Worlds of Fun

Worlds of Fun is a 235-acre amusement park in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. The park opened in 1973 and is owned and operated by Cedar Fair, which purchased the park from Hunt-Midwest in 1995. Admission to Worlds of Fun includes access to Oceans of Fun, a water park adjacent to the amusement park.

Worlds of Fun

Slogan	It's Amazing in Here
Location	4545 Worlds of Fun Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
Coordinates	39°10′38.4″N 94°29′20.5″W
Theme	Jules Verne's story "Around the World in Eighty Days"
Owner	Cedar Fair
General manager	Tony Carovillano
Opened	May 26, 1973 (1973-05-26)
Operating season	April through December
Area	235 acres (0.95 km^2) (~0.90 km²)
Attractions
Total	47
Roller coasters	7
Water rides	3
Website	http://www.worldsoffun.com
Status	Operating

History

A view of Worlds of Fun from outside the park.

Worlds of Fun opened on May 2, 1973, at a cost of $10 million. It is situated at the northern edge of a vast industrial complex in the bluffs above the Missouri River in Clay County, Missouri. At the time of its opening, numerous modernization projects across Kansas City were in progress including the opening of Kansas City International Airport, Kemper Arena (now called Hy-Vee Arena) and the Truman Sports Complex. Mid-America Enterprises, seeking to capitalize on the citywide expansion movement, began construction on a new amusement park in 1969. The park was originally planned to complement a 500-acre (2.0 km²) hotel and entertainment complex, but a lagging economy during the park's early years derailed the idea.

In 1974, the first addition to Worlds of Fun was the 4000-seat Forum Amphitheater opened in the Europa section of the park. In 1976, a new section opened in honor of the United States Bicentennial – the 200th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence – and was named Bicentennial Square. The new section included the debut of Screamroller from Arrow Dynamics, which was a replica of the first modern-looping roller coaster, Corkscrew, that opened a year earlier at Knott's Berry Farm.

In 1982, Oceans of Fun opened next door as the largest water park in the world. Also the same year, a sub-world "River City" was opened in Americana bordering the Orient section. Screamroller was transformed into Extremeroller the following year, which featured stand-up trains instead of the original sit-down models making it the first looping, stand-up roller coaster in North America.[1] Several years later in 1989, Worlds of Fun ended the decade with the addition of Timber Wolf, a wooden roller coaster that initially ranked high in several national polls.[2][3]

Cedar Fair LP purchased Worlds of Fun in 1995. The new owners invested $10 million with the addition of Mamba, a D.H. Morgan Manufacturing steel hypercoaster, to the park's attraction lineup in 1998.[4]

Other notable additions

• 2006: Patriot opens as the longest, tallest, and fastest full-circuit inverted roller coaster in the region. It was the park's largest capital investment on a single attraction at $14 million.
• 2008: For their 35th anniversary, Worlds of Fun added a festival called Oktoberfest.
• 2009: A new wooden coaster, Prowler, is added to the Africa section of the park. It receives the Golden Ticket Award for "Best New Ride of 2009" by Amusement Today magazine.
• 2010: Snoopy's Hot Summer Lights, a $1 million immersive light and sound experience, opens in the Europa and Africa sections of the park. Subway opens at Oceans of Fun.
• 2011: Planet Snoopy, an $8-million children's themed area, is added to Worlds of Fun featuring over 20 rides and attractions. An Illions carousel called The Grand Carousel is added to the Scandinavia section of the park.
• 2012: A premium line queue system called "Fast Lane" is introduced.
• 2013: Oceans of Fun receives full integration with Worlds of Fun sharing one admission for both parks.
• 2014: WindSeeker – a 301-foot (92 m) Mondial swing ride at Knott's Berry Farm – was renamed SteelHawk and relocated to Worlds of Fun for the 2014 season.
• 2016: Planet Snoopy receives upgrades, including five new rides added to the children's area, with the removal of two former attractions.
• 2017: Mustang Runner (HUSS Troika), Falcon's Flight (HUSS Condor) is added to the Americana section of the park. A newly remodeled entrance is introduced, and Winterfest is introduced in November.
• 2018: Nordic Chaser (Mack SeaStorm) is added to the Scandinavia section of the park. Timber Wolf replaced their helix with a new seventy-degree back turn. Great Coasters International constructed the new element.
• 2019: In the Spring of 2019 Worlds of Fun is adding a new flagship restaurant, Cotton Blossom BBQ. It will be 9,000 square feet that will seat more than 300 guests.
• 2020: Riptide Raceway, the world's longest mat racing slide,[5] is opening to the public.

Areas and attractions

The park takes its theme from the Jules Verne book, Around the World in Eighty Days. Worlds of Fun is divided into five major sections (Scandinavia, Africa, Europa, the Orient, and Americana). Rides, attractions, shops, shows, and restaurants are named according to the area theme. Guests enter the park in Scandinavia. In 1997 the Americana "main entrance" was closed for the creation of Grand Prix, so the "back gate" became the "main gate" ever since. The next world to the left is Africa, continuing in a clockwise rotation, guest would then enter the Americana section, followed by the Orient. The Europa section is located in the approximate center of the circle.

Within Americana, lies the sub-section of Planet Snoopy (the area of the park specifically for young children). Originally added in 1978 as an expansion of Americana, over the years the grounds have changed its identity several times. Initially it was called "Aerodrome" (1978–86) with futuristic rides for adults, it then became a children's area called "Pandamonium!" (1987–97), then "Berenstain Bear Country" (1997–2000), and "Camp Snoopy" (2001–2010), and is currently "Planet Snoopy", new to the 2011 season. Past sub-sections have also included Bicentennial Square, River City, and Beat Street, which all have been absorbed back into Americana.

Despite the lack of an Australian/Oceanic section, the Australian-themed Boomerang roller coaster is incorporated into Africa.

Africa

Ride	Year Opened	Ride Manufacturer and Type	Height Requirement	Rating[6]
Boomerang	2000	Vekoma Boomerang roller coaster	Over 48"	5
Fury of the Nile	1984	Intamin river rafting ride	Over 46"	4
Mamba	1998	Morgan steel hypercoaster	Over 48"	5
Monsoon	1992	Intamin Shoot-the-Chutes ride	Over 46"	4
Prowler	2009	Great Coasters International wooden coaster	Over 48"	4
Zulu	1979	HUSS Enterprise	Over 54"	4

Americana

Ride	Year Opened	Ride Manufacturer and Type	Height Requirement	Rating[6]
Cyclone Sams	1995	Chance Rides Wipeout	Over 48"	5
Detonator	1996	S&S Worldwide Space shot	Over 52"	5
RipCord+	1996	Skycoaster	Over 48"	5
Mustang Runner	2017	HUSS Troika		3
Patriot	2006	Bolliger & Mabillard Inverted roller coaster	Over 54"	5
Skyliner	1991	Eli Bridge Ferris wheel	Over 36"	2
SteelHawk	2014	Mondial Windseeker	Over 52"	5
Timber Wolf	1989	Dinn Corporation wooden roller coaster	Over 48"	5
Worlds of Fun Railroad	1973	Crown Metal Products[7] 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge railroad	Over 46" or with adult	2

Europa

Ride	Year Opened	Ride Manufacturer and Type	Height Requirement	Rating[6]
Autobahn	1973	Reverchon Bumper Cars ride	Over 48"	4
Flying Dutchman	1973	Intamin Flying Dutchman	Over 46" or with adult	3
Le Taxi Tour	1973	Arrow Dynamics track car ride	Over 48" or with adult	3
Falcon's Flight	2017	HUSS Condor	Over 48" or with adult	4

Orient

Ride	Year Opened	Ride Manufacturer and Type	Height Requirement	Rating[6]
Bamboozler	1987	Hrubetz Round Up	Over 46"	3
Spinning Dragons	2004	Gerstlauer Spinning roller coaster	Over 48" or with adult	5

Scandinavia

Ride	Year Opened	Ride Manufacturer and Type	Height Requirement	Rating[6]
Fjörd Fjärlane	1981	Meisho Rides Swing Around	Over 48" or with adult	3
Grand Carrousel	2011	1926 M.C. Illions Supreme Carousel	Over 46" or with adult	1
Sea Dragon	1994	Chance Morgan Sea Dragon	Over 48" or with adult	4
Viking Voyager	1973	Arrow Dynamics log flume	Over 46" or with adult	4
Scandi Scrambler	2015 (originally 1973)	Eli Bridge Scrambler	Over 48" or with adult	3
Nordic Chaser	2018	Mack Seastorm	48" tall to ride alone or 40" tall with adult	3

Planet Snoopy

Ride	Year Opened	Ride Manufacturer and Type	Height Requirement	Rating[6]
Camp Bus	2001	Zamperla Crazy Bus	42" or with adult	2
Charlie Brown's Windup	2001	Zamperla	Between 36" and 54"	1
Cosmic Coaster	1993	Preston and Barbieri Wacky Worm	Over 42"	3
Beagle Brigade Airfield	2016	Zamperla Flying Tigers	Over 42" to ride alone	2
Flying Ace Balloon Race	2011	Zamperla Balloon Race	42" or with adult	2
Kite Eating Tree	2001	S&S Worldwide	Over 36"	2
Linus' Beetle Bugs	2001	Zamperla	Under 54"	2
Linus' Launcher	2016	Zamperla Kite Flyer	Over 42"	3
Lucy's Tugboat	2011	Zamperla Tugboat	42" or with adult	2
Peanuts 500	2011	Zamperla Speedway	42" or with adult	2
Peanuts Playhouse	2005	Koala Play	Between 36" and 54"	1
Peanuts Road Rally	2011	Zamperla	42" or with adult	1
Peanuts Turn Tyke	1987	Zamperla	Between 36" 54"	1
Sally's Swing Set	2011	Zamperla Happy Swing	42" or with adult	2
Snoopy Junction	2016	Zamperla	36" or with adult	1
Snoopy vs. Red Baron	2001	Herschell	Under 54"	2
Snoopy's Rocket Express	2011	Zamperla	42" or with adult	2
Snoopy's Space Buggies	2016	Zamperla	36" or with adult	2
Snoopy's Yacht Club	2001	Go Forth Industries	Under 54"	1
Woodstock Gliders	2016	Larson Fly Scooter	Over 42"	3
Woodstock Whirlybirds	2011	Zamperla	42" or with adult	2

• + Denotes an extra cost for the ride or attraction.

Former rides and attractions

Roller coasters

• Schussboomer, (1973–1984), a ski-themed steel roller coaster with ten separate 4-passenger cars.
• Screamroller/Extremeroller , (1976–1988), the first stand-up roller coaster in the Western Hemisphere. Its only season as a stand-up coaster was in 1983, after which it was reverted to the original sit-down style.
• Zambezi Zinger, (1973–1997), a steel "Speedracer"-type roller coaster (one of only two in existence at the time of its removal) with an electric spiral lift and a fast-paced ride through the woods. Currently in operation at the Colombian National Coffee Park as Broca Colombia, South America.[8]
• Orient Express, (1980–2003), the first roller coaster in the world to feature a batwing (then known as a "Kamikaze Curve"), now a common element in thrill rides. Also, it was the second roller coaster in the world to have two interlocking loops.
• Silly Serpent/Funicular, (1973-1987) An Allan Herschell Company Little Dipper. The children's coaster was originally located in the Europa section of the park as "Funicular" and moved to the Africa section where it operated as "Silly Serpent" until it was removed in 1987.

Flat rides/attractions

• Barnstormer, (1978-1983), a 100-foot tall spinning airplane ride manufactured by Bradley & Kaye. Added with the opening of the Aerodrome area. Retired in part due to frequent shutdowns due to high winds.[9][10][11]
• Incred-O-Dome, (1981–1997), an OMNIMAX-style theater where viewers could go on a virtual ride of, among other things, the Orient Express coaster. This appealed to visitors who did not want to wait in line or experience the real ride, as well as those with physical conditions which would prevent them from riding at all. The show was presented less than 200 yards (180 m) away from the actual ride.
• Omegatron, (1986–2001), a six-story, upside-down thrill ride.
• Python Plunge, a water-slide type ride where the riders would carry the raft up to the top themselves. There were two types of slides. One slide was open aired and went straight down, the other was a twisting tube.
• Grand Prix Raceway, (1997-2014) replaced by the SteelHawk.
• Octopus, replaced by the Scandi Scrambler.
• Thunderhawk, (2002-2015) a HUSS Topspin ride that flipped riders several times and took riders to a height of 60 feet.
• Krazy Kars, (1973-2015) a children's bumper car ride removed for Mustang Runner.
• Le Carousel, (1979-2016) 3 across horse merry-go-round replaced by Falcons Flight
• Finnish Fling, (1973-2017) a Chance Rides Rotor, believed to have been one of fewer than six operating Rotors in North America.[12][9] It was replaced by Nordic Chaser.
• Diamond Head, (1982-2019) a water slide complex at Oceans of Fun consisting of three body slides (Honolulu Lulu, Maui Wowie, and Waikiki Wipeout). To be replaced by Riptide Raceway.

Oceans of Fun

Main article: Oceans of Fun

Oceans of Fun is Worlds of Fun's water park. It opened in 1982 as the world's largest water park. It is included with admission to Worlds of Fun, beginning in the 2013 season.

Fast Lane

Fast Lane is Worlds of Fun's "two line" system introduced 2012. For a cost between $30 and $50 (in addition to normal admission charges), visitors receive a wrist band that enables them to bypass the standby line and enter the "Fast Lane" line to significantly reduce their wait time.

During Halloween Haunt, a similar system named "Fright Lane" is sold. Serving the same purpose as Fast Lane, it significantly reduces wait time of select haunted attractions. "Fright Lane+" includes a "Skeleton Key", a key that grants you special access to secret, intense rooms in six of the eight haunted houses. In addition, holders receive special seating for Ed Alonzo's Psycho Circus of Magic and Mayhem. "Fright Lane Max" is a VIP system that allows you special seating at Overlord's Awakening, a meal, limited edition Haunt T-shirts, plus all perks listed above.

Worlds of Fun Village

In 2005 Worlds of Fun opened the first on-site resort. The campground is adjacent to the park, and is located "behind" Mamba. The Village has 22 cabins and 20 cottages and 82 sites for RVs, complete with electric and TV cable hook ups. Each cabin or cottage can fit 6–8 people.

Snoopy's Hot Summer Lights

"Snoopy's Hot Summer Lights", which debuted in 2010, was an immersive light and sound experience starring the Peanuts characters. Snoopy's Hot Summer Lights features over 2 million LED lights and a variety of audio soundtracks through the Africa and Europa sections of the park. Along the walkway there were replicas of Snoopy and other characters for guests to view. Snoopy's Hot Summer Lights was a one million dollar investment that used special effects and sound design, custom designed for Worlds of Fun by Emmy Award-Winning RWS and Associates. Snoopy's Hot Summer Lights opened for its original run on June 4 and ran through September 5, 2010.[13]

Halloween Haunt

Halloween Haunt is a Halloween event that takes place during the Halloween season. It is included in the price of admission.

Current attractions

As of 2019, it features 12 Extreme Haunts, including eight mazes and three scare zones, along with three live shows.[14]

Attraction	Type	Opened	Location	Theme
Khaos Unleashed	Maze	2018	International Plaza	Chaos
BloodShed	Maze	2007	Planet Snoopy	Slaughterhouse
CornStalkers	Maze	2010	Africa	Cornfield
Ripper Alley	Maze	2017	Americana	Victorian London
Lore of the Vampire	Maze	2004	Orient	Vampires
Blood on the Bayou	Maze	2015	Americana	Voodoo Spirits
Chamber of Horrors: Condemned	Maze	2018	Africa	Wax Museum
Zombie High	Maze	2012	Africa	Zombies
Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater	Zone	2019	Heart of America Boulevard	Pumpkin Patch
Outlaw's Revenge	Zone	2008	Old West	Cowboys
Boneyard	Zone	2014	Africa	Orcs

Show	Type	Location
Overlord's Awakening	Monologue/Parade	International Plaza
Meat Cleaver High	Music Performance	Europa
Skeleton Crew	Music Performance	International Plaza
The Witches' Ball	Dance Performance	International Plaza

Former Haunt attractions

Attraction Name	Replaced By	Year closed
Camp Gonnagitcha Wichahatchet	CornStalkers	2009
Carnival of Carnivorous Clowns	CarnEvil	2006
Dominion of Doom	London Terror	2010
Master McCarthy's Doll Factory	Miss Lizzie's Chamber of Horrors	2012
Fright Zone	The Boneyard	2014
Club Blood	Lore of the Vampire expansion	2015
Asylum Island	Urgent Scare	2017
London Terror	Ripper Alley	2017
CarnEvil	Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater	2018
Urgent Scare	N/A	2019

Games

Cole Lindbergh, former manager of the park's games department, was featured in a 2011 episode of Public Radio International's This American Life, "Amusement Park."[15] In the nine-minute prologue,[16] host Ira Glass interviews Lindbergh about his management philosophy and plays segments from several YouTube videos he made to promote the park's games.[15]

Gallery

• 
  Finnish Fling and Octopus rides.
• 
  Le Taxi Tour's line queue in Europa.
• 
  Le Taxi Tour in action.
• 
  The Sea Dragon in Scandinavia
• 
  The Flying Dutchman is reported to be founder Lamar Hunt's favorite ride.
• 
  Zulu at night
• 
  Thunderhawk
• 
  The Skyliner Ferris wheel at Worlds of Fun.
• 
  Nighttime at Worlds of Fun.
• 
  Boomerang's full profile
• 
  Prowler's main drop.
• 
  Prowler's queue line.
• 
  Mamba and Timber Wolf.
• 
  Coaster's Diner near Mamba.
• 
  Prowler's train ascending the lift hill.
• 
  Fury of the Nile in action.
• 
  Fury of the Nile's signature turnstile dock.

Incidents

Barnstormer

• In July 1978, during the ride's first season of operation, a malfunction of the 100-foot-tall Barnstormer caused the spinning planes carrying riders to descend rapidly, hitting each other on the way down. Some riders were also sprayed with hydraulic fluid. In total, 20 riders suffered minor injuries.[11]

Oceans of Fun

• On August 24, 2019 a 14 year old boy nearly drowned in the wave pool.[17] The boy died in the hospital after being taken off life support due to loss of brain function.[18]

Orient Express

• On June 14, 1987, a train that was pulling into the loading station malfunctioned and slammed into the rear of the other train inside of the roller coaster station. A total of 56 passengers were involved in the accident, but only 8 were taken to the hospital for injuries.[19]
• On July 17, 1999, two cars of a seven-car train derailed due to severe internal metal fatigue in a support post, stranding 18 people. Two were immediately taken to a hospital, and six went later. None of the injuries were life-threatening.[20]

Screamroller

• On May 18, 1976, Robbie M. Meyers, an 8-year-old boy, was struck and seriously injured by the Screamroller after entering a restricted area.[21] In 1977, Meyers was awarded $1.39 million (equivalent to $5.86 million in 2019[22]) in a lawsuit finding Mid-America Enterprises responsible for his injuries.[23]

Timber Wolf

Main article: Timber Wolf (roller coaster)

• On March 31, 1990, two trains collided just short of the loading platform, injuring 35 people.[24] The control system had malfunctioned and was unable to control two trains at once. The ride reopened with a single train until the control system was fixed to handle two.[25]
• On June 30, 1995, a 14-year-old girl fell from her seat on the coaster and died. The park owner at the time, Hunt-Midwest Entertainment Inc., and ride manufacturer, Dinn Corporation, claimed that she was switching seats when the accident occurred. A riding companion claimed that safety restraints (a lap bar and seat belt) had come undone on a sharp turn at the top of one of the ride's hills. But, Worlds of Fun officials claimed that witnesses had seen her remove her restraints and tried to switch seats and that there had been no malfunction, though her family disputed this. The ride was temporarily closed pending an investigation of its safety features, which resulted in new lap bar installations. Hunt-Midwest Entertainment Inc. and Dinn Corporation settled with the family for $200,000.[26] This makes the Timber Wolf the only ride so far at Worlds of Fun with a fatality.
• On August 2, 2014, an 11-year-old boy was taken to a hospital after suffering a concussion and a bloody nose on the ride. The boy said that as the coaster was descending down the hill, he hit his head and nose on the restraint and therefore had a bloody nose as he was exiting the ride. He had blood all over his shorts according to authorities. Paramedics wrapped the boy's nose with a towel to prevent blood from dripping on his legs and feet .[27]

See also

• Closed rides and attractions#Worlds of Fun
• Incidents at Cedar Fair parks

References

1. Marden, Duane. "Extremeroller  (Worlds of Fun)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
2. "Inside Track "Top Coasters" Readers Survey". Roller Coaster FAQ. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
3. "8th Annual NAPHA Amusement Park and Attractions Survey". National Amusement Park Historical Association. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
4. "Timeline section".
5. https://www.worldsoffun.com/blog/2019/new-oceans-of-fun-slide-to-set-world-record
6. Ratings assigned per Worlds of Fun's own system, where "1" is the least intense and "5" is the most. See their "Guest Assistance Guide" (PDF). Worlds of Fun. for more specific details.
7. "Worlds of Fun Railroad - Worlds of Fun".
8. "Zambezi Zinger - Worlds of Fun (Kansas City, Missouri, USA)".
9. "Worlds of Fun Gone but Not Forgotten". www.worldsoffun.org. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
10. Lovsee-Mast, Jennifer (January 10, 2011). "A is for Aerodrome". Worlds of Fun.Org. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
11. "20 injured when ride goes haywire at Worlds of Fun". Salina (Kansas) Journal. UPI. July 2, 1978. p. 2. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
12. Sloan, Nick (October 18, 2017). "Worlds of Fun announces closing of Finnish Fling". KCTV 5 News. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
13. "Kansas City Amusement Park - Ride On & Slide On! - Worlds of Fun". Archived from the original on May 3, 2010.
14. "Halloween Haunt rides and attractions". Worlds of Fun. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
15. ""Amusement Park," This American Life, Aug. 12, 2011".
16. "Prologue".
17. ‘I just reacted’: Strangers’ quick actions save boy who drowned at Oceans of Fun wave pool, FOX 4 Kansas City, August 25, 2019
18. Boy who nearly drowned at Oceans of Fun taken off of life support; family planning to donate organs, FOX 4 Kansas City, August 31, 2019
19. "Investigation of roller coaster mishap begins" Archived from UPI.com, June 15, 1987
20. "Officials find cause of July derailment of roller coaster", Archived from MorningSun.net, November 17, 1999
21. Nolan, Mary Lou (June 26, 1976). "Added safety for ride". The Kansas City Times. p. 4. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
22. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved January 1, 2020.
23. "Youth wins suit against KC amusement park". Salina (Kansas) Journal. UPI. December 30, 1977. p. 11. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
24. "35 Injured at Worlds of Fun", The Wichita Eagle, April 1, 1990
25. "Coaster To Run Again", The Wichita Eagle, April 25, 1990
26. Scott Bekker (July 1, 1995). "Girl Dies in Fall from Roller Coaster". Associated Press. Retrieved May 20, 2016.
27. "Mom says son got concussion on Worlds of Fun roller coaster", KCTV 5 News, August 28, 2014

External links

• Worlds of Fun official website
• Worlds of Fun at the Roller Coaster DataBase