• Home
  • Forums
  • Park Guide
    • New in 2023
    • 50th in 2022
    • Kings Island Rides
    • Planet Snoopy
    • Soak City
    • 2022 Park Maps
    • Photo Galleries & Photo Archives
    • Halloween Haunt
    • Hallowtween
    • The Great Pumpkin Fest
    • Tricks & Treats
    • Grand Carnivale
    • WinterFest
    • New Year’s Eve Party
    • Coasterstock
    • FAQs and KICentral Tips
    • Camp Cedar
  • Pics
  • About KICentral
    • Welcome
    • About Us/Site History
    • KICentral Staff
    • Disclaimer
    • Contact Us
  • Gear
  • Park History
    • 50th in 2022
    • Timeline of Kings Island’s History
    • Past Attractions
    • Photo Galleries & Photo Archives
    • 50th Birthday
    • Historical Facts
    • Kings Island Shows
    • Development
    • Maps & Brochures
    • Shows and Entertainment
    • Winterfest
    • Fearfest to Haunt
    • Past & Present Park Audio
    • Executives
    • The Racer’s Record Setting Don Helbig
    • Brady Bunch Episode at Kings Island
    • KI’s Monorail Lives Again
    • Current Remnants of Past Attractions
  • Home
  • Forums
  • Park Guide
    • New in 2023
    • Kings Island Rides
    • Planet Snoopy
    • Soak City
    • 2022 Park Maps
    • Photo Galleries & Photo Archives
    • Halloween Haunt
    • Hallowtween
    • Tricks & Treats
    • The Great Pumpkin Fest
    • Grand Carnivale
    • Coasterstock
    • FAQs and KICentral Tips
    • WinterFest
    • New Year’s Eve Party
    • Camp Cedar
  • Photo Gallery
  • Kings Island History
    • 50th in 2022
    • Timeline of Kings Island’s History
    • Past Attractions
    • Photo Galleries & Photo Archives
    • 50th Birthday
    • Kings Island Shows
    • Historical Facts
    • Development
    • Maps & Brochures
    • Shows and Entertainment
    • Winterfest
    • Fearfest to Haunt
    • Past & Present Park Audio
    • Executives
    • The Racer’s Record Setting Don Helbig
    • Brady Bunch Episode at Kings Island
    • KI’s Monorail Lives Again
    • Current Remnants of Past Attractions
  • KIC Gear
  • About KICentral
    • Welcome
    • About Us/Site History
    • KICentral Staff
    • Disclaimer
    • Contact Us

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.

Latest Posts

New Single-Use Fast Lane System

disco2000 wrote: 1 hour ago, jbeast said:   Now if I wait in the regular line, get right u... 16 minutes ago

Congo Falls Sign Water Feature?

Timchat2 wrote: Did the sign for Congo Falls have actual water pouring out of it at some point? The "S" of "FALLS"... 2 hours ago

Adventure Port Construction Updates

Born_in_'72 wrote: I vote Flounder. 3 hours ago

Kings Island 2023 Food News and Re...

Tr0y wrote: Got to finally try the new fountain drink options at Grain and Grill. Mango Lime, and Strawberry H... 3 hours ago

Adventure Port Ride Reviews

brenthodge wrote: 5 hours ago, Timchat2 said: I always make a point to do a slow stroll around the car... 6 hours ago

@KICentral on Twitter

KI History

KICentral is your ultimate destination for Kings Island History. With a whole menu of pages on the main site, we also have a fully dedicated history forum as well.

History Timeline
Past Attractions
History Forums

Photo gallery

KICentral is your ultimate destination for Kings Island Photos. KICentral is always adding to our photo gallery. You can even submit your own photos for our gallery.

Orion Photo Galleries
Submit a Photo

KIC social media

  • FacebookFacebook
  • InstagramInstagram
  • TwitterTwitter
  • YouTubeYouTube

Copyright 2003-2019 KICentral.com & contributors · All rights reserved · KICentral is not affiliated with Cedar Fair Entertainment Company.