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The Scrambler celebrates 45 years of spins and smiles


DonHelbig
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My daughter who is now 8 got to experience this right for the first time this past operating season. She is still talking about the ride today. She smiled so much and giggled so, that it brings a smile to my face just sitting here thinking about it.

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Scrambler debuted at Coney Island of Ohio in 1957. The particular Scrambler at Kings Island debuted at the old park in 1969.

So what happened to the original? Break/destroyed?

Kings Island tweeted the incorrect information in the link from April 2012. Coney had two Scramblers prior to Kings Island's existence, and as The Interpreter stated, our current one opened in 1969.

According to Charles J. Jacques, Jr.'s (wonderful) Cincinnati's Coney Island:

That same year [1957] a Scrambler was purchased from Eli Bridge Company of Jacksonville, Illinois ... A tragedy occurred on the Scrambler when a 10-year-old Clermont County boy died from injuries he suffered when he fell off the ride. Apparently he opened the latch and tried to exit the car when the ride was still running. He was struck by the ride when he fell out. [Page 148]

Coney spent over a million dollars in 1969 for a Rotor, Scrambler, Olympic Bobs, and a Giant Slide.[Page 191]

From the above, it sounds as though the 1957 Scrambler may have been removed after the boy's death, despite the accident clearly being rider error.

Also, unrelated, page 191 also mentions that "Rides were purchased only if they could be used in the new park", then it goes on to say that Olympic Bobs were added in 1969. Kings Island didn't add their own Olympic Bobs (Bayern Kurve) until 1973 - does anybody know if the two rides were the same, but the new park just kept the attraction in storage for the 1972 season?

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The Kings Island Scrambler gave me my most interesting Scrambler ride last year. I was with a group of friends and rode with two other people, with me the smallest in the middle. On one side was a female friend, on the other was her ex. Her directions to me was to sit in between and prevent him from attempting anything. So I got squished in between them during the ride and his arm around me trying to get to her. By the end my arm was stretched across the back of the seat preventing him from touching her, however he didn't realize it and was caressing my arm. Then to make the ride weirder, the ex's current girlfriend was looking on from the planter bench across the midway. The situation became to be refereed to as awkward Scrambler stuff.

So here is to the Kings Island Scrambler, giving me a ride I will never forget.

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  • 2 years later...

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