1971-2021: 50 Years Ago the Fun Began

 A few months ago, on August 4th, we looked at the beginning of the idea that was Worlds of Fun. Today, we look at what was the beginning of the very real place. Like every groundbreaking ceremony, there was the “teaser” element, which in Worlds of Fun’s case involved releasing 3,000 helium balloons, each with two tickets good for entrance to the park in 1973. There was also the just as necessary collection of who’s who in Kansas City in attendance too. Some names we recognize today, Mayor Charles B. Wheeler Jr., Jack W. Steadman, Lamar Hunt along with a long list of various Clay County judges and Chamber of Commerce members.  

Pushing the plunger to release the 3,000 balloons!  From left to right: 1) Stan McIlvaine (General Manager of Mid-America Enterprises), 2) Edward J. Bauman (Clay County presiding judge), 3) Mayor Charles B. Wheeler, Jr. 4) Richard K. Degenhardt (Executive Vice-President of the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce),  Lamar Hunt (Board Chairman of Mid-America Enterprises), George W. Lehr (Jackson County presiding judge), Jack W. Steadman (President of Mid-America Enterprises), and Al Lambino (project architect of Randall Duell & Associates)

And in color thanks to Adam Hoffman. 

But if you will humor me my favorite aspect of the event was one small detail. Not the shovels, or tiny balloons but the big balloon that was introduced that day. In August Worlds of Fun received its name, but in November Worlds of Fun received its icon, the hot air balloon. It was November 10th that the hot air balloon we all know and love was introduced to the public. In 2007 Cedar Fair attempted to change that, and homogenize the park’s logo, but the very next year the hot air balloon was back and it was back to stay. It's been modified and altered more than once over the years, but the hot balloon is synonymous with Worlds of Fun, and that aspect was born today, 50 years ago. 

The original ascending balloon Worlds of Fun logo.  A fascinating detail is that the "W" of Worlds of Fun, is actually the lowercase "w" in the font used (Partridge Font).

 

Possibly one of my favorite quotes from the November 11th edition of the Kansas City Times coverage of the ceremonies is from Jack Steadman himself:

“We chose the large multi-colored ascension balloon as our symbol because it represents fun, adventure, and travel reminiscent of the movie Around the World in 80 Days. These are the things that we want Worlds of Fun to represent.”  (Roberts, 1971, p. 1)

Victrix concept art.  Victrix was located in the same lake as Sea Dragon is today.  You can see the outline of the keel when the water is clear. 

The park design was further elaborated on at the groundbreaking too. There were the usual suspects, ones that made it into the final park, a speedracer (Zambezi Zinger), a flume ride (Viking Voyager), Cotton Blossom, and Victrix. But several attractions mentioned, never made it to the final product. Of these the two most tantalizing include a “huge carousel” and “a living floral display area patterned after the Copenhagen's renowned Tivoli Gardens”. Though there may never have been a specific Tivoli Gardens area, the over-arching concept of an entertaining, yet also naturally beautiful park lived on and lives on still today. 

Portions of the Tivoli Gardens area, which later became simply the Ski Heis station in Scandinavia.  Like so many of these drawings, the places existed in a much less grander scale. 

Another fascinating detail is that November 10th wasn’t even the first day of construction. Worlds of Fun’s physical construction began over two months prior, on September 1st, 1971! The actual grand groundbreaking ceremony was delayed due to schedule conflicts, and construction had to start because the park was scheduled to open in less than 18 months. Probably a good idea as park opening was still delayed from the original schedule. Worlds of Fun was originally planned to open in April 1973, but didn’t open until the end of May! We can thank the completely unpredictable and sometimes disastrous Kansas City weather for that. No surprise there.  

Another view of the groundbreaking photo above.  What this tells me though is that somewhere there is video footage of it. 

Still, we look on and celebrate November 10th as the beginning of the physical park we still know almost 50 years after it opened. Worlds of Fun would follow a trend of corporate parks that started in the 1960s and continue into the mid-1970s, and as we saw back in August Worlds of Fun borrowed from a variety of parks that proceeded it. I would like to think though that some of the best aspects of the park were when Lamar Hunt and Jack Steadman deviated from the norm. It was those differences, that make Worlds of Fun unique, magical even. And there Lamar Hunt borrowed from the very best of theme parks when he was quoted stating: “ When a family enters our park it will truly feel it has left the real world behind and walked into a world of fantasy and fun.” (Roberts, 1971, p. 1) Though the jury is still out on modern history, for those of us that grew up with park during the Hunt years, I think it’s safe to say Lamar and Jack got exactly what they wanted, and so did we.

Souvenir detonator from Worlds of Fun Groundbreaking.  

And there they are on a table on the day of groundbreaking.  (This is the same photo as above, just cropped.)

 

Roberts, J. (1971, Nov. 11). Gala Start for Fun World. Kansas City Times, p. 1-2.

Foam Mountains to Outer Space: The Evolution of Worlds of Fun's Children's areas: Part I

The first thing that comes to mind when people think of Worlds of Fun isn’t usually the kiddie rides, but for many it’s the first thing many remember about Worlds of Fun from their childhood.  I distinctly remember riding Tot’s Yachts when it was in Scandinavia, and it’s one of my earliest WOF memories. 

The 1975 map, where you can see the three original kid's rides (Funicular, Kopter, Crashem Bashem and near-original, 1974 addition of Red Baron. 

The original Alpine Petting Zoo.

Like any good story this one will start from the very beginning. And in the beginning, Worlds of Fun had no defined children’s area or kiddieland as they are commonly known. Instead, the plan was to have a mixture of rides throughout, and the three original children’s rides were located in different areas of the park. Crashem Bashem (Krazy Kars), the kiddie bumper cars was in Americana, Europa was home to the kiddie coaster, Funicular (Silly Serpent), and Kopter, the ride that would become Bounce a Roos in 1977, was located in Scandinavia. Adjacent to Kopter was the Alpine Petting Zoo.  

  

Red Baron in Scandinavia, this is about where Fjord Fjarlane is today.

And here is the same ride, where it is located today.

The first glimmer that Scandinavia would become the kiddie focal point came the very next season, 1974 with the addition of Red Baron, today the park’s oldest operating kiddie ride.  (today located in Planet Snoopy). But if Red Baron was a glimmer the 1977 and 1978 seasons really would define the northeast corner of Scandinavia as the place to be for kids from the late 1970s until 1986.  

Kopter in 1973  

And it's greatly altered self as Bounce a Roos.

The 1977 season was a large expansion season and included several new additions to the park including Wobble Wheel and Singapore Sling (Bamboozler), but also included several new additions to Scandinavia too, namely Half Pint’s Peak, Kinder Garden play area and Micro Moto Bahn car ride. Half Pint’s Peak would be built right next to the Alpine Petting Zoo, and would feature a large yellow foam climbing mountain, suspended hang glider (zip line), squirrel cage (spinning barrel) and a multi-level commando climbing net area. A few steps below it, and right behind Baltic Bazaar would be Micro Moto Bahn, replacing Kopter which would be heavily altered into Bounce a Roos in Europa. Micro Moto Bahn would outlive any other Scandinavian kiddie attraction lasting in the same very spot, with the same small kiddie play area until 1996.  In 1997 Micro Moto Bahn would be one of the last kiddie rides to be moved up to Pandamonium.  

Kinder Garden as it appeared in the late 1970s. This would have been located right behind the old Baltic Bazaar shopping area. 

Micro Moto Bahn in Scandinavia, you can see it in the above photo too, just look for the yellow and white awning in the background.

1978 would continue the Scandinavian expansion, replacing the petting zoo with Humpty’s Haven, a second children’s play area. Humpty’s Haven would feature a 21-foot tall Humpty Dumpty statue bought from a charity auction and previously used in a Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade. The play area itself would include a slide, ball crawl and punching bag area, and in 1979 a small puppet theater, Humpty’s Show Chateau with shows and puppets created by DoLores Hadley herself.  

Humpty sitting on his wall.  

Half Pint's Peak with Humpty's Haven behind it. 

Humpty's Show Chateau, puppet theater.

The often mentioned 1978 expansion which was highlighted by Barnstormer and the Aerodrome affected the Scandinavian kiddie area too.  Red Baron, originally added to Scandinavia in 1974 was moved to the Aerodrome and opened up a prime spot for a new children’s ride, one that strikes terror in ride operators everywhere… Tot’s Yachts.  

Tot's Yachts in Scandinavia, which replaced Red Baron.  This is again about where Fjord Fjarlane is today.

Today's It's the Peanut's Yacht Club, but still the same ride.

In 1979 Humpty’s Haven and Half Pint’s Peak would be fully formed as the children of Generation X would know it throughout the early 1980s.  One more ride would come to the Scandinavian children’s area over the next seven years, Viking Vheel (Head over Wheels), a small kiddie ferris wheel added in 1982.  

Viking Vheel when it was originally added to Scandinavia in 1982. You can even see the 1974 Scandinavian gate in the background. 

Commando Climbing Nets in Half Pint's Peak (you can even see the sign in the lower left corner)

Scandinavia’s Humpty’s Haven/Half Pint’s Peak were in many ways proto-kiddie areas. It’s important to note that neither were intended to be an all encompassing “kiddieland”, as the park would continue to add kiddie rides and attractions outside of Scandinavia during the late 1970s and early 1980s.  Red Baron which was located in the Aerodrome starting in 1978, Funicular was moved to Africa and became Silly Serpent in 1979.  In the Orient, Beetle Bumps was added in 1979 and Pony Promenade was added to Americana in 1982.  As a comparison, at it’s peak in 1982 Scandinavia was home to three total kiddie rides. 

Zipline at Half Pint's Peak

And the 1986 map, which was the last to show both Half Pint's Peak and Humpty's Haven.

The 1986 season would be the last for Humpty’s Haven and Half Pint’s Peak.  In 1987 Pandamonium would open in Americana replacing the Aerodrome and would be the first “centrally located” kiddie area in the park. In our next blog we will look at how the park’s focus on children’s ares and rides changed yet still in many ways remained the same for the next decade.  However, there is no doubt that Scandinavia’s legacy as hosting the first centralized kiddie area in the park continues to this day.  

 

Up, Up and Away with Sky Hi

A very early photo of Sky Hi with nothing beyond it. 

 Whenever I ask, “What past ride should Worlds of Fun bring back?” The first answers are usually either Zambezi Zinger or Orient Express. But the first non-coaster ride most people suggest is a ride that has been gone far longer than either Zinger or Express - the Sky Hi.  

The Ski Heis station under construction in 1972. From the Independence Examiner. 

Sky Hi pylon under construction, if I was to take an educated guess I would say this was the pylon by Der Fender Bender. 

It surprises me that in nearly 24 years of writing editorials and blogs, I have never once written about  the ride that for me started both my great love of Worlds of Fun but also my foray into researching Worlds of Fun history. In 1983 when I first visited the park, one of the last rides we rode was the Sky Hi. I would only ever ride it this one time. When we  boarded in Americana it  was already dark, and I can still remember the yellow incandescent light casting the shadows inside the barn queue area, and the painted handrails (I think they were green). I also remember being absolutely terrified of the ride. I was five years old  (almost 6) and scared of everything - especially heights. But for some reason, halfway through the ride, I peeked out and saw the most beautiful view I had ever seen -  Worlds of Fun literally glowing at night. There was something truly magical about it. 

Worlds of Fun at night from 1980-1981.  From the 1984 Press Kit. 

That  story, and the millions just like it, are the reason why I feel preserving Worlds of Fun history is so vital. The rides make the stories and the stories make our lives. 

Loading a cabin on Ski Heis in Scandinavia. 

 

But what about the ride?  Sky Hi (or as it was known in Scandinavia, “Ski Heis”) was a common ride in the theme park world of the 1960s and 1970s.  Sky Hi was a Von Roll SkyRide 101 (or VR101). Von Roll Holding AG is a Swiss company known more commonly for its ski lifts, which is, for all intents and purposes, what Sky Hi was.  Disneyland opened the first VR101 in 1956, and the trend spread to every major city and state that tried to copy Disneyland in their local municipalities. Astroworld, Six Flags over Texas, Marriott’s Great America, and Worlds of Fun all had them -  Cedar Point originally had two!  There were 38 total operating in the United States at the VR101 peak - today  there are only 10. 

On the Americana side (Sky Hi).  You can see the large drive or bull wheel in the background. 

On the Scandinavian (Ski Heis) side, you can notice the distinct difference in ambassador costumes. 

In terms of comparison to other VR101’s, Worlds of Fun’s Sky Hi was pretty average. Sky Hi had four towers (the tallest standing 70 feet high) and a total length stretching  1,160 feet long.  The ride incorporated a total of 25, four-seat gondola cabins that could be stored on either the Americana or Scandinavia sides of the park. The motor for the ride was housed in  Scandinavia, with the counterweight and bull (drive) wheel in  Americana. By  comparison, the San Diego Zoo Skyfari’s tallest tower is 190 feet tall, and the longest VR101 is at Busch Gardens Tampa which has eight towers and operates 62 cabins. Both are still in operation today!

The unusual orb-shaped cabins at Six Flags New England. This Von Roll is no longer in operation.  These cabins were also manufactured by Gangloff. 

The Skyride at Six Flags Mid-America (St. Louis) from 1972.  Six Flags Mid-America's Sky ride operated CWA cabins. 

One of the more fascinating details of Sky Hi is that on the 1971 concept art it shows the cabins as hot air balloons. That may not seem entirely feasible, but the unusual orb-shaped cabins that operated at Six Flags New England makes it seem not completely out of the realm of possibility. I am sure logistics factored into the choice to use the typical four-seat cabins that ran on many of the other VR101’s across the country. While  VR101 cabins may all seem identical -  they are not. Worlds of Fun’s cabins specifically were manufactured by Gangloff A.G. of Bern Switzerland. Many other VR101’s operated with cabins manufactured by CWA or Carrosseriewerke Aarburg (also of Switzerland) which produced the cabins at nearby Six Flags Mid-America. To the average  rider the differences between the two types of cabins is negligible, but it’s an interesting footnote. 

 

Side by side it's obvious the difference between the CWA cabins (at Cedar Point, above), and Worlds of Fun's Gangloff cabin (below). 

The Gangloff cabins at Worlds of Fun. 

Regardless of the manufacturer, it was the Von Roll cabins in general that would cause the eventual demise of Sky Hi. By the 1980’s insurance companies were getting nervous about Von Roll SkyRides - too many accidents. An accident at Six Flags Mid-America in 1978 killed three guests when a cabin detached from the wire and fell to the ground.   My husband, Jeff Mast, was working as manager of Le Taxi Tour (today’s modern lead)  one day in the summer of 1987, while a friend of his, Kelly (remember him from two blogs ago?), was manager of Sky Hi. That was the day the insurance adjusters came to condemn the  Sky Hi cabins. Jeff recalls receiving several calls from Kelly as the number of total cabins dwindled down to six. Six total cabins. On a ride that could operate 25. Worlds of Fun didn’t immediately give up the ship; they looked for safe replacements, but when none were to be found Sky Hi closed for good the summer of 1987.  

It is amazing how so many things in our lives that we depend on and love one day can be almost entirely forgotten the next day.. So it is with Sky Hi. The world forgot it. Quickly.  In 1988 the Scandinavian station became a picnic pavilion, Tivoli East (which it still is today). In 1988 the Americana station became a short-lived arcade, then a Season Pass holder renewal booth, then a midway games location (which it remains  today). 

The original Scandinavian Ski Heis station back in 2019, today it's Tivoli East.

Sky Hi cabins heading in and out of the Ski Heis station in the 1980's. 

When I went to work at the park in 1994 I questioned whether the ride I remembered as a child had even existed at all, or had it all been simply a dream? The only evidence I could find was the concrete footer that was next to the bumper cars (Der Fender Bender). The footer was there then, but no longer . No one I talked to that summer knew what I was talking about. In 1996 when I went back with my senior class trip I asked the ambassador working at the Icicle stand (an old tiny snack stand near Tivoli) and she, no surprise, didn’t know either. 

That’s when I started researching Worlds of Fun history. I combed every local Mid-Continent library vertical file. Finally my dad took me to the Missouri Valley Room at the Downtown Library which had a 1973 souvenir map in it’s collection and I rediscovered the Sky Hi.

Americana midway games today (photo from 2019)

Same view in 2000, notice a few change to the Sky Hi building over the last 20 years.

The same building in the late 1970's.

Then I begin rediscovering Sky Hi in the park. Like so many past rides it left its own gigantic footprints that 30+ years haven’t been able to erase. Both stations are still there. Two of the concrete pylon footers, one under Voyager and one near the Train depot, are still there. The 70-foot pylons themselves, and brightly colored cabins are long gone, but the memories remain.  

Sky Hi over Depot, the concrete footer for this pylon still exists. 

The concrete Sky Hi footer sticking out of the mulch. You can see how it lined up with the station in this photo. 

Sky Hi heading over Viking Voyager.

The footer for the Voyager pylon is still there too under lift one.  You can just barely see it here sticking out from behind the shrubs.

Outside of Worlds of Fun Sky Hi lives on too.  Like used cars, rides when they are removed are parted out too.  Sea World San Diego has the vast majority of the remnants, the tower sheaves (see below), hanger arms and drive motor all are currently still in active use there, or are stored as spares.  The cars themselves were mostly crushed for scrap metal, but a handful survived as either cherry pickers in the park, or in private collections.  

Photo by Robbie Von Roll, the sheaves on the Sea World San Diego Sky Ride.  These could very well be from Worlds of Fun. 

 

The sheaves as they appeared at Worlds of Fun. 

One fascinating detail a recent reader mentioned about Sky Hi is that the cars would detach from the cable when they entered the station and then reattach on the way out. Once inside the station they were controlled exclusively by the ambassadors working the ride. There were three ambassador positions in each station. The first was “Catch” - the ambassador  would catch the car as it came in and unload it. The second was “Swing” - swinging  the car around the track and starting the loading process. The third and last was “Trip” - the ambassador  would finish loading the car, lock it, and roll the cabin into the trip. The trip was a metal bar that would stop each cabin, it would then automatically release each cabin allowing safe spacing between the release of each cabin. The trip could also be manually controlled by the ambassador in that position. Once the trip was released the cabin would roll onto the cable, reattach and be sent airborne. While in the station the cars were on a track, but there was no motor to move them around the station itself except for human hands and arms - so as you can imagine it was a very physically demanding job! 

The trip is visible in this photo as the horizontal metal rod in this photo.  You can also see the rope tied to it where it could be controlled by the Ride Ambassador. 

Jeff Mast, who worked both the Sky Hi and Ski Heis, recalls how they could also control the number of cabins based on the size of the line of guests. Since the Scandinavia Ski Heis station was located next to Tivoli they would frequently add more cabins on when a show let out, neglecting to inform the Americana sky Hi station that more cabins than usual were inbound. I’m sure that led to quite a scramble!

A "cherry picker" Sky Hi cabin, this photo was taken during Thunderhawk construction in 2002, so most likely the car itself is long gone. 

A Sky Hi cabin in private collection, this photo was taken in 2019. 

The Gangloff A.G. manufacturer plate on the cabin above. 

Sky Hi was removed mid-season 1987 -  it is gone and it was forgotten (by many) but no longer. Von Roll hasn’t completely gone the way of the dodo either. In 1996 Doppelmayr (an international manufacturer of ropeways and people movers) bought Von Roll’s gondola lifts and cable car division. In 2020 Doppelmayr would bring the VR101 into the 21st century with Skyliner, a gondola transportation system at the Walt Disney World resort. Are we seeing history repeat itself? Will a whole new batch of cable car rides make it to theme parks across the country like they did when Disneyland opened the first Von Roll SkyRide 101 in 1954? I doubt it. There is no mass millionaire frenzy to build Disneyland-esque parks like there was back in the 60s and 70s. But who knows, maybe Sky Hi could fly at Worlds of Fun again someday. Here’s hoping!

Skyliner at Walt Disney World

A special Thank you to Clare Mac for proofreading this blog for me, as well as Robbie Von Roll for both providing details on various Von Roll rides, and fact checking this blog for me.  Visit his Von Roll Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/vonrollmodelropeways

So why Ski HI?  Writing every blog I’ve ever written has been fun, but this one was written as a therapeutic “getting my mind off stuff” kind of project. Sky Hi has ALWAYS been my favorite memory at Worlds of Fun. A few days before I starting writing this I was diagnosed, a second time, with breast cancer.  I am going in for surgery possibly as this blog is being read.  Recently, I was told how amazing all the work and research I’ve done on Worlds of Fun is, and my answer was… “sure, I guess”. I am never sure how to respond, since I do all of this because it’s fun (and let’s all be honest I am not David McCullough lol).  I have never done any of this to be thanked.  Worlds of Fun has always been my happy place, even more than that, it’s made me smile when I REALLY needed to smile.  I feel I shouldn’t be thanked for anything but thanking Worlds of Fun, it’s staff and everyone else instead. Thanks for making me smile, for the memories, and for the fun. Hopefully that will continue on for years to come too!