In 1984, Kings Island amusement park in Ohio was invaded by the Smurfs. The Smurfs had been around since 1958 in Europe, but they hit America with full force in the eighties thanks to the Hanna Barbera produced TV series in 1981. The Enchanted Voyage dark ride in the Hanna Barbera section of Kings Island got a Smurf makeover, and special blue Smurf Ice Cream was sold. By 1991, the Smurfs were evicted. Eventually, all the Hanna Barbera characters were kicked out of Kings Island. For a while, the park became Paramount's Kings Island, and Nickelodeon characters took over. Ultimately, even the Nickelodeon characters were discontinued when Cedar Fair took control of Kings Island, and Snoopy and the Peanuts gang became the mascots for the park.
The Smurfs may be long gone from Kings Island, but their legacy lives on in the form of Blue Ice Cream, which is still sold in the park and is a Kings Island tradition. I made this Smurf and his namesake Ohio treat using shells and shark teeth I found on the beaches in Venice, Florida.
I grew up in Alabama, but had family in Indianapolis, Indiana. We visited Kings Island in 1988 and I got to experience Smurfs Enchanted Voyage in all its smurfy splendor. Unfortunately, it rained all day when we visited, and none of us were in the mood to try the signature ice cream.
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