In recent months I’ve had the chance to go to most of the seven major theme  parks in So Cal. If you would like to see some of the beloved animated movie and TV characters “live” these  parks are the place for you.

Of course Disneyland is the first park that comes to mind, with Dumbo, Mickey, Goofy and the others. For great local insight and tips for planning a Disneyland vacation, the SoCal Vacation Guru is the site for you. Nobody has done a better job of breathing life into  fictional characters than the Disney folks.

Nearby Knott’s  Berry Farm has its own crew of lovable characters with Lucy, Snoopy and the Peanuts team at Camp Snoopy. Charlie Brown, Linus and the others fit  nicely into the personality of Knott’s Berry Farm.

Hit Universal Studios Hollywood and you can find Spiderman, Betty Boop, the Flintstones, Woody Woodpecker and a squadron of other beloved Universal characters that have been at the heart of many television shows and famous movies. Plan out your trip to the crazy characters at the Universal Studios theme park by doing a little research with the SoCal Vacation Guru.

Lastly, we drive up north a ways and stop at Six Flags Magic Mountain. The features that set this park apart from many others are the Six Flags roller coasters and thrill rides. But skulking around the place are the nutty characters of Warner Brothers cartoons, notably the Looney Tunes guys.

Here and there around the park you will find some of your favorites, like Daffy, Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam. There’s a nice area just for small children; the park management has figured out that not everyone is a teen-age or twenty- something thrill ride fanatic. The characters are very charming and are pretty easy to find around the mountain.