Welcome one and all! Ya’ll come have a ball with Knott’s Bear-y Tales: Return to the Fair, a brand-new 4-D interactive dark ride based on the original 1975 classic. In conjunction with Knott’s 100th anniversary, this modernized, interactive version of the original continues the story 34 years later. Following the Boysen family, as they travel with their prize boysenberry pies to the County Fair, riders discover Crafty Coyote and his pups are determined to steal all the pies for themselves! Equipped with jelly blasters, it’s now up to you to recover the pies!
Legacy Tales
The original Knott’s Bear-y Tales opened in the Roaring 20s section of Knott’s Berry Farm in 1975. Contracted by Marion Knott, the traditional family dark ride took guests into the Knott’s Boysenberry Factory, chasing the notorious pie thief Crafty Coyote as he escapes through fantastical areas such as Frog Forest and Weird Woods.
Designed by the renowned Disney Legend Rolly Crump (known for Disney attractions like it’s a small world and Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room), it was a beloved celebration of fantasy and imagination until it closed in 1986.
Return to the Fair
The goal with this new version of Bear-y Tales was to be authentic to the original. From the very beginning, Chris Crump— Rolly’s son who worked on the original attraction— consulted on the project. Together, they developed an experience that “captured the whimsy and flavor of Rolly’s original designs,” as Chris put it.
Everything from the art style to the storyline and even the new version of the “Welcome One and All” theme song pays homage to Rolly’s original vision (I have not been able to get that song out of my head all day). Like the original, the ride’s pie factory even smells like boysenberry pie.
Guests will pick up on that whimsical theme quickly with animated elements on the marquee and pun-filled decorations in the indoor queue.
Unfortunately, guests will temporarily not be using that queue due to state restrictions and instead will queue outside (plexiglass dividers are already installed).
Regardless, the indoor queue is full of fun details. Blink and you’ll miss the pie-thieving coyotes as they crawl along the other side of the factory windows. You’ll also find their purple boysenberry paw prints all over. 
Return to the Fair replaces 2015’s Voyage to the Iron Reef, an intense underwater-themed shooting gallery-like dark ride. While the new Bear-y Tales retains the interactive elements and large 3D screens, the technology has been upgraded significantly. Iron Reef’s dark experience has been replaced by an upbeat family-style ride.
For those familiar with Iron Reef, the 3D glasses and ride vehicles with mounted blasters will feel familiar, yet different. This time, instead of guns, there are pull-string jelly blasters that fire boysenberries. The redesign will probably be easier for smaller children to hold.
The first major improvement was how fantastic the simulated images looked. The actual “video game” running on the screens felt brighter, crisper, and smoother. I believe a major contributing factor to this is the gorgeous art direction. The on-screen characters and environments invoke a Wes Anderson stop-motion film-like aesthetic similar to Fantastic Mr. Fox or Isle of Dogs.
Along with the on-screen elements, Knott’s has gone all out building surprisingly detailed physical sets to accompany the action. Iron Reef didn’t incorporate much between the screens, but Bear-y Tales has sets that are designed so well that at times it feels like a traditional dark ride. In some cases, a comparison could be made to the recently opened Mickey’s Runaway Railway at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, but with interactivity.
One particular scene worth mentioning is in the Fortune Teller Camp. It uses projections of shadows on small tents to make it seem like characters are moving around inside. Interestingly, these projections are interactive like the screens, so you can shoot the characters inside with boysenberries. Knott’s Vice President, Jon Storbeck, told me “that scene, in particular, is really brand new from a technological standpoint.” Simple yet convincing ideas like this one are used throughout the attraction.
Along with the fantastic art direction and set dressing, Bear-y Tales also has a focus on story. Obviously, a major part of the experience is the jelly blasters, which indeed interact in silly ways with the elements on-screen; just about everything you can shoot will react in a funny cartoonish way. Despite that, I was assured that, unlike Iron Reef, Bear-y Tales can be enjoyed without even picking up a blaster.
I can confirm that passively enjoying the attraction is indeed a magnificent experience. I think that has a lot to do with a commitment to Rolly’s original elements. Every scene, whether digital or physical, is jam-packed (pun intended) with detail and fun visual gags.
That’s great news for families. Both Jon Storbeck and creative producer Eric Nix described Knott’s goal was to provide experiences for “guests and families of all shapes and sizes.” The addition of something like Bear-y Tales is one that Knott’s sorely needed.
For those who can’t enjoy some of the more thrilling attractions at Knott’s, this could be one of the best experiences in the park. In fact, I think Bear-y Tales is a bonified slam-dunk regardless of demographic. The marriage of modern interactive elements and witty, classic dark ride creates an attraction with re-rideability that many guests will continue to enjoy for years to come. Our only question is, when can we have more Knott’s dark rides?
We speak with Chris Crump and the Knott’s team about the new attraction (warning, includes a few scenes from inside the attraction, but go ahead and watch anyway, you’ll be BERRY glad you did):
Knott’s Bear-y Tales Ride Preview
It’s very hard to record a 3D attraction, so we are sharing a video preview of the attraction from Knott’s Berry Farm. We think you’ll have the song stuck in your head for a long time. Warning, lots of spoilers:
Merchandise Tales Tails
Knott’s has put together a whole lineup of merchandise for the attraction, some retro and some modern. This shop will actually be the main 100th Anniversary retail location, so be on the lookout for an article on all of it very soon. In the meantime, I thought I’d point out a few of my favorites, which coincidentally happen to be all about the coyotes. Their hats and tails, in particular, seem like they may be hot items.
Knott’s also showed off a few new prizes for their midway games based on 100th Anniversary attractions like Bear-y Tales. They promised to share more info soon, but the new games should start popping up in June and throughout the summer.
Let’s Hear From You
Bear-y Tales will be available to ride when the park re-opens on May 21st, and also will be open during season passholder previews starting next week on May 6th. What do you think of Knott’s new ride? Are you glad to see that old-time Knott’s whimsy making a return?
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