Home grown characters would be nice, but they don't exactly light up a six year old's face like something they actually know. And they are DEFINITELY NOT going to bring in Mark Twain characters. The SJW's would burn the park down the way things are these days. Before long the baldknobbers will be sanitized out as well.
Ummm... I'm what some might call an "SJW" (I prefer to just call myself a person who fights for equal rights for everyone) and why would anyone protest using Mark Twain characters? Progressives like myself are adamantly against banning books, and those of us who have actually read Twain (sadly, the younger generations aren't as familiar with him) appreciate and cherish Twain's writings. For example, Huck's journey with Jim was all about calling out the culture of the time regarding slavery, something right up a civil rights supporter's alley. Twain is pretty loved by the people in my circle.
Regarding "home grown characters"... That's why I suggested maybe they could commission a theatrical film featuring Tom, Huck, and Becky, 'cause then if it's well-written and well-produced and does decently at the box office, they would instantly have themselves characters they could use in the park that would fit in with the theme/era of SDC. And the movie could feature Rocky the Raccoon and maybe a squirrel or something as animal sidekicks (I'm imagining this movie as an animated kids film), thus adding more characters to SDC's roster.
Honestly, the more I think about this, the more I want to sit down and write a script myself. I would be writing it with my nieces (ages 8, 3, and 1) in mind. I've shown them the 1985 claymation movie "The Adventures of Mark Twain" that I grew up on, and they loved it, so I can easily see other kids loving something with Tom and crew.
But again, I just don't see why they need character meetups at all when they've got Terry Sanders and all his characters, and Whoops E Daisy, and the street crew, and the Saloon characters, etc. giving life to the park. As a kid, I never needed the lure of meeting a favorite pop culture character to get me to want to go to SDC.
*shrugs* I dunno. I guess for me these character meetups (in addition to the modern music played during Moonlight Madness) are my personal "Not In Mary's Time" things. LOL