Happy New Year! A look at 2023 Worlds of Fun Anniversaries!

Grand Opening Day May 26, 1973

Well, it’s the big one, the year we have been preparing for. 2023. Many years ago in my 20’s I once figured out how old I would be when the park turned 50 years old.. to a 20-something-year-old 45 feels ancient. Now, not so much. Crazy how fast time flies isn’t it? 2023 is when we officially celebrate Worlds of Fun’s 50th anniversary as it originally opened on May 26, 1973. But there are MANY more anniversaries this year too and in this blog, we are going to look at all of them!

1973 - Worlds of Fun opens with 61 brand-new and exciting things to do!

1978 - Aerodrome and Barnstormer premier (45th Anniversary)

1983 - E.X.T. or Extremeroller becomes the country’s first stand-up coaster on May 31, 1983

1988 - Python Plunge opens (35 anniversary)

1993 - Wacky Worm, Worlds of Fun’s 2nd oldest coaster opens (30 anniversary)

1998 - Mamba, Worlds of Fun oldest full-size steel coaster opens (25 Anniversary)

2003 - Carnival of Carnivorous Clowns debuts during Halloweekends and kicks off modern Haunt (20th Anniversary)

2008 - Master McCarthy’s DollHouse and Outlaws Revenge Haunts debut in Africa

2013 - Dinosaur’s Alive Debuts in Africa (10th Anniversary)

2018 - Nordic Chaser debuts, Floral Clock returns (5th Anniversary)

I’m just tired writing that out!  

Nordic Chaser replaced Finnish Fling in 2018

2018 - 5 Years

Five years ago, it doesn’t seem that long ago. And here is an even crazier thought, Nordic Chaser was the last ride addition to Worlds of Fun until this year! That’s probably a big thanks to Covid-19 which gave us Worlds of Fun-lite for more than one season. Nordic Chaser is probably most remembered for replacing a park original, Finnish Fling. While still a spinning ride, Nordic Chaser is far milder. Manufactured by Mack Rides of Germany (pronounced Mauk) Mack Rides also notably manufactured Time Traveler at Silver Dollar City.  

Timber Wolf with its new banked curve in 2018.

2018 is also memorable for the return of the Floral Clock after a 20-year exodus and the controversial replacement of the Timber Wolf 560-degree original helix with a new banked turn instead. 

In 2013 for the park's 40th anniversary a small group of us went around and rode all the original rides at the time. This was back when Scrambler was in Americana.

2013 - 10 Years

Ten Years ago, was Worlds of Fun’s 40th Anniversary. On May 26, 2013, we as fans circumnavigated Worlds of Fun and rode the (then) nine original rides (well eight, we were all too tall for Crazy Kars), and hosted a small history exhibit in the Tivoli Music Hall lobby. New in 2013 were several small but notable additions. Dinosaur’s Alive an interactive walk-through exhibit premiered in the African section as a pay extra attraction. Dinosaur’s Alive would be removed following the 2019 season. Miss Lizzie’s Chamber of Horrors would replace Master McCarthy’s Dollhouse in Africa as well. Probably the biggest change in 2013 though was the combination of Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun into one park, along with the addition of a new waterslide complex near the Surf City Wave Pool, Predator’s Plunge, Shark’s Revenge, and Constrictor.

Dinosaur's Alive premiered in 2013.

A new slide complex premiered at Oceans of Fun

2008 - 15 Years

Fifteen years ago two new haunts would bring the 2008 Haunt season up to 9 extreme haunts! Master McCarthy’s was just mentioned in the prior paragraph would debut in the old Zambezi Zinger queue house, themed to deranged dolls, I will forever remember the first time I walked in and was greeted with “It’s a Small World”. Truly terrifying. Master McCarthy’s never worked as well as I am sure was hoped, and would be replaced five years later by Chamber of Horrors. The other haunt introduced in 2008 is still around, Outlaw’s Revenge. One of the first “fright zones” outside of the original, Outlaw’s would introduce Worlds of Fun victims to “sliders” or screamsters that would fall and slide across the pavement creating sparks and terrifying screams in their wake. Jeff Mast, one of our editors was one of the very first outlaws, and recalls the poor quality knee pads and equipment they were originally provided with, going out and buying more professional, and durable pads and equipment himself. He also researched and glued metal washers to gloves creating the sparks on the ground that are so identifiable with sliders even today. 

15 Years ago Master McCarthy's premiered in Africa.

And so did Outlaw's Revenge.

2003 - 20 Years

If this is beginning to feel like a history of Haunt you wouldn’t be far off, and 2003 is where it all started. Twenty Years ago Live Entertainment had the idea to take a derelict building (The old Beat Street shops) and create a terrifying attraction, the like of which had never really before been seen at Worlds of Fun. Populated by both living and dummy clowns, guests could never tell which was real and which wasn’t until it was too late, creating what could be argued to be one of the best haunts ever to grace Worlds of Fun. The concept immediately caught fire and had one of the longest lines in the park. In 2004 the park would start its yearly expansion of Haunt to what it is today. None of it would have happened without Carnival of Carnivorous Clowns twenty years ago.  

Carnival of Carnivorous Clowns kicked off modern haunt in 2003.

1998 - 25 Years

1998 was truly a turning point in Worlds of Fun history, it was the first year without Zambezi Zinger (the original), it was the first year of Mamba. 25 years ago this year. Mamba was the third of the D.H. Morgan Hypercoasters, usually referred to as the Morgan Triplets, with the others being Wild Thing at ValleyFair (1996) and Steel Force at Dorney Park (1997). In 2023, Mamba not only eclipses Zinger as the oldest full-size steel coaster at the park but also celebrates its 25th anniversary. Quite early in its existence Mamba became iconic to Worlds of Fun, and there are many, that are adults even that can’t remember a Worlds of Fun without it or even imagine a Worlds of Fun without it for that matter. It has become in many ways the modern version of the Zambezi Zinger, for being a little thrilling, speedy, and a lot of fun.  

Mamba in March 1997 when it was nearly ready to open.

Looking backwards from B-block trim brakes on Mamba.

1993 - 30 Years

While writing the paragraph above I have to include that Mamba is the oldest FULL-SIZE steel coaster in the park. Why? Because there is one older steel coaster, but it’s tiny, Wacky Worm, or as it is known today, Cosmic Coaster. Though there have been some disagreements as to its original manufacturer, every mention of the coaster by the park has identified its manufacturer as the Italian firm Pinfari. Wacky Worm opened with the 1993 season as a major expansion to the kid's area of the time Pandamonium. Kids would ride, sometimes with an adult, a 12-seat bright green train shaped like a worm that would wind its way around a bright yellow track and through a gigantic red apple. In 2012, one year after the transition to Planet Snoopy, Wacky Worm would be re-themed into a rocket ship, and re-named Cosmic Coaster, it was also moved just slightly up the hill from its original location.  

Many kids had their first coaster ride on the green worm in Pandamonium/Camp Snoopy.

1988 - 35 Years

The first anniversary we look at a ride that is no longer in operation. Python Plunge opened in late April 1988 as a $1 million expansion as part of a total of $1.6 million in capital expenditures for the season. Manufactured by New Wave Rides of Arlington, Tx, Python Plunge was composed of four separate water sides, two-speed slides, and two enclosed serpentine slides. Both slides were experienced in a raft that guests had to carry up one of two forty-foot tall towers. Python Plunge became known as just Plunge in 1992 and would operate through the 1999 season. Plunge would become Standing But Not Operating (SBNO) until 2001 when it was removed entirely. 

Python Plunge debuted 35 years ago in Africa.

1983 - 40 Years

Another defunct attraction was the Arrow Corkscrew known as Screamroller/Extremeroller. While it opened in 1976, in 1983, 40 years ago, it took Worlds of Fun a step towards cementing itself into roller-coaster history by becoming the country’s first stand-up roller coaster. The sit-down cars (nearly identical to those on Orient Express or Boomerang), were switched out to stand-up pods, lacking the small bicycle-like seat that modern stand-up coasters all have. It was a true stand-up coaster. The newly renamed Extremeroller or E.X.T. would open on May 31, 1983. It would only operate for about a year as a stand-up and was re-converted back to a sit-down in June 1984. The infamous accident at Six Flags Mid-America, which Extremeroller seems to always be incorrectly remembered for, occurred in July 1984. 

E.X.T. or Extremeroller advertising its May 31, 1983 opening. 

Extremeroller concept art.

1978 - 45 Years

On April 8th, 1978 exactly 45 years from this year’s opening day another one of Worlds of Fun’s shortest-lived rides opened, Barnstormer, along with the new expansion land, Aerodrome. Aerodrome’s acreage has changed names and themes many times but is today’s Planet Snoopy. Barnstormer the ride was a towering 100-foot tower ride equipped with 12 bi-plane-shaped cars that would dive up and down through the air. Manufactured by Bradley and Kaye of Long Beach Ca. Barnstormer was one of only three such rides ever manufactured, and would only last at Worlds of Fun until June 1983 when it was removed. 

Barnstormer and Aerodrome premiered on April 8, 1978, 40 years ago to the day of opening day 2023!

1973 - 50 Years

Over the last two years, I have written several blogs celebrating the 50th anniversary of some park construction milestones. However now, we have finally reached 2023. 50 years ago the park is taking shape, it is already recognizable for what it will become, When the park opened on May 26, 1973, it was home to over 60 brand new and exciting things to do, or so the park advertised. Still of those 61 exciting things to do, only 15 were rides and of those 15 only six (or seven depending on how you look at it) still exist.  

At Worlds of Fun these six include:

Flying Dutchman: Flying Dutchman is still in the same place, with the same name with pretty much the same ride experience as it had fifty years ago (seatbelts were added many years ago). Flying Dutchman is an Intamin AG Flying Dutchman ride. When Hunt Midwest still owned the park it was a commonly known detail among ambassadors that Flying Dutchman was Lamar Hunt’s favorite ride.

Le Taxi Tour: Also in Europa, one of two Arrow Development manufactured rides that opened with the park (both still exist). Manufactured with the Taxi-themed car style, several rides of its type once existed, but because of the acreage they occupied many have been removed over the years. Thankfully, Worlds of Fun still has their’s and it is still as much a favorite as it was fifty years ago. Like Flying Dutchman, Le Taxi Tour hasn’t changed a whole lot over the years either.

Autobahn: The last of the original rides in Europa that still operates. Autobahn opened as one of the park’s two bumper car rides in 1973 known as Der Fender Bender but still in the same location as it is today. The ride’s name was changed in 1997 and the ends of the structure were enclosed in 2010. As an addendum, the second bumper cars ride, one designed for kids, and originally known as Crashem Bashem, was removed after the 2015 season. 

Worlds of Fun Railroad: ELI was out of commission for a couple of years but thankfully we got her back, and in far better shape than she left in. ELI is an authentic steam engine manufactured by Crown Metal Products of Wyano, Pa. It like the other five original rides is still very much a favorite to guests to the park, a point that was truly felt when it was missing for two and a half seasons.

Scrambler: Scrambler currently operates in its original 1973 location, but hasn’t always been there, as it was located in Americana from 1998 until 2014. Scrambler is an ELI Bridge Scrambler ride, the only ride on this list that is still in production by its original manufacturer unchanged even today.

Viking Voyager: The second original Arrow Development attraction that opened with the park. Like Le Taxi Tour, Voyager was once a dime-a-dozen type ride but is becoming rare in recent years. A traditional flume ride, Voyager originally operated boats with red dragon heads at the bow. These boats were replaced in 1994 with the current headless variety,

And last but not least, I just can’t celebrate 50 years of Worlds of Fun history without mentioning the ride that ALSO turns 50 years old, IS still in operation, even if that doesn’t necessarily mean it's in operation at Worlds of Fun.  

Zinger in 1973.

Zinger, or as it is known now, Montana Rusa in Colombia, looking nearly identical 50 years later (the only change is the addition of a catwalk which was added by Worlds of Fun)

Zambezi Zinger: Manufactured by Anton Schwarzkopf and designed by Werner Stengel, Zinger is classified as a Speedracer or Extended Jumbo Jet. Zinger operated at Worlds of Fun from 1973 until 1997 when it was removed following the end of the season. It was sold and purchased by Parque del Cafe in Montenegro Colombia, who reassembled the ride, complete with a concrete tunnel, and began operating it as Montana Rosa in 1999. Today it continues to operate in its “new” location. 

Zambezi Zinger: An Interview with Clair Hain and Tyler Mullins

Last November, Worlds of Fun Dot Org had the privilege to interview Great Coasters International President Clair Hain and Skyline Attractions Design Engineer Tyler Mullins about the new Zambezi Zinger. Skyline Attractions provided the engineering and design work for Zambezi Zinger while Great Coasters International will construct the new ride. 

Hain started in the roller coaster business in the 1980’s when the Playland Park Rocket was moved to Knoebels’ Grove where it was reborn as the Phoenix. He would work under Charlie Dinn, and then Charlie’s Daughter, Denise when she formed Custom Coasters International. Yes, that’s the same Charlie Dinn that built Timber Wolf;  Hain was involved with Timber Wolf, Prowler, and Zambezi Zinger, touching every wooden or hybrid wooden coaster ever built at Worlds of Fun.  In 1994, Hain established Great Coasters International (GCI) along with Mike Boodley, and together would create a portfolio of world-class wooden coasters, including Worlds of Fun’s own Prowler in 2009.

In 2014, three GCI employees left to form Skyline Attractions. The new company, named in honor of Cincinnati chili, continues to partner with GCI. on numerous projects, including the new Zambezi Zinger. Skyline Design Engineer Tyler Mullins is responsible for creating the Zinger’s layout. Mullins is a Cincinnati-native, having worked at Kings Island before earning an engineering degree and interning at GCI.  Another internship with Skyline led to his current full-time role. 

in August 2021, Cedar Fair approached GCI about building a tribute Zambezi Zinger at Worlds of Fun. Hain explained that GCI prepared three concepts before they arrived at the final product. The first proposal a steel single-rail coaster that would reuse the Orient Express tunnel. Mullins explained that Cedar Fair had second thoughts about placing a homage to Zinger in the Asia section of the park and requested to move the design to the original Zinger site.  According to  Hain there would go on to be two more additional concepts, one being an all-steel track concept, and then the final concept with the spiral lift hill that the park chose to go with. 

The spiral lift was identified as integral to the new Zambezi Zinger, Tyler states: “The spiral lift hill was an iconic element that we needed to retain, people see it and think Zambezi Zinger.” It was Anton Schwarzkopf that first introduced the spiral lift on the portable Jet Star II model and continued to include it on nearly all of his Jet Star and Speedracer coasters, including the Zambezi Zinger. The original was powered by a motor in each car, which connected to a power rail on the lift hill itself. A series of track-mounted feeder tires will propel trains up the new Zinger spiral. Feeder tires are common among amusement rides. Zinger’s will be quite different though instead of the tire coming in direct contact with the car, they will instead be mounted to grip (pinch) a fin on the bottom of each car. There will also be plenty of them, over a 120 different drive tires, Hain and Mullins both assured Worlds of Fun dot org that the tire system won’t be affected by rain. The new Zinger will also have a more traditional version of anti-rollbacks consisting of mounted with side-facing teeth. The original Zinger relied on a built-in clutch that would prevent unexpected rollbacks, but could be manually released to allow the train to roll back downhill in necessary. 

The new Zinger will also be the first coaster to run GCI’s Infinity Flyer Trains. Infinity Flyers are built with class 4/class 5 restraints and can allow the train to accomplish crazy elements such as inversions, launches and more. Zinger obviously won’t have any of those elements, but three selling points made Infinity Flyer the obvious choice for Worlds of Fun’s new ride.  Most importantly, Infinity Flyers come with a far tighter turning radius than the older Millennium Flyer trains. Infinity Flyers boast a an 8.95 foot minimum turn radius, compared to the older Millennium Flyers like Prowler’s that require a minimum radius of 18 feet. Why is this important? The train has to make it up a twisting lift hill, and only the Infinity Flyers can accomplish that unique feature. It also allows the overall ride to navigate far tighter, “zippy” maneuvers setting Zinger further apart from prior Great Coaster International coasters. The second impressive feature of Infinity Flyers is their rider-minimum-height requirement of 40” (though park operators may choose to set a higher height requirement). Thirdly, the new rolling stock are more accommodating to riders of difference sizes thanks to a hydraulic locking lap bar as opposed to the more typical mechanical ratcheting lap bar. 

Once the new Zinger was announced the first questions that were asked is what material it would actually be composed of, wood or steel. It is advertised as a hybrid coaster meaning it is not entirely steel and not entirely all wood, but surprisingly the decision on wood or steel wasn’t based entirely on ride ability but instead on aesthetics. Tyler Mullins explains in his own words:

“There is over 600 feet of titan track, which statistically ends of being 25.6% of the ride just over a quarter of it is titan track, that consists of the full lift hill as well as the curve around the lift hill. The reason behind that is that we wanted to retain the very open aesthetic of the original Zinger’s lift hill, that if it was built out of wood it would be a very dense structure it wouldn’t really look like the iconic spiral lift hill, people wouldn’t associate it with the original.“

When Jack Steadman and Lamar Hunt built Worlds of Fun 50 years ago they chose a hilly, wooded Clay County site because of its natural beauty. Rides and attractions were designed around the trees, in some cases requiring multiple re-designs so not to disturb some of the older trees on site. Still that was then this is now. Only now it does seem like history is repeating. Mullins used a CAD drawing of the site, complete with tree locations, to design the new Zinger, specifically choosing the direction of the ride based on the trees on site, keeping the older ones even if it meant re-designing the entire coaster structure to accommodate it. They were even more squeezed by a nearby creek too. The same creek already caused a  complete redesign of Prowler over a decade ago, This time the team went in with knowing not to cross the creek. According to  Hain it was thanks to some endangered salamanders in the Prowler area, and now endangered Bats with Zinger area.  Yes, bats.  Maybe there really were bats living in the original zinger tunnel.

Unfortunately not every tree could be saved.  Mullins mentioned specifically two very large trees a 36” and 40” diameter set of trees that the park specifically requested to be saved, with the larger of the two dating to the Civll-War era. Once grading began they realized the roots of the oldest tree was more extensive than originally thought, and the structure of the ride was changed again to a unique cantilevered  structure design at that location to maintain the original track profile, and help keep the trees roots intact. Even that wasn’t enough to save the tree. Hain states: “we had to salvage the trees. I think one had to go.  We were going around it, and it ended up getting, its roots were getting hit.  So we had to take it down. The one tree we wanted to save got taken out. It’s really quite a shame”.  It was.  A Nearly 200 year old tree. Hopefully the tree itself was saved for its wood and will be re-used in some way.  The funny part of this though is that it wasn’t the first time this nearly exact same story happened.  Four decades ago Orient Express was also designed around a very specific, old tree. Then park General Manager Lee Derrough told us about the ironic twist: after Orient Express opened the tree they had once tried desperately to save… also died. History does love to repeat itself.

When one thinks of the original Zinger what are the defining features? The spiral lift hill? The bobsled-style seating? And the tunnel. Yes, we are going there now. Mullins had a little to add to what we already know and it’s exciting to hear,“There will be a tunnel. Yes. I don’t know if I can say where it is going on the ride. I know the tunnel was a later commitment which is why it is not in the POV. It's been full committed, we’ve designed it, it’s going to be very exciting though because its in an area where you are going to get close to the ground. You are going to dive into the tunnel, it’s going to be one of those cases like on the Beast at Kings Island where you don’t know if the train is small enough to make it into the tunnel, you are going to lower your hands a little bit. I wish I could say more about where it was. “

Worlds of Fun is definitely playing poker face on the tunnel location, but Mullins would continue to detail the overall ride experience.  “With Zambezi Zinger you are already very close to the ground, this is the closest that any Great Coasters ride has gotten to the terrain. I don’t think people realize how exciting this element of the ride will be. We have designed new structure to accommodate putting this train as low to the ground as we can in some areas. And it is custom designed to the location with the hillside its on. You are going to be right on top of some of that terrain as you are tilting, it’s going to feel like you could stretch your hand out and brush the grass. And of course you can’t but it’s going to be so exciting.”

There are two details there that shouldn’t be missed, it will be the closest Great Coasters ride to the ground EVER built, and it will be so close to the ground you feel you could brush the grass with your fingers.  Worlds of Fun dot org Editor Jeff Mast rode and operated the original Zambezi Zinger more times than he could count. He recounts how the original Zinger had a very similar “close to the ground” feature where you could literally run your hands through the puddles on the sides of the track.  

Getting into the nuts and bolts of it all though, when will the new Zinger open? Hain says they are focused on meeting the deadline, weather permitting. I hate to mention that fifty years ago was one of the harshest winters on record, and it does seem that this year’s weather is looking to say “hold my beer” on that record.  Hopefully not. Regardless Great Coasters is trying to hedge its bets and get ahead where they can. This winter Hain stated Great Coasters will be testing portions of the spiral lift in their offices in Pennsylvania. 

“The biggest challenge right now is control systems.” Hain said. ”The control system is really difficult right now, because we aren’t the only ones, everyone in the industry is having difficulty getting electronic parts. We actually saved ourselves, we have two rides being built in China that I thought we sent everything over there for,  but we haven’t built it yet, but the control system did not leave. Our control system company came in yesterday and stole the guts out of them, so that they could get the mother boards to put the control system together for this ride and one in Japan.”  Don’t ever discount the importance of the system that runs the coaster, remember Mamba and the one train operation this year? Same thing.  Sounds like a possible disaster was averted thanks to a little luck, a lot of experience and some good planning.

So what is happening right now you may ask? According to Hain the park just obtained permits in November, foundations are going in, and some of the ride has gone vertical!. So we should hopefully get some more visuals from the park itself soon!

Ever since the new Zambezi Zinger was announced in August many of us have dealt with a roller coaster of emotions, how is it like the old Zinger, how is it NOT like the old Zinger, is it really enough like the old Zinger to be called Zambezi Zinger?  Many questions, with few straight answers.  One item that is indisputable though, there is a certain amount of “magic” attributed to even just the name, to the concept of Zambezi Zinger. The moment the sign went back up on the queue house at Worlds of Fun is testament to that. Just simply mentioning it and everyone from Kansas City has their own story, or stories.  Hain tells a story of going out for lunch in Kansas City recently “at this barbecue place, in the middle of this industrial area, by the train tracks” (one guess which one it was), he continued that when they walked in the greeter recognized the Great Coasters and Worlds of Fun logos and immediately said “oh you guys are building the Zambezi Zinger!” And of course they had to deny it, but that employee knew.  It IS exciting, and the excitement is contagious. Hain expressed his opinion of the new Zambezi Zinger best “They are going to s**t!  I think the people are going to s**t because of how insane this is going to be.”  

Special Thanks to Todd Swetnam for proofreading!

From Foam Mountains to Outer Space: The END!

 

Well folks we have come to the end; episode five of our look at the evolution of Worlds of Fun’s children’s areas. We started in Scandinavia with Half Pint’s Peak and Humpty’s Haven and forty-five years later have gone into outer space with the world-famous beagle, Snoopy.  

On August 10th 2010 Worlds of Fun announced the new expansion of Planet Snoopy of Snoopy's Birthday!

Snoopy even got a special dog-boned shaped birthday cake for the occasion!

Brandon Stanley, Director of Public Relations at the time posing with the concept art for the new Planet Snoopy.

In 2010 Cedar Fair decided it was time to update Worlds of Fun’s Camp Snoopy and expand it once again, this time rebranding it to Planet Snoopy! It’s hard to forget that day in August 2010 when Worlds of Fun announced the new expansion on Snoopy’s birthday! There was a gigantic gift box, balloons, and a dog-bone-shaped cake!

The 1997 Bear County Museum is transformed into Peanut's Showplace, with the removal of much of the Berenstain Bear Country theming removed.

Planet Snoopy still very much under construction even on opening day.

The Grand Opening of Planet Snoopy occurred on  May 28, 2011.  Frank Wilburn, park General Manager at the time cuts the ceremonial ribbon. 

When the park opened on April 16, 2011, nearly nothing was ready in the new Planet Snoopy except for Wacky Worm, Pony Promenade, Woodstock’s Express, and Scrambler. Slowly, seemingly every week another ride came online until by summer Planet Snoopy was up and fully operational. Planet Snoopy was the largest kid’s area expansion in park history, with the addition of seven new rides all manufactured by the Italian firm,  Zamperla. The new rides included Woodstock Whirlybirds (Mini Tea Cup), Lucy’s Tugboat (Rockin’ Tug), Sally’s Swing Set (Happy Swing), Peanut’s Road Rally (Convoy), Flying Ace Balloon Race (Samba Balloon Tower), Peanut’s 500 (Speedway), and Snoopy’s Rocket Express (Aerial tram). Worlds of Fun’s Planet Snoopy expansion saw the removal of two kids' rides: Road Rally (Micro Moto Bahn added in 1977) and Head over Wheels (Viking Vheel added in 1982).

Woodstock Whirlybirds by Zamperla.

Peanut's 500

Lucy's Rockin' Tug.

In addition to new rides, the entire area also received some well-needed cosmetic updates. The concrete paths were replaced by paving stones. Outbuildings such as the old “Bear County School” (Sally’s Dance Studio), and “Boys Club/No Girls Allowed” (Woodstock’s Nature Center) were removed. The Spooky Old Tree(Kite Eating Tree) slide was entirely removed to make way for the Rocket Express loading platform.  Woodstock’s Airmail would take on the Kite Eating Tree name after moving across the midway to accommodate the arrival of the Peanut’s 500 ride. The “old” Bear County Museum (Beagle Bay Outfitters and Snoopy Campground Theatre) would also receive exterior updates to remove additional remnants of Bear County theming while the nearby Launchpad Gifts (Great Waldo’s Prop Shop) was converted into a Family Care Center. Taken individually no one change was massive, but taken as a whole it was the update the area deserved and made the entire area feel fresh and new. 

The Snoopy in a canoe is replacing by a tubing Snoopy. 

A great before and after, Campground Theater and Beagle Bay Outfitters in Camp Snoopy (previously the Bear Country Museum).

And after the transition to Planet Snoopy.

In 2012 Worlds of Fun relocated and rethemed its oldest steel coaster, Wacky Worm In an ironic twist, the park’s first kiddie coaster, Funicular/Silly Serpent was also moved and re-themed, so Wacky Worm was just following tradition. In Wacky Worm’s case, it was only moved up a hill and was re-themed to Cosmic Coaster. The worm-themed train became a rocket, (with feet!), and the apple transformed into a planet. More ride removals came in 2012 with the retirement of Peanut’s Ponies (Pony Promenade added in 1982) and Woodstock Express (Too Too Train added in 1987).. In 2015, Worlds of Fun decommissioned the park-orginal Krazy Kars (Crashem Bashem), the last remaining kiddie ride outside of Planet Snoopy.

Wacky Worm when the area was known as Pandamonium.

A near identical view in 2016 once Wacky Worm was moved up the hill and several rides were added.

Wacky Worm was moved and became Cosmic Coaster in 2012. 

Big changes were right around the bend in 2016, when Cedar Fair expanded Planet Snoopy again, with five new rides from Zamperla!  These rides were truly additions rather than replacements; no rides were removed from Planet Snoopy to accommodate the new arrivals in 2016. Beagle Brigade Airfield (Flying Tigers) would replace the aging restaurant building that was originally Lucky Lyndy’s Lunch counter (better known as the employee cafeteria in the late 90s and more recently Magical House on Boo Hill), Snoopy’s Space Buggies (Jump Around), Linus Launcher (Kite Flyer) and Snoopy Junction (Rio Grande Train) would be added down the hill from Cosmic Coaster, where Wacky Worm used to sit. 

Magical House on Boo Hill was the last incarnation of the original Lucky Lindy's Lunch Counter. 

Beagle Brigade Airfield replaced Magical House on Boo Hill. 

Snoopy Junction

In the center of Planet Snoopy, the park added a popular Larson  Flying Scooter, known at the park as Woodstock GlidersWoodstock Gliders seems an unpresumptuous little ride, but it has quite a history as both a ride and for where it stands at Worlds of Fun. First from a ride standpoint, though it's new at Worlds of Fun, the ride, at least in concept is very old. Bisch-Rocco first manufactured a nearly identical ride in the 1930s and 1940s known as the Flying Scooter. There are a few of the original variety of these rides left, including one at Cedar Fair’s Carowinds in Charlotte, NC. Larson Rides, best known for its Ring of Fire ride, revived the concept and re-introduced the Flying Scooters ride in the 2000s. The new version is nearly identical to the old version though some enthusiasts disagree on various aspects of the ride experience itself. 

A few more before and afters. So first we have Barnstormer in 1978.

Tailspinner (Octopus) would replace Barnstormer in 1984, it would last until 1996.

And the current ride in the SAME PLACE is Woodstock Gilders.

Woodstock Gliders moved into a rather historic piece of Worlds of Fun real estate, first home to Barnstormer (1978-1983) and then Octopus/Tailspinner (1984-1996). Octopus was removed from the park in  1997 to accommodate the installation of the Berenstain Bear Family Treehouse (Octopus would be reinstalled in Scandinavia in 1998). It wasn’t long before the Berenstain Bears were evicted, and the Snoopy Bounce inflatable was installed on the site.  Woodstock Gliders was the first ride to be located at the site in twenty years! One could easily miss that the small building built as a pump house for Barnstormer is still standing.  It was rethemed to Papa’s workshop in Berenstain Bear Country and the PEANUTS school house in Camp Snoopy.  The rethemed building is once again fulfilling its purpose as a ride’s electrical building.

Peanut's Playhouse became a petting zoo in 2019.

Probably one of my favorite "expansions" was the introduction of Woodstock!

And the introduction of Schroder and Franklin.

Planet Snoopy hasn’t changed much in the last few years. Peanut’s Playhouse became an animal petting zoo in 2019, (and was a mask-free rest area in 2020 during COVID) A few new walk-around characters have been added to the Peanut’s mascot lineup including Woodstock and Franklin. As much as things have changed over the last forty-five years so much has also stayed the same. Red Baron is still where it was parked in 1978 with the addition of Aerodrome, the Aerodrome “hangar-themed” bathrooms still look exactly as they did forty-four years ago too. The basic structure of the original Flying Circus Theater, which became Panda Pavilion in the 1980s still exists as part of Peanut’s Showplace (look for the metal poles and spot the different ceiling types). Even the incredibly popular play-music pad from the Bear County Expansion still exists. And though many older rides have been removed many still operate including the 1974 Red Baron, (originally Scandinavia), the 1978 Tot’s Yachts (also Scandinavia), the 1979 Beetle Bumps (originally in the Orient), and the 1987 Turntyke and Swing-a-Ling (from Pandamonium) still take their second and possibly third generations for a ride.

The original Aerodrome bathrooms still look like airplane hangers.

The original Barnstormer pump house today is used for electrical housing for Woodstock Gliders.

At the separation between Peanut's Showplace and  Snoopy Boutique you can still see the original structure of Flying Circus Theater.

That s at the heart of it all, families having fun together, kids experiencing the same fun rides their parents, and even grandparents enjoyed. I’m 45 and have fond memories of both Humpty’s Haven in Scandinavia and Pandamonium growing up. Many people my age have children, and some even grandchildren that are experiencing the same rides I and their mothers, fathers, and grandparents rode as kids. Those years, the experiences may be in the past, but the memories never are, they just continue to grow with the years. Here’s to many more years of fun times for kids of all ages at Worlds of Fun. 

Having more fun with before and after this view is from 1978, but as you will soon see its a view that hasn't changed much in 45 years. 

Same ride, same location in the 1990's, PandAm Airlines. 

And today, it's Red Baron again. Same place, same ride still.

Special thanks to Todd Swetnam for proofreading this blog!  

The Devil is in the Details

Kansas City Star article from November 5, 1972. An ironic detail is in the lower right hand corner, advising readers that the NEW Kansas City Airport would be opening on November 11th. 

A clearer view of the same photo from the article. Worlds of Fun is starting to take on an appearance that is recognizable.  Notice how Der Fender Bender (Autobahn) only has half a roof so far!

There is an old saying that a photo is worth a thousand words.  50 years ago the following Kansas City Star article was printed and circulated celebrating the park reaching 50 percent completion along with accompanying aerial photo.  Now I could simply post the article and photo but it’s me and I love to delve into the details.

Vittle Griddle from the same time period. 

Moulin Rouge from about the same time period. 

The details are at the heart of it all, and that is my major takeaway from this article. Lamar Hunt and Jack Steadman knew then that if the rides got people through the gate it was the attention to detail that kept them coming back. So they didn’t design a cookie-cutter park.

Kopter from 1976, located in Scandinavia. 

To highlight this point are my two main takeaways from this article. This first pertains to the plan for children's rides in the park. Manager of Public Relations David Holt is quoted stating “Our feeling is to make it a real family experience by having something along the way for the children”. Instead of specific and separate children’s areas like most parks had, they intermingled the children’s rides with the adult rides. The three original children’s rides were Kopter in Scandinavia, Crashem Bashem in Americana and Funicular in Europa. This concept was apparent through the 1980s and into the 1990s too when you could find Micro Moto Bahn in Scandinavia, Beetle Bumps in the Orient, and Pony Promenade in Americana just to name a few. Starting in the late 1970’s Hunt did start adding more concentrated areas for children such as Half Pint’s Peak or Pandamonium but the “sprinkled through the park concept” lasted until Cedar Fair went ahead and centralized all the rides in around 1998.

 

This is actually one of my favorite construction photos, but was shot far earlier than November 1972. However, it illustrates the unique aspect of the old bridges at the park. These are the pylons before they became bridges.

And one of the train bridges. 

The other major takeaway is about the train trestles, “We tried to be authentic and tried to keep in a lot of details” Holt would be quoted saying. Today the trestles are nearly the same traditional-style structures as they were in 1973, with the exception of the Fury of the Nile trestle which is a very large set of pre-cast water culverts. I’ve always loved the unique detail of the bridges, but beyond the fact of them being train bridges is the concept of going beyond the bare minimum necessary to create something truly unique. It was that attention to detail that always set Worlds of Fun apart, after all, Jack Steadman stated in August 1971 that they planned to have the most beautiful and exciting park ever built. To do so the devil had to be in the details.  

The back of the 1973 brochure, and there were two different versions that I stumbled on accidentally! One was printed in 1972 and shows a spring opening, the second is printed in 1973 and shows a May 26, 1973 opening date. 

I’d always like to think that Jack got precisely what he wanted and for many of us that grew up with it it WAS the most beautiful park in the country. Worlds of Fun’s opening wasn’t without a few challenges, the upcoming winter of 1972/73 highlighted that absolute demand for excellence, it was one of the most brutal winters on record for Kansas City and saw not only a record ice storm in January but then also necessitated jackhammers to break through frozen ground to plant the trees that we still see today. It was the same cold winter that would delay Worlds of Fun’s opening day.  At this point, 50 years ago, opening day was still slated for Spring 1973, but thanks to that wonderful Missouri weather became late May by the time everything was said and done.