Paramount Parks

Paramount Parks was a subsidiary of Paramount Communications and later Viacom, responsible for operating five theme parks: the Carowinds in Virginia, Canada's Wonderland, Great America in California, Kings Dominion in Virginia, and Kings Island in Ohio. While Paramount Parks was a subsidiary of Viacom, Nickelodeon's parent company at the time, they took advantage of the situation to create Nickelodeon-themed areas to their theme parks.
==Background==
Paramount Parks was created on August 12, 1992. Paramount Communications had closed a $400 million deal to buy Kings Entertainment, which owned and operated California's Great America, Kings Dominion, and Carowinds. They had also bought Kings Entertainments 20% stake in Canada's Wonderland (giving them the right to operate the park) as well as Kings Island. Paramount Parks was created to operate and manage these newly acquired theme parks.Glickman, Clifford. "Paramount completes deal to buy Carowinds". The Charlotte Observer, 18 Aug 1992, 6D. Newspapers.com. Accessed 17 Nov 2023.
In September 1993, Viacom and Paramount began to pursue a merger.Plunkett, Marguerite M. "Filing: Blockbuster weighed union with Viacom in '92". Palm Beach Post, 31 Aug 1994, 6B. Newspapers.com. Accessed 17 Nov 2023. In response to a Wall Street Journal article speculating on the possibility of the theme parks being sold, a Viacom spokesman called it unlikely, saying, "The parks are a complementary asset to everything Viacom owns."Larkin, Patrick. "Viacom: Parks good fit". Cincinnati Post, 17 Feb 1994, 12B. Newspapers.com. Accessed 17 Nov 2023. On March 11, 1994, Viacom bought half of Paramount's stock, taking control of the company.McCash, Vicki. "Viacom assumes Paramount control with cash payments". South Florida Sun Sentinel, 12 Mar 1994, 7B. Newspapers.com. Accessed 17 Nov 2023.
==Splat City==
Paramount Parks announced its plans to build Nickelodeon areas at Great America, Kings Island, and Kings Dominion in August 1994."Business Briefly". Charlotte Observer, 27 Aug 1994, D1. Newspapers.com. Accessed 27 Aug 1994. The three Splat Cities opened in spring 1995.Thym, Jolene. "The slime is sublime". Oakland Tribune, 25 Mar 1995, B1. Newspapers.com. Accessed 17 Nov 2023.Owen, Rob. "Ack! It's Gak!" Richmond Times-Dispatch, 7 Apr 1995, C1. Newspapers.com. Accessed 17 Nov 2023.Knippenberg, Jim. "Nickelodeon Splat City". Cincinnati Enquirer, 14 Apr 1995, 20. Newspapers.com. Accessed 17 Nov 2023. Aside from the Green Slime Mining Car Coaster at Great America, the three areas had largely the same atractions.
The premise of Splat City was that natural sources of green slime were discovered at the parks. With the help of Nickelodeon, a drilling operation was built to relieve the pressure created by the slime as well as extract it. Guests had numerous chances to get doused with GSH2O, green slime's watery natural state. The use of messier stuff was restricted to a few guests selected to participate in the park's shows.
For a few weeks in 2000, Kings Island's Splat City hosted The Wild Thornberrys Rainforest Insect Adventure, an exhibit featuring animatronic insects and an audio tour by Eliza Thornberry.Mannweiler, David. "Thornberry is narrator". Indianapolis Star, 18 Jun 2000, K3. Newspapers.com. Accessed 17 Nov 2023.
==Nickelodeon Central==
Kings Dominion was the first Paramount Park to drop the Splat City name in favor of Nickelodeon Central. The area opened in 2000 with new attractions including the Rugrats Toonpike, the Wild Thornberrys Explorer Cafe, Meet Blue!, the Nickelodeon Space Surfer, and the CatDog Snack Shack."Nickelodeon Central is at Kings Dominion". The Daily Progress (Charlottesville, VA), 29 Jun 2000, Progress Junior 6. Newspapers.com. Accessed 21 Nov 2023. 
Kings Island was next to convert its Splat City into a Nickelodeon Central. New to the area were Runaway Reptar, The Wild Thornberrys River Adventure, and Nickelodeon Character Studio. Runaway Reptar was notable for being the first inverted junior coaster ever built.Knippenberg, Jim. "Where the kids are kings". The times Recorder (Zanesville, OH), 111 Apr 2001, 10A. Newspapers.com. Accessed 21 Nov 2023.
2003 was a big year for Nickelodeon at Paramount Parks. The Splat City at Paramount's Great America was revamped into Nickelodeon Central."Variations on a theme". The Sacramento Bee, 15 Jun 2003, M10. Newspapers.com. Accessed 20 Nov 2023. Nickelodeon Centrals were added at the Carowinds and Canada's Wonderland, where no Splat City had existed.Clark, Denyse. "New Rides Await Thrill Seekers". The Herald (Rock Hill, SC), 14 Mar 2003, 1A. Newspapers.com. Accessed 20 Nov 2023."Nickelodeon cartoons move to Carowinds". The Times and Democrat (Orangeburg, SC), 20 Mar 2023, Ca. Newspapers.com. Accessed 20 Nov 2023. "Wonderland's wild rides, slipery slides". Toronto Star, 10 May 2003, What's On 10. Newspapers.com. Accessed 21 Nov 2023.. Outside of Nickelodeon Central, all of the parks added SpongeBob SquarePants 3-D."Teens Take On Carowinds". The Herald (Rock Hill, SC), 9 May 2003, 1D. Newspapers.com. Accessed 20 Nov 2023."One crazy summer". York Daily Record, 30 May 2003, Friday 8. Newspapers.com. Accessed 23 Nov 2023.Solvig, Erica. "SpongeBob ride opens in May". Cincinnati Enquirer, 14 Mar 2003, B3. Newspapers.com. Accessed 21 Nov 2023.Beeler, Monique. "Coasters & Critters". Oakland Tribune, 18 Apr 2003, Bay Area Living 1. Newspapers.com. Accessed 21 Nov 2023.
The Nickelodeon Central at the Carowinds experienced major growth in 2005, expanding into the areas that were once Animation Station and Zoom Zone. New rides Phantom Flyers, the Flying Dutchman's Revenge, Little Bill's Cruisers and Dora the Explorer's Azul Adventure were added as well as a new game show called Nick Live.Wiersema, Libby. "Family Fun". Florence Morning News, 29 May 2005, 1C. Newspapers.com. Accessed 21 Nov 2023.
==Nickelodeon Universe==
For the 2006 season, Kings Island expanded Nickelodeon Central into Nickelodeon Universe, taking over Hanna Barbera Land. The area was divided into a Dora area and a Spongebob area. Dora's area contained four previously existing rides given a Dora or Blue's Clues theme. 
Yeager, Connie. "New for kids at Kings Island". The Cincinnati Post, 13 Apr 2006, 1C. Newspapers.com. Accessed 17 Nov 2023.
==The End of Nickelodeon At Paramount Parks==
In 2005, Viacom was split into two companies: one that would retain the Viacom name and CBS Corporation. Viacom retained Nickelodeon while CBS got Paramount Parks.Berkowitz, Harry. "Undoing Viacom's megamerger". Newsday (New York, NY), 15 Jun 2005, A46. Newspapers.com. Accessed 20 Nov 2023. Cedar Fair bought Paramount Parks from CBS in 2006.Cornwell, Lisa. "Cedar Fair buys Paramount Parks". The Tribune (Coshocton, OH), 23 May 2006, 4B. Newspapers.com. Accesssed 20 Nov 2023. In September 2009, Cedar Fair announced that the Nickelodeon areas of the former Paramount Parks would be redone with Peanuts characters for the 2010 season."Peanuts characters are coming to Kings Dominion". Richmond Times-Dispatch, 4 Sep 2009, B9. Newspapers.com. Accessed 20 Nov 2023.
==Gallery==
Paramount Parks 1990s.jpeg
Paramount Kings Island 1990s.jpeg
Paramount Carowinds 1990s.jpeg
Paramount Parks website logo.png|taken from the website
Paramount Parks 2004.jpeg
Paramount Parks 2005.jpeg
Paramount Great America 2000s.jpeg
Paramount Kings Island.jpeg
==References==
Category:Theme park attractions
Category:Paramount Pictures