IRVING, Texas -- Sesame Place, a seven-acre theme park based on the 'Sesame Street' television series, has been closed, owners of the suburban Dallas-Fort Worth park said Friday.
The park closed Oct. 28 for the fall season and will not reopen as scheduled in May because of lower-than-expected attendance and revenue, said spokesmen for Busch Entertainment Corp., its owner.
'It has not been profitable for the company,' said spokeswoman Vicki Pearlman in St. Louis. She refused, however, to disclose attendance or profit-loss figures.
Sesame Place opened in June 1982 on a 30.3-acre site on Texas 183. No decision has been made on disposing of equipment or property at the park site, which cost $10 million, including research and development fees, spokesmen added.
William H. Thurman, vice president of Busch Entertainment, attributed the park's financial difficulty to 'the highly competitive market in Dallas for the entertainment dollar.'
'Although we were disappointed with Sesame Place's financial performance, we were pleased with the park, which was highly rated by its visitors,' he added.
Developed in conjunction with the Children's Television Workshop, producers of 'Sesame Street,' the park featured computer games, outdoor play activities and appearances by the show's Muppet characters and live animals.
It had 16 full-time employees and employed 286 people at the height of its 1984 season.
Friday's decision does not effect the remaining Sesame Place park in Langhorne, Pa., near Philadelphia. The 5-year-old park reported a 13.6 percent increase in attendance in 1984 and will be expanded, Thurman said. Attendance at the Irving park declined 11 percent last year.
