The owner of “Sesame Street” is suing United Parks & Resorts, the parent company of SeaWorld Orlando and other theme parks, alleging unpaid royalties and other breaches of contract.
In its lawsuit, Sesame Workshop says it is asking the court to terminate the license agreement and is seeking an unspecified amount of damages and legal costs.
The case is Sesame Workshop v. SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, Inc., filed Thursday in the Southern District of New York. Orlando-based SeaWorld Parks will change its name to United Parks & Resorts in 2024. According to Sesame Workshop, the two companies have had a 45-year agreement.
Sesame’s lawsuit dates the dispute back to 2022 and alleges that SeaWorld’s owners have withheld millions of dollars in royalties due to Sesame Workshop at Sesame Place, a theme park in Langhorne, Pennsylvania. SeaWorld was ordered to pay the entire amount owed plus interest in arbitration in 2024, but it still ignored Sesame Workshop’s demands for payment, according to the lawsuit. After a writ of seizure against SeaWorld was ordered the following year, SeaWorld made the payment in October 2025.
“Since September 2025, SeaWorld has brazenly ignored the agreement, unilaterally ceasing royalty payments to Sesame Workshop, and until recently ignored even Sesame Workshop’s requests for royalty reports needed to calculate new bills, further violations of the agreement,” the complaint states.
United Airlines’ official response on Friday said, “We are aware of the lawsuit filed by Sesame Workshop and look forward to setting the record straight in court.”
SeaWorld Orlando opened the six-acre Sesame Street Land in March 2019, a major renovation of the Shamu’s Happy Harbor playground area. There, scenes from the children’s show are recreated, including the stoop at 123 Sesame Street, Mr. Hooper’s store, and Big Bird’s nest. Rides include a Grover-themed roller coaster, Abby’s Flower Tower, and the Sunny Day Carousel. A parade featuring Sesame Street characters is held every day.
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Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, also owned by United Parks, includes a property called the Sesame Street Safari of Fun. San Diego is also home to the Sesame Place theme park. SeaWorld San Antonio has retained its Sesame Street Bay of Play area until 2024. This area was re-themed in 2025 as Rescue Junior.
Other complaints listed in recent Sesame Workshop court documents include unpaid fees due to the San Antonio closure, short notice of plans to change San Diego parks to a seasonal schedule, failure to attend branding or business meetings for nearly two years, and removal of access to shared social media approval documents.
Mediation was held Thursday, but the parties were unable to reach a resolution, according to the complaint. “Conciliation efforts have been completed,” it says.
dbevil@orlandosentinel.com
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