In 1968, Doug Haag, an advertising executive, came up with a business idea to start family campgrounds for adults and children. He and his friend bought 30 acres of land in Wisconsin for $3,000. He knew he needed a kid-friendly idea to set his campground apart from others. The idea to start the campground came to Doug when he drove on the highways and observed dozens of vehicles pulling trailers. He decided to make the campground a reality and partnered with a friend who was a local contractor. Doug and his partner knew they had to come up with a clever name for their family campgrounds. They discussed several names and tried out various historical figures in history. One Saturday in 1969, Doug observed his three children watching a cartoon on TV called Yogi Bear in Jellystone Park. He decided that would be an ideal name for the campground. Getting The Rights to Use the Name Doug made an appointment with the vice president of Screen Gems, the agency that licenses the use of the name Yogi Bear and Jellystone Park. He went to New York and discussed his idea for the campgrounds. With his persuasive personality, he convinced Screen Gems to give him a licensee to use the name for the campground resorts. During the winter, he and his partner planned a grand opening, made signs, and built a Yogi Bear statue made of chicken wire and plaster. He purchased collectible items from a Hardee’s restaurant that used Yogi Bear items for a special promotion. The construction of the park began in 1969, and the park opened three months later. Opening and Eventual Expansion The first weekend they opened, they had more campers than camping sites and allowed some families to camp in a nearby field. They opened two more parks from 1969 and 1970 in Orlando and California. Doug met with famous movie stars and their agents to try to convince them to own and run a campground. By the end of 1971, there were 10 campgrounds in operation. The business continued to grow and in 1974, Doug Haag decided to leave and left Jim Webb in charge. He works as a consultant for the current franchise owner Leisure Systems. Leisure Park Yogi Bear Jellystone Park Camp-Resort Franchises Currently, there are over 75 family campgrounds resorts, and they are focused on family camping demographics and being kid-friendly. In a study by Kampgrounds of America, 20% of campers ranked a kid-friendly camp as important. The camp resorts at Yogi Bear Jellystone Parks offer campers swimming, mini-golf, entertainment, merchandise, and food. Owning a franchise will give you access to their well-known brand, experienced staff, and extensive training programs. Franchise owners are trained in management, recreation, entertainment, safety, merchandising, and marketing. You can convert a campground you own to their brand or build a new one. Are you interested in owning a franchise of the Yogi Bear Jellystone family campgrounds? Contact the Director of Franchise Sales and Development by filling out the online form on the website for an appointment or call (800) 626-3720 to learn more. |
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Daren & Lorraine Carlson – Hocking Hills, OH
The Jellystone Park brand has made a huge difference in our business. If we had 50 more sites and more cabins, they’d be filled every weekend.
Joey Coleman & Rick Coleman – Tabor City, NC
In 2001, we began a unique challenge to build a campground on our family farm 35 miles inland from Myrtle Beach. People responded to our design of large concrete pads, full hook-ups, plenty of open space, and ultimate customer service. But we soon had “growing pains” with procedures and operations.
In 2003, we joined Jellystone Park™. The operations… Read more
Bob & Beth Ryan – Mannford, OK
Our family has been a franchisee for over 30 years. The support that both the franchisor and fellow franchisees offer goes above and beyond expectations.
Erv & Marilyn Banes – Frankenmuth, MI
We decided to convert to the Jellystone Park™ system in 1996 because the market conditions were changing. Several of our colleagues had converted and grown in the process. We found that by changing our customer base to families, rather than seniors, we expanded.
The advantage of a Jellystone Park™ is that it is so much more alive than the average park. Plu… Read more
Jessica & Mickey Spak – Chautauqua County, NY
I love the support from the franchise. I would tell any prospect looking at converting or building a Jellystone Park, that it’s the single best business decision you can make.
Ray Aljets – Sioux Falls, SD
Three generations of my family have operated our Jellystone Park location and I can say with the utmost confidence that the Jellystone Park system has had a dramatic impact on our bottom line. Opportunities to increase guest satisfaction and revenue are everywhere and the creativity of those in the Jellystone Park system keep me on the leading edge of both the family … Read more
Susan Novotny – South Haven, MI
Within 5 years, we have more than tripled our revenue. We have no regrets becoming a franchisee of Jellystone Park!
Theresa Isaacson – Caledonia, WI
We’re going to be entering our 13th season, and I sure would hate to own a property without being Yogi branded. The reason we really like Jellystone Parks is because of the support behind us. With 80 other parks in the system, we have 80 sources of question-and-answer type people to go to. The support is wonderful. The franchise, the CJS system itself – their … Read more
Denny Quigley & Tami Alessio – Harrisville, PA
2011 was our first year as a Jellystone Park™. Since then, we have definitely noticed that we are attracting a lot more guests from a much larger radius that extends nationwide. And we are seeing more guests from Canada. Over this three year time period, our store sales have increased almost 45%! The increased business also helped to allow us to do… Read more