Knott's Bear-y Tales
Knott's Bear-y Tales was a dark ride located at Knott's Berry Farm that opened in 1975 as part of the Roaring 20s area. The attraction was designed by Disney Imagineer Rolly Crump as part of creating a ride that would complement Gypsy Camp, a former themed area of the park.[2] However, the dwindling Gypsy Camp would end up becoming a new section called the Roaring 20s (now known as The Boardwalk). As a result, the design of Bear-y Tales was altered twice until it ended up reflecting the theme of the Roaring 20s area. During construction, the building caught on fire and a couple of scenes that were under development were destroyed. However, the attraction was given an extended deadline to allow more time and reconstruction of the damaged parts of the ride. In the fall of 1986, Knott's Bear-y Tales was closed to become Kingdom of the Dinosaurs due to the then-upcoming trend of dinosaurs. Following the closure, many of the animatronics and set pieces were obtained by employees,[3] while others stayed within Knott's to become a part of a walk-through experience in 1987 located at the Camp Snoopy area. That attraction also closed and was removed in 1997.
| Knott's Bear-y Tales | |
|---|---|
| Knott's Berry Farm | |
| Area | Roaring 20s |
| Status | Removed |
| Cost | $900,000[1] |
| Opening date | July 4, 1975 |
| Closing date | October 31, 1986 |
| Replaced by | Kingdom of the Dinosaurs |
| General statistics | |
| Attraction type | dark ride |
| Manufacturer | Fantasy Fair |
| Designer | Rolly Crump |
| Theme | Fantasy |
| Music | "Welcome One and All" |
| Length | 600 ft (180 m) |
| Site area | 20,000 sq ft (1,900 m2) |
| Vehicle type | Omnimover |
| Riders per vehicle | 4 |
| Duration | 8:00 |
On November 7, 2019, Knott's announced that a new 4-D interactive attraction serving as a sequel to Knott's Bear-y Tales will replace Voyage to the Iron Reef for the 100th anniversary of the park, titled "Knott's Bear-y Tales: Return to the Fair".[4]
References
- "The Whimsical Design of Knott's Bear-y Tales: An interview with Rolly Crump".
- "Knott's Bear-y Tales - 1975". Knottspreserved.com. Retrieved 2017-05-17.
- "the red line". Secure.harkless.org. Retrieved 2017-05-17.
- "Knott's Berry Farm is bringing back Bear-y Tales". Theme Park Insider. Retrieved 2019-11-07.