30 years ago, Cedar Fair purchased Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun from Hunt Midwest. The sale was announced on June 20th, 1995, and would close on July 28th, 1995. Though I am unable to find an exact price, a range of $40-$80 million was expected. A question that has been asked multiple times since then is what Worlds of Fun would be like if Hunt Midwest still owned it. It's an impossible question to answer, but fun to hypothesize on.
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| Mayflower in Americana removed around 1992, photo by Gregg Barr |
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| Ben Hur Galley Ship removed around 1992, photo by Gregg Barr |
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| Victrix removed 92-93 |
Many seem to lean to the belief that the park would have been “better” under Hunt Midwest. I disagree. I think looking at the actions of Hunt Midwest in the last few seasons of operation, is not all that different than the way Cedar Fair would manage the park themselves. Case in point, many point to the removal of Cotton Blossom by Cedar Fair in December 1995. Yes, Cedar Fair removed it, but why? Because Cotton Blossom was in poorly maintained condition. Hunt Midwest had already removed Victrix (another full-size ship bought at the MGM Backlot Auction), and several eight-foot ship models that used to be sprinkled around the park too, due to the same reason, disrepair. While there is the possibility that Cotton Blossom could have had a major refit to save it, I am going to argue that following the trend already established BY HUNT MIDWEST it would have been removed along with the rest.
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| Fascinating screenshot of the Trademark for Vampire, this started my theory that was later confirmed of a coaster planned named Vampire. |
Two major rides are easy to determine whether they would have existed or not. Mamba, and Vampire. Vampire, what’s that? Prior to Hunt Midwest selling the park they were designing what has been rumored to be the world’s longest wooden racing coaster in the Europa section. While its design was rumored, its existence (at least as a design) is not. I now know that this coaster's name, for sure, was to be Vampire. I have seen the concept art, it would have existed. The coaster was canceled by Cedar Fair when they bought the park. Had Hunt Midwest still owned the park it is without a doubt this coaster would have existed, and would still exist.
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| Not Mamba, this is Steel Force at Dorney Park |
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| This is Mamba |
Everyone here knows what Mamba is. However, the reason we have it is because of Cedar Fair, absolutely unarguably because of Cedar Fair. One of Cedar Fair’s best attributes was its ability to copy its best ideas to its other parks. Mamba was the last of three Morgan hypercoasters, with the other two, Steel Force and Wild Thing, being located at the two other non-Cedar Point, Cedar Fair parks. Worlds of Fun got its current ICON because of Cedar Fair.
Now no one can argue whether Mamba or Vampire would have been the better coaster, a coaster that was never built, versus a coaster that was and is. However, it's very hard for me to see any coaster at Worlds of Fun more iconic than Mamba. It's a great ride, and lightning doesn’t like to strike twice.
So those details I believe are fairly easy to determine what would have or not have happened. Now we move into a greyer area.
Zambezi Zinger, Orient Express, Main gate, what would have happened to them? What other coasters would have been added? What about the charm or the intangibles?
No one could really know but I’m going to take a few educated guesses.
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| Zambezi Zinger |
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| And Zambezi Zinger.. known as Montana Rusa |
I think Zambezi Zinger would have survived, at least longer than it did. Let me explain my reasoning. Zambezi Zinger was being removed due to maintenance, but Cedar Fair was looking at refurbishing it. When the budget for the refurbishment went over 2 million. That’s when the decision was made to remove it. At the same time, the EXACT same time, they were building Mamba a coaster we know also went over budget. I also think, and I think even those at Cedar Fair would agree with me, the new management had only been in place for two years. They did not have a full understanding of the importance and love of Zinger by the park patrons. That’s not an excuse, but I think inexperience with Worlds of Fun culture definitely is part of the Zinger removal puzzle. With all that being said, Hunt having a better understanding of the park and its culture, no Mamba to worry about for budget, and the fact that Zinger continued to operate for the next 30 years in South America makes me believe that Zinger would have survived under Hunt Midwest.
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| Phantom's Revenge at Kennywood a modified Arrow coaster |
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| One guess which coaster this is. |
I don’t think Orient Express would have been so lucky. Many point out that Loch Ness still operates, the only other coaster by Arrow with interlocking loops. But the two are not comparable beyond that fact. Orient Express was a prototype coaster of the modern multiple-looper Arrow. It was the first to use the boomerang element and was built so small (compared to future boomerang elements), that it put a ridiculous amount of pressure on the track. It's possible that Hunt could have modified Orient Express, in much the same way that Kennywood modified Steel Phantom into Phantom’s Revenge and I think that’s the most likely turnout. Most of the independent parks these days don’t have the budget for a B&M like Patriot, and as there would have been no Morgan Mamba, it is possible Hunt would go to Morgan to alter the aged Orient Express, but keep only segments of the original ride. Who knows how that would have turned out? Would it have been better than Mamba and Patriot combined though?
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| The old Americana gate |
Last, the Americana gate. The trams were already on their way out. The Americana gate didn’t work because it was about a half-mile walk from the main parking lots. That means the Americana gate would have been gone right? That’s the argument I make with Cedar Fair? Only it's not so clear cut. Some plans exist that show that Hunt Midwest was considering building new parking lots in the fields adjacent to the Americana gate. Fixing the lack of trams problem. Would that have happened? Maybe, it makes sense that they would attempt to keep the old main gate, especially looking at all the issues Cedar Fair had when they abruptly removed the old Americana gate and had to “band-aid” in the main gate in Scandinavia.
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| Krater at Parque del Cafe photo by Raphael Figueiredo |
The other coasters and rides are all debatable. As mentioned there would have been no Patriot or Mamba. An independent park operator would not have had the funds (even Hunt Midwest) to build a B&M hyper, inverted or otherwise. But what about Spinning Dragons or Boomerang? I think coasters of that nature are possible, as many independent parks add those types of rides to balance their wood vs coaster collection. Parque del Cafe where Zambezi Zinger is today is home to two great Gerstlaur (manufacturer of Spinning Dragons) coasters, neither of them groundbreaking, but still fun. I could see something like that.
The rides are also debatable. But before we get into which company is better than the other let me say that while Cedar Fair REMOVED 20 rides, they have added 26. For those that argue that includes a lot of kids' rides (which it does), if you remove the kid's rides and leave just the family and adult rides thats 11 ride removals and 13 rides added. Believe it or not Cedar Fair has added ride capacity TO the park.
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| Topiary Liberty Bell in Americana taken 2025 |
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| Torii gate, taken 2025 |
Then there are the intangibles. The theme, the flowers, the little details no one pays to go to a park for but returns because of them. Things like the floral clock, landscaping, torii gate, theming… wait a minute… that sounds like the park today? Truth being told yes there were about two decades when the landscaping was lackluster (at least by WOF standards), the floral clock, topiaries, and torii gate were removed, and very nearly even the entire park theme was destroyed. Coasters diner in Africa anyone? But as they say, a miss is as good as a mile and all those details have returned, arguably in some ways better than they originally were.
Now is the park the same as it was in the 1980’s? No. But even if Hunt Midwest still owned it it wouldn’t have been like the 1980’s either. I worked as an ambassador in 1994, I was already asking questions about lost rides and attractions back then, in 1994, UNDER HUNT MIDWEST. Victrix and all the other little ships were gone by then, Cotton Blossom smelled like the rotting wreck that it was, and no one wore themed costumes anymore either.
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| Coasters Diner under construction early 1999 |
With that being said I am not going to say Cedar Fair is the conquering savior either. Cedar Fair's poor choice regarding the original Zinger stands out as a major failure in my book, and I think in a lot of people’s books. Those two decades when we had All-Stars Grill in Scandinavia, Coasters Diner and Junkyard Burgers in Africa? All the years the topiary liberty bell was left to wilt and die behind the greenhouses? The park covered in mulch instead of flowers? The torii gate being chopped out to make way for vehicular traffic? I remember those years too. It shouldn’t be forgotten... Still, I am seeing attempts, I still see a few people that work at the park that truly care about it, and that’s enough for me.
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| Zambezi Zinger just removed 1998 |
So to my fellow Worlds of Fun fan girls and boys please continue to argue if you will about whether Cedar Fair or Hunt Midwest did it better. Argue about my conclusions. Am I wrong? Probably. Was it fun? Absolutely. It still is, that’s why I continue to write these blogs. See you at the park.
