SonofBaconator

“Built” as in it was erected- the coaster itself was built for an other park but was later relocated to Sandusky-it was never custom built for CP. If it was custom built, CP would have had three trains.

I have this theory that the park is gauging whether fans are leaning more toward family attractions or if there’s still a strong demand for a major thrill ride like the thrill coaster. Looking at the options, three out of the four are clearly family-focused: a storytelling inverted coaster like Arthur, a Jeep-style adventure ride through themed scenes, and a live-action Wild West stunt show. The only true thrill option is the large red roller coaster. That alone tells me the park is testing whether guests are ready for another high-intensity coaster or if they’d rather see something more accessible to families. If the results end up evenly split - say, each concept getting around 25% - then it’s highly unlikely the park will move forward with the big thrill coaster. Even if the thrill coaster gets around 50% and the remaining options share the other half, that still shows half the audience prefers family attractions, which would likely push Kings Island toward something tamer. To make a new thrill coaster happen, the response would probably need to be at least 60% in favor of the red coaster - enough to send a clear signal that the majority of fans truly want a major thrill ride over anything else. Otherwise, this survey is probably Kings Island’s final check to confirm whether it’s time to shift their focus fully toward the family market. My two cents.

At the very least maybe invest in walk around characters to engage with the public during halloween. https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2021/04/23/photos-video-first-look-at-disneys-life-size-walking-baby-groot/

Stories are great for rides like Mystic, Beast, Banshee, Orion, and even Diamondback- and while I’m sure KI could make up one for Racer- I don’t think that a made up story would be the right fit for it. Actually, I argue that the best way to tell Racer’s story is with its history– how it sparked the second roller coaster renaissance, how The Brady Bunch rode it, how it ran backwards for a while, how it’s as old as the park itself, etc. Sometimes a ride’s history is its greatest story

For as long as I’ve known about Fearfest/Halloween Haunt, one thing always alluded me – how come the park never had any ride related mazes? Think about if slaughterhouse was a maze themed to the legend of The Beast under a different name, if the former blackout building was centered around the legend of the Banshee, etc. Heck, we never had a maze around Phantom Theater (granted Phantom theater briefly was a Fearfest attraction.) The closest thing we really got were scare zones that were slightly related to the park sections like Alien X, Coney Maul, etc. Maybe that might come off as cheap or unimaginative, but I’m still kind of surprised that the park never expanded on a ride’s story through an adjacent maze.

Since this post, Six Flags and Cedar Fair (now Six Flags) have added 4 Dive Coasters - Dr. Diabolical’s Cliffhanger (2022), Iron Menace (2024), Wrath of Rakshasa (2025), and the upcoming Tormenta at Six Flags Over Texas (2026). I fully expect more parks are going to receive Dive Coasters between now and 2030. Will we be one of them? Considering how diverse Dive Coasters have become, I think it’s possible. Back in the mid-2000s, most were just variants of SheiKra at Busch Gardens - big drop, a couple inversions, more gimmicky. Now we’re seeing models with more inversions, some that are longer and more drawn out, some breaking 300 feet, some going beyond vertical, and even combinations of these. The range is widening, and with how popular they’ve become, it wouldn’t be surprising to see one in our future.

Honestly, this would be the best case scenario for KI in many ways: It would indeed become a premier park since its a considerable distance from Dollywood and Silver Dollar City The old logo would certainly return The chain would more than likely adopt a new IP for the kids area that could be also be used for DW and SDC Food quality and entertainment options would get better Winterfest would get better but unfortunately Haunt would be downgraded to a family event, unless Herschend decided to cross into the scary. Cross promotion with Kentucky Kingdom and Newport Aquarium would be low hanging fruit Theming would certainly improve Don't expect many thrill rides Holiday World would $h!+ a brick But as @WoodVengeance said, KI is too much of a cash cow to sell off...and even so selling them off would make them a competitor to CP. In a way Six Flags needs KI more than KI needs them in some respects.

So the original Phantom theater was introduced in 1992, the last year before Paramount took over. With all that in mind, it makes me wonder if the intent was see how it did at KI before replicating it at other parks like Kings, Dominion, Canada‘s Wonderland, etc..which we’ll never really know because ownership changed hands. There are people on here who know more than I do so please feel free to chime in. Also, with all that in mind, I wonder if Six Flags would replicate this concept to other parks to diversify IP.

An S&S SS what not be a bad addition for where sky flyer was, especially considering that they both deliver a similar ride experience

I think animatronic in the sense that their bodies will move- I don’t think there’s many animatronics that have moving faces these days- even most Disney figures have internal projections.

I think if the ride still existed to this day and it never become Scooby Doo or Boo blasters, I like to think that they would’ve switched to internal face projection animatronics l-like what you see at Disney. If you look at some of the later footage of Phantom theater, you will see Maestro’s face wear down around the area from whatever jaw mechanism is making his mouth move- the same can be said for the boiler man

I wonder if the placement of the scenes will be a carbon copy of what they originally were- just with screens- or if they’ll change things up since screens gives them more…”freedom.” I’m defaulting to the former.

I still think the ones on the top left are Houdelini: If you look at the paper, Houdelini has two images in the center where he appears to have two a split pencil mustache- which is a departure from his thicker handlebar mustache. Also where his eyes are positioned consistent with the image if you look closely. Garbonzo’s image seems to make him looking straight ahead where Houdelini seems to be looking elsewhere. Also there is a clearer image on the table in the image below of Garbonzo who has more of a wispy, “hungarian” style:

I’m trying to figure out the bottom three characters to the left of the rabbit. Also, the one to the right of the two Houdelini renderings. I wonder if these are new characters, the members of the audience that you saw during the peppers ghost scene, or something else entirely. The page isn’t laid flat out so it’s hard to make out. I’m sure that more stuff will be revealed later on, but it’s cool to decipher.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19GSHE4BGK/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Going off this paper^ Two faces far left: Houdelini Smirking face: Stagehand pulling the ropes? Shocked face dead center: Stagehand being hung by his leg? Grinning face- Boiler room? The never seen Mighty Bosco? Smiling face, no teeth- The second Boiler room guy? Garbanzo? (There’s a picture right under it of him but I still think it’s the thinner boiler room guy) Highest in the back- Willard Warbler? The one who’s face you can’t see- unknown- you’d have to really examine the eyebrows. Also note the Viking hats in the back right

Also, one has to remember the markets they’re in: one is between Dallas and Ft Worth and the other is in Atlanta- they’re not going to give up those territories.

Case in point with another park- you have a ride that was closed for the majority of the season, and now that it’s open, it’s being used it to promote the MVP Sale.

Because it’s easier to “silence” a singular person. I don’t really see news reporters coming after the park and asking things that typical fans ask. I’m sure if a news agency reached out to the park, the park would be inclined to make a statement, but that comes at a cost – that news agency might not be invited back to ride announcements or different media day events – at least that’s how I view it.

I agree with you - it feels like amusement parks are moving away from storytelling and spokespeople, and are just posting things like “new ride open, buy your season pass.” The thing is, when a record-breaking coaster or a nostalgic attraction opens, the value is already there. I already want to ride it because of what it is. But when the messaging is just “buy your pass”, it shows where the priorities are - the transaction instead of the experience. For example: “Orion is open, buy your pass now” vs. “Come ride the record-breaking Orion at Kings Island, with a 300-foot drop, over a mile of track, and speeds over 90 mph- you won’t want to miss it! Secure your season pass today at VisitKingsIsland.com.” Both are basically sales pitches, but one tells a story that builds excitement. I know I need a ticket to enter the park - that’s obvious. Storytelling, though, makes me feel like the park is earning my business rather than just demanding it. In the long run, that’s better for customer retention than simply shouting “buy, buy, buy.” I think a lot of companies are just so fast to sell that they have honestly forgotten what they’re selling: entertainment…stories…memories…

Unfortunately, I think this goes deeper than Six Flags…there hasn’t really been much communication from the park in the past on certain items. Years ago with the practice of communication at amusement parks, almost each park had spokesperson where he/she was pretty much the face of the park to the general public. They were the ones that news reporters always talk to whenever there was a new announcement, incident, etc. Heck, a current member on this site could vouch for that much… With everything leading more corporate, I think that that personal touch goes away-which I don’t necessarily agree with. Most companies are more worried about getting information sent out via social media through targeted posts as opposed to literally just having somebody step behind a camera and say the same thing. It takes away the authenticity of things. I know that everybody is glued to their screens and wants information tweeted out as soon as possible, but I think there is still something to be said for verbal communication. It’s a different world out there. As somebody who went to college and studied communication, marketing, and or at a time when social media was still just as big of a part of our everyday lives as it is now, I think that a lot of corporations overlook the value of constant communication- it’s all about getting out content nowadays.

I’ve always assumed this was the endgame when the merger happened, no matter who was in charge. Factually, the Six Flags name was kept for its national recognition and licensing power, while Cedar Fair took the reins on operations - not sure if this is still factually accurate considering current events. Cedar Fair’s parks are mostly in mid-sized regional markets (Sandusky, Cincinnati, Richmond, Kansas City, etc.), while Six Flags gives them anchors in massive metros like New York, LA, Chicago, and Dallas. That combination wasn’t an accident. What we already know for sure is that not every park is safe. Six Flags America is closing after 2025, and California’s Great America is set to close after 2027. Analysts are openly saying the chain might have to sell off 10-12 more parks to cut debt. If a property doesn’t have strategic value - either because of location, attendance, or land value - it’s a target to be sold or shut down. That said, I don’t think this means the chain is going to liquidate every park it wants to part with. Some parks could easily be sold to private equity or to another operator. What’s happening with Six Flags America and California’s Great America won’t necessarily be the standard. If a company like Hershend, SeaWorld/Busch Gardens, or another chain is willing to pony up the cash for a park that doesn’t fit Six Flags’ long-term strategy, I don’t see Six Flags ignoring that offer. My take: I can’t break this down mathematically, but it makes sense that the chain might actually generate more revenue long-term by diverting some of their assets. Fewer parks means they can funnel more capital and attention back into the flagships - the ones pulling 2-3 million+ visitors a year. If I were running it, I’d rather have a leaner chain of higher-quality, higher-attendance parks than a bloated portfolio where a bunch of properties don’t move the needle. It’s the same logic you see with Disney, Universal, or even Busch Gardens/SeaWorld - they don’t need dozens of properties spread across the country to dominate. Sometimes less really is more.

All of which very well could be true-I’m not entirely sure if there’s anything left in there. That building has been around for nearly 25 years and has housed three (now 4) different themes.

I’m not sure how accurate that comment is considering that it became The Crypt in 2008 up until it’s final season in 2011. Cedar Fair had to remove anything related to Paramount.

I’m sure this is a new entrance- but I’m confused as to why not use the current entrance for the building as opposed building a new one- are they anticipating it’s going to be a super long line?