Canada's Wonderland

Canada's Wonderland

Previously known as Paramount Canada's Wonderland
Location	Vaughan, Ontario, Canada
Coordinates	43°50′33.16″N 79°32′31.00″W
Opened	23 May 1981 (1981-05-23)
Owner	Cedar Fair Entertainment Company
Slogan	Ride On!
Operating season	May through October
Area	330 acres (130 ha)
Attractions
Total	72 thrill rides & 200 attractions (including games)
Roller coasters	16
Water rides	20-acre (8.1 ha) waterpark with an outdoor wave pool and 16
Website	www.canadaswonderland.com

File:Canadas Wonderland Wonder Mountain.jpg

Wonder Mountain as seen from International Street

Canada's Wonderland is a 330-acre (130 ha) amusement park located in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada, a suburb directly north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The park is open seasonally from May to October and contains more than 200 attractions (including games) in eight differently themed areas. It opened in 1981 and was Canada's first major theme park and is still today the largest and most popular theme park in Canada. Under the ownership of Paramount Parks from 1994 to 2006, it was known as Paramount Canada's Wonderland. When sold to Cedar Fair in 2007, the park reverted to its original name.

The park has been the most attended seasonal theme park in North America for numerous years in the 2000s. Almost every year in the decade, the park's attendance has reached the three million mark, slightly higher than that of other major destination parks such as Kings Island, Knott's Berry Farm and Cedar Point, the three being sister parks to Wonderland. It also holds the record for most roller coasters in a park outside of the United States, with 16, including, Leviathan, which is currently under construction.

Park history

Origins

In 1972, the Taft Broadcasting Company, headed by Kelly Robinson, first proposed building a 330-acre (130 ha) theme park in the then-small village of Maple, part of Vaughan, Ontario. Several other possible locations in Ontario were considered, including Niagara Falls, Cambridge and Milton, but Maple was finally selected because of its proximity to the city of Toronto and the 400-series of highways.

Others had seriously considered the Greater Toronto Area as a spot to build a theme park, among them the Conklin family (whose Conklin Shows ran various midways around North America, including Toronto's Canadian National Exhibition midway). Walt Disney also considered the idea before choosing Florida, rejecting Toronto mainly because the climate was too cold, making the operating season too short to be sustainable.

Construction of the park was opposed on multiple fronts. Many cultural institutions in Toronto such as Ontario Place, the Royal Ontario Museum and the operators of the Canadian National Exhibition felt that the Toronto market was not large enough to support more competition. Other groups that fought the building of Wonderland included a Vaughan residential association called SAVE, which felt the increased traffic would reduce property values. People in the region were concerned that the new park would be similar in esthetics to a carnival or midway. Some of the concessions the company made included a landscaped berm around the park to reduce noise and modifying the appearance of the large parking lot. Taft was concerned about opposition, going as far as to fly a group of opponents and regional councillors out to Cincinnati to show them the positive impact of one of its theme parks on the local community.

Canada's Wonderland was also responsible for changing the master development plan for the province of Ontario. The government wanted to increase residential and commercial development to the east of Toronto in the Regional Municipality of Durham, which includes Pickering and Oshawa, while keeping the lands to the north of Toronto agricultural (see Greenbelt (Golden Horseshoe)). The Wonderland promoters were able to convince the province to amend the planning policy for the region, and the park secured infrastructure improvements (including a highway overpass and sewage systems) that were expanded and built out to the site. These improvements paved the way for increased development throughout the region.

Concerns were also raised about the cultural implications of allowing an American theme park to open in Canada. Many felt that it would be a "Trojan Horse" for American culture. To counter the criticism, Taft planned to open Frontier Canada, a part of the park devoted to Canada's history. Early park maps show the area encompassing what is now Splash Works, White Water Canyon, the F/X Theatre and the southern part of Kidzville, as well as proposed attractions, including a steam passenger train. While Frontier Canada was never built, several elemental themes remain in the area. Unlike its sister parks, Kings Island and Kings Dominion, it was decided in the early planning stages that the centrepiece of the park would not be a replica of Paris's famous Eiffel Tower. Instead, the park's designers chose to build a massive mountain, known as Wonder Mountain. Situated at the top of International Street, Wonder Mountain featured a huge waterfall and interior pathways which led visitors to a look-out point. Other elements that were never built include a hotel and conference centre (to have been constructed north of the park).

Construction and opening

On 13 June 1979, Ontario Premier Bill Davis depressed the plunger on an electronic detonating device in downtown Toronto, triggering an explosion on the site. Construction began immediately and continued on to early 1981. Canadian companies partnered on the preliminary design and engineering of the project and helped to mould the dream into a reality. Construction of the mountain alone involved a dozen local companies under Cincinnati engineer Kurt Summers.

Two years later, on 23 May 1981, Davis and Taft Broadcasting President Dudley Taft officially opened Canada's Wonderland to the public. The spectacular opening ceremony included 10,000 helium balloons, 13 parachutists, 350 white doves, and a pipe band. Four children, representing the Arctic, Pacific, Atlantic, and Great Lakes regions of Canada, each poured a vial of water from their home regions into the park's fountain. Hockey superstar Wayne Gretzky also appeared as a special guest, helping to raise the Canadian flag. 12,000 guests were welcomed into the park for the first time. The park cost $120 million to build.

1981–1999

The Flight Deck roller coaster (formerly Top Gun) in action (2006).

During the 1980s, Canada's Wonderland and the Loblaws supermarket chain mounted a cross-marketing campaign. Loblaws issued "Wonder dollars" based on customers' purchases, which were redeemable at Canada's Wonderland at par with the Canadian dollar on weekdays. The obverse of the coin featured Wonder Mountain, while the reverse featured the Loblaws logo.

Kings Entertainment Corporation operated the park during the 1980s and early 1990s. The park's former connection to Hanna-Barbera Productions was reduced after Paramount Pictures raised its stake from 20% to full ownership of the park in 1993 and renamed it Paramount Canada's Wonderland. After Viacom bought Paramount in 1994, a successful attempt was made to bring families back to the park by attracting children with original Nickelodeon cartoon characters that were familiar to a new generation.

Many changes were made in the next decade. In 1996, Splash Works was expanded, with a new water slide, a wave pool and a new child-friendly water playground (The Black Hole, White Water Bay and The Pump House). In 1998, the park expanded by adding KidZville, which was mainly designed for infants and children. In 1999, Splash Works was expanded for the second time, with the addition of raft rides The Plunge and Super Soaker.

2000–2009

In 2001, a new themed area called Zoom Zone was added within the KidZville section. Three new attractions were built in that area: Silver Streak, a family roller coaster; Blast Off, a "frog hopper"; and Jumpin' Jet. In 2002, the park unveiled Action Zone, a new themed area which at the time contained already existing rides and added the Psyclone ride.

Splash Works also received its third and most current upgrade, with the addition of a child water playground area called Splash Island and the removal of Pipeline.

On 11 May 2003, with the park packed with people for Mother's Day, two guests were involved in a fight at the front gates of the park which led to a shooting death. It was thought to have followed a prior dispute involving the two over a drug exchange, according to York Regional Police. The park has since added metal detectors at the front gate, with twice the amount of security.

In 2005, the park introduced Fearfest, a Halloween event featuring various haunted house attractions in different themed areas. Though the section for smaller children was closed off, the park continued running many of the thrill rides during the event, such as the Thunder Run, where patrons ride a mine-car-like train through a mountain. During the Halloween season, it is re-themed as the "Haunted" Thunder Run, with a darker tunnel and more strobe lights, fog machines, and black-light lit scenes featuring the "skeletons" of miners.

In 2006, the park introduced Spooktacular, a Halloween event geared towards children. The event included children's rides, costume contests and a treasure hunt. Spooktacular was open on weekends during the daytime, while Fearfest remained open at night. Due to very low attendance, Spooktacular only lasted one season.

On 14 May 2006, it was announced that Cedar Fair Entertainment Company was interested in acquiring the five Paramount theme parks, including Canada's Wonderland. The acquisition was completed on 30 June. As a result, in early January 2007, Cedar Fair began to drop the "Paramount" name from all of the former Paramount parks, and the park is currently referred once again by its original name: Canada's Wonderland. The 2007 and 2008 season marked a transition year of removing "all things Paramount" throughout the park, which included the renaming of some of the rides. By the start of the 2008 season, the Paramount logo and similar references had been removed.

In August 2007, Cedar Fair announced that Fearfest would be renamed Halloween Haunt to remain consistent with other Cedar Fair parks, and that Spooktacular would be discontinued. In its place, the park extended its regular operating season until the last weekend in October. Halloween Haunt runs in the late evenings on October weekends.

In the off-season of 2008–2009, the television show Flashpoint shot an episode at Canada's Wonderland called "The Perfect Family", which aired on 10 April 2009. Canada's Wonderland was called Northern Dream Park in the episode.

On 4 May 2008, Canada's Wonderland opened a hypercoaster called Behemoth. Behemoth currently holds the records for the tallest and fastest roller coaster in Canada standing at 230 feet (70 m) (three feet [0.9 m] taller than the Drop Tower) and reaching speeds of up to 77 miles per hour (124 km/h). In addition, Cedar Fair reactivated the two topmost waterfalls, which had been inactive for a long time.

On 19 July 2009, Nik Wallenda walked on a tight rope from the pond area of Medieval Faire to Wonder Mountain.

2010–present

An aerial view of the park in May 2011.

In 2011, Canada's Wonderland opened a 301-foot-tall (92 m) WindSeeker, making it the tallest ride in the park (until Leviathan opens in 2012). The park also announced the addition of the Starlight Spectacular show, which started on 25 June 2011 and ended on Labor Day, 3 September 2011. It was a nightly light and sound show designed to celebrate the park's 30th anniversary; it was shown at 10pm EST every night on International Street. Canada's Wonderland stated that the total cost for the show was approximately $1 million, with 16 million different colours and 300,000 LED lights. While the show took place at the front of the park (International Street), the highlight was on Wonder Mountain, with many 3D images and colours. In July 2011, Cedar Fair released a game called Amazement Park on Facebook which can only be accessed by Facebook users. The game features many rides from all the Cedar Fair parks. Rides from Canada's Wonderland include Shockwave, WindSeeker, Behemoth, Drop Tower and many other attractions.

In August 2011, Canada's Wonderland officially announced a new ride for the 2012 season. Leviathan will be the park's tallest, fastest, and longest roller coaster, as well as the tallest and fastest in Canada. In addition to Leviathan, Canada's Wonderland will also open Dinosaurs Alive! in 2012.

Themed areas

The park has several themed areas. The four original sections are: International Street, Medieval Faire, Grande World Exposition of 1890 (now Action Zone), and the Happyland of Hanna-Barbera (renamed Hanna-Barbera Land). Later areas include White Water Canyon (1984), Splash Works (1992), and the expanded children's area including Nickelodeon Central (2003), Kidzville (1998), and Zoom Zone (2001).

Water fountains in International Street.

International Street at night, looking towards the entrance of the park from Wonder Mountain.

International Street

Main article: International Street (Canada's Wonderland)

International Street is the park's entry area, similar to the Main Street, U.S.A. sections of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. Using a format borrowed from Kings Island and Kings Dominion, both sides of the street are lined with shops, including souvenir shops, clothing stores, restaurants, and candy stores. Wonder Mountain, the park's centrepiece, appears at the end of the street. In early decades, stores sold high-quality imported goods, themed to the buildings, and restaurants sold unlikely foods for a theme park, such as shrimp, paella, and smoked sausage.

The buildings are named the Latin, Scandinavian, Mediterranean, and Alpine Buildings.

Medieval Faire

The Medieval Faire section of the park has a medieval European theme in both the setting and the rides. However, this has diminished in recent years with the advent of unthemed new rides: Riptide, Drop Tower, Shockwave, Speed City Raceway, and The Bat. Quixote's Kettles, a spinning buckets ride, was renamed as Spinovator in 1998; its brown wooden buckets were painted bright pastel colours, and the buckets' twine handles were removed. The other original rides which are part of the medieval theme are Dragon Fire, The Rage (a swinging Viking ship originally called Viking's Rage), Nightmares (originally called Wilde Night Mares), and Wild Beast. The two current roller coasters in the area, Wild Beast and Dragon Fire also had pseudo-old English spellings (Wilde Beast and Dragon Fyre) before 1998. The stores and restaurants follow the medieval theme, as does the castle theatre (Wonderland Theatre, originally Canterbury Theatre) and a pirate show in the middle of the lake. In 2006, Wonderland Theatre had the stage refitted for an ice rink and has hired international figure skaters to perform in their ice shows.

Australia's Wonderland (later renamed Wonderland Sydney), which opened in 1985, was modelled heavily on Canada's Wonderland, as both parks were constructed by Taft Broadcasting. Two of the three themed areas at Australia's Wonderland were Medieval Faire, and Hanna-Barbera Land.

International Festival

International Festival is located in the northeast section of the park and is home to 14 games and six rides. International Festival is most notable for its midway games. The rides include Thunder Run, WindSeeker, The Fly, Vortex, Klockwerks, and Krachenwagen. The original rides Krachenwagen and Klockwerks, with their pseudo-German name, and the former ride Bayern's Curve, which featured a fake man in traditional German garb with a massive horn, and was surrounded by German fencing, all fit into its international theme.

White Water Canyon

This section of the park is heavily surrounded by trees and includes White Water Canyon, Timberwolf Falls, and Action Theatre, as well as Launch Pad, a set of six trampolines, a pay-per-experience attraction. This area was introduced in 1984 when the White Water Canyon ride debuted. It is where the Frontier Canada themed area had been promised (along with Splash Works).

Splash Works

Main article: Splash Works

Opened in 1992, Splash Works is a 20-acre (8.1 ha) water park. The water park is home to Whitewater Bay, the largest outdoor wave pool in Canada, and 16 water slides.

Action Zone

WindSeeker, the 301-foot tall (92 m) swing tower new for the 2011 season and currently the tallest ride (until Leviathan opens), is located in Action Zone.

The Grande World Exposition of 1890 is one of the original four themed areas at Wonderland. It was made to resemble an old world's fair, with expositions from different countries, focusing on African and Asian themes. The original rides were in line with this motif: survivors Antique Carrousel, and Swings of the Century (originally Swings of Siam), and former rides The Great Whale of China, The Fury (originally Shiva's Fury) and Pharaoh's Eye, as well as the Racing Rivers slide Pharaoh's Falls. The Orbiter, which was called Sol Loco, had a Latin American theme. The restaurants and bathrooms formerly were true to the exposition theme. One of the restaurants was called Ginza Gardens (now The Backlot Cafe) and had a Japanese theme and formerly a Japanese façade. The newer rides – Backlot Stunt Coaster, Jet Scream (which was removed in September 2010 and replaced by WindSeeker), Time Warp, SkyRider, Flight Deck, Psyclone, Sledgehammer, Xtreme Skyflyer – have no connection to the theme. There is also an arcade area within this section of the park.

In 2002, Action Zone, was created as a new themed area within the Grande World Exposition of 1890 (for the new rides Psyclone and Sledgehammer). However, the entire area was later renamed Action Zone. Despite the name change, signs at the entrance from International Street still retain the old name.

The Mighty Canadian Minebuster, one of the original four roller coasters, is on the outskirts of the Grande World Exposition of 1890 and was intended to be the centrepiece of the never-built Frontier Canada.

Children's areas

Main article: Children's attractions at Canada's Wonderland

The children's areas in Canada's Wonderland all began as The Happyland of Hanna-Barbera. The three areas were themed as Yogi's Woods, Scoobyville, and Bedrock; the first was converted to Smurf Village in 1984. In 1993, the Smurf area transitioned to Kids Kingdom, which became Kidzville in 1998. In 2003, Bedrock became Nickelodeon Central, featuring Rugrats, Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, The Wild Thornberrys, and Dora the Explorer themed rides, leaving only Scoobyville and the swan ride as is. Planet Snoopy, based on the comic strip Peanuts, replaced both sections (including Kidzville) for the 2010 season, standardizing the park with the rest of the Cedar Fair chain.

The first ride accident in the park's history occurred on 23 August 2003, when the Jimmy Neutron Brainwasher fell apart. Three children were sent to hospital as a precautionary measure.

Kidzville

In 1984, Smurf Village replaced Yogi's Woods. The section featured the newly popular Hanna-Barbera cartoon The Smurfs and was a walk-through attraction. For the 1993 season, the Smurf Village section became Kids Kingdom. 1998 saw the Kidzville (styled as KidZville) area replace the Kids Kingdom. While the two Kids Kingdom rides were kept, Kidzville also introduced Taxi Jam, Flavourator, Chopper Chase, Toucan Sam maze, and Swing Time (which replaced Snail Trail). It now also has the rides Frequent Flyers, Jokey's Jalopies, and Kidzville Station.

A fourth themed area is Zoom Zone. Quite small, it is part of Kidzville. Created in 2001 with the debut of Silver Streak, it also contains the small rides Blast Off, and Jumpin' Jet. One of the Kidzville rides, and originally a Kids Kingdom ride, Jumbo Bumps, was removed to make way for these three rides and the new section. Starting in 2004, Zoom Zone was no longer shown on park maps as an independent section. However, since Cedar Fair's takeover, each of the three rides mentions it is in Zoom Zone, and park signage continues to use the name.

Attractions

Today, Canada's Wonderland has over 200 attractions (including games), with over 60 thrill rides. The park holds a number of Canadian records, among them the most roller coasters, with 15 and one more scheduled to open in 2012. The park encompasses eight themed areas on 330 acres (1.3 km²) of land, with an artificial mountain as the central feature. In the southwestern quadrant, a 20 acres (81,000 m²) waterpark called Splash Works has over 2 million gallons (7,570 m³) of heated water, Canada's largest outdoor wave pool, measuring 36,000 square feet (3,300 m²), a lazy river, and 16 water slides.

In 1983, Canada's Wonderland added the Kingswood Music Theatre, a 15,000 seat amphitheatre that has hosted many "big-name" concerts. After the Molson Amphitheatre opened on the grounds of Ontario Place in 1995, cultural festivals at the theatre became less prominent.

Roller coasters

Main article: List of roller coasters at Canada's Wonderland

These are the roller coasters at Canada's Wonderland.

Name	Type	Opening Date	Manufacturer	Photo
Backlot Stunt Coaster	Steel launched roller coaster	2005 on 1 May	Premier Rides
The Bat	Steel Shuttle roller coaster Boomerang	1987	Vekoma
Behemoth	Steel hypercoaster	2008 on 4 May	Bolliger & Mabillard
Dragon Fire	Steel roller coaster	1981	Arrow Dynamics
Flight Deck	Steel inverted roller coaster Suspended Looping Coaster	1995	Vekoma
The Fly	Steel Wild Mouse	1999 on 2 May	MACK Rides
Ghoster Coaster Formerly: Scooby's Gasping Ghoster Coaster	Wooden roller coaster	1981	Philadelphia Toboggan Company	—
Leviathan	Steel Giga Coaster	2012 in May	Bolliger & Mabillard	—
Mighty Canadian Minebuster	Wooden roller coaster	1981	Philadelphia Toboggan Company
Silver Streak	Steel inverted roller coaster	2001 on 6 May	Vekoma	—
SkyRider	Steel stand-up roller coaster	1985	TOGO
Taxi Jam	Children's steel roller coaster	1998	E&F Miler Industries	—
Thunder Run	Steel powered coaster	1986 on 23 May	MACK Rides	—
Time Warp	Steel flying roller coaster	2004 on 2 May	Zamperla
Vortex	Steel suspended roller coaster	1991	Arrow Dynamics
Wild Beast	Wooden roller coaster	1981	Philadelphia Toboggan Company

Flat rides

Main article: List of flat rides at Canada's Wonderland

Swings of the Century (2007).

Besides the large number of roller coasters, the park also has a huge variety of flat rides, such as bumper cars, carousels, many of these relying on centripetal force, and other funfair rides, such as:

• Psyclone, a Revolution, swinging and spinning, reaching a height of over 120 feet (37 m)
• Shockwave, a Top Scan that twist and turns on every possible axis
• Riptide, a Splashover with twin gondolas that flip and go around in the air. Riders will get wet during the summer when the weather's hot
• Antique Carousel, a classic carousel in Action Zone
• Orbiter, an Enterprise ride that rotates around one axle, which eventually tilts almost 90°
• Spinovator, a Tea Cups ride
• The Rage, a standard Pirate Boat
• Klockwerks, a Swingaround
• Sledgehammer, an Octopus ride that spins riders on two axes and blasts them up and down
• Action Theatre, a motion-based seating ride in two large theatres featuring SpongeBob SquarePants in 3D
• Drop Tower: Scream Zone, a vertical Drop Tower ride that begins by slowly taking its passengers up the towards the top of the tower and then immediately drops them until they reach the ground
• WindSeeker, a tall Swing Tower

Major attractions by year

The Rage (2007) opened with Canada's Wonderland in 1981.

The Jet Scream "looping starship" ride (2003) which was removed at the end of the 2010 season.

Drop Tower: Scream Zone, a drop tower ride

Drop Tower: Scream Zone, built in 1997.

Psyclone (2005), built for the 2002 season.

1981 – Park opens with:

Antique Carousel, Balloon Race (Frequent Flyers), Bayern's Curve (R), Bedrock Dock (R) moved to Carowinds, now operates as "Little Bill's Cruisers", Thunder Run, Dragon Fire, Flintstone's Flyboys (R), Ghoster Coaster, Great Whale of China (R), Happy Landing (Swan Lake), Hot Rock Raceway (R), Klockwerks, Krachenwagen, Mighty Canadian Minebuster, Wilde Beast (Wild Beast), Quixote's Kettles (Spinovator), Scooby Choo (KidZville Station), The Fury (R), Orbiter, Swings of the Century, Nightmares, The Rage, Wonder Tour, and Zumba Flume (R).

1982 – Kings Courtyard (The Courtyard)

1983 – Kingswood Music Theatre

1984 – White Water Canyon, Smurf Forest (until 1990s) (R)

1985 – SkyRider

1986 – Thunder Run (formerly Blauer Enzian)

1987 – The Bat

1988 – Racing Rivers

1989 – Timberwolf Falls

1990 – Jet Scream (R)

1991 – Vortex

1992 – Splash Works: Whirl Winds, Body Blast, Splash Island Kiddy Slides

1993 – Kid's Kingdom play area (later renovated and renamed Candy Factory)

1994 – "Days of Thunder" – Motion Simulator Movie Ride (Action Theatre – Currently Playing "SpongeBob SquarePants 3D")

1995 – Top Gun (later renamed Flight Deck)

1996 – Xtreme Skyflyer; Splash Works Expansion: Wave Pool, The Pump House, Black Speed City Raceway

1997 – Drop Zone (later renamed Drop Tower)

1998 – Kidzville, James Bond – "License To Thrill" (feature at Action Theatre (R)), The Edge Climbing Wall (R)

1999 – The Fly; SplashWorks Expansion: Super Soaker and The Plunge; "Escape from Dino Island" (feature at Action Theatre (R))

2000 – Riptide, Scooby-Doo's Haunted Mansion (Boo Blasters on Boo Hill)

2001 – Shockwave; Zoom Zone (new kids area) including: Silver Streak, Blast Off and Jumping Jet; "7th Portal" (feature at the Action Theatre (R))

2002 – Psyclone; SplashWorks Expansion: Riptide Racer, Barracuda Blaster and Kids Sprayground

2003 – Sledge Hammer, Nickelodeon Central (replacing Bedrock), "Warrior of the Dawn" (in Action Theatre) (R), "SpongeBob SquarePants 3-D" (feature in Action Theatre), Launch Pad (trampolines; requires separate fee)

2004 – Tomb Raider (later renamed Time Warp)

2005 – The Italian Job (later renamed Backlot Stunt Coaster)

2006 – "School of Rock: Live in Concert", "Paramount's Hollywood Stunt Spectacular" show (R), "The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbara" (feature at the Action Theatre) (R), Nickelodeon Celebration Parade (R)

2007 – Coasters 50s Diner, International Marketplace Buffet, "Twistin to the 60s" show (R), "Endless Summer on Ice" show, Picnic Pavilion

2008 – Behemoth, "Dance to the Music" show (R)

2009 – "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" show, "Marty's Party" Show

2010 – "Rockband Live" show, "Snoopy On Ice" show, Planet Snoopy

2011 – WindSeeker, Starlight Spectacular (R), VIP Tour Program, "Start Me Up" show, "Charlie Brown’s Pirate Adventure" show

2012 – Leviathan, Dinosaurs Alive!

Current name in (brackets); R = Removed/Closed

Complete list of rides

All of the attractions at Canada's Wonderland as of 2011 are shown below.

Ride	Ride Manufacturer and/or Type	Height Requirement	Location	Thrill level
Action Theatre	Motion Simulator	Over 44" or with an adult	White Water Canyon	High
Antique Carrousel	Carrousel	Over 46" or with adult	Action Zone	Low
A-Mazing Adventure	Children's Maze	Under 54"	KidZville	Low
Backlot Stunt Coaster	Premier Rides launch coaster	Over 48"	Action Zone	Aggressive
Barracuda Blaster	Pipe flume	Over 48"	Splash Works	Aggressive
The Bat	Vekoma boomerang coaster	Over 48"	International Festival	Aggressive
Behemoth	Bolliger & Mabillard hyper coaster	Over 54"	Action Zone	Aggressive
Black Hole	Speed slide	Over 48"	Splash Works	Aggressive
Blast Off!	Jumping Rocket Ship	Over 36"	KidZville	Mild
Body Blast	3 Body Flumes	Over 48"	Splash Works	High
Boo Blasters on Boo Hill	Interactive dark ride	46" or with adult	Planet Snoopy	Mild
Candy Factory	Children's Playground	Under 54"	KidZville	Low
Character Carrousel	Carousel	Over 46" or with adult	Planet Snoopy	Low
Chopper Chase	—	Over 42" or with adult	KidZville	Mild
Dinosaurs Alive!* (2012) +	—	—	Planet Snoopy	—
Dragon Fire	Arrow Dynamics steel coaster	Over 48"	Medieval Faire	Aggressive
Drop Tower	Intamin AG Gyro Drop/or Giant Drop	Over 54"	Medieval Faire	High
Flavourator	—	Over 44" or with adult	KidZville	Mild
Flight Deck	Vekoma inverted coaster	Over 52" but under 78"	Action Zone	Aggressive
The Fly	Steel coaster	Over 54" or over 44" with adult	International Festival	High
Frequent Flyer	—	Under 50"	KidZville	Mild
Ghoster Coaster	Philadelphia Toboggan Company wooden coaster	Over 46" or over 40" with adult	Planet Snoopy	High
Joe Cool’s Dodgem School	Bumper cars	Over 38" but under 54"	Planet Snoopy	Mild
Jokey’s Jalopies	—	Over 46" or with adult	Planet Snoopy	Mild
Jumpin’ Jet	—	Over 42" or with adult	KidZville	Moderate
KidZville Station	—	Over 40" or with adult	KidZville	Mild
Klockwerks	—	Over 48" or over 44" with adult	International Festival	Moderate
Krachenwagen	Bumper Cars	Over 48"	International Festival	High
Launch Pad +	Bungee Trampoline	No Height Restrictions	White Water Canyon	High
Lazy River	Lazy river	Over 42" or with adult	Splash Works	Mild
Leviathan* (2012)	Bolliger & Mabillard giga coaster	—	Medieval Faire	—
Lucy’s Tugboat	—	Over 42" or with adult	Planet Snoopy	Mild
Mighty Canadian Minebuster	Philadelphia Toboggan Company wooden coaster	Over 48"	Action Zone	Aggressive
Nightmares	—	Over 54"	Medieval Faire	High
Orbiter	HUSS SkyLab	Over 54"	Action Zone	High
PEANUTS 500	—	Over 42" or with adult	Planet Snoopy	Mild
The Plunge	Family raft slide	Over 48" or over 40" with a PFD and with adult	Splash Works	Aggressive
Psyclone	Mondial swinging pendulum ride	Over 54"	Action Zone	Aggressive
Pump House	Water playground	No Height Restrictions	Splash Works	Low
The Pumpkin Patch	—	Over 44" or with adult	Planet Snoopy	Mild
The Rage	Swinging Ship	Over 54" or over 44" with adult	Medieval Faire	Moderate
Riptide	Mondial splash over	Over 54"	Medieval Faire	Aggressive
Riptide Racer	8 lane mat slide	Over 40"	Splash Works	High
Sally’s Love Buggies	—	Over 44" or with adult	Planet Snoopy	Mild
Shockwave	Mondial Top Scan	Over 54"	International Festival	Aggressive
Silver Streak	Vekoma suspended family coaster	Over 44" but under 76"	KidZville	High
SkyRider	TOGO stand-up coaster	No Height Restrictions (Must straddle the seat with both feet flat on floor.)	Action Zone	Aggressive
Sledge Hammer	HUSS Giant Jump 2	Over 54"	Action Zone	Aggressive
Snoopy’s Revolution	Children's Ferris wheel	Over 44" or with adult	Planet Snoopy	Mild
Snoopy’s Space Race	—	Under 60"	Planet Snoopy	Mild
Snoopy vs. Red Baron	—	Over 32" but under 60"	Planet Snoopy	Mild
Speed City Raceway +	Go-Kart Track	Driver: Over 58" but under 78" Passenger: Over 40" but under 78". Passengers between 40" and 58" must be with adult	Medieval Faire	Aggressive
Spinovator	Spinning tea cup ride	Over 48" or over 44" with adult	Medieval Faire	Moderate
Splash Island Kiddie Pool	Children pool	Under 54" or with adult	Splash Works	Low
Splash Island Kiddie Slides	Children water slides	Under 54"	Splash Works	Low
Splash Island Sprayground	Interactive water playground	Under 60" or with adult	Splash Works	Low
Splash Island Waterways	Children's raft slide	Over 36" or under 36" with adult	Splash Works	Moderate
Super Soaker	Family Raft slide	Over 48" or over 40" with a PFD and with adult	Splash Works	Aggressive
Swan Lake	Swan ride	Over 48" or with adult	Planet Snoopy	Low
Swing of the Century	Rotating swing ride	Over 48"	Action Zone	Moderate
Swing Time	Low level rotating swing ride	Over 36" but under 54"	KidZville	Low
Taxi Jam	Children's coaster	Over 40" or over 36" with adult	KidzVille	Mild
Thunder Run	Mack Rides steel coaster	Over 54" or over 44" with adult	International Festival	High
Timberwolf Falls	Shoot-the-Chutes	Over 46"	White Water Canyon	High
Time Warp	Zamperla steel flying coaster	Over 54"	Action Zone	Aggressive
Vortex	Arrow Dynamics steel suspended coaster	Over 48"	International Festival	Aggressive
White Water Canyon	Intamin raft water ride	Over 48" but under 76"	White Water Canyon	High
Wild Beast	Philadelphia Toboggan Company wooden coaster	Over 48"	Medieval Faire	Aggressive
WindSeeker	Mondial high rotating swing ride	Over 52"	Action Zone	High
Whirl Winds	2 intertwining speed slides	Over 48" or over 40" with PFD	Splash Works	High
Whitewater Bay	Wave pool	Over 42" or with adult (Under 48" requires life jacket)	Splash Works	Moderate
Woodstock Whirlybirds	—	Over 40" or with adult	Planet Snoopy	Moderate
Xtreme Skyfler +	Skycoaster	Over 48"	Action Zone	Aggressive

• + Denotes an extra cost for the ride or attraction.
• * Denotes that the ride is under construction

Location

Canada's Wonderland is on the east side of Highway 400 between Rutherford Road (Exit 33) and Major Mackenzie Drive (Exit 35), 13 km (8 mi) north of Highway 401, 6 km (4 mi) north of Highway 407 and 64 km (40 mi) south of Barrie. It is bounded by Highway 400 to the west, Jane Street to the east, Major Mackenzie Drive to the north and Rutherford Road to the south. Formerly quite isolated when the park opened, it is now surrounded by housing on all sides. It has two public entrances and one entrance for staff, deliveries, and buses.

Public transportation

Regular transit access is provided by York Region Transit (YRT), while GO Transit, Brampton Transit, and MiWay all run special services. The bus loop at Wonderland is located near the northeast corner of the park, and is accessible from the service entrance on Jane Street, north of Major Mackenzie Drive. Transportation to the Wonderland Terminal is available from the following of the regional transit organizations:

• Toronto Transit Commission on behalf of York Region Transit: Toronto – Route 165 Weston Road North bus to Canada's Wonderland from York Mills subway station via Wilson subway station. Extra fare is required north of Steeles Avenue.
• Mississauga Transit: Route 88, express, non-stop trip between Canada's Wonderland and Mississauga's Square One Shopping Centre.
• York Region Transit: Route 20 Jane-Concord provides service along the Jane Street corridor from York University to Teston Road. YRT Route 87 Langstaff-Maple serve the park from nearby stops on Jane Street.
• GO Transit: Wonderland GO Bus Service (Route 60) from York Mills Bus Terminal and Yorkdale Bus Terminal.
• Brampton Transit: Route 66 from Bramalea City Centre.

York Region Transit used to provide express Magic Wonderbus service from Newmarket and Markham, but this was discontinued for the 2007 season. As well, beginning with the 2009 season, Route 4 Major Mackenzie no longer serves the Wonderland bus loop.

Logos

File:Canada's Wonderland logo.PNG

Wordmark used from 1981 until 1993.

The modified version of the logo used from 2004–2006, when Paramount owned the park.

The park from its opening in 1981 was known as Canada's Wonderland. In 1994, when it was sold to Paramount Pictures (later Viacom), they changed the name of the park to include the word Paramount, something Paramount Parks did with all of its other parks in 1993. Prior to that, none of the Paramount-owned parks had the Paramount prefix.

The logo was completely changed to match the style of the Paramount Parks logo, as well as their other theme park properties, which all had the same styled logos, including the Paramount prefix, and the Paramount Pictures mountain logo.

In 2003, Viacom updated the logo of Paramount Parks, and all its theme parks, including Wonderland, to include an updated Paramount logo, even though the logo for Paramount Pictures, the film studio, remained unchanged.

In 2007, CBS Corporation, (split from Viacom in 2005), sold all of its theme park properties to Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, which in turn, dropped the Paramount prefixes from all five parks, and gave the logos the Cedar Fair logo and font style.

See also

• Paramount Parks
• List of amusement parks in the Americas
• Incidents at Cedar Fair parks

External links

• Canada's Wonderland official website