
Attractions with “globally recognized IP” are in the works for United Parks & Resorts, the parent company of SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, and Sesame Place theme parks.
United CEO Marc Swanson shared remarks on the topic of intellectual property (IP) during the company’s quarterly earnings call on Feb. 26, 2025.
More IP in SeaWorld, Busch Gardens parks
The teams at United are “in discussions with multiple potential IP partners to feature globally recognized IP in rides, attractions, and other activations in our parks,” Swanson said.
He did not elaborate on which IP were in the mix, any proposed timeline for its integration, or which SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, and/or Sesame Place theme parks would benefit from the initiative.
Currently, United’s parks feature “Sesame Street”-themed rides, lands, and live entertainment through a licensing agreement with Sesame Workshop. United does not outright own “Sesame Street.”
Photo courtesy of United Parks & Resorts
During the holiday season, several United parks feature characters from “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” the classic Rankin-Bass special.
Photo courtesy of United Parks & Resorts
IP can be integrated in theme parks in various forms. For example, the upcoming Universal Epic Universe park represents a collection of characters Universal owns (Universal Classic Monsters in Dark Universe and the “How to Train Your Dragon” crew in Isle of Berk), characters the company licenses from other companies (Mario and friends in Super Nintendo World and the Warner Bros.-owned characters of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic), and characters inspired by mythology (the deities of Celestial Park).
Meanwhile down the road at Walt Disney World, several attractions are based on franchises that were originally outside of the Disney fold, but have since been acquired in full by the company (namely “Star Wars,” “Avatar,” and The Muppets).
Elsewhere, Six Flags parks currently have dibs on Peanuts and DC Comics characters.
Future attraction at SeaWorld Orlando
This spring, a flying theater attraction will open at SeaWorld Orlando.
During the United earnings call, executives teased an “additional new attraction to be announced” is also in the works for SeaWorld Orlando.
No other details were mentioned, including if the future attraction is intended to focus on potential IP partners.
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