Worlds of Fun

Worlds of Fun
Worlds of Fun
Location	4545 Worlds of Fun Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
Coordinates	39°10′38.4″N 94°29′20.5″W / 39.177333°N 94.489028°WCoordinates: 39°10′38.4″N 94°29′20.5″W / 39.177333°N 94.489028°W
Website	www.worldsoffun.com
Owner	Cedar Fair Entertainment Company
Opened	May 26, 1973
Operating season	April through October
Area	235 acres (0.95 km2) (~0.90 km²)
Rides	43 total; 7 roller coasters; 3 water rides;

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Worlds of Fun (WOF) is an amusement park in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. The park opened in 1973 and was originally built by Lamar Hunt and Jack Steadman (Hunt-Midwest). In 1995 Hunt-Midwest sold Worlds of Fun to Cedar Fair Entertainment Co., which currently owns the park. Worlds of Fun has an attached separate-admission water park named Oceans of Fun. Worlds of Fun will open for its 39th season on April 14, 2012.

[edit] History

A view Worlds of Fun from outside the park.

Secondary logo.

Worlds of Fun opened on May 26, 1973, at a cost of $10 million. It was situated at the northern edge of a vast industrial complex developed by Hunt in the bluffs above the Missouri River in Clay County, Missouri. Immediately south of the park is Hunt's SubTropolis underground business complex.

At the time, numerous modernization projects were transforming Kansas City including the opening of Kansas City International Airport, Bartle Hall and Kemper Arena. Lamar Hunt, seeking to capitalize on Kansas City's expansion, began construction on a new amusement park in 1969. The original plan featured Worlds of Fun as a side note attraction to the 500-acre (2.0 km²) entertainment and hotel corridor Hunt planned on creating. A lagging economy scaled down such grand plans.

In 1974, the first addition to Worlds of Fun was the 4000 seat Forum Amphitheater opened in the Europa section of the park. In 1976, a new section opened for America's Bicentennial called Bicentennial Square. The Scream Roller coaster was also added to honor the 200th birthday of the nation. Three mascots also accompanied Worlds of Fun in the early days: Sam Panda, Grrrtrude the Lovable Gorilla, and Dan'l Coon.

In 1982, ten years after Worlds of Fun's opening, Oceans of Fun (at the time the largest water park in the world) opened next door. However, it would take another ten years before the two parks were linked. Also a sub-world "River City" was opened in Americana bordering the Orient. The next year saw the Scream Roller Coaster being transformed into the USA's first stand up roller coaster. Worlds of Fun ended the decade with a bang, with the addition of the Timber Wolf.

The 1990s would prove to be a decade of challenge, triumph, and struggle for Worlds of Fun. In 1995 Cedar Fair LP bought Worlds of Fun from Hunt Midwest, which took the park in a new direction. 1995 also was one of Worlds of Fun most tragic years when a fatality occurred on the Timber Wolf (The first and only fatality at the park). The following years would see the removal of many original park rides, attractions, and thematic elements that made the park unique. But just as Hunt Midwest had ended the 1980s with the addition of a large attraction, Cedar Fair would close out the 1990s with the addition of Mamba, a D.H. Morgan Manufacturing steel hypercoaster.^[1]

[edit] Recent History

In 2003, park favorite the Orient Express is removed four years after two of its seven cars derailed; it was replaced the following year with Lore of the Vampire haunted house.

In 2006 the Patriot roller coaster took over the land that formerly belonged to Beat Street.

In 2008, Worlds of Fun celebrated its 35th anniversary.

In September 2008, at "Coaster Mayhem" World's of Fun released the name, layout, and specs of its 7th roller coaster.^[2] "The Prowler" as it was named then opened in Spring 2009. Later that year, Prowler received the Golden Ticket Award for "Best New Ride Of 2009" by Amusement Today magazine.

On February 25, 2010, Worlds of Fun announced a new light show attraction, Snoopy's Hot Summer Lights, which began operating that summer.

On August 8, 2010, Worlds of Fun announced the retheming, renaming, and expansion of Camp Snoopy to Planet Snoopy for the 2011 season. Also new for 2011 was a classic Illion's carousel being relocated from Geauga Lake, a defunct Cedar Fair park. The carousel is now one of only two of its kind operating in the world.^[3]

On January 26, 2011, the park announced Sally's Swing Set, a new swing ride that can be enjoyed by children and their parents, would join the previously announced new ride offerings in the all new Planet Snoopy, boosting the park's new ride offerings in 2011 to eight.^[4]

[edit] Park layout

The park is themed around the Jules Verne book, Around the World in Eighty Days. Worlds of Fun is divided into five major sections (Scandinavia, Africa, Europa, the Orient, and Americana). Rides, attractions, shops, shows, and restaurants are named according to the area theme. Guests enter the park in Scandinavia. In 1997 the Americana "main entrance" was closed for the creation of Grand Prix, so the "back gate" became the "main gate" ever since. The next world to the left is Africa, continuing in a clockwise roation, guest would then enter the Americana section, followed by the Orient. The Europa section is located in the approximate center of the circle.

Within Americana, lies the sub-section of Camp Snoopy (the area of the park specifically for young children). Originally added in 1978 as an expansion of Americana, over the years the grounds have changed its identity several times. Initially it was called "Aerodrome" (1978–86) with futuristic rides for adults, it then became a children's area called "Pandamonium!" (1987–97), then "Berenstain Bear Country" (1997–2000), and "Camp Snoopy" (2001–2010), and is currently "Planet Snoopy", new to the 2011 season. Past sub-sections have also included Bicentennial Square, River City, and Beat Street, which all have been absorbed back into Americana.

Despite the lack of an Australian/Oceanic section, the Australian-themed Boomerang roller coaster is incorporated into Africa.

[edit] Worlds of Fun Village

In 2005 Worlds of Fun opened the first on-site resort. The campground is adjacent to the park, and is located "behind" Mamba. The Village has 22 cabins and 20 cottages and 82 sites for RVs, complete with electric and TV cable hook ups. Each cabin or cottage can fit 6-8 people.

[edit] Rides

[edit] Roller coasters

The Detonator ride in Americana.

Timber Wolf (1989), a classic wooden roller coaster with a 95-foot (29 m) drop and an upward-spiraling 560° helix. Voted world's best coaster in 1991 by Inside Track magazine. Made by Dinn Corporation.
Wacky Worm (1993), a coaster for kids. Made by Preston.
Mamba (1998), a 205-foot (62 m)-tall hypercoaster. Made by D.H. Morgan Manufacturing
Boomerang (2000), a shuttle roller coaster. Made by Vekoma.
Spinning Dragons (2004), a dragon-themed spinning roller coaster, the second of its kind in the world. Made by Gerstlauer.
Patriot (2006), an inverted roller coaster. Made by Bolliger & Mabillard.
Prowler (2009), a 51 mph (82 km/h), 3,074-foot (937 m) wooden coaster. Made by Great Coasters International.

[edit] Other notable rides

Viking Voyager (1973), a classic log-flume ride, but themed with Viking-style boats.
Fury of the Nile (1984), the first and only river rafting ride whose water is stored in a trough instead of a river or stream every night. It also was the first to have a turnstile-type loading dock.
Detonator (1996), the first space shot in the United States and the first in the world to have twin towers.
RipCord (1996), a 190-foot (58 m)-tall Skycoaster.

As of 2011, only 12 of the park's original rides have weathered each season since opening in 1973, most notably the Viking Voyager, Finnish Fling, Le TaxiTour and the Flying Dutchman (which park founder Lamar Hunt once said was his favorite^[5]).

[edit] Complete list

List of rides as of 2011^[6]

Ride	Ride Manufacturer and Type	Height Requirement	Location	Thrill level
Autobahn	Reverchon Bumper Car Ride	Over 48"	Europa	High
Bamboozler	Hrubetz Round Up	Over 46"	Orient	Moderate
Boomerang	Vekoma Boomerang	Over 48"	Africa	Aggressive
Camp Bus	Zamperla Crazy Bus	42" or with adult	Planet Snoopy	Moderate
Charlie Brown's Windup		Under 54"	Planet Snoopy	Mild
Cyclone Sam's	Chance Morgan Wipeout	Over 48"	Americana	Aggressive
Detonator	S&S Space Shot	Over 52"	Americana	Aggressive
Finnish Fling	Chance Morgan Rotor	Over 46" or with adult	Scandinavia	High
Fjörd Fjärlane	Huss Swing Around	Over 48"	Scandinavia	Moderate
Flying Ace Balloon Race	Zamperla Balloon Race	42" or with adult	Planet Snoopy	Mild
Flying Dutchman	Intamin Flying Dutchman	Over 46" or with adult	Europa	Mild
Fury of the Nile	Intamin river rafting ride	Over 46"	Africa	Aggressive
Grand Carrousel	1926 M.C. Illions Supreme Carousel	Over 46"	Scandinavia	Low
Grand Prix Raceway +		Over 58"	Americana	High
Kite Eating Tree		Over 36"	Planet Snoopy	Mild
Krazy Kars		Under 54"	Americana	Mild
Le Carrousel	Traditional Carousel	Over 46" or with adult	Europa	Mild
Le TaxiTour	Arrow Dynamics track car ride	Over 48" or with adult	Europa	Moderate
Linus' Beetle Bugs		Under 54"	Planet Snoopy	Mild
Lucy's Tugboat	Zamperla Tugboat	42" or with adult	Planet Snoopy	Mild
Mamba	Chance Morgan hypercoaster	Over 48"	Africa	Aggressive
Monsoon	Intamin Shoot-the-Chutes ride	Over 46"	Africa	High
Octopus	Eyerly Octopus	Over 48" or with adult	Scandinavia	Moderate
Patriot	B&M inverted coaster	Over 54"	Americana	Aggressive
Peanuts 500	Zamperla Speedway	42" or with adult	Planet Snoopy	Mild
Peanuts Playhouse		Under 54"	Planet Snoopy	Low
Peanuts Pony Promenade		Under 54"	Planet Snoopy	Low
Peanuts Road Rally		42" or with adult	Planet Snoopy	Mild
Peanuts Turn Tyke		36"-54"	Planet Snoopy	Low
Prowler	Great Coasters International	Over 48"	Africa	High
RipCord +	Skycoaster	Over 48"	Orient	Aggressive
Sally's Swing Set	Zamperla Happy Swing	42" or with adult	Planet Snoopy	Mild
Scrambler	Eli Bridge Scrambler	Over 48" or with adult	Americana	Moderate
Sea Dragon^[7]	Chance Morgan Sea Dragon	Over 48" or with adult	Scandinavia	Moderate
Skyliner	Eli Bridge Ferris wheel	Over 36"	Americana	Mild
Snoopy vs. Red Baron		Under 54"	Planet Snoopy	Mild
Snoopy's Junction	Kiddie Train	Under 54"	Planet Snoopy	Low
Snoopy's Moon Bounce	a bounce house for everyone	Under 54"	Planet Snoopy	Mild
Snoopy's Rocket Express		42" or with adult	Planet Snoopy	Mild
Snoopy's Yacht Club		Under 54"	Planet Snoopy	Low
Spinning Dragons	Gerstlauer spinning coaster	At least 42"	Orient	High
The Rock +	Rockwall	Over 36"	Orient	High
Thunderhawk	Huss Top Spin	Between 55" and 77"	Americana	Aggressive
Timber Wolf	Dinn Corporation wooden twister	Over 48"	Americana	Aggressive
Viking Voyager	Arrow Dynamics log flume	Over 46" or with adult	Scandinavia	Aggressive
Wacky Worm	Pinfari kiddie coaster	Over 42"	Planet Snoopy	Moderate
Woodstock Whirlybirds		42" or with adult	Planet Snoopy	Low
World's of Fun Railroad	Crown Metal Products	Over 46" or with adult	Americana	Mild
Zulu	Huss Enterprise	Over 54"	Africa	Aggressive

+ Denotes an extra cost for the ride or attraction.

[edit] Retired rides and attractions

Schussboomer (picture), (1973–1984), a ski-themed steel roller coaster with ten separate 4-passenger cars.
Screamroller/Extremeroller (EXT), (1976–1988), the first stand-up roller coaster in the Western Hemisphere. Its only season as a stand-up coaster was in 1983, after which it was reverted back to the original sit-down style.
Zambezi Zinger, (1973–1997), a steel "Speedracer"-type roller coaster (one of only two in existence at the time of its removal) with an electric spiral lift and a fast-paced ride through the woods. Currently in operation at the Colombian National Coffee Park as Broca Colombia, South America.^[8]
Incred-O-Dome, (1981–1997), an OMNIMAX-style theater where viewers could go on a virtual ride of, among other things, the Orient Express coaster. This appealed to visitors who did not want to wait in line or experience the real ride, as well as those with physical conditions which would prevent them from riding at all. The show was presented less than 200 yards (180 m) away from the actual ride.
Omegatron, (1986–2001), a six-story, upside-down thrill ride.
Orient Express, (1980–2003), the first roller coaster in the world to feature a batwing (then known as a "Kamikaze Curve"), now a common element in thrill rides. Also, it was the second roller coaster in the world to have two interlocking loops.
Python Plunge, a water-slide type ride where the riders would carry the raft up to the top themselves. There were two types of slides. One slide was open aired and went straight down, the other was a twisting tube.

[edit] 2011 Park Expansions

In the spring of 2011 Worlds of Fun will debut Planet Snoopy, a $6 million expansion to the park’s children’s area. The new Planet Snoopy will feature six new rides all themed around the popular Peanuts characters. To celebrate the new expansion, Worlds of Fun introduced a Snoopy appearance program, for schools, churches, and community events. In total over 20 rides, shows, and attractions will greet guests in 2011 inside the new Planet Snoopy. Zamperla Incorporated of Boonton, New Jersey, is manufacturing Planet Snoopy’s new rides. With the addition of Planet Snoopy, Worlds of Fun will also unveil a newly restored and installed historic carousel. The carousel built my M.C. Illions in 1926 for the Sesqui-Centennial Celebration in Philadelphia, operated at Cedar Fair’s now defunct Geauga Lake in Aurora, Ohio, from 1937 to 2007, and now has been restored to its original condition. Once installed at Worlds of Fun this spring, the carousel will be one of only two operating in the world. To make way for the new carousel, Festhaus, the park's catering facility, will be removed and rebuilt as a brand new permanent structure. This new pavilion will be able to handle groups into the thousands as well as multiple events simultaneously.^[9] On January 26, 2011, the park announced Sally's Swing Set, an new swing ride also manufactured by Zamperla that will join the previously announced new ride offerings in Planet Snoopy, boosting the park's new ride offerings in 2011 to eight.^[10]

[edit] Snoopy's Hot Summer Lights

“Snoopy’s Hot Summer Lights” which debuted in 2010 is an immersive light and sound experience starring the Peanuts characters. Snoopy’s Hot Summer Lights features over 2 million LED lights and a variety of audio soundtracks through the Africa and Europa sections of the park. Along the walkway there are replicas of Snoopy and other characters for guests to view. Snoopy's Hot Summer Lights was a one million dollar investment that uses special effects and sound design, custom designed for Worlds of Fun by Emmy Award-Winning RWS and Associates. Snoopy’s Hot Summer Lights opened for its original run on June 4 and ran through September 5, 2010.^[11]

[edit] Halloween Haunt

Every year the park is transformed during the "Halloween Haunt." During the day the park is a friendly "Halloween town" filled with pumpkins and seasonal decorations. As well as having several Halloween themed shows and contests. Then as night approaches fog fills the park and frightful characters roam the midway. One regular price admission ticket allows access to the year-round rides, Halloween shows and other attractions as well as the nine "Extreme Haunts".

[edit] Haunted Attractions

List of "Extreme Haunts" as of 2010.^[12]

Haunt Attraction Name	Description	Location	Year Added
Overlord’s Awakening	A midway show and parade marking the beginning of Haunt.	Scandinavia	2009
The Fright Zone	A walkway where characters lurk in the shadows.	Africa	2004
Master McCarthy’s Doll Factory	A serial killer turns his beautiful victims into living dolls.	Africa	2008
Corn Stalkers	Countless scarecrows fill a farm and ward off any would-be trespassers.	Africa	2010
Asylum Island	A mental hospital where the criminally insane have taken over.	Oceans of Fun Pavilion	2006
London Terror	The streets of London cry out for blood of Jack the Ripper's blade.	Americana / Africa	2011
BloodShed	An evil meat processing plant.	Camp Snoopy	2007
Outlaw’s Revenge	The ghosts of an old western town haunt the night.	Americana	2008
CarnEvil	A twisted sideshow filled with freaks and evil clowns.	Americana	2007
Lore of the Vampire featuring Club Blood	An ancient catacomb inhabited by vampires and a booming nightclub.	Orient	2004

[edit] Former Haunted Attractions

Attraction Name	Description	Replaced By	Year
Camp Gonnagitcha Wichahatchet	A summer camp gone terribly wrong.	Corn Stalkers	2010
Carnival of Carnivorous Clowns	A carnival gone bad filled with evil clowns.	CarnEvil	2006
Dominion of Doom	A gothic cemetery.	London Terror	2011