ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Shamu: Meet Big Bird.
SeaWorld Entertainment announced Thursday that it will open a "Sesame Street"-themed land at SeaWorld Orlando by fall 2022.
Many parents told Eyewitness News that they wish the attraction was opening sooner.
The new 5-acre land will include an overhaul of Shamu’s Happy Harbor, a play area behind Shamu Stadium that features children’s rides and a net climb, the company said.
Read: SeaWorld's Infinity Falls water ride will have world's tallest river rapid drop
SeaWorld Orlando currently offers popular holiday "Sesame Street" shows during peak seasons.
The company has similar lands at its other SeaWorld parks in San Diego and San Antonio and at its Busch Gardens parks in Tampa and Williamsburg, Virginia.
SeaWorld’s parent company also said Thursday that it will open another Sesame Place theme park somewhere in the United States by 2021.
It currently has a Sesame Place theme park in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, between Philadelphia and New York City, which opened in 1980.
The new park will open no later than mid-2021, but a location hasn’t been determined, officials said. More parks could follow.
“We are thrilled to be able to grow the presence of Sesame Place theme parks in the U.S. and help our company diversify its brand portfolio and expand into new areas,” said Joel Manby, president and CEO of SeaWorld Entertainment.
SeaWorld and Sesame Workshop, which run decades-old educational and entertainment brands trying to adjust to 21st century tastes, are extending their almost-four-decade partnership through 2031.
For SeaWorld, the park expansion is a way to diversify its offerings as the company pulls back from the use of orcas that were the subject of intense protests by animal rights groups.
SeaWorld ended its orca breeding program last year after years of declining attendance and pressure from activists in the wake of the 2013 release of the critical documentary "Blackfish."
The documentary chronicled the life of Tilikum, an orca that killed a SeaWorld trainer after a performance in Orlando in 2010. The movie implied that killer whales become more aggressive in captivity.
"We do want to continue to diversify, and strategically, I think that's the main point," Manby said.
For Sesame Workshop, the park expansion allows it to spread its brand via theme parks during a time of intense competition for children's viewing attention.
SeaWorld's current licensing agreement with "Sesame Street" allows SeaWorld to use "Sesame Street" characters in its parks, and it had been set to expire in 2021.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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