We’ve got some bear-y exciting news straight from the Boysenberry Patch! MiceChat and Fantasy Fun Wheel are teaming up to present the Knott’s Bear-y Tales 50th Anniversary Jam-bear-ee—a delightfully jam-packed celebration at Knott’s Berry Farm on July 5, 2025, honoring the beloved attraction’s golden anniversary and the release of a brand-new book chronicling its whimsical history. This one-time-only event is also a benefit for the Garner Holt Foundation, supporting creative learning and themed entertainment careers for future dreamers and doers. From pies to puns and pure nostalgia, this is one bear-thday bash you won’t want to miss!
Your ticket includes: Knott’s Berry Farm admission, early park entry, a behind-the-scenes walk-through of the attraction, gourmet buffet brunch, panel discussion with original designers, a video ride-through of the 1975 classic, book signing, an exclusive gift bag—and more surprises you’ll have to see to bearly believe. With so much included, this one-of-a-kind event is a bear-y good value you won’t want to pass up!
This exclusive event provides a unique opportunity to walk through the attraction with theme park designers and Bear-y Tales historians before the park opens to regular guests. The early morning walk will be followed by a buffet lunch at the newly renovated Mrs. Murphy’s Steakhouse in Ghost Town, an amazing audio-visual presentation, and a Q&A and book signing with a panel of Bear-y Tales designers.
A delightful array of Rolly Crump’s original whimsical props and animatronics—some not seen by the public in decades—will be on display for this special occasion. From colorful characters to clever contraptions, these rare pieces bring the Bear-y Tales world to life. And that’s just the start… the full lineup of activities, presentations, and behind-the-scenes access is as spectacular as a pie-eating contest at the County Fair!
➡️ TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW (HERE) FOR KNOTT’S BEAR-Y TALES JAM-BEAR-EE EVENT!
The History of Knott’s Bear-y Tales
Knott’s Bear-y Tales—designed by Disney Legend Rolly Crump—opened at Knott’s Berry Farm on July 4, 1975, as part of the park’s Roaring 20s area (now known as The Boardwalk). In 1986, the charming dark ride was closed, and although some set pieces and animatronics were incorporated into a 1987 walk-through experience, that attraction was also removed in 1998.
Thankfully, this sad story has a bear-y happy ending. In 2019, Knott’s announced a new 4-D interactive sequel to Knott’s Bear-y Tales would debut for the park’s 100th anniversary, and Knott’s Bear-y Tales: Return to the Fair opened on May 21, 2021, housed in the original Knott’s Bear-y Tales show building.
The 1975 attraction took riders into the Knott’s Berry Factory, where they met Boysenberry pie bakers Boysen and Girlsen Bear and pie thief Crafty Coyote. By the end of the ride (despite Crafty’s attempts to steal their pies), the bears safely made it to the Country Fair—and, of course, won a blue ribbon.
The innovative dark ride combined black light and incandescent light and was also an early example of adding scent to a theme park ride (in this case, boysenberries).
The 2021 version retains much of the ride’s original charm. Boysen and Girlsen are still heading to the fair with their pies, and Crafty is still trying to steal them (this time with help from his crafty cubs). However, riders are now equipped with jelly blasters that allow them to hit virtual targets and score points along the way, making the experience more interactive. But don’t worry, the bears still take the blue ribbon and, more importantly, the ride still smells like boysenberries.
Knott’s Bear-y Tales: The Complete History of the Whimsical Attraction
The first-ever book about the attraction’s history has been written by Christopher Merritt and J. Eric Lynxwiler (with an introduction by Rolly himself) and begins at the very beginning of the attraction’s story when Marion Knott invited Rolly to build a bear-y special attraction at her Buena Park, Calif. theme park. While Rolly may have been discouraged from “coloring outside the lines” at Disneyland, he was able to create whatever he wanted at Knott’s—and it shows.
In addition to a detailed history of the ride’s development and construction, the 320-page hardcover book also includes never-before-seen concept artwork and photographs as well as behind-the-scenes insights from some of the artists and innovators who actually brought the whimsical attraction to life.
Did You Know?
Knott’s Bear-y Tales was created and built by a group of very young (some high school and college-aged) artists and designers Rolly assembled, many who went on to have successful careers designing attractions for Disney and Universal theme parks.
According to Lynxwiler, Rolly would sketch something and hand it to his son, Chris (a future Imagineer who will also be part of this event), who would ask a couple of questions and then build something amazing like the “chug-a-chug” pie-making machine. Or he would give the designers a piece of butcher paper with a sketch and they would figure out how to make it.
Another fun fact is that the ride was built with magic tricks inside (including effects created by an actual magician), and they’re all listed in the book.
For many Southern California kids, Bear-y Tales was so much more than “just” a dark ride, it was the spark of creativity that made them love theme parks—and in the case of Christopher Merritt and J. Eric Lynxwiler, made them want to write a book about it.
The Presentation
Knott’s Bear-y Tales only existed at Knott’s Berry Farm for eleven years, but left its mark on every Southern California child who had the pleasure of experiencing it.
Authors Christopher Merritt and J. Eric Lynxwiler will transport guests into a dark ride unlike any other, with photos, illustrations, video, and the ride’s original musical soundtrack. But that’s just a nibble of this incredible event…
How to Attend The Bear-y Special Event
Tickets to the one-day-only exclusive Knott’s Bear-y Tales anniversary jam-bear-ee event are available right now and include:
- A pre-park opening “lights on” walk-through of Knott’s Bear-y Tales: Return to the Fair with the attraction’s designers
- A delicious lunch buffet at Knott’s Berry Farm’s new Mrs. Murphy’s Steakhouse in Ghost Town
- A presentation by Knott’s Bear-y Tales: The Complete History of the Whimsical Attraction authors Christopher Merritt and J. Eric Lynxwiler
- A Q&A with a panel of Bear-y tales experts, including former Imagineers Chris Crump (son of Disney Legend Rolly Crump) and Eddie Sotto (former Imagineer and Knott’s ride designer)
- An exclusive event gift bag
- The opportunity to have Knott’s Bear-y Tales: The Complete History of the Whimsical Attraction signed by some of the people who brought the attraction to life (books can be purchased HERE or at Knott’s Berry Farm – while supplies last).
- Admission to Knott’s Berry Farm on the day of the event!
- ➡️ A Special VIP ticket opportunity adds an enhanced gift bag, signed gift, upfront seating to the presentations, first in line for the buffet & for the book signing (and a portion of the VIP ticket price may be tax deductible as a donation to the Garner Holt Foundation)
The exclusive event on July 5, 2025, will take place at Knott’s Berry Farm from 8 a.m. until approximately 2 p.m. Guests can enjoy the theme park after the presentation and panel discussion.
A portion of the proceeds from the event hosted by the book’s authors and produced by MiceChat and Fantasy Fun Wheel will benefit the Garner Holt Foundation, a Southern California non-profit organization dedicated to “increasing hope, igniting imagination, and inspiring creativity in the lives of young people through hands-on, career-focused learning experiences in the areas of science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics.”
🎟️➡️ Knott’s Bear-y Tales 50th Anniversary Jam-bear-ee event tickets are available HERE!
Tickets are extremely limited—don’t miss your chance to join this bear-y special celebration!