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Random Facts
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Two of the guys who started Kings Island were at a convention in Chicago and they found out that John Allen was there. They asked him to design the Racer for their new park, and he declined saying that he was retired, so they kept buying him drinks until he finally caved in.
- Kings Island used to own 1600 acres.
- John Allen, although he did not design the Beast, took interest in the project and did several calculations for the ride and designed the braking system.
- Kings Island used to only have five areas.
- Both Partridge Family and Brady Bunch have filmed episodes there.
- The Bat was the shortest lived major attraction ever at Kings Island. Working only two years.
- The que and station for the Vortex was the one used for The Bat.
- A Lion in the Wild Animal Safari attacked its keeper.
- There are still cages from the Wild Animal Safari laying about the area by Son of Beast and Adventure Express.
- Flight of Fears first train with the OTSR is sitting back behind Timberwolf.
- King Cobras trains are sitting inside of Flight of Fears spagetti bowl. While the tracks are back by the plant nursery and behind Flight of Fear.
- The Enchanted Voyage used to have a huge compass ontop of the building.
- The Beast was origionally built on a lake.
- There used to be a arcade by WINGS Diner.
- One time the Sky Ride broke down for 8 hours and stranded people on the ride, when they finally got off, Kings Island offered them "lifetime passes" to the park. Most people turned them down saying they enjoyed the extended view.
- About two million guests enjoyed the 150-acre park that first season.
- The Screamin' Demon was the first forward- and backward-looping roller coaster in the country when it was built.
- Flight of Fear was one of the first roller coaster in the world to use linear induction technology.
- Before Paramount, Season Passes used to be green.
- There used to be a seperate entrance for season pass holders. Which is still used on days that attendance is expected to be high.
- The attractions in WaterWorks water park have given guests more than 35 million slides since opening in 1989.
- John Allen made his calculations on the back of a placemat in the International Street Resturant.
- The que (except the poles) for the Zodiac still stands today.
- The Action 180 Theater used to show a movie where a cat drove a car from the police.
- A part of the que for the Adventure Express is the same cement used for the Flying Dutchman que.
- The Royal Fountains on International Street were built for the park`s opening. They cost more than double the budgeted $251,000 to build. The fountains are a mere two feet deep and hold 500,000 gallons of water. 10,000 gallons of water are pumped through its many nozzles each minute! The park completely renovated the Royal Fountain before the start of the 2003 season.
- In an average year, 100 tons of hamburgers and 300 tons of French fries are consumed by guests. Additionally, guests consume about 3,000,000 gallons of soft drinks each year, which is enough to fill the Royal Fountain about six times.
- Paramount`s Kings Island`s parking lot contains approximately 11,000 parking spaces.
- In 2000, the 10 most popular rides were: (1) The Racer [2,081,115 riders], (2) Adventure Express [1,322,188 riders], (3) Vortex [1,288,492 riders], (4) The Beast [1,143,739 riders], (5) Top Gun [1,049,989 riders], (6) Phantom Theater [914,269 riders], (7) The Beastie [862,860 riders], (8) Flight of Fear [847,300 riders], (9) Congo Falls [845,932 riders], (10) Viking Fury [840,667 riders].
- Before The Beast was built there used to be a canoe ride that used to stand right about where The Beast station sits today. The ride was named "Shawnee Landing."
- Prior to being purchased by Paramount , Wings Diner in River Town was known as the "Columbia Palace ."
- The River Town station for the Kings Island and Miami Valley Railroad is known as Losantiville, the original name of Cincinnati .
- In 1980, a year after the ride opened, the Beast`s helix was enclosed. Also, the park added a tunnel to the first drop of Scooby Doo in Hanna Barbera Land to allow young kids to experience something similar to the Beast. When the park added the tunnel they changed the name of the ride to the Beastie.
- Each Saturday night, before Q-TV was installed, the popular late 1970`s song S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y Night! by the Bay City Rollers was played in the Beast`s queue line.
- In 1993, Quickdraw`s Café was replaced by the Busytown Grill featuring Richard Scary`s children`s book characters. Also in 1993, the German Bier Gardens are renamed to Oktoberfest Gardens .
- There were 50 lions in "Lion Country Safari" when it opened.
- Attendance in 1990 was 3.2 million guests. Attendance in 1991 fell 11% from the year before to 2.85 million guests. In 1992, attendance was 3.26 million visitors.
- Some of the access stairs that were used on The Bat are now part of the Vortex and are used as the access stairs to the block brakes.
- Kings Island opened "softly" on April 29th , 1972. Only 4,000 guests showed up because it poured down rain all day. The official grand opening was not held until May.
- Evil Keneval successfully jumped 14 busses in the King's Island parking lot on October 25, 1975. He did it in front of 70,000 spectators .
- In an average year, the park spends more than $100,000 on replacing and fixing wheels for all the rides.
- The "Beast Graveyard" is a hidden storage area in the Beast`s woods. It has stored Beast cars, Beast wood, Beast bolts, Eiffel Tower cables as well as the reels for them. In 2001, the area housed the lift chains for The Beast that were replaced prior to the 2000 season.
- In 1993, Paramount banned the sale of alcohol in the park. Needless to say, the ban was short lived as the sale of alcohol is a big money maker. Alcohol was still sold in the International Restaurant and in the private picnic groves.
- Adventure Express is dedicated to Robert Rinkel, a head of maintenance who passed away prior to the opening of the coaster. The park placed a plaque dedicating the ride to him on a stone by the entrance to the ride.
- The oldest attraction to have ever operated at Paramount`s Kings Island was the Tumble Bug. It was originally built for Coney Island in 1925 before being moved to PKI in 1972. It continued to operate at the park through the 1984 season.
- The second-floor of the International Street shops borrow a trick from Disney. To fool the eye and save money, the doors and windows on the second floor of the shops are built at 3/4 scale.
- The original attraction on the site of Nickelodeon Central was the Sunshine Turnpike.
- Preston T. Tucker`s Roadside Café opened in 1994 and was based on the Paramount movie "Tucker: The Man and his Dream."
- RSL Commercial Architecture, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, has worked extensively at Paramount`s Kings Island for several seasons. They designed the station for Face Off. They also designed the Animation Station transformation from the old sky ride building. They also did the design work for the Flight of Fear and Tomb Raider buildings. In addition, they were responsible for the Preston T. Tucker`s Roadside Café, and were then responsible for the transformation of that building into the Happy Days Diner in 2005. They were also responsible for Graeter`s and Italian Job: Stunt Track in 2005.
- The Kings Island Resort and Conference Center , originally owned by Taft Broadcasting, is now owned by Belvedere Hotels Ltd. Of Cincinnati .
- The Graeter`s Ice Cream shop that opened on International Street in a 1,700 square foot shop in 2005, was the first new Graeter`s to open in ten years in the Cincinnati area.
- Scoobys Goaster Coaster now lies in rest next to King Cobra track in its graveyard.
- Kings Island maintains a spare parts inventory valued at more than $3 million.
- Many of the rides and structures` foundations designed by Steven Schaefer Associates, Inc. and their Entertainment Structures Group division. They are a structural engineer firm based in Cincinnati. They designed the Son of Beast station, and the foundations for that ride. They also designed the foundations for Face Off and Drop Zone, as well as Face Off`s station. They also designed the steel frame supporting the 30 foot tall Reptar outside of Runaway Reptar. They also designed the station, foundations and theme elements for Italian Job: Stunt Track. They also have done work at the Cincinnati Zoo.
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Comments
This effect is called 'forced perspective'.
The station for the wild animal habitat still stands today and is used for storage.
=]
Also... is the International Street restaurant (not sure what its called but its above the park enterance) still open??
Does anyone remember the skydivers? The live characters on the train ride? Actually, the train was great before it became the lazy man's transport to Water Works. There used to be a lot of cool scenery and animatronics. I worked on the train in 1990 and there were a couple of engineers who had been there since the park opened. I wonder if they're still there.
Anyway, for anyone who works there now, especially if you work overnight (cleaning, security, etc) is the place still haunted? Int'l restaurant was spooky as hell at night and there were always weird stories about things going on there at night.
I found this site by accident, but it is great. Thanks to whoever took the time to put this together.
Its amazing......all these facts are soo interesting....i loved reading them....Keep building strong KI!!!!!!!!
By the way, the Scooby Doo "Ghoster Coaster" is still in operation at Kings Dominion (for those who miss the one in Ohio!)
One of the early public relations people at KI was Tom Olds of Columbus. He got the KI job after working at the Middletown Journal.
they really should think about preserving their history even more and re-opening some of the shops and areas that theyve closed off. they still have plenty of space left to build!
p.s. i liked it when enchanted voyage was smurfed up! it was my fav ride when i was little!
rode THE BAT many a time and enjoyed it. Kings Island is still very special to me and I'm STILL a season pass holder to this day some 29 years later.
I just remember if you were leaving the LaRosa's near The Beast and were facing the lake with the huge flower basket, you had to walk to your right towards the Eiffel Tower and the dolphin tank was on the left as the path curved to the right and up towards that huge clock made of flowers.
I can't believe I remember that but it had to have been in the mid/late 70's.
I also worked at the park in '84, in rides (antique cars) and during Winterfest (in the Festhaus). I moved away and haven't been back to the park since '91, I believe, but I'd like to go back next year to ride the new hyper coaster.
oops! found the info under shows and entertainment. thanks for the site and the great memories!!
its bringing back some great memories
As I have worked at Flight of Fear before, I have seen these, there is also pieces of the ghoster coaster there!
i hated that my grandma would make me ride the double sided ferris wheel, I also remember a ride that went in circles I think it had something to do with bobsleds? How about theatre that had that days of thunder ride/movie?
And yes, I'd love to sneak into the park and tour around the old buildings and see legacy coaster cars. My question is why would they store the King Cobra cars in the Flight of Fear tower? Isn't there a better warehouse to store them in somewhere?
I have to agree with many of the posters here that paramount was very bad for KI.
my dad always tells me stories about how he rode on the bat and screamin demon and how he remembers almost everything that used to be there
Anyway, I miss the wooded area behind International Showplace. I remember working there and the cantina (employee cafeteria) was located next to Showplace. The outdoor area was nice and quiet. I remember the bridge and the tunnel over near the kids area and rivertown. All of that is gone thanks to the Diamondback. I guess time brings change.
I'm glad to see Paramount doesn't own the park anymore. I agree with others that it was becoming less of a theme park and more of an advertisement for Paramount. Annoying.
I remember the dolphins, they were there at least until I was a teen (young teen, maybe). I never got to ride The Bat, because I wasn't tall enough. The first adult roller coaster I could ride was the Screamin' Demon, and only because it apparently had a very low height requirement. Loved the Tumble Bug, rode the Scooby-Doo I don't even know how many times, and on a hot day, there was nothing like going through the Enchanted Voyage - before it was all Smurfed up. I can even remember the tune, although I no longer recall the words. Actually, it's stuck in my head, now.
There was nothing like riding the tram back to your car, just in time for the fireworks.
I live in Colorado now, but I'm so homesick reading this site. Thanks for the memories.
Also, does anyone remember a strange little "head" shop on the second floor of the International St shops? I distinctly remember being able to go upstairs, and the shop sold candles and incense and posters, and was very hip (for KI anyway!). I remember sitting up there with my friend, listening to Alice Cooper's album Killer playing, and we thought we were very cool.
Thanks for the old photos - especially of rides now gone.
PS Flying Dutchman shoes were made of fiberglass
RD
Also I have recently heard about the Kings Island hauntings. Any previous or current employee's can you please email me about your past experiences with any ghosts that might wonder the current park? Please and thank you!
tmschick12@hotmail ...
Reds dugout shop where you could drool over the Rose, Bench stuff and then cross the little pathway to the "Beast", the greatest ride on God's green earth!
For those asking about the really old rides, some of them, like the whip-it, and the rocko planes, and many of the old rides from Coney can be found at a little privately owned park west of Cincy, called Strickers Grove. The Owner leases it out to grouips and companies for private picnics etc. It has two great little wooden roller coasters, and lots of the old nostalgic rides in a really cute little park.
I know we're in the background of lots of old family vacation pictures, because we used to stand behind them and wave!
Bi Bi
greg alias Jack the Zipper the original......
The Zodiac may be what some remember from KI
Timberwolf had really good shows, especially for the price. Clapton was definitely the biggest name, but I remember seeing Buffet there, and Moody Blues, Air Supply, Beach Boys...loved my season pass and all the concerts!
Another poster mentioned Winterfest...I miss Winterfest!! Remember the Scrooge puppet that would spray people with water when they heckeld him (my absolute favorite!!), the hot chocolate and gingerbread men in the festhaus while watching the ice skating show and tons of lights!!
Ahhh...the memories!
I'm a child of the '80s, so some of my best childhood memories center around trying to remember if we parked in Scooby Row 6 or Barney Rubble Row 5. I remember the tunnel of greenery lined with fairy lights that led to Hanna-Barbera Land, the music and sound effects that played as Gargamel threatened little blue animatronic figures in Smurf's Enchanted Voyage, being scared TO DEATH by the "shootout" and "bears" on the train, being treated to thick-cut fries after getting soaked on the log flume, and making up a "Shake, Rattle, and Roll" song with my best friend as we waited in line for the ride.
Later years involved making out with cute guys on the Phantom Theater, daring my scaredy-cat friends to ride the King Cobra and Vortex with me (great rides!), trash-talking fellow riders on the red Racer (I always rode on the backwards blue train), and grabbing a slice from La Rosa's after screaming my lungs out riding the Beast at night. For some reason, the pizza always tasted better after that ride.
And blue ice cream will always be Smurf ice cream to me.
So much has been taken away....the Enchanted Voyage, the Screamin' Demon, the Zodiac (what some have referred to as the double ferris wheel), the King Cobra (a personal fav of mine), the slides, the antique cars, the Skyride, Flying Dutchman, and one of the best rides ever - Kenton's Cove Keelboat Canal. It was bad enough when they replaced the Screamin' Demon with the boring Amazon (aka Congo) Falls, but to take out the Keelboats and replace it with Tomb Raider (aka, the Crypt, aka, the worst piece of junk ever) was an abomination.
And it's not just rides that have been taken away...it's also the other things that gave KI its character, which are long gone as well - things like the tunnel that went from HB Land to Rivertown, and the Reds Dugout Shop. And all of the frontier scenes, buildings, animatronics, and narration on the train ride, very little of which remains today (the train isn't even looked at as a ride anymore - it's just a way to give people a lift to the water park, who are too lazy to walk to it). And the old warning sign in front of the Beast (calling for volunteers), along with the lake that surrounded the station, which was built like an old mill - it all helped give the ride it's ominous persona.
One of the things that makes Disney World so great is the fact that people can go there today and have their kids experience the same things they themselves loved 20 years before. That's not true anymore with Kings Island. Every time Kings Island does away with some long-time favorite, like the Enchanted Voyage or the Antique Cars, they aren't just getting rid of an old ride - they're getting rid of something that means a lot to the people of Cincinnati. And, why doesn't Kings Island ever expand? Instead, whenever they build something new, they always take something else out (like taking away the antique cars for the stunt coaster, or the Keelboats for Tomb Raider / Crypt). And half the time, when they take out an old favorite, they replace it with something that costs extra. Screw that.
Kings Island isn't just a theme park, its a part of Cincinnati. Just like the Reds, the Bengals, the Cincinnati Zoo, Rozzi's, Union Terminal, Music Hall, LaRosa's Pizza, and Cincinnati-style chili, KI is one of the things that makes Cincinnati unique.
I still go to KI today, but I love it for what it once was, more so than what it is today, which is only a shell of its former self. I go to ride what few classics from the glory days are still around, like the Beast, the Racer, White Water Canyon, and what's left of the Kings Mills Flume. (Also, to Cedar Fair's credit, Diamondback IS an incredible ride). But a lot of what sete Kings Island apart from every other park is long gone. Paramount / Viacom robbed Cincinnati of the "real" Kings Island.
i loved jumping on the car and taking over while driving into the station.
the trick was to jump on when they were not looking,,,especially the kids.
also, one day, i lost my name tag and was instructed to go to the furthest security point and tell them that i needed a new tag. i did that, and they let me in to the employee area. i quickly realized that this little loophole could be easily exploited by anyone young enough to look like a ki employee. over the next few years, i would sometimes tempt fate and sneak in using the same method (i had a season pass, so it was just for adrenaline). tell the security guard at the first gate that i was picking up my brother from work, and tell the security guard at the entrances that i either had a class at pkiu or needed to get a replacement name tag, and it worked every time! i just got back to the employee section and then crossed over to the park!
oh to be 16 again!