According to fans on social media, Universal Studios may have stolen this year’s Halloween Horror Nights theme from one of its biggest competitors.
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For anyone who doesn’t know, Univeral’s Halloween Horror Nights event is one of the biggest Halloween-themed events in the country. It takes place every year at Universal Studios theme parks in Orlando and Hollywood, as well as Japan and Singapore too.
This event is so frightening, thrilling, and prolific that Guests travel from all over the world to see what Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights has in store for them. Guests can see anything from a Killer Klown to a Death Eater depending on the year’s theme!
Typically, this event takes place for a couple of months on select nights. This year, the event begins on September 1 and ends on October 31, Halloween night.
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The theme changes each year, with a new slogan, new houses, and new merchandise. This year’s motto is “See You In the Fog,” with a cool-toned color palette that mimics a spooky, eerie, and foggy night. However, this tagline is being criticized all over social media, especially TikTok, for being eerily similar (no pun intended) to another theme park’s slogan.
One creator made a video that brought this allegation to everyone’s attention:
@theuniversaleyenews Replying to @universaldude The jury is still out on this one. We’ll see what the court of public opinions thinks. Knotts Scary Farm seems to have at least a two year track record of using this, but this may be in reference to the 1980’s movie The Fog starring John Carpenter & Jeamie Lee Curtis which was remade in 2005. What do you think? . . . #hhn32 #hhn2023 #knottsscaryfarm #knottsscaryfarm2023 #hhnorlando #halloweenhorrornights2023 #halloweenhorrornightsorlando #themeparknews #seeyouinthefog #hhnmerch #hhnmerchandise
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In this video, TikTok user @theuniversaleyenews looks at the evidence and claims that this year’s Halloween Horror Nights slogan is weirdly similar to a slogan used by Knotts berry Farm for its annual Halloween Event, Knotts Scary Farm.
As it turns out, Knotts Scary Farm has used fog in its slogans, marketing, and experience in the past. But does that mean Universal has outright stolen this theme? Probably not.
Is it incredibly similar? Sure! But it’s just different enough to get a pass, in our opinion.
The final boarding call for the souls of the damned has been called, but we'll be back in full force next Halloween to celebrate 50 years of horror at Knott's Scary Farm. #ScaryFarm pic.twitter.com/AIXfA58K3E
— Knott's Scary Farm (@knottsscaryfarm) November 1, 2022
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What do you think? Is this too similar of a coincidence?