Shaggy

While my intent is not to get involved in a battle of opinions (everybody's differs... of course...) I do think it's necessary to point out one particular thing. When Paramount assumed the lion's share of stock in the King's parks, the same staff that had been running KI the years prior remained. In other words, all the folks that oversaw landscaping, rides, maintenance, management, HR etc etc etc... were the same as before the buyout. There seems to be this idea that Paramount came in, took over and all new people that didn't know what they were doing took the positions of those that had been operating the park. That's untrue. Basically, the parks were beginning to carry a debt load, and budget cuts were leading to the sacrifice of quality throughout the park in virtually all areas. The latter Carl Linder years (just prior to the Paramount Purchase) were bad ones for all Kings parks. Paramount stepped up and purchased the parks which Linder was quick to unload. Without which, who knows what might have happened. Heck, if Paramount hadn't, then the parks may have become Six Flags parks eventually... need I say more? Paramount Corporate instituted new corporate policies and procedures as well as initiatives among their regional park offices that first year. As with any business when ownership changes, so do the general terms by which it is overseen. However local management was left to operate as they had. IMO Paramount had an uphill battle since so much concern and ability to properly manage the parks had gone by the wayside in preceeding years under Linder ownership. Look at the signs.... it was in the Linder years that rides began to dissapear in the park. It was also duing those years that cutbacks were made to entertainment. It was during those years that the attention to detail/quality began to decline among new attractions. Someone mentioned the Wild Animal Safari/Habitat... well to cite it as an example... it had only a handful animals remaining in it's last year under Linder Management. It had become so inaffective as an attraction that they stopped requiring guests to pay extra, and even so they still couldn't get people to ride. It took a year or two for Paramount to get their footing, but I think that the Paramount buyout brought about a breath of fresh air to the parks. They must have done something right, 1996 was their top attendance year to date. As the 1990's rounded out, I feel that the Corporate Direction of the parks again lost steam. I think that overall the parks were then poorly led by Jane Cooper who was later terminated. IMO, the worst shape that KI has ever been in was during the 1999-2000 season. Poor corporate directive, coupled with poor local management of the park, led to a lagging year with poor decisions, a poor addition, and poor guest experience. Ironically, in that time period, Paramount recognized the issues, and cleaned house of those that lacked the directive the parks needed. Today's PKI is quickly becoming a well oiled machine with overall concern being given to the park and guest experience. The current park management team recognizes what makes the park succeed and they are running with it. Shaggy

It was operated by an outside vendor. When they went belly up, the restaurant closed. Wings, when it used to be a Chicken Diner years ago, used to be operated by an outside vendor as well. The reason that no other outside vendor, nor PKI themselves, has re-opened a sit-down eatery in the International Restaurant space is because the kitchen is extremely outdated. It would require a significant capitol expenditure to bring it to code and/or make it a modern, functional restaurant facility. Shaggy

I'll help clear up some confusion and hopefully answer some questions about the Brady episode. The Episode was shot in the summer of 1973. It is episode #106 of the Brady Bunch entitled “The Cincinnati Kids.†It originally aired during the 5th season (1973-74) on Friday November 23, 1973. Now pay close attention to those dates and you’ll realize something extremely ironic… which I’ll notate below with an *. It was filmed during the second year of operation for King's Island. The Partridge Family had filmed there the year prior, with KI using the Partridge Family theme song to help promote its 1972 grand opening (C’mon Get Happy!) Other than knowing filming/airing dates, visual confirmations of it being KI’s 2nd season during the Brady filming can be seen by viewers. "The Flying Dutchman" ride was in operation, as well as the “Bayern Curve.†Those attractions were added in 1973 along with Kenton's Keelboat Canal (Not shown) and the International Restaurant. (Not shown.) It's widely known among Brady fans that the cast was actually very excited to travel and film at the park. Barry Williams even devoted a chapter in his book "Growing up Brady" to the experience. However, once they arrived, the cast was soured by an onslaught of disgruntled/pushy fans, bad accommodations and eventual banning of ride access. The filming took a week, and towards the end of the shoot, the park had nearly decided to close for the day because of the overwhelming amount of disruption the filming was causing. In addition, cast members were spooked by bad experiences at their Hotel with leering fans, peeping toms and bad rooms. (The Kings Island Inn was the only hotel nearby at the time of filming, so it was easy for fans to know where the cast was staying.) Now, the Partridge Episode was filmed primarily at the Kings Island Inn, so that required only about a 2 half days of filming in the park. However, the Brady Episode prominently featured the park and rides. Because of this, 95% of filming occurred inside King’s Island during actual operating hours. Well, Kings Island marketers got the wise idea to promote it via local media prior to the shoot. This publicity caused an overwhelming amount of guests to show up just to "See the Bradys" and created record attendance days. Unfortunately, the marketing backfired when many guests left angry and complained of interruptions to normal operation at the park. (Remember, The Racer was the only "big" coaster there, and filming on it closed the ride for well over a day!) Imagine going to KI, and not being able to ride ANY big rollercoaster! (The Bavarian Beetle and Scooby Doo coasters were also at the park at this time... but were hardly satisfying to guests.) The episode was developed because Paramount Studios was a shareholder in Taft Properties. And of course most know that Taft owned and operated KI at that time. The shows (Brady and Partridge) were produced by Paramount Studios. Both the park and the studios saw it as a way of promoting the park as a sideline investment. (*As eluded to above, the episode did not air until November, thus promoting the park was really in vain… the park had already closed for the season by the time of the airing.) Ironically, the Hannah Barbera characters were featured in both shows (Mostly the Banana Splits) although HB was its own entity that fell under Taft Broadcasting, yet had no real tie-in to Paramount Pictures. The show's Producers also decided it was a good idea to film there, since sitcoms were finding that "outside/real world" episodes increased ratings and viewership. Fans of the shows loved seeing the Bradys in real places and lived vicariously through them. As a result, the Grand Canyon and Hawaii episodes (which preceded the KI episode in prior seasons) were among favorites of fans of the show. Now, it's true that Robert Reed never rode The Racer. He did not like coasters (or much of anything in general... he was a sour and difficult man...) and claimed amusement attractions made him sick. Thus he is not seen in the coaster footage. Ironically, he was given a line at the end of the episode stating that he thought they should all “ride the rollercoaster again.†Of course he says this nearly being drowned out by the Scooby Doo coaster roaring in the background. LOL Speaking of The Racer… the rumor states that the “falling camera incident†occurred when the camera mount hit an overhead beam. Well, it’s true that the camera did fall off, and it's lucky that the cast was not riding at the time. (Well, depending upon whether you like the Bradys or not… LOL) However, the problem with this theory is The Racer has never had any low lying overhead beams on it! The only time the coaster traverses under any beams is at the finale when it passes by the lift/first drop structure and enters the final brake run (In those days, The Racer had one more bunny hop before the brake run.) The fact is, the camera mount was not secured firmly and the camera dislodged from the mount and fell off the train and to the side due to vibrations. Robert Reed claimed that before they sent it around the first time he took it upon himself to "walk the tracks." He claimed that is was during his own exploration that he noticed there was an obvious overhead obstruction that the camera would hit. This, IMO, is a load of exaggerated crap. Even in those early days, no non-maintenance person would have been allowed to "walk the tracks," let alone a beloved television actor. It's also a slap to those that oversaw the park hinting that they obviously were not aware of the possible obstructions of their own coaster. Finally, for someone that didn't ride coasters, why did Mr. Reed feel the need to be present for filming on the rides? Obviously, it was for his own attention getting/trouble causing purposes. None the less, the scene was shot, no one was hurt, and the final result can be seen on film... backwards. Yes, that's right... what footage of The Racer that you see on the show (from the rider’s perspective) is a reversed image (mirror) of the actual ride. This is a flaw that the show's editors didn't catch. Actually, show editors were not present at the park for filming, so when they edited the footage into the scene, they didn't realize they were inserting the footage upside down. Thus they created the mirror image. The "running the plans to the office" scenes obviously do not make sense to those familiar with the layout of the park. However, the pattern the Brady’s make running the “plans†had little to do with continuity, but a lot to do with the filming schedule. For instance, on certain days, the schedule called for certain actors to be called to certain spots at certain times of the day. I.E. Maureen McCormick and Eve Plumb would be called to be filmed at the Antique Cars, say at 3pm on Wednesday. When that time arrived, not only were the actors filmed riding, but also filmed searching the cars for the “plans,†and also filmed running by the attraction with the “plans†in hand. Etc. etc. etc. The crew would then move to another area or attraction and film all subsequent scenes with subsequent actors in that designated area. The result was the show’s Director collected a random, hodge-podge, mis-match of footage that featured the various characters running past the various rides in the park. Again, the show’s editors aren’t involved with actual shooting and thus didn't go to the park. So when editing, little concern was given to accurately reflecting the park's flow. The untrained eye doesn't even catch it. The trained eye realizes that each grouping of actors run by the various attractions several times and in a random pattern. Another thing that becomes obvious when viewing the episode closely are the variations in the time of day that the scenes were shot. The entire episode is supposed to occur over the course of a day at the park. Well, there’s no consistency with the change in light as the show’s factual time passes. So there are significant changes to the daylight as the show goes on. Pay attention next time and you'll realize that the scenes in Coney Mall were mostly shot late in the day and early in the morning. This was most likely due to the section being the most popular part of the park with the best and biggest rides. So they needed to film without obstructing operation too severely. Example?... The scene with Jan and Marsha exiting the Tumble Bug (When they realize they lost the Yogi Poster) was obviously filmed late in the day. The sun is setting to the West and shining right at them. Heck, the kid exiting behind them even squints because the sun is directly in his eyes. The scene with Bobby and Cindy eating popcorn at a bench on Coney Mall was also filmed late in the day as there is very little sunlight at all. By contrast, the scenes with Greg and Peter on Coney Mall were obviously filmed in the morning as the sun is bright, and overhead. From what I understand, the final days of shooting concentrated on the front of the park. Weather became bad as the week progressed, and in the scene where Carol arrives at the office in with the “plans,†it is actually raining. Although raining, next time notice how neither of the cast members gets wet…. Hmmmmm….?) Similarly, it was overcast when they "viewer's perspective" footage was filmed on Racer. The name of the park was never mentioned verbally on Air. At the episode's start, Mike mentions that he is taking the family to Cincinnati because his firm has plans for a new area for a big amusement park there. (“Cincinnati?†Well, that’s the Brady’s response… and rightfully so, because the park is actually 20 miles outside Cincinnati… so Dad lied. LOL) However, the name of the park was shown, briefly, when footage shows the park for the first time. Outside the main entrance, you see a King's Island Inn bus pull up with signage on its side, as well as topiary shrubbery trimmed to say "Kings Island." The name is briefly visible on the front of a flume boat, but very briefly. The only other time the park name is featured is at the end, during the show’s credits. Part of this obvious desire to not prominently advertise the park came from the shows producers and network censors. In that day, they frowned upon blatant product endorsement during shows. (My how the times have changed!) But the Producers likely frowned as well, because they didn't get compensated by Taft/KI and felt no need to give more credit to the park than necessary. Current airings of the episode are always missing scenes/footage. When "The Brady Bunch" first aired, episodes featured nearly 27 minutes of show time and around 3 minutes of commercial time. On today's TV, half hour shows consist of 22-23 minutes of show and 7-8 minutes of commercial time. Thus many older shows are trimmed of excess footage when they go to syndication. Heck, even the Pop-Up Video version of the show is missing footage. Among the scenes that often get cut from this episode is: - Alice speaking French and then pointing out the Eiffel Tower. - Carol and Alice riding the Flying Carpet Slides in Coney Mall - Carol and Alice riding the Wheel of Fortune - The verbal exchange that Carol and Mike have with the Lost and Found attendee - Marsha and Jan paddling the canoes - Bobby and Cindy eating various sweets. However, scenes/footage deleted depends on what network is airing it. For instance, if you see the episode on Nick at Nite, it may show some scenes/footage that an airing on TV Land or VH1 does not. The good news is the DVD collection will likely feature the episode in its entirety. Speaking of the Pop-Up version.... did you know that Jeffrey Siebert was the one who sent factoids to the VH1 folks compiling the show? VH1 is of course, owned by Viacom, that owns Paramount Studios (Brady Bunch Producers) and Viacom also owns Paramount Parks (King's Island owners.) So you could say that a bit of nepotism was involved. ;-) Here's an interesting tid-bit that someone alluded to in an earlier post... Why was Marcia Always sitting in front of Jan or closer to the camera while on the rides? Well, simply because she was the most popular girl cast member. Who was the most popular boy? No, not Greg! It was Peter. Thus in final seasons, Peter and Marcia got good airtime, and scenes were written to feature them. During this season, Maureen McCormick and Chris Knight (Marcia and Peter) even released a record album much to their teen fan's delight. I mentioned Greg... well; I had the pleasure of meeting Barry Williams (Greg) some time back and had an exchange with him about the park. He thrived at talking about his memories of Kings Island and really lit up about it (obviously because he gets tired of the same old Brady questions.) Sadly, neither he nor any of the other Brady cast members have been back to the park since the filming. It’s not out of anger or protest, rather they just have not had the opportunity. Barry recalls the park fondly, and does hope to revisit it sometime. He is a coaster lover and actually still rides them and visits parks as he travels. Finally, here's some fun and interesting things to pay attention to when watching the episode: -In those days, Coney Mall ended where the High Striker game is currently located. Halley's Comet was positioned there and can be seen in the episode. The park expanded Coney Mall just a few seasons following this episode. -The board room featured in the episode is an actual boardroom at the park. However contrary to popular belief, it is not the one in the International Restaurant facility. It is in the administrative building and its decor remains in tact today just as shown in the Brady Episode. - The Enchanted Voyage can be seen although HB Land was not used in any of the filming. If you look closely as Marcia and Jan are running with the plans, you can see the giant TV Set Facade in the background. - Of course the Football Toss game is still present at the park, but notice the difference in the size of the hole. The hole you must toss through today is only about 2/3 the size of the one in the episode. In other words, they made it harder for guests to win. - As Greg and Peter run down International Street, pay attention to the front of the shops. The midway was much more narrow then with "yards" and street-scaping in front of the shops. The park later removed the landscaped areas to help de-congest the walking path and eliminate the amount of "accident" guests were having. (Guests would often not pay attention and trip or fall over protruding curbs this resulted in twisted ankles and broken legs… and lawsuits.) - The Gingko Trees that lined Coney Mall (that were uprooted and moved from Cincinnati's Coney Island) were still being meticulously trimmed in their cylindrical shape then. The park has since lost many of the trees and the landscapers ultimately stopped shaping the trees in order to save the few remaining. - The music in the episode included Carousel Band organ music. And yes, it was recorded from the KI Carousel. Depending on the day, and what reel they have in, you can still occasionally hear the song used in the Brady episode playing on the PKI Carousel. Hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did typing it. I could go on and one pin-pointing other fun facts, but frankly my fingers are tired of typing. LOL Shaggy

There's more than even many PKI afficianados realize. I contantly find out new info about artifacts etc at PKI that I simply overlook. A good example... many of the chandeliers came from Coney Island... namely the one in an International Street Shop. From what I recall, it is an antique worth tens of thousands of dollars. It's been a while since I have seen it since I rarely go in the shops... but I assume it's still there. I even forget which shop it's in.. maybe the Nick shop? Of late, I have been intrigued by the Don Quixote (sp?) statue on International Street. It was a sculpture commissoned by the park for the opening. I'd love to know who made it.. how it came to be etc. But give me time and I will learn more. ;-) Shaggy

My guess....? From the current SDGC area, extending towards the (current) Adam Ant's Airway ride. Shaggy

Upcharging for such things is a common occurance at most places that offer Winter events. Every Zoo I can think of (that holds winter events and feature ice skating) charge extra for it. Winterfest always featured skating on the fountains... and always charged extra for it. Shaggy

I doubt you see the Nick Theming extend past where Nick/HB currently ends. I do expect to see the Rivertown Bathrooms being converted to Nick Theming. Actually, I would suspect that one of the Nick rides is going in right beside it... right about where the Nick Central Sign is now. Heck they've already removed signage from the blue fence in that area... which is pretty telling. On the opposite side of the area, I expect that you will not see theming for Nick begin until you pass Scooby's Haunted Castle. I also expect that in the Midway area in between it, Pixie and Dixie's Swingset, Astro Orbitors, and the Scooby Photo area will have a large sign or such and the are will extend on back past that. That way they have keep SDATHC in tact without upsetting the Nick people who are likely involved in the project. A birdie told me that the Astro Orbitors, Boo Boo's Baggage and the Hand Carts (All original rides from old Coney Island park) will bite the dust. So in the course of 2 years PKI will have lost 5 original attractions. Also expected to meet it's maker is the afore-mentioned Scooby's Ghoster Coaster. I would suspect that all removed rides (with the exception of the Orbitors) be stored for possible future use. Construction will likely begin soon, during Winterfest, with the attractions in the wooded area behind Ghoster Coaster sealed off. Look for trees around Beastie to be thinned and a ride inserted in-between Boulder Bumpers and The Beastie exit. Also look for the "rock" facade of Boulder Bumpers to dissapear and Beasite to not only lose it's name... but it's color scheme as well. Can you say fuscia? I am expecting that the area will receive a drastic overhaul with most, if not all smaller theming elements to be changed... down to the benches and lamp-posts. It will be a large area with wider midways and better flow. (No dead ends) It will likely be broken into segmented areas... Dora rides over there, Jimmy Nuetron rides over here etc. etc. etc. Mostly I think they will work hard to clear the area of that "Hodge Podge" feel it's had for sometime. Shaggy

Trust me on this... it's not a Mack. Shaggy

Because it's a prototype product of another ride manufacturer. Shaggy

FYI... for Winterfest, the entire Festhaus is being overhauled. The screens are gone, and the old "Bavarian" theming hidden for years by facades is being revealed/refreshed/repainted. Included in this is a restoration of the magnificent stained glass window that has been hidden from view for years. It's an antique window that was once part of an extremely old Cincinnati Mansion and installed in the Festhause when it was built. In addition, all banners and additional lighting "sconces" are being added. Shaggy

Skating will be an additional charge... probably in the neighborhood of $7. Skate rental will likely be an additional $3. The skating on the fountain is being produced by an outside vendor... so they are upcharging to cover their costs. Shaggy

Avatar will not be a Mack powered coaster.. or any Mack-produced ride for that matter. Shaggy

In addition to those already mentioned... Kings Island also had costumed characters of: Wilma Flintstone Betty Rubble Banana Splits Shaggy

They do not actually fill the fountains and freeze them. The ice rink is created by inserting platforms on scaffolding within the fountain base. From there, the ice rink is created on those platforms with the ice only being a few inches thick. In short, the ice rink is literally raised above the base of the fountain pool. Shaggy

Funny, I do not recall any religious symbols. Honestly, why some cannot just enjoy the festivities of an event without criticizing is beyond me. This attitude of "let's suck the fun out of every aspect of life" is ridiculous. Don't like it? Don't go. But then I expect 99% of the critics will attend. I for one applaud the park for bringing back a time-honored tradition. They proove once again that they listen to their guests and embrace our desires as patrons. I'll be one of the first to buy my tickets. This event is geared to families and friends, not to any certain religious group. The idea here is to celebrate good times during the holiday season with those you care about in a wonderful environment. Those of us that have been fortunate to attend a Winterfest in the past will be quick to point out how fun it is. It always brought a smile to peoples faces. Shaggy

"Son of Beast only had the two tallest hills for one year. Colossos was built in 2001. It has a 196' first hill. " Nope, SOB still holds the record. Colossos does not top it. SOB = 218' tall, 214' drop Colossos = 196' 10" tall "Holiday World is EXPANDING into a new area. PKI seems to have forgotten that concept. Sigh." Lest we forget that SOB, Taz Typhoon, Face/Off, Runaway Reptar all were built on unused portions of land at PKI. Shaggy

The Kings Island and Miami Valley Railroad used a combination of live actors and animatronic props for years. The train would stop and be "held up" by two men dressed as train robbers. There was a shoot out, and a train conductor usually ended up scaring off the robbers by shooting his own gun at them. Throughout the course, there were animatronic animals (such as the growling bear... which is still there if you look hard enough... horses etc) animatronic Indians and Soldiers. The small western village that still exists had many effects, such as a lady's legs dangling out of the top of the saloon.... an old man rocking in a rocking chair etc et etc. Heck the Jail was even on fire if I recall. There were lots of loud bangs and pops. Specifically in the fort area that still exists where Indians were fighting with soldiers guarding the fort. As you ride today, notice all of the fake "tree stumps" scattered around the course. These actually were later added to cover up the electrical outlets in which the characters were attached. When the animatronics were removed, the power sources were simply covered up with these facades. The live actors left the ride long before the animatronics did. Over time, the animatronics became worse for the wear, and many stopped working. They were not replaced when they went kaput and eventually the ride was a shell of it's former self. KI scrapped the animatronics when the train became a transit to and from the waterpark. Shaggy

"Yeah, i still can't figure out what Foundation1.jpg is." It's the station. The splashdown pool will be located just in front of it. If you look closely, you will see concrete pilings located infront of it. The ground is dug out deeply in front of it, and although you cannot tell from that perspective, the pilings will support the walkway overneath that takes guests to the loading station. Shaggy

PKI is hosting this tour to coincide with the ACE No-Coaster Con which happens that weekend in Chicago. PKI presents at the Con each year, and is offering a walk through tour such as this on the Friday prior. It's for those passing through Cincy on their way to No-Coaster and for those locals that will not be able to attend the event to hear updates firt-hand. Shaggy

PKI is graciously inviting enthusiasts to tour construction of "The Italian Job: Stunt Track." Yes, that's right. On Friday January 14th, at 9am, PKI will host a walk-through on the site of the park's forthcoming 13th coaster. The wonderful marketing staff will be on hand to guide the tour, and answer general questions. There's no need to pre-register or such, just show up at Security Post 3 (the employee entrance to the extreme right of the main gates) by 9am. The main parking lot will be open for parking, but should some snow fall it will not be cleared. ;-) Dress very warmly, and please wear shoes and clothing that will not mind some mud or dirt. The construction site is just that, a construction site... so wearing footwear you are not concerned about is important.. and being on good, safe behavior is key. Thsi should be a fun chance to get a first hand look at next seasons sure-fire hit. It's also a chance to see what other unexpected, and unannounced changes the park is making for 2005.... ;-) Thanks to PKI for consistantly opening up such fun opportunities for us fans! See you there! Shaggy

"IJST will have a 1000 person per hour moving capacity (in theory), so it will be able to move about 200 more people per hour than FoF. That's not too bad of a sign right there. " Dream on.... Beast has 3 trains that hold 3 times as many people and it rarely clocks 1,000 riders per hour. Trust me, waits will be terribly long on busy days... if the coaster is a success. The capacity of the ride appears to be ridiculously low IMO. I am anxiously looking forward to the coaster, but let's be realistic. Shaggy

"Do I think they should remove the oldest ride in the park no. " The Eagles were not the (current) oldest ride in the park. They were the second oldest. The Carousel was built in 1927, several years prior to the flyers being manufactured. The carousel celebrated it's 77th anniversary this season. By the way, the oldest ride to ever exist at KI..... was the Tumble Bug. It was built for Coney in 1925, two years prior to the carousel. The Scrambler, believe it or not, falls in the age category of the Flyers as well. Shaggy

I just heard from the park. The Flying Eagles will cease operation at PKI on Sunday October 17th. Enthusiasts are invited for a final ride. Simply meet up at 9pm at the ride entrance. Marketing guru Maureen Boothe will be on hand to supervise the final ride and bestow a final tribute. **Please note... this is not an ERT session... rather a final chance to say good bye to the 70 year old ride. The ride will be dismantled, but will operate again at another park very soon. Shaggy

Mostly from IAAPA through the years. Shaggy

Not sure if this is the appropriate place to post this... but here goes... I am downsizing a ton of junk in my life. Because of that I decided to part ways with several park-related items. I posted the items on Ebay. So what? You may ask. Well, several auctions include PKI and KI maps and brochures. So if you are looking to round out your collection... look here: http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQgotopageZ1QQsa...osortpropertyZ1 Good luck. Shaggy