Vekoma family boomerang added to park's coaster lineup
Kings Island expands Planet Snoopy kids area with Camp Snoopy
AT: Tim Baldwin
MASON, Ohio — Kings Island has built a reputation for having one of the best sections for children in the industry. It took the Golden Ticket for Best Kids Area for 18 years.
“The family component of the park is really the Planet Snoopy area,” said Chad Showalter, communications director. “There are rides and attractions all over the park suitable for and enjoyed by families, but when we talk about families with young kids, we talk about Planet Snoopy. When we announced last fall that we were expanding with Camp Snoopy, a lot of our families who come time after time told us they were excited about it. I love it because it allows us to introduce a new coaster to our lineup, and it’s for kids, and it provides a different experience than our other kids’ coasters.”
Snoopy’s Soap Box Racers is a family boomerang model from Vekoma. Riders are pulled backward up a 75-foot lift and then released, sending the train back through the station. After zipping through the tangled curves, the train rises up a reverse point, and passengers navigate the rails in reverse. Track length is 672 feet, but riders go in both directions. Top speed is 37 mph.
A woodsy theme surrounds the ride, including a sculpture of Franklin in a watchtower calling the race.
“If you’re looking at raising a ‘coaster rider,’ Kings Island is the spot to do that,” Showalter told Amusement Today. “It complements the other coasters we have for kids so nicely.”
Snoopy’s Soap Box Racers is the fourth gravity-driven children’s coaster in the area and 15th in the park.
No rides were lost or relocated to add the new coaster.
A single train accommodates 20 passengers. Children only have to be 36 inches tall to ride.
Each car has a distinguishable design, making it identifiable to individual Peanuts characters.
“The creation of 10 different cars for this coaster, each with different patterns and colors (with different show wheels too!), was actually a big achievement,” said Ricardo Tonding Etges, VP sales and marketing, Vekoma. “The process included working on the first layer of painting and patterns and sending pictures to both Cedar Fair and Peanuts every end of the day (European time) and getting their feedback overnight so we could tweak, adjust and ultimately finalize the painting process while the paint was not completely dry. Time was critical for it, and smooth collaboration with the client team was key to achieving the expected goals. The creative intent was brilliant, and I believe we did a great job by delivering and executing the creative intent.
“Working with IPs is challenging and rewarding at the same time,” he added. The process usually requires several design reviews and a clear attention to detail, but the results are definitely worth it. It helps to raise the bar when it comes to the attention to the details.”
Like the other coasters, parents are able to join their children and participate comfortably on the ride.
“People come to make memories with the people that matter most to them,” said Showalter. “It might be a couple dating or a family with young kids whose parents grew up in the park and are now taking their own kids and continuing that tradition. For my own kids, those memories are etched in stone. I can almost mark the eras of my life when my kids grew enough to ride the big coasters in the park.”
The coaster isn’t the only thing new. A big area called Beagle Scout Acres provides a lot of activity.
“One of the things we’ve heard from parents is that they would love to have more shade in Planet Snoopy,” said Showalter. “We have reconfigured what used to be a petting zoo and a performance pavilion to be a shaded interactive play area. It’s huge! It allows kids to burn off some energy while letting parents sit in the shade and recharge.”
Mounds and tunnels invite exploration.
The covered spot also provides new space for families to meet the Peanuts characters. For this area, the characters are decked out in camp gear.
“That’s totally unique to the Kings Island experience,” Showalter said.
Pigpen’s Mess Hall is a new, walk-up counter-service location. Comfort foods are found here.
“I love the desserts,” smiled Showalter. “I love the s’mores brownie. We also have what we call a hobo pie, which is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich that is fried and topped with powdered sugar and strawberry filling. It is incredible.”
Other adjacent rides have been encompassed into the rethemed area. The park’s venerable log flume has been enhanced and renamed Charlie Brown’s Rushing River Log Ride, and the family suspended coaster (also Vekoma) has been painted in tree colors and renamed Woodstock’s Air Rail. The flying scooters have been made over into Franklin’s Flyers, the first ride named after that particular character.
The new section opened for Memorial Day Weekend.
