Sesame Workshop and Busch Entertainment Corp. Announce Expanded Partnership

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    ST. LOUIS, Aug. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Busch Entertainment Corporation
 (BEC), the family entertainment subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch Companies,
 Inc., today signed a long-term agreement with nonprofit educational
 organization Sesame Workshop to create fixed Sesame Street-themed
 attractions in four of its U.S. parks -- SeaWorld California in San Diego,
 SeaWorld Texas in San Antonio, Busch Gardens Africa in Tampa, Fla., and
 Busch Gardens Europe in Williamsburg, Va. In addition, the Sesame Street
 characters will make periodic appearances at SeaWorld Florida in Orlando
 beginning in 2007.
     (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060824/CGTH039 )
     Also as part of this agreement, Sesame Workshop has agreed to extend
 BEC's license to feature Sesame Street characters in Sesame Place, the
 company's Langhorne, Pa. park. Sesame Place, the nation's only theme park
 based on Sesame Street, opened in 1980. Most recently, Sesame Place opened
 "Elmo's World," an all-new land with three new rides themed after the
 popular red furry monster.
     "Sesame Workshop and Busch Entertainment both aim to bring families fun
 and interactive experiences. We commend Busch Entertainment for their 26
 years of partnership with Sesame Place and we look forward to extending
 this commitment through new Sesame Street locations in SeaWorld and Busch
 Gardens parks that will transform the entertaining and educational features
 of the television series into memorable experiences for families across the
 country," said Gary E. Knell, President and CEO, Sesame Workshop.
     BEC President and Chairman of the Board Keith M. Kasen said the
 partnership with Sesame Workshop will enhance BEC's long tradition of
 delivering high-quality family entertainment to its guests.
     "Over the past 26 years we have come to appreciate just how well known
 and loved the Sesame characters are and the kind of connection guests can
 make with them in a theme park setting like Sesame Place," said Kasen. "The
 deal we are announcing today allows us to offer these kinds of experiences
 at SeaWorld and Busch Gardens. These parks combined play host to more than
 19 million people each year."
     Kasen said that development of Sesame-themed attractions for SeaWorld
 and Busch Gardens will begin in the next several months as part of the
 deal, which establishes BEC as the exclusive U.S. theme park partner of
 Sesame Workshop.
     "We will provide our guests with attractions that showcase wonderful
 characters like Ernie and Bert, Big Bird, Elmo and Oscar the Grouch, and do
 it in a way that fits with the unique themes of our SeaWorld and Busch
 Gardens parks." Kasen said Sesame attractions at SeaWorld and Busch Gardens
 might include family rides, water elements, live character shows, 4-D film
 attractions or character dining programs.
     Plans call for the first Sesame-themed attraction to open in 2008.
 Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
     BEC operates the nine Anheuser-Busch Adventure Parks: SeaWorld parks in
 Orlando, Fla., San Diego, Calif., and San Antonio, Texas; Busch Gardens
 parks in Tampa, Fla. and Williamsburg, Va.; Discovery Cove in Orlando;
 Sesame Place in Langhorne, Pa., near Philadelphia; water parks Adventure
 Island in Tampa and Water Country USA in Williamsburg. BEC and its parks
 employ nearly 20,000 people nationwide.
     Sesame Workshop is a nonprofit educational organization making a
 meaningful difference in the lives of children around the world. Founded in
 1968, the Workshop changed television forever with the legendary Sesame
 Street. Today, the Workshop continues to innovate on behalf of children in
 120 countries, using its proprietary research methodology to ensure its
 programs and products are engaging and enriching. Sesame Workshop is behind
 award-winning programs like Dragon Tales, Sagwa, The Chinese Siamese Cat,
 Pinky Dinky Doo and groundbreaking multimedia productions in South Africa,
 Egypt and Russia.
     As a nonprofit, Sesame Workshop puts the proceeds it receives from
 sales of Sesame Street, Dragon Tales, Sagwa, and Pinky products back into
 its educational projects for children around the world. Find the Workshop
 online at http://www.sesameworkshop.org .
 
 

SOURCE Busch Entertainment Corporation; Sesame Workshop