Recently I’ve had the chance to visit some of the great theme parks in Southern California. Between them all, you can immerse yourself in the world of a bunch of your favorite TV and movie characters.

Of course Disneyland is the first park that comes to mind, with Dumbo, Mickey, Goofy and the others. There are a few really good websites with helpful information about planning a Disneyland vacation. 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.

Your next stop would be Universal Studios Hollywood and the many TV and movie stars such as Betty Boop, the Hulk, Batman and Spiderman, joined most recently by Homer Simpson and his wonderful family. Plan out your trip to the crazy characters at the Universal Studios theme park by doing a little research with the SoCal Vacation Guru.

The final stop in the character caravan would be up I-5 an hour or so, to Six Flags Magic Mountain. According to the SoCal Vacation Guru, Six Flags is best known for its roller coasters and other thrill rides. It does not take long to figure out that the Looney Tunes people are in charge of public relations.

Here and there around the park you will find some of your favorites, like Daffy, Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam. To provide additional fun for small children, there is an area set aside for them, with a strong emphasis on the characters (not everybody wants to just hit the roller coasters). The characters are very charming and are pretty easy to find around the mountain.