Leaderboard

Why hello... it's been a while since I've been on here. Almost four years. But I recently acquired something cool in terms of Kings Island history and have been wanting to share it. So, quick history lesson: In the early 1970s ABC aired The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie on Saturday mornings. The series consisted of hour-long specials produced by Hanna-Barbera, Warner Brothers, Paramount Television, and others. The twelfth episode aired on November 25, 1972 and was named The Banana Splits in Hocus Pocus Park. It featured the stars of The Banana Splits Adventure Hour (a variety program that aired from 1968-1970) and was partially filmed at Kings Island during the park's inaugural season. The episode mixed Hanna-Barbera's classic animation style with the live-action segments shot at the park. The story focused on the Banana Splits touring a young girl named Susie (played by 11-year-old Michele Tobin) around the park. Susie is tricked by an evil witch and lured into a cartoon billboard, leaving the Splits to follow her into the animated world. The majority of the story takes place in the animated world, but the beginning and end take place within Kings Island. Despite the episode's popularity, I do not believe that it has ever been released on DVD, streaming, etc. It's occasionally aired on Boomerang, albeit very infrequently. I had never seen it, but after some extensive online searching I was able to find a copy for sale from a random CD shop. The legitimacy of the DVD is questionable at best... it was clearly recorded off of Boomerang at some point. But without any other methods to obtain the film, I ended-up purchasing it. With DVD in hand, I watched the full 60 minutes. I honestly only cared for the six-and-a-half minutes shot at Kings Island though, which is what I figure a lot of KIC users are interested in tool, so after my initial viewing I edited the video down to feature only the material shot at the park. I also cut gifs out of scenes that depicted points of interest within the park, like defunct rides or unique views. So, without further ado, I wanted to share the video and gifs below. I've also included some commentary and fun facts for the gifs. And quick note - I wasn't alive yet during the 70's, so all information is from what I've read, watched, etc. If something seems wrong, please let me know. Enjoy. To start, Winsome Witch's Cauldron (also identified at different points on park maps as Winsome Witch's Caldron, Winnie Witch's Cauldron, Witches Caldrons, and Witch's Cauldrons). The tea-cup style flat ride opened with the park and was themed to Winsome Witch, a Hanna-Barbera cartoon that appeared in the 1960s. There were 18 cauldrons split between three small and one large turntable. Note the pastel colors - the ride opened with yellow, blue, and red cauldrons. This paint scheme only lasted two seasons before the ride vehicles were painted black with orange flames in 1974. Winsome Witch's Cauldron last operated in 1991. It was replaced by a small Zamperla-built swings ride, today known as Charlie Brown's Wind-Up, in 1992. Following the ride's removal from the park, several of the cauldrons found a new home elsewhere: one is now a photo spot at Jungle Jim's store in Eastgate, another is featured in the Dent Schoolhouse haunted house in Cincinnati. Here we have the Banana Splits trying to find park guests to tour around the park. Note the station for Enchanted Voyage in the background - the ride was manufactured by Arrow Development and loaded guests into small boats outside the building. Once on board, guests would then float into the show building and through several Hanna-Barbera worlds. When the ride was transformed into Smurf's Enchanted Voyage in 1984, the canvas tent structure over the station was replaced with a more permanent wooden one. That structure remains today and is now part of the station for Great Pumpkin Coaster. Bavarian Beetle was a compact steel roller coaster in Oktoberfest. It was manufactured by Italian company S.D.C. and had a previous life as Galaxi at Cincinnati's Coney Island. The coaster stood 45-feet tall, stretched 800-feet, and was adorned with lighted archways and spires. Bavarian Beetle's history is a little iffy... the ride is still depicted on the 1978 park map, but a photo from that August shows that the coaster had already been replaced by Ferris Wheel. The ride may have operated for part of the season, or it could have been like Cedar Point's Wildcat in 2012, where the coaster was expected to operated but was quietly removed just before opening instead. It's almost absurd how many different stages and entertainment venues Kings Island has had. This here is a short-lived one in Coney Island. It wasn't there opening day but was present by July and appeared to have some musical act. The stage's last year was 1974. It was replaced by the first incarnation of the park's Floral Thermometer in 1975 when Coney Island was expanded, and that space today is a grassy area next to Zephyr. Beautiful view of International Street from Sky Ride. Royal Fountain was advertised as the world's largest animated fountain at opening and was created by Fountain Specialist Co. of Milford, Ohio. Also note the park's entrance building does not yet have International Restaurant... that wasn't added until 1973. Susie should really stay on the pathways... But this shot really shows Coney Island and its neatly-pruned ginkgo trees. 35 of them were relocated from Cincinnati's Coney Island and they required pruning six times annually to maintain their distinct shape. It's a little hard to see, but on the left you can just make out the building for Dodgem and Cuddle Up. Both rides were also relocated from Cincinnati's Coney Island. The building remains today and is used for the Attitudes gift shop and Sorority House Haunt maze, but both attractions are long gone. Some claim that the current incarnation of Dodgem is the same as the original, but it features a different ride area, different cars, different shape... you could have a whole philosophical debate over what makes a ride "new", but I don't think it makes sense to say our current Dodgem is original to the park. I've been trying to figure out when this was all shot at the park. At some point, the archway in the back had The Happy Land of Hanna-Barbera added to it. But that wasn't until at least July. This, plus the stage from earlier, shows that the park was still adding all those finishing touches through-out its first season. You can't argue that International Street didn't look like a street... but look at that total lack of shade and all the asphalt. A lot of enthusiasts were amazed when Disney introduced its "talking" characters a few years back, with mouths that could move. But Kings Island was doing it long before then Also check-out Winsome Witch, flying around her tree in the background. The old plant tunnel. It had 100 London-plain trees bowed over its pipe framework. The structure remained in some form through the end of 2006 2005, then was removed for Nickelodeon Universe's addition in 2006. I like that the park is attempting to bring it back in White Water Canyon's queue line. Few things to comment on... First, those lights on the top of Monster. They were removed around 2005 I think, but I could be off. Second, Monster in general... I've heard before that our current Monster is not the original ride. The original version opened at Cincinnati's Coney Island in 1968 and was relocated at park opening for 1972. There's an interesting photo from 1981 that shows Monster's ride platform empty though. Rumor is that ours was replaced the following year and the original version was sent to Canada's Wonderland in time for its 1981 opening. If true, it's ironic that CW's version of the ride, named The Fury, was removed after 2003 and it was sent to our park to use as spare parts for Monster. It's worth noting that the park has claimed that the current ride is the original though. Edit: Here's a lengthy conversation on whether the Monster was sent to Canada's Wonderland or not. It seems that the verdict is the ride was not sent to the Canadian park. Third, check out Dodgem's sign in the background. It, and the out-of-frame sign for Cuddle Up, both came from Cincinnati's Coney Island. At the old park they were housed in the same building as the Whip, but that ride was unfortunately never relocated to Kings Island. Racer is one of my favorite rides at the park today, but man I would have loved to have ridden it in 1972. No head rests, no seat belts, no seat divides, just a buzz bar... plus the final airtime hill was still in place (interestingly that was removed a year apart for the North and South sides... North's during the 1995/96 off-season, South's the 1996/97 one. Two things in this shot. First, the trains only have four cars each. A fifth car wasn't added until 1973. Also, red train racing red train. From 1972 through 2007 both tracks had a red and a blue train. The rides were only assigned specific colors in 2008. I should've ended this gif a bit before the zoom... sorry for how obnoxious that is. Anyhow, Der Spinnen Keggers on the left. The ride was similar to Winsome Witch's Cauldron, only the platform tilted upwards during the ride. The vehicles were also initially covered, but at some point between 1981 and 1987 the tops were removed. Anyone know what year that happened? On the right, Kings Island Theatre (at times spelled Theater). It was built by Bird-Air Structures, Inc. from Buffalo, New York for $250,000 and could seat 1,100 guests. It played host to "Something New!!" its opening year. After the 1974 season the park experienced a heavy snow storm and the theater collapsed. It was replaced with a similar one in 1975, albeit with a blue covering instead of red. The floral clock has been a staple of Kings Island since 1972, but it has not always been behind Eiffel Tower. It was originally to the right of it, where International Showplace is today. It was relocated when that amphitheater was built in 1977. Flying Scooters, later renamed Flying Eagles, in its original spot. The ride was relocated to the back of the area in 1986, then again to Paramount's Carowinds in 2005. The ride originally opened at Cincinnati's Coney Island and was apparently relocated at least once while it was there too. In this shot, notice how the door is open on the side. The current Woodstock Gliders also has a door in its center console, but I would assume it's kept shut when the ride is operating. Scooby-Doo, later renamed The Beastie, later renamed Fairly Odd Coaster, and now Woodstock Express. It's probably been through just as many paint jobs as it has been through names. I love the oversized Scooby-Doo cut-out and didn't know it was ever a thing until I watched this. Also, you can just make out the coaster's last dip before the brake run. I don't know when it was removed, but I would guess sometime in the late 1990s. Anyone know? See that stroller at the bottom? The park still has some of these older ones, now re-purposed to help ride operators carry water coolers to their rides in the morning. At the end you can just make out the train blowing steam from its sides. The engines can still do this and indeed do for special events. I highly doubt you'd ever see costumed characters, like Snoopy or Charlie Brown, riding a coaster today. And that shot through the tracks? I also doubt that'd be permitted. The whole ride is encircled by a giant fence and anything within it is lock-out. Kings Island Theatre again. Some more facts: it was 137-feet long, 87-feet wide, and 40-feet high. It was avinyl structure and was supported entirely by air pressure. Last shot... Tumble Bug was a standard tumble bug attraction manufactured by Traver Engineering of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. It had a diameter of approximately 100 feet, featured five large tubs, and was the park's oldest ride at opening. It originally opened at Cincinnati's Coney Island in 1925. It last operated in 1985 and was replaced by Skylab the following year. I've heard that it was sent to Kennywood to use for parts on their similar attraction, but I don't know the validity of that statement. Today the space is occupied by Coca-Cola Marketplace. So that's that... some pretty cool shots of the park its opening year, and hopefully you learned a thing or two about its history. Again, please let me know if you think any of the facts are wrong or if you have extra info to add. Hope you enjoyed. Edit - Edited April 9, 2020 to correct a date and clarify one of the comments.

So I was at my grandmothers house today cleaning out her belongings. She passed in Dec at 96 yr old. I was going through one of the bedrooms and found my favorite book from when I was growing up. Almost as if my grandmother left it there for me. The book is is pristine. Never read. So glad I have this in my collection now. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So I guess the station will be enclosed a little bit?

Got it, thanks for clarifying. :-) I wish I had been more attentive to the park details in the 80's-very early 90's. If only I could rewind time and revisit those years and write down or photograph the subtle, and not so subtle changes at the park (which I started doing around 1996.) Little things like "When did they tear down queue building #3 on Beast" or "For how many seasons did KI have The Vortex "tracks" through Coney Mall" or "When did the German Toy Store close" etc continue to elude me. Back in the 1970's and 80s, there was interest in the park, but it cannot hold a candle to today's microscopic analysis of all things KI. Back then, you either read in the paper or park brochure (or saw a commercial) what was new at KI, then you begged your parents to take you to the park sometime during the season (if you were really lucky, you got to go MORE than once!) and you spent most of that visit running around trying to ride as much as possible - while shrugging off some of the changes. (I.E. "Hmmm... I think there was water running out of this chute last year when I was in line for Beast... Oh Well.") But with the advent of the web, KI-watching took on a life of it's own and the media blitz that followed forever changed how we keep up with those changes. To be honest, I have to give a shout out to people like Don... or my friend Roger who went to Coney Island as a kid - then Kings Island when it opened (and is still going today.) They were ahead of their time because they DID take note of those things - and saw the significance of the changes that occurred in those early years. Most of what I know about those early years is based off of their having witnessed them. I guess that's partly why I created my little page. I really want those that have a love of KI today to see how rich a past the park has had. With so many mega parks today, its really hard to recognize that KI was always a top tier park... and it's very existence is *essentially* a result of an act of Mother Nature.

New pic on kingsislandpr snapchat.

Probably has something to do with the shed and the theming. I bet that any part of the station that isn't open is going to be covered in vines.

Another pic was just posted on Twitter.

There's a few others out there. Like... 1972, from an eBay auction by user "Momthrewitaway" (hence the watermark) 1972, from CheezOnAStick. You can see all the lighted archways and ornamental decorations along the track. 1972 (opening day, in fact), from holzsc.com. 1973, posted here on KIC by KIfan73 1973, another from holzsc.com. 1974, from KIC's own photo gallery. 1975, also from the photo gallery. 1977, from flickr user jade_41171. Date unknown, courtesy KIExtreme.com One of the more common Bavarian Beetle pictures. I think this was used in a View-Master set you could buy at the park. I think the large sign and accompanying decorations were added in 1976 or 1977. Something different... a picture taken while riding Bavarian Beetle. Notice all the lights. Source unknown, but date is sometime between 1972 1973 through 1974 (Hayley's Comet is still in its original location). And bonus picture... you can see the ride, still called Galaxi, in the background. There's a few other rides in the shot that also found their way to the new park... Sky Ride, Rotor, and the log flume.

Thank you for taking the time to post this! In the 6+ years I've been on these forums, that may be the first good picture I've seen of Bavarian Beetle. Glad to see you back!

A total of 811 bents were stood to construct The Beast.

I sent Kings Island's PR team a suggestion recently about that. I mentioned that they should have a giant wall size park map of the park similar to what Cedar Point sells for $1.00-$2.00. I want to add that to my collection.

I feel like this was mentioned before but I can't seem to locate it but....Just out of curiousity.....Wonder when they will be releasing the 2017 Park Map?

Looks like the wire frame displays are starting to arrive - wire frames typically have to be ordered a year in advance from the factory. Let's hope they fix all the building lights on international street so that they can be used during summer nights this year - the last time they were repaired and all working on the international street buildings was for the 2005 Winterfest.

One of the best first drops in the park. Visualy awesome. I still think the arrow trains look awesome. I would hate to see it go. I also think B&M has made such smooth coasters, it has made rougher ones built by hand using paper and pencil seem more rough that really has not changed that much. Not putting down anyone who does not like it. I just think smoother coasters make it seem worse.

No idea why I had Hardee's on the brain. Lol. I fixed it.

A Phantom Theater themed maze would be AMAZING! This NEEDS to happen!

Two Amazing pictures of Mystic Timbers.

Whenever I see older pictures of the the old Wild Animal Safari monorail station, it takes me back... In 1994, I went to KI and was dismayed at the fact that the Monorail was no longer in operation (If I recall properly, throughout that season the station, or at least the land it sat on remained empty.) I attended opening night (my first) for the unveiling of "Days of Thunder" simulator in 1994 and while there, I discovered the monorail had been demolished - and possibly the original entrance to the Wild Animal Habitat area was completely re-done. (In addition, the water under King Cobra was gone.) Then, fast forward to mid-season 1995, I saw what appeared to be a GIANT STEEL COASTER LOOP being assembled in that area of the park. The excitable and non-rational side of my brain thought "They tore out the monorail to install a GIANT coaster!" (even though the practical side of my brain thought "Naaaah, they just installed Top Gun.") Well, as the weeks wore on, imagine my dismay when I saw that the "GIANT STEEL COASTER LOOP" was actually the Skyflyer being installed. Wah waaaaaaah. (As far as I recall, the Skyflyer was actually installed while the park was already operating for 1995.) It was, actually, the first one I ever saw in person, but none-the-less I was really bummed. However that very same time period, I started noticing earth being moved back behind Racer... and we all know what happened back there... It's all a bit fuzzy, and I may have some of the timeline a bit twisted, but there were LOTS of changes in those days - not the least of which was the Paramount takeover. That having been said... I do distinctly recall a big SECRET from that time... Most don't know what ALMOST happened in 1995... and it involved the monorail NOT being removed. One word... MOVIERAIL.

Hello... only been about four years since I last posted... I don't think I ever posted a thread here on AE's design, but I did contact R&R Design years ago and spoke with the company's president, Rick Bastrup. He was kind enough to send me some incredible concept-art of the ride... Here's an incredibly-small picture of the Monorail crossing Adventure Express' track, from R&R's website... And here's an overview, circa 1993, of that... (source unknown)

I actually have a copy of that very book. It is sad to see the park after all the rides had been moved to Kings Island, standing just like a ghost town. Fortunately the park is still running today. Although it would be nice for the park to add another wooden coaster someday.

Hours have just been added to WinterFest 2017. https://www.visitkingsisland.com/hours-directions/winterfest

I would like to see this as well, just to see how MT will fit in on the map.

You really do learn something new every day! Thanks for making this great read!

Honestly, The Vortex is probably my least favorite coaster. For a metal, it's rough as sin, and I end up punching myself in the face when I hold the grips by my head. Between how bad it hurts my neck and back, and how great the newer coasters are (Diamondback and Banshee), I'd say this old friend has started to stay past his welcome. Disclaimer: I only want this ride torn down if they get a new coaster to replace it, no sense in tearing something down that many people enjoy unless there's something better on the way!

This ride just looks too good. It looks Beast is starting to have some competition for the best wooden coaster at KI. The ride is already great but I guess the shed will be the icing on the cake.

From the first time I rode it in 1989 (and it drove my earring posts into my head) until a couple seasons ago, I was very much in the "tear it down!" camp. When I was still a young teen it always made me so angry to hear people play it up as the one to ride to show how brave you were. Beast was so much better! Then I had a friend (NoChickens) who I often ran into at the park around Vortex, and he wanted to ride it. I had heard about 5-1 previously, and rode that but wasn't impressed. NoChickens introduced me to 7-1, and I realized I could ride with very few punches to the jaw. As I learned to avoid the restraint in the spots it still hit me, I also learned to really appreciate the ride. I even ride it alone most visits now. I've been told that steel coasters have a lifespan, and have accepted that eventually Vortex will have to go regardless. But I'm hoping it is awhile before that happens. There is something beautiful about that turn before the first drop, when the entire park comes into view. I particularly love to ride at sunset for that reason. And that first drop is among the best moments in the park!

That is the end which connects to the shed, could just be to help control the amount of sunlight so they can keep the enclosed areas darker.

I see no point in removing a ride without a replacement and would only want to see Vortex go if something far more awesome took its place.

There are a couple panning shots of the ride on Snapchat right now.

Amazing work! Thanks so much for sharing with us!

Very enjoyable.

On one hand, it's a highly visible ride with good capacity. It's almost iconic within the park. On the other hand, it's not the smoothest ride out there, and the section of the park it's in could use some revitalization. We've already seen Shockwave and GASM get scrapped, and rumor has it SFMM's Viper may be on the chopping block. Large Arrow loopers just don't age well. If they can make better use of the land, well, I won't stand in the way of progress.

In terms of fuzziness, I was only referring to Monorail station being or not being there. Assuming the overview I posted was from 1994 (which is a fair assumption, especially given KIghostguy's post), then the Monorail station was indeed not there in 1994. Of course, it could have been demolished mid-season 1994, but I assume that would have had to have been completed during weekend-only operation. Thank you for sharing that video! I don't think I've seen it before. It's interesting that Scrappy's Slide and Nickelodeon Splat City coexisted for a season. 1999 was its final season. Here's a picture of its space post-removal, either end of 1999 or beginning of 2000, from Shaggy's Sit On It page: The attraction was called Crystal Slime Aerobic Mining Maze and opened with the area in 1995. In 2000 it was replaced by Wild Thornberry's Rainforest Insect Adventure, which was similar to Dinosaurs Alive!. Here is a YouTube video of it. It ran from June 24 through July 30, then in 2001 Rugrat's Runaway Reptar opened on that spot (which Shaggy also has a fantastic album of, here).

Hmmm, it must be Italian.

236 days until Haunt starts. Is it too early to start counting?

The above article is in no way related to nor is it associated to the individual by said name, so the answer is no I have no control over what happens to the property. Just saying.

It`s time to Splash. A Special Announcement coming March 2nd. Special Announcement Details

Thanks for sharing! Now I want to watch the whole episode!

I bet it's an RMC

I'm neutral. Vortex is a good ride and I like it a lot. Though if KI says the will remove it tomorrow I won't be sad about it at all. Personally, I want it to stay as long as possible but once it does get removed I won't be mad. (thought if it does I want them to build a good coaster their in honor for Vortex.

Train decoration? it looks like to me 1pc. 48inch by 20 by 20 ish

I'm all registered and signed up for the 2 pm Beast Tour!

I think your memory may be a little bit fuzzy here. I don't know the source of this photo, but it seems clear it's '94 - Top Gun is present but there's not yet Xtreme Skyflyer. Note the Monorail station is gone and paved over.

I think this is what you're talking about.

Harmony Hall is great except for when you have 5 young kids and one wants pizza, the other a turkey leg and another chicken fingers and.... On crowded days, it was a challenge.

Can KI please get some scare-actors and dress them as the old Phantom Theater characters?

At least at the end of Haunt in 2017 it won't mean not being at Ki till next Spring. Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

^ Yes. I really miss them being there. It is a long time away but I've been thinking about 2017 Haunt the day it ended. It's a great way to cap off the season, especially this year where we can ride Mystic Timbers at night. I would like to see the return of Blood Drums, because I really enjoying watching them play and hearing them from a distance.

It's a bit too early for me to be thinking about this ... nah, who am I kidding, I've been missing Sam and listening to Blood Drums since Closing Day! Well, I think Blood Drums should definitely make a return 'cause that's always awesome and there will likely be a new or remodeled maze. I think it would be cool to have a maze that has an objective (besides escaping), like finding items and then returning it a Scareactor (This could be a Skeleton Key experience, or a parkwide thing- like, find Sam, he'll give you the next clue, etc.) As for returners, Slaughterhouse, Backwoods Bayou, Blackout (because it's different) and Killmart should return. Urgent Scare could've been improved from last year, but everything is great as is! Can't wait for that time of year when Thumbs (a scareactor in Rivertown), Sam the Butcher, the sliders and others begin their nightly stroll of scaring!

The thing I'm most excited to see at this year's Halloween Haunt is the prep work and decorating for Winterfest.