(2001-2004 Operated as Season Pass Entrance)
In the early 1980's the trend for children's attractions was to offer
something more than the passive rides of the past, with things like net
climbs and ball crawls offering physical challenges to engage kids.
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At the end of the
1983 season
Six Flags introduced the Shirt Tales characters in their parks including
Great Adventure. As part of the integration of these new characters the Kiddie Kingdom area of the park was given a much needed update to become
Shirt Tales Land in 1984.
As part of the update interactive play
elements like the Ball Crawl and Net Climb were added in order to
compete with the new Sesame Place theme park which had opened in 1980
and offered similar interactive play structures. The new Ball Crawl was
known as Rick's Ball Crawl, named for the Shirt Tales character Rick Raccoon.
The attraction initially included 48,000 and green plastic balls through
which children (less their shoes) could wade, swim, and play. A
pyramid climb structure in the center of the attraction only lasted a
few seasons.
The Shirt Tales were short-lived in the Six Flags parks due
to the acquisition of Great America in Gurnee Illinois from the Marriott
Corporation. With Six Flags purchase of Great America they also acquired
the theme park rights to the Looney Tunes characters and so with the
1985 season Shirt Tales Land became Looney Tunes Land and the Ball Crawl
became Sylvester's Ball Crawl.
For the 1988 season Looney
Tunes Land was updated again becoming Bugs Bunny Land. With the new name
and update the Ball Crawl was renamed the Foghorn Leghorn Chicken Coop
which lasted until the end of the 2000 season.
For the 2001
season the Ball Crawl was removed and the building cleared out to become
the new Season Pass Entrance. Turnstiles and metal detectors were
installed making it a miniature gate into the park from the parking lot.
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Ball Crawl
Names Through the Years
1984 Bogey's Ball Crawl
1985-1987 Sylvester's Ball Crawl
1988-2000 Foghorn Leghorn's Chicken Coop
2001-2004 (Operated as the Season Pass Entrance) |