News Impacts of the EPR & Enchanted Parks Deal on Six Flags St. Louis

[Zachary]

Well yes, but Six Flags is a much more catchy name than mid-america

I broadly agree with @Mushroom that the community way overstates the headwinds to rebranding things, but I also agree with you here @coasters_bgw in that picking a really bad name (which, I do certainly believe "Mid-America by Enchanted Parks" is), will make the transition a lot rockier.

"Mid-America by Enchanted Parks" is a mouthful, you can't actually abbreviate it without changing the meaning completely, no one knows what Enchanted Parks is to begin with (making it a useless tagline on an already completely nondescript title), "Mid-America" is a geographic region of the United States, not an amusement park, there's nothing specifically St. Louis in the name, it does nothing to evoke fun or thrill or wonder—there's just... a whole lot wrong with the name.

If I want to be particularly prickly about it, frankly, I think it's pretty astonishing that the CEO of this new park chain would just go to a local paper within days of buying the park and announce a name off the cuff like this. Shouldn't he get to know the place a bit? Maybe spend some time sitting down with park-level management? Maybe run a local St. Louis focus group to market test some rebranding ideas? It just all feels incredibly slapdash and, dare I say, myopic? Don't know, the vibes are weird. The almost-certainly-AI-generated corporate logo doesn't help either.

 

[GASM]

Think of the other Six Flags parks that had different names before the SF brand.

Hell, I can’t speak for the other parks in the chain because I’ve never lived in the areas they’re in, but it was very rare growing up in NJ that I heard anyone outside of my family refer to Great Adventure as anything other than simply “Six Flags.”

 

[SweetBabyJames]

If I want to be particularly prickly about it, frankly, I think it's pretty astonishing that the CEO of this new park chain would just go to a local paper within days of buying the park and announce a name off the cuff like this. Shouldn't he get to know the place a bit? Maybe spend some time sitting down with park-level management? Maybe run a local St. Louis focus group to market test some rebranding ideas? It just all feels incredibly slapdash and, dare I say, myopic? Don't know, the vibes are weird. The almost-certainly-AI-generated corporate logo doesn't help either.

Yes, this is a great point and an amazing use of the word "myopic" . I would also add that waiting to do a big PR name reveal would have been a great way to usher in a new era for the park. Something to note is there may have been more thought put into the name leading up to the aforementioned press release that we just don't know about. However if that is the case, it's just sad that the current name is the best they could come up with. The one redeeming quality of the name is that Six Flags St. Louis was originally called Six Flags Over Mid-America so choosing to keep "Mid America" does hearken back to the park's origin. This all being said, I am hoping that since 2026 is still a transition year perhaps they will renege the the name and come up with a better one.

 

[MaxxForceFan]

"Mid-America by Enchanted Parks" is a mouthful, you can't actually abbreviate it without changing the meaning completely

I came up with a few terrible options:
M-AxEP
EP(M-A)
MAbyEP

I am just going to start calling the park MAbyEP and see if it sticks.

 

[harry580]

MAbyEP

mabyep but if you switch the letters you get: MAYBE SO...

 

[DH_The_ThemeParkFaniac]

Mid-America seems like a silly name, like why not call it something better like omg

 

[harry580]

maybe like: St Louis worlds of adventure

 

[jscll]

Mid-America seems like a silly name, like why not call it something better like omg

It's a common and popular nickname for the local area. Many local businesses have Mid-America in their name, or use a slogan like "Proudly serving the Mid-America region." Think about it like designators like the "Tri-State region" or "Mid-Alantic region".

 

[Eclipso127]

Mid-America seems like a silly name, like why not call it something better like omg

In its current form that looks like a hotel by Hilton name yes, but just including it after like Enchanted Parks Mid-America then no, but I get your point, it needs a better name than just Mid-America by Enchanted Parks

 

[harry580]

maybe like: St Louis worlds of adventure

what's up with the eye rolls and dislikes, do you think this is the worst name since the official one?

 

[Zachary]

Likely because Worlds of Adventure has nothing at all to do with Six Flags Over Mid-America or St. Louis and no one has any idea why the park should arbitrarily be named Worlds of Adventure. Just came off as a really random, unjustified, low-effort post to me at least.

 

[harry580]

Likely because Worlds of Adventure has nothing at all to do with Six Flags Mid-America or St. Louis and no one has any idea why the park should arbitrarily be named Worlds of Adventure. Just came off as a really random, unjustified, low-effort post to me at least.

I mean, six flags over mid america originally had theme areas themed to different countries (studio backlot was usa, dc comics area was Spain, Britannia was England & chouteau market was France)

 

[GASM]

Also generally not a great idea to borrow the name of a park that was expanded well beyond its capabilities and failed as a result of it. It would almost be like renaming Great Adventure’s Wild Safari to Jungle Habitat.

 

[harry580]

Also generally not a great idea to borrow the name of a park that was expanded well beyond its capabilities and failed as a result of it. It would almost be like renaming Great Adventure’s Wild Safari to Jungle Habitat.

well, chessington still has the worlds of adventure name and that park didnt failed

 

[GASM]

Chessington had that name long before Geauga Lake and is also located on a completely different continent, rather than being 3 states over.

 

[themeparktribune]

Getting away from the name debate, what other park in the sale would be the "crown jewel" if not Six Flags St. Louis?

I don't think there's a clear correct answer if we're judging by these parks' current state. It's more about their potential.

 

[RollyCoaster]

I think the obvious answer is Worlds of Fun.

Statistically speaking, it feels like Worlds of Fun is more likely to be the stronger property long term. Honestly, I was more surprised to see SIX let Worlds of Fun go than Six Flags St. Louis.

Kansas City and its metropolitan area are growing relatively quickly.

Kansas City (city limits) has almost double the population of St Louis (city limits).

St Louis Metro Area has 2.8 Million People and Kanas City Metro Area has 2.25 Million People.

What the stats don’t really show (I can source this if needed) is that Kansas City metro residents generally earn more, have more disposable income, and tend to feel safer going out to attractions and entertainment. The region is also experiencing steady population growth year over year.

By comparison, St. Louis residents tend to earn less on average and have less disposable income. The area also struggles more with crime perception, and while the broader metro population has remained relatively stable, the city itself has seen significant population decline.

Based on my most recent visits to both parks (within the last three years), Worlds of Fun felt like the much nicer and more well-rounded park overall. Six Flags St. Louis felt pretty rough by comparison.

That’s why it really surprises me that SIX let Worlds of Fun go. It’s the biggest head-scratcher to me. The park has a great ride lineup, has seen sizable recent investment, and serves a growing metro area with a relatively affluent customer base.

 

[Coaster_Merrick]

I do feel like the decision to drop WoF comes down to the underperformance of Zambezi Zinger. Cedar Fair dumped tons of money into the construction and marketing of the ride, only for it to completely drop the ball in terms of results, given that it was admittedly a strange choice to build yet another GCI and a problematic one at that.
If I were a board member, I would view the impact of Zinger (or lack thereof) to be pretty strong evidence that corporate funds are better spent elsewhere and might have contributed to the sale of the park.

 

[Zachary]

I think there are SUPER interesting WoF specific discussions to be had around the sale so I made a thread and responded to the discussion over here:

Worlds of Fun & Oceans of Fun - Worlds of Fun Sold to EPR & Enchanted Parks

Pulling the Worlds of Fun-focused discussion from the St. Louis thread over here. On first pass, it feels too simplistic that Zambezi doomed WoF's future in the post-merger Six Flags chain, but I honestly believe it has to have played a critical role in the decision making process. Six Flags...

parkfans.net

 

[bill s]

RMC The Boss and they will have a undeniable crown jewel.