Jetson’s Jet Orbiters

Opened: 1972

Closed: 2005

Location: Hanna-Barbera Land (today known as Planet Snoopy), approximately where the Snoopy statue across from Boo Blasters on Boo Hill is located today

Former Names: Kikky Kangaroo (1972-1976), Wilma’s Whirly Birds (1977-1981), Flintstone’s Flyboys (1982-1991), Jetsons’ Spaceport (1992-1997)

Manufacturer: Allan Herschell Company

Model: Helicopters

Vehicles: Eight two-person vehicles

Description: Jetson’s Jet Orbiters was a carousel-style flat ride that lifted its riders and rotated them in a large circle.

History: Jetson’s Jet Orbiters originally opened at Cincinnati’s Coney Island in 1960 and was known simply as Helicopters. It was retrofitted in 1967, swapping the helicopter-shaped vehicles for large kangaroo-shaped ones. Each kangaroo wore a hat and had fluttering eyelashes. The ride retained the kangaroos when it opened at Kings Island in 1972.

The ride reverted back to helicopter cars in 1977 and was renamed Wilma’s Whirly Birds, off of the character Wilma Flintstone from the TV series The Flintstones. The helicopters each had little covers with large propellers on top, and the Kings Island logo was painted to the front of each car. Identical kangaroo cars to those originally used at Kings Island appeared at Worlds of Fun amusement park in Kansas City, Missouri in 1977, suggesting that they may have been relocated from Kings Island.

The ride was renamed again in 1982 when the children’s area was overhauled. It became Flintstone’s Flyboys, still themed after The Flintstones cartoon. The vehicles retained their roofs and propellers and were given new prehistoric paintjobs, matching the theme of The Flintstones. Images of Barney Rubble and Fred Flintstone, characters from the show, were included on the front of each.

A decade later, the ride was renamed again in 1992 to Jetsons’ Spaceport, off of the Hanna-Barbera show The Jetsons. The roofs and propellers were removed and new, futuristic-looking nose cones were added to the vehicles. Modified tail pieces were also installed. Six years later, it was renamed yet again in 1998 to Jetson’s Jet Orbiters but retained its space-age look.

The ride last operated in 2005 and was not retained for the introduction of Nickelodeon Universe in 2006. After its closure, Jetson’s Jet Orbiters was listed for sale on used ride website RidesPlus.com with an asking price of $18,000. It remained on the website through at least 2011, though its cars were used as Halloween Haunt props with skeletons in them during this time.