New SpongeBob-themed ride opens on Las Vegas Strip

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Are ya ready kids? Everyone’s favorite sea sponge made a splash in Las Vegas with the opening of a new ride on The Strip.

Tucked into a corner near the entrance to Circus Circus’ Adventuredome, guests can see a giant circus tent dressed to the nines with flashing lights and moving animatronics.

That tent houses Circus Circus’ newest adventure ride, Spongebob’s Crazy Carnival Ride, a deep sea adventure that immerses riders in the nautical nonsense of Bikini Bottom using “vibrant sets, special effects, animatronics, and vivid integrated projections.”

Designed in collaboration with Sally Dark Rides and Paramount Pictures, the $6 million amusement ride starts when Mr. Krabs invites guests to try his collection of “zany ride-through carnival midway games.”

A dark ride is a ride that features guided vehicles that navigate through scenes. This particular attraction is “Part-ride, part-game, all Spongebob,” Marie Marks, Senior Vice President of Paramount Global Experiences, said.

“When we first started discussing this ride, we knew two things: one, we all love Spongebob, and two, we wanted to immerse his fans in his world in a high-caliber, very high-end way,” Marks said at Friday’s ribbon-cutting.

Outside of the ride, Spongebob’s stingy boss, Mr. Eugene Krabs, greets guests, inviting them to play carnival rides, claiming the ride is “the greatest collection of carnival games in all of Bikini Bottom, guaranteed fun… at a guaranteed fee!”

Once inside the ride, guests will compete with each other to get the highest score in a variety of Spongebob-themed midway games while attempting to thwart Mr. Krabs’ arch-rival Plankton, who hatches an evil plan to steal the “Krabby Patty” secret formula.

After leaving the ride, guests find themselves in a gift shop that looks right out of the world of Spongebob, with plushies, mugs, and more available for sale.

“Spongebob is everywhere. He’s so popular,” Marks told 8 News Now. “He’s in 170 countries, 30 different languages, everybody loves Spongebob. For us, putting [him] in a ride like this and allowing guests to really become part of his world was really appealing to us.”

“We love Las Vegas, it’s a place where entertainment thrives,” Marks added. “We’re very happy to have our brands represented here.”

Riders must purchase play cards to access the ride. The ticket price for one ride is $19.95. Each cart can fit 5 passengers at a time. Riders must be at least 4 years old and 36″ tall in order to ride.

The ride will operate Sundays through Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to midnight.

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