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Lawsuit Seeks to End Sesame Street-SeaWorld Agreement over ‘Brazen’ Contract Breaches
Sesame Workshop alleges SeaWorld withheld millions in royalties, closed parks without notice, and seeks to terminate a 45-year licensing deal amid ongoing arbitration disputes.
- Sesame Workshop sued SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment Inc. on March 12, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York seeking to end their licensing agreement and recover damages.
- Sesame Workshop says the dispute began after SeaWorld withheld payments ordered in the 2024 arbitration and delayed compliance until garnishment motions in September 2025, also locking Sesame Workshop out of shared approvals and distributing unapproved marketing.
- For more than 45 years, SeaWorld has been Sesame Workshop’s exclusive U.S. theme park licensee, operating multiple Sesame Street lands at SeaWorld Orlando, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, and Sesame Place parks.
- Mediation on Thursday failed to resolve the dispute, the suit says, while United Parks & Resorts and SeaWorld Orlando said they are aware of the lawsuit and will continue normal operations.
- With a nearly 50-year partnership at stake, the lawsuit could disrupt Sesame-themed attractions across SeaWorld parks, as abrupt closures have disappointed children and families.
29 Articles
29 Articles
Sesame Street Sues SeaWorld
After decades together, Big Bird and Shamu are heading to court. The nonprofit Sesame Workshop has sued SeaWorld and its parent company United Parks & Resorts, accusing the theme-park operator of mishandling the Sesame Street brand and failing to pay royalties tied to Sesame-themed attractions, reports NBC News . In the...
Sesame Workshop Sues SeaWorld Over Sesame Street Royalties
Sesame Workshop, parent company of Sesame Street, has sued SeaWorld for allegedly withholding royalty payments and harming the brand’s reputation, according to a report from Reuters. The two companies have had a long relationship, with SeaWorld being the exclusive U.S. theme park licensee for 45 years. United Parks & Resorts, SeaWorld’s parent company, has opened […] The post Sesame Workshop Sues SeaWorld Over Sesame Street Royalties appeared f…
Lawsuit seeks to end Sesame Street-SeaWorld agreement over ‘brazen’ contract breaches
The parent company of the “Sesame Street” franchise is suing SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment, accusing them of “repeated, intentional breaches” of its current contract agreement, and “rogue retaliatory actions.” Sesame Workshop doesn’t just want money, though; it wants to end its nearly 50-year deal with SeaWorld altogether.
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