A Knott’s Berry Farm ride dating back to the 1983 opening of Camp Snoopy is shuttering permanently this weekend.
The Huff and Puff is a rare theme park ride to enforce a height limit: Riders must be under 52 inches to partake. It’s also powered by kid propulsion. Riders hop into a single mine-style cart and push a handle up and down to move the car. The closure makes way for a major renovation to the Camp Snoopy area.
Camp Snoopy opened to great fanfare in 1983. It was a massive expansion for California’s first theme park, taking the park from four lands to five (the others were Ghost Town, Fiesta Village, the Roaring ’20s and Knott’s Airfield). Themed to the High Sierra, Camp Snoopy featured the beloved Peanuts characters and a plethora of attractions, among them the Huff and Puff, a Ferris wheel, the Grand Sierra Scenic Railroad, a Red Baron plane ride, puppet shows and a petting zoo. Park tickets at the time were $10.95 for adults and $8.95 for kids between the ages of three and 11. That’s $33.66 and $27.51 today, adjusted for inflation, if you want to shed a tear.
Knott’s says the new Camp Snoopy will open this summer. Among the additions will be Snoopy’s Tenderpaw Twister Coast, billed as “the only family coaster that takes parents and kids up a lift hill and delivers a pint-sized launch.” There’s also Sally’s Swing Along, a “giant bench swing” ride, and Camp Snoopy Theatre, an outdoor venue with a fire pit.
The last chance for little ones to ride the Huff and Puff is Sunday. Kids who take a turn huffing and puffing themselves around the track will earn a “last ride” commemorative merit badge, complete with the date.
