Losantiville Mining Co.

If they choose to withhold construction in favor of the drone show then I could see a potential June or July opening, even if it's a small and lackluster coaster. Something I would like to see stay/brought back is the foliage currently present in Vortex Valley. That or some kind of nice landscaping and hardscaping package would make the area around/under the coaster look much better compared to what was there before. The park could also potentially move the drones to a different flying area depending on the criteria for where they can fly over. I can't imagine they use the entire Vortex plot for the drones when they mostly fly within a relatively narrow rectangle.

What's funny about KI using slogans is that they currently don't have one. Where parks like Cedar Point has "A Place Like No Other", Carowinds has "Where the Carolinas Come Together", and Kings Dominion has "Virginia’s Premier Destination for FUN", Kings Island's website just has the park name. I like the sound of "Where Fun Reigns" (although Six Flags might use the uppercase "FUN").

Adding to this, there are also a ton of white cars in front of the Antique Autos. There were more about 10 minutes ago and they might be SUVs, but either way I don't know what they'd all be right there for.

I feel like a moving walkway would only slow down operations in addition to being a relatively big project. As for the rest of Epic's problems, I don't know that there's an easy way to fix many of them. They could add more shows with simple sets to offset the massively tech-based productions in WWoHP: MoM and the Isle of Berk. A couple of relatively simple stage shows/musical revues would at least give them something to fall back on. One more thing: I understand that they probably have to use the full name Wizarding World of Harry Potter Ministry of Magic because it's probably a copyright/trademark thing, but it's far too long of a name to have for a land. Ministry of Magic is also a bad name for the land on its own, but I suspect that might change once they add a second ride.

My personal feelings about private equity aside (they're bad), they literally just love to suck the value out of anything they have stock in. Would bankruptcy help to do anything to get private equity out of a somewhat controlling share percentage, or would it just make it worse by possibly inviting more/other PE into the mix? If UPR does end up going bankrupt then I hope someone would be able to come in and take on some of their parks. I assume they'd go for Chapter 11 reorganization, which might lead to closing parks if they can't find a buyer.

What parts of Stardust Racer's operations are not efficient (genuine question)?

This actually looks like something being added rather than removed. I suspect they might be balancing out both sides of the facade. There's something up with that circled area that doesn't make much sense with what we've been seeing.

Trash cans: the useful waste bins that help to keep refuse off the paths and out of sight. Some guests would never think twice about how a trash can looks, so why should anyone care? What does a trash can have to do with how a park looks or feels? Well, it turns out that a nice looking waste receptacle might actually do a lot of good for an area. It can be used to beautify sightlines by making itself less visible across a wider view, or as an easy reminder of what area you're in (think about the bins on International Street vs. Camp Snoopy vs. Area 72). A well-designed bin can block the sunlight from heating the trash inside it while also keeping some smells better contained. Something I've wondered for a while is this: What roller coaster was used as the inspiration for the Cedar Fair trash can decals beginning around 2008? The different variations of the Cedar Fair icon show a mix of generalized steel and/or wooden roller coasters. There is also a non-descript "roller coaster and waves" logo that I've most associated with Dorney Park. After the Paramount Parks acquisition and CF park logo standardization, one specific decal began to pop up on every new trash can until parks like Kings Island and Carowinds started to introduce metal trash cans that looked more refined. We can see that the roller coaster depicted on these bins is clearly wooden (or has a wooden structure) and has a lift hill that drops toward a left-hand turn. It isn't entirely straightforward since the area where the drop might connect to that turn seems very tight, but part of me wants to chock that up to artistic liberties. Could this be a generic "coaster" only designed for this graphic? Yes, but I want to make sure. Bin #1 at Kings Island and its counterpart from Carowinds (#2) were introduced sometime between 2008-2011 after the new park logos were finalized and put into use. I believe bin #3 is a former Geauga Lake trash can (#4) brought in after that park's closure, especially since it resembles the pre-Paramount Cedar Fair trash cans with a new sticker. #5 is a rebranded Cedar Point bin while bin #6 shows a somewhat unique white background variant of the decal. Bin #7 from Worlds of Fun uses the 2008-ish Cedar Fair logo and includes the "Cedar Fair Entertainment Company" name in smaller print. Dorney Park's bin (#8) uses the amusement/waterpark icon also seen in bin #4. So far I've ruled out: Mean Streak, Gemini, Cedar Creek Mine Ride, Blue Streak, all Woodstock Express clones, all Racer variants, Son of Beast, both Hurler clones, Zach's Zoomer (MAdv), Prowler, Timber Wolf, Excalibur, Renegade, Grizzly (CGA), and Mighty Canadian Minebuster (CW). I could see an argument for: a heavily stylized and reduced Beast, a stylized Shivering Timbers (looking at the lift from the helix), High Roller (again, missing the station and looking at the lift), GhostRider, Grizzly (KD), Wilde Beast (CW). (All being stylized and generalized in some way, shape, or form.) This could absolutely turn out to be a nothing burger. If it really was just designed for the bins then I'm still at least holding out hope for my KI Fun & Safety Guide research. Kings Island has had a number of trash can designs around the park since 1972. During the Taft/KECO era each land seemed to have its own bin design. It appears that trash cans may have been standardized during the Paramount era, but I haven't seen enough to say for certain. Cedar Fair obviously brought in a ton of trash cans, even slightly changing designs around 2008-2011 and again in 2020. Festhaus received its own style of bins during it's most recent refresh. The new metal bins started to pop up around the park around 2022 and look really good. I wish the brown ones on International Street had some decals on them. Some I-Street text (as seen on some of the 80s maps) would be nice to see. Do you have a favorite "look" of Kings Island trash cans?

The biggest question I have is if United Parks loses the case will the Sesame Workshop pull their licensing agreement, thus forcing UPR to rebrand their Sesame attractions? As we've discussed on here, there aren't a ton of family area IPs out there. Six Flags: Looney Tunes, DC, and Peanuts Disney: Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, Fox (20th Century Studios and such), etc. Also uses Bluey for some experiences Universal: Dr. Seuss, Marvel (in IOA), Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, Nintendo, Illumination (Minions), How to Train Your Dragon, Dreamworks (the various Shrek properties), Spongebob (at the upcoming Universal Kids Resort) etc. Herschend prefers to make custom family areas, though may still have some rights to use Cartoon Network properties. United Parks and Resorts: Sesame Workshop Other potential IPs that could be used: Thomas the Tank Engine The Wiggles Nickelodeon properties (currently in use at Nickelodeon Universe and the American Dream Mall) Hanna-Barbera (I think they might be licensed under Paramount at this point) Cartoon Network (also under Paramount once they buy Warner Bros. Discovery) Peppa Pig (used in the Peppa Pig Theme Park) In a timeline where Sesame Workshop is going to look for a new park chain to partner with, I wouldn't entirely mind seeing Six Flags ditch Looney Tunes and bring in Sesame Street. That would complicate things a little in terms of IP spread, but I think the way they use LT is a little tacky compared to how Peanuts is used. The DC properties are a good thematic bridge into bigger rides for the older kids though.

Carowinds has brought us another visual change from the merger in the form of new Dining Plan symbology that somewhat aligns with the new Dining Plan and Drink Plan logos that were rolled out with the new Regional Gold Passes. As for their map, it seems that Six Flags' quality standards are also still quite low seeing that the PDF is pixel-y and there are some inconsistencies on it. Notably, Aeronautica Landing is listed as simply "Aeronautica" on the map while the full name is listed on the key. If there was an issue with the name covering other information then the text could have easily been moved further up and to the left. The map is again shown without any foliage which was one of my criticisms of it last year. I understand that it's for easier navigation, but it makes the map feel emptier than it does on the Six Flags app. I could see some guests getting confused because the Premium All Day Dining Plan (which is the only one to include snacks) uses the circle and the All Season Dining Plan uses the square-like shape. This is flipped on the symbols where the Dining Plan Meal locations use the circle and the Snack locations use the square. I think it would've been better to make sure that the shapes/colors correlated with each other since it's clear that they were all designed together. Other parks have also released their 2026 maps. Six Flags Over Texas has a very poor quality map with a lot of pixelation and visual inaccuracies. Tormenta Rampaging Run isn't shown (only listed via text), which leads me to believe that this might be a temporary map until either TRR opens or they can get a more final version. Fiesta Texas, Six Flags Mexico, Magic Mountain, and Discovery Kingdom are still using their early 2025 maps despite them all having maps in the new art style. Knott's Berry Farm has a really nice map for 2026 as always. I have a feeling the map updates will be very dependent on what park they're coming from as happened last year. It would be nice to see them actually standardized and updated this year.

DOUBLE POST: It looks like the cap of the left (PS side) tower has been removed, so we may see some structural/shaping changes to go with the new paint.

WEBCAM WATCHERS I think I see some new white paint on the Snoopy side of the castle!

The entire quote from Act II Scene VII in As You Like It if anyone would like to read it (credit to https://poets.org/poem/you-it-act-ii-scene-vii-all-worlds-stage). Shakespeare is always nice to read every once in a while. As for the media tour:

I think there are actually two boom trucks, one on either side of the castle. You can see the arm of the truck on the right is nearly parallel with the castle's north parapet. They could be painting or replacing the window decals. That new concrete definitely appears to be helping the truck to get closer; although I don't think they're supposed to be putting that much weight on brand new concrete yet. It looks like that "extended queue" concrete will be more for getting guests in line off of the main pathway. Any extended queue that goes down toward the original entrance path would need to break through the wall separating that hill from the Peanuts Showplace entrance.

I'm thinking if we don't see anything 20-30 days before the ride opens then they might not host a charity event. This ride seems like it would be a really good candidate for one though. With all of the hype and anticipation surrounding it I think KI could get some good participation. There's still hope that PT:ON will be open for Opening Day, but I also still have my doubts based on what I've seen from Six Flags in recent years.

I wonder if the cherry picker is being used for fixes to the facade or if it is entirely what they're using to paint the castle. Right now it looks like it's actually closer to the top of the "gate" where the Boo Blasters sign is/was. Maybe they're working on that before they can work on the big mouth entrance. What I'd give to see something from the ground right there. About a month ago there was a comment from John Reilly on how Magic Mountain was planning to save some money in the long term by purchasing their own boom arm cherry picker, so now I'm curious if Kings Island would do the same. Most of the time I see one in the park it looks to be from Art's Rentals.

They look sad, but it's mostly because they're not in context. The lack of contextual lighting mixed with the cutout nature of the props (and the setting of each photo) are what kill the vibe. Smoke and mirrors do a lot of heavy lifting for dark rides. I'm glad the park is getting what looks to be a much higher quality attraction in PT:ON! I think SDatHC accomplished what it was going for in being a much cheaper alternative to anything at Universal or Disney. Paramount couldn't/didn't want to spend all of that money on an experience they couldn't easily replicate at their other parks so they went with an expanded off-the-shelf option. Boo Blasters also accomplished what it needed to with how it de-branded an IP attraction in the same year as a major area reskin.

To think there were so many issues with season pass complexity and unfairness when they were trying to combine pass structures in 2007 as well! Does anyone remember how the pass systems worked before and after the acquisition of the Paramount Parks? I'm doing some park history research and keep finding broken pages on the Wayback Machine that limit my findings. I'm specifically trying to find some more info about the overall Paramount Gold Pass benefits, logos for the Gold Pass/GP Speed Lane, and what those respective signs in the photo below might specifically say. Photo: Johnny Fout on Facebook

I'm seeing prices ranging from $10-$50 depending on the lot. There are lot items that are the size of medium picture frames all the way up to lot items that are 6+ feet tall. Each lot from the portrait gallery includes the tall black box that held the frame, scrim, background, and the gold detail above it all. Some of the items looks like they could be really nice for a community/school theater to have in their prop catalog, but I think the final costs might be a little prohibitive. Interestingly enough there are some items missing like the bed and the final Boocifer archway. The skeletons from the two dark rooms are also all missing. Those might be too large for the auction or could be finding a new home elsewhere. I still think that this would've been a good opportunity to give Cedar Point a quick and cheap dark ride until they work up the funds for an original concept. The park might do a charity event for Phantom Theater's first riders, so I'm not very pressed that they might be using the BBoBH auction to help pay off some corporate debt. If I could find a spot I'd probably go for one of the flat signs to hang on a wall. What this auction will almost definitely do is soothe all of the naysayers who keep commenting about how PT:ON will "just be a reskin of BBoBH" after that was a reskin of SDatHC. Maybe it'll more so be proof against them, but I digress.

Ooh I haven't been able to look at the auction site yet, so that's pretty cool! I think restoration could be possible if you have the right tools and take your time with it. Your success might also hinge on whether the Boo Blasters figures were attached to the SDatHC figures with screws, nails, or some kind of adhesive. Screws or nails should be easy to remove (and you'd also be able to keep both figures), but if it's adhesive then good luck. These were probably never expected to be separated so the adhesive could've been dabbed on or spread all over. If you're lucky it'd come off in chunks, but otherwise there will be some sanding involved. I suspect that they used screws since the gap looks so small and adhesive would have a harder time sticking to a smooth surface. Maybe I can look closer once I open up the website for myself. If anyone does manage to snag one and attempts to begin a separation/restoration process, be sure to post it! I'd love to see how they were attached and how it all turns out.

I don't have a screenshot for y'all, but Carowinds posted to Facebook saying that "Tomorrow will be an eventful day". If Carowinds releases their events calendar tomorrow, maybe Kings Island will too? We haven't seen much of what KI's new social media person likes to post, so I can't tell you if they're better or worse than the others we've had recently.

Would those be the same cutouts as the ones from SDatHC or are they newer? I don't think they're the same ones. The shape of Shaggy doesn't match either ghost IMO. The one on the left could be a modified Scooby-Doo though. I'm also curious if the figures are painted on or if it's a printed cling.

I think selling to Herschend or splitting off into its own park chain (with a few other parks) would be the only good options if KI had to be sold. Both would come with major changes to general operations and (in the case of Herschend) no more meal plans. That being said, Six Flags probably won't let it go easily. Mid-America may have been chosen to be the flagship because Enchanted Parks might feel it is the most malleable in terms of making it their own. Worlds of Fun has an established theme throughout the park that works with its name while Mid-America will need to see some extensive reworking under its new management. They have an opportunity to make the theming more cohesive in each area while they work to replace all of the Six Flags branding and IPs that Enchanted Parks can't use. I believe that's also why the CEO is speaking so much on the investment slated for the park.

For my fellow KI webcam watchers, there is now a smattering of materials sitting near the castle facade! Some of these items could be for testing nearby rides, but I'm choosing to believe they're for Phantom Theater facade work.

Concerts at Timberwolf would bring in some additional revenue, but I think the venue as it currently exists is not very appealing to modern audiences. It lacks shade, the seats are old and uncomfortable, and the guest entrance experience simply looks and feels bad with concert goers walking through park service areas. I don't think it can easily compete with all of the venues in Cincinnati, even when you factor in all of the fearmongers who swear off going downtown. Carowinds Paladium at least has a roof over the front sections of seats and a direct connection to their front gate alongside more permanent dedicated concessions and restroom facilities. It could work if Kings Island/Six Flags wanted to pour some money into vastly improving the venue, but I don't think we'll see anything long term without that. If they want to test out a new concert program they might want to start by having more events in the KI Theater. The entrance could go through the former Season Pass entrance tunnel and utilize the Front Gate restrooms (before the turnstiles) and/or the Invertigo restrooms. As for KidzBop and Live Nation, the big concert venue at Darien Lake is a LN venue so they might have a way to start that relationship if they haven't already.