Overview
- Sesame Workshop filed suit alleging SeaWorld stopped paying royalties in September 2025 and made a claim that the nonprofit failed to invest in its own brand.
- The complaint cites breaches of a 2017 licensing agreement, including the shift of Sesame Place San Diego to seasonal operations.
- United Parks & Resorts, SeaWorld’s owner, said it intends to set the record straight in court, according to a spokesperson quoted by Reuters.
- A federal judge in 2024 upheld an arbitration ordering SeaWorld to pay more than $11 million to Sesame Workshop, which the nonprofit says was not paid until October 2025.
- Loss of the license could force SeaWorld to remove or rework Sesame Street lands and could affect the Sesame Place parks in Philadelphia and San Diego.