The Most anticipated

theme park attraction history book

Now available At

Knott’s Berry Farm

Cover of a book titled "Knott's 20 Year-Olds: The Complete History of the Whimsical Attraction" featuring illustrated characters from the show, including puppets on a ride, a bear mascot wearing a cap, and decorative flowers and banners.

Three colorful pansy flowers in blue, purple, and violet with green leaves

Two purple flowers with yellow centers and green leaves

Yellow and green sign with black border that reads "Presented by Fantasy Funwheel."

Bear-y Tales

The complete history of

the whimsical attraction

KNOTT’S

A cartoon illustration of a man with long hair and a beard, wearing a gold crown, with a green background.

A black and white drawing of a dog with a bone.

Silhouette of a person practicing Yoga in a tree pose at sunset.

Cartoon turtle holding a sign that says "Order Now!"

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*Only US shipping at this time *April orders will be shipped within a few days of purchase or picked up at non theme park events *3 book limit per order*

“Got teary eyed looking through it!

The amount of detail is

ASTONISHING!!

The crispness of the photos!

Photos I've never seen before!”

Confetti and a person celebrating with hands raised

WHAT PEOPLE

ARE SAYING

“I love Rolly even more now because of

this book. I definitely feel a

kinship with him now.”

Close-up of a flower with pink petals and green stems against a dark background.

—JOHN DARIO

Artist/ACTOR

Explore the complete WHIMSICAL

history of the ORIGINAL

Knott’s Bear-y Tales attraction!

Cover of a book titled "Knotts Bear-ly Tales: The Complete History of the Whimsical Attraction," featuring colorful cartoon bears riding a roller coaster with purple flowers, and other whimsical illustrations.

Full color illustrated cover!

Designed by Christopher Merritt, Inked by Susie McLean and colored by Devon Merritt

Photos of miniature carnival rides, a model hot air balloon, and a trailer with the FANTASY FAIR sign, along with a person working on models and a man in a white shirt and red vest.

Beautiful photos and concept

art never before published!

Black and white photo of a man with a beard and long hair sitting with four characters dressed as circus or park mascots with large heads, including a bear and a girl, at a themed attraction. The characters are wearing costumes, and the man appears to be holding a puppet or figure. Next to the black and white photo, there is a colorful page with text and a photo of an older man with glasses and white hair holding a green frog puppet.

Introduction by designer and

artist, Rolly Crump!

Group of four people, three women and one man, sitting together inside an amusement park ride, wearing helmets. The background shows a dark indoor setting with some trees and platform. The right side of the image shows a colorful clown-themed puppet display with bright costumes and decorations.

Rare glimpse behind the scenes

of concept and construction!

Designer and artist Rolly Crump found his way to Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California at the invitation of Marion Knott in 1974. This book is her story as well as his. Knott was the first female creative executive of an American theme park, built by her father and mother decades before. Crump was escaping the shadow of his previous employer and looking for an opportunity to spread his wings as a designer. Together these unlikely friends developed and organized a crew of talented artists to build a wild dark ride unlike anything seen (or smelled) before — Knott’s Bear-y Tales! This is the first book to ever tackle the subject, through the interviews and artwork of those who were there.

the untold story as seen in over 1000 images and 320 pages

Pink decorative mustache with curly ends and a small yellow dot at the top center against a black background.

By Christopher Merritt

& J. Eric Lynxwiler

Introduction by Rolly Crump

12” x 9”, full color
hardcover: ISBN 979-8-218-41932-5
$45.00

Colorful vintage delivery truck with yellow, purple, and pink paint, advertising the Knott's Berry Fresh Boysenberry Pie Company.

Three purple and blue flowers with green leaves.

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Colorful sign with the text 'Meet the Creators' in purple letters, decorative border, and gold accents.

Southern California native, Christopher Merritt, has over 30 years of ride and show design experience, creating theme park attractions and environments around the world. He has served as an Art Director and Production Designer at theme parks located in California, Florida, Tokyo, Singapore, and Shanghai. In 2010, with Eric Lynxwiler, Merritt’s Knott’s Berry Farm history book, Knott’s Preserved, was published to critical acclaim. Four years later, Merritt released Pacific Ocean Park: The Rise and Fall of Los Angeles’ Space Age Nautical Pleasure Pier, with co-author Domenic Priore. After five years of research and design, co-authoring with Pete Docter, the coffee table book Marc Davis in His Own Words: Imagineering the Disney Theme Parks was released in 2019. Merritt currently lives in Southern California.

Black and white portrait of a man with facial hair, framed in an ornate, vintage-style oval mirror with a bear decoration on top and a wooden nameplate reading 'Christopher Merritt' at the bottom.

Two purple and blue flowers with yellow centers and green leaves

Silhouettes of a woman and two children jumping or dancing against a yellow background, with pink petals scattered around.

A black and white portrait of J. Eric Lynx Wiler, a man with glasses and a beard, smiling at the camera. He's wearing a Hawaiian shirt with a floral pattern. The portrait is in a decorative oval frame with a bear and leaf motif at the top and a wooden banner with his name at the bottom.

Urban Anthropologist J. Eric Lynxwiler is a Knott's Berry Farm historian and a co-author of Knott’s Preserved: From Boysenberry to Theme Park, The History of Knott’s Berry Farm, with Chris Merritt. While attending UCLA, he spent one school year behind the counter of Knott’s original, electric shooting gallery and works today as a graphic designer on Farm signage, merchandise, and the series of Knott’s Berry Market preserves. Lynxwiler has been a volunteer and Neon Cruise guide for the Museum of Neon Art in Glendale, California, for 25 years. He has also co-authored books on the history of neon signs in Los Angeles and the history of Wilshire Boulevard for Angel City Press. Lynxwiler currently lives 20.9 miles from Knott's.

Colorful confetti and streamers on a black background.

A black-and-white portrait of a man with messy hair holding a black and white striped beach ball, framed in an ornate wooden frame with a bear and leaf decorations at the top. The label below reads 'Rolly Crump'.

Rolly Crump is multi-disciplinary, mixed media artist, designer, and humorist whose work spans generations, continents, and genres. He has been a creator of or contributor to animated motion pictures, theme park attractions, cultural institutions, retail establishments, and museum environments. His work ranges in scale and scope form tiny one-of-a-kind toys to expansive fair pavilions. His "canvases" include surfaces as diverse as river rocks and architectural facades. The one common denominator in Crump's work is humor―he presents everything he creates with a smile and a wink.

Three blue and purple flowers with green leaves on a black background.

Black background with pink and green paper confetti scattered across the image.

A black and white portrait photograph of a smiling man with glasses, short light-colored hair, in a suit and tie, framed in an ornate wooden frame with a bear decoration on top and a nameplate that reads 'Chris Crump'.

Chris Crump started his career in 1973, working with his father, Rolly, as an apprentice carpenter for Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus World. In the late 1980s, Chris started his career at Walt Disney Imagineering, where he worked as a Production Designer and Executive until his retirement in 2016.

During his time as an Imagineer, Chris worked on The Little Mermaid – Ariel’s Undersea Adventure at Disney California Adventure, and he was also part of the team which received the 2002 Thea Award for Best New Theme Park (Tokyo DisneySea) from the Themed Entertainment Association.

Three colorful flowers with green leaves on a black background

Close-up of a pink flower petal on a black background.

Albert Rodriguez is a dedicated theme park fan and historian with a passionate interest in theme parks, both old and new. His enthusiasm drives him to delve deeply into the history and significance of many dark rides that have entertained guests throughout history. This fervent interest paved the way for his discovery of the beloved Knott’s Bear-y Tales. Providing the opportunity to learn more about Rolly Crump’s remarkable work beyond his contributions to Disney.

Albert is the proud owner of a multimedia project, Kooky Trails. This project initially launched as an attraction specifically designed to pay homage to Rolly Crump’s innovative work on Bear-y Tales, as well as the rich history of dark rides around the world.