SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge

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SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge
EF-Mall of America.jpg
SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge
Nickelodeon Universe
Location Nickelodeon Universe
Coordinates 44°51′19″N93°14′33″W / 44.8553°N 93.2425°W / 44.8553; -93.2425
StatusOperating
Opening dateMarch 15, 2008
Cost$2,500,000
ReplacedThe Mystery Mine Ride, SpongeBob SquarePants 4-D, The Funtastic World Of Hanna-Barbera (ride)
General statistics
Type Steel  Euro-Fighter  Indoor
Manufacturer Gerstlauer
Designer Werner Stengel
Model Euro-Fighter (Custom)
Track layoutCompact
Lift/launch systemvertical Chain lift
Height74.5 ft (22.7 m)
Length1,371.4 ft (418.0 m)
Speed43.5 mph (70.0 km/h)
Inversions 2
Duration2:00
Max vertical angle97°
Capacity750 riders per hour
G-force 4.4
Height restriction48 in (122 cm)
TrainsSeveral trains with a single car. Riders are arranged 4 across in 2 rows for a total of 8 riders per train.
SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge at RCDB

SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge is a Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter roller coaster located at Nickelodeon Universe in the Mall of America, Bloomington, Minnesota. Standing 74.5 feet tall, it is the tallest roller coaster in the park. It also features a beyond vertical (97 degrees) drop. It is the first roller coaster themed to SpongeBob SquarePants, and opened with the Nickelodeon Universe grand opening on March 15, 2008. The ride features a vertical loop, and a heartline roll. The ride was installed by Ride Entertainment Group, who handles all of Gerstlauer's operations in the Western Hemisphere. [1] [2]

Contents

Ride experience

The ride, starting partway up the lift hill and running until it is obscured by a wall as it returns to the station

The ride vehicles exit the boarding station by turning to the left and climb the 67 foot tall lift hill. Guests then "plunge" down the past-vertical drop at 97 degrees, and ride through: a vertical loop at 40 miles per hour, speed hill, cutback overbank turn, heartline roll, mid-course break run, overbank helix, an additional break run, then finally return to the boarding station. [3] [4] [5]

History

The home plate plaque in Nickelodeon Universe Metplate.jpg
The home plate plaque in Nickelodeon Universe

In 2007, the ride replaced Camp Snoopy's Mystery Mine attraction which housed the SpongeBob SquarePants4-D ride and The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera ride (under the name of Yogi's Big Rescue). Concept artwork for the ride was revealed to the public via the theme park's construction walls in 2007. [6] The ride is based on the SpongeBob SquarePants episode "Rock Bottom," and features a prominently placed statue of SpongeBob and Patrick riding an orange bus down a 90 degree angle while holding a glove over his head. Design and fabrication for the giant statue was handled by Tivolitoo, a company that Nickelodeon Experience Design often collaborates with. [7]

Mall of America and its Camp Snoopy theme park were built upon the former site of the Metropolitan Stadium, and a plaque was installed at the previous location of the stadium's home plate. This plaque was kept intact during the theme park's conversion to its Nickelodeon re-theming, and now sits outside the entrance of Rock Bottom Plunge. [8]

On June 23, 2016, the guests who rode in the attraction's 1 millionth coaster ride were given 1 million free rides to the theme park and were the inaugural inductees into the "1 Million Ride Club." [9]

A similarly structured Gerstlauer-produced Euro-Fighter rollercoaster, TMNT Shellraiser, opened at American Dream Meadowland's Nickelodeon Universe theme park in 2019. This ride also features a vertical plunge, with an even steeper drop of 121.5 degrees.

Related Research Articles

Nickelodeon Universe is the name of two indoor amusement parks located at Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota and American Dream in East Rutherford, New Jersey, with a third location under construction at the Mall of China in Chongqing, China. The parks consist of attractions and rides based on Nickelodeon’s popular franchises. The amusement parks are owned and operated by the Triple Five Group with licensing rights from Paramount Global, which owns Nickelodeon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kings Dominion</span> Amusement park in Virginia

Kings Dominion is an amusement park in the eastern United States, located in Doswell, Virginia, twenty miles (30 km) north of Richmond and 75 miles (120 km) south of Washington, D.C. Owned and operated by Cedar Fair, the 280-acre (1.1 km2) park opened to the public on May 3, 1975, and features more than 60 rides, shows and attractions including 13 roller coasters and a 20-acre (8.1 ha) water park. Its name is derived from the name of its sister park, Kings Island near Cincinnati, and the nickname for the state of Virginia, "Old Dominion."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spinning roller coaster</span> Type of roller coaster

A spinning roller coaster is a roller coaster with cars that rotate on a vertical axis.

Rock Bottom (<i>SpongeBob SquarePants</i>) 17th episode of the 1st season of SpongeBob SquarePants

"Rock Bottom" is the second segment of the 17th episode of the first season of the American animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants. It first aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on March 15, 2000. In this episode, SpongeBob gets stranded in Rock Bottom, a strange city in the abyssopelagic zone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indoor roller coaster</span> A rollercoaster that is built inside a building or some other structure

An indoor roller coaster or enclosed roller coaster is a roller coaster built inside a structure. The structure may be unrelated to the ride, or it may be intended solely or primarily for the ride. Many indoor coasters are custom made and placed in amusement parks or shopping malls. LaMarcus Adna Thompson, who pioneered the construction of the first simple roller coasters, initially built "scenic railway" rides including "indoor tableaux, panoramas, and biblical scenes illumined by car-tripped switches and flood lamps". A "completely enclosed roller coaster" called the Twister was built as early as 1925. Walt Disney World's Space Mountain was one of the first rides considered to be an indoor roller coaster, and was "the first indoor roller coaster where riders were in total darkness for the length of the ride so they couldn't tell where the drops or turns would occur".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SpongeBob SquarePants 4-D</span> Cel-shaded 4-D film simulator ride

SpongeBob SquarePants 4-D was a 2003 cel-shaded 4-D film simulator ride based upon the animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants. It could be found at many aquariums and theme parks across the world. The ride consisted of a pre-show which then leads into a stadium seated auditorium. The ride is in 4-D, meaning it is a motion simulator with a 3D movie. The effects on the ride vary at different parks. Water spray, bubbles, wind, leg ticklers, smoke, and smells are usually found.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Speed: No Limits</span> Wales

Speed: No Limits is a roller coaster at Oakwood Theme Park, Pembrokeshire, UK. It is a Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter and contains a 90° chain lift hill and a 97° first drop. This drop gave it a five way record tie for the steepest roller coaster drop between itself, Rage, Fahrenheit, SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge, Vild-Svinet and Typhoon. The ride was installed by Ride Entertainment Group, who handles all of Gerstlauer's operations in the Western Hemisphere.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairly Odd Coaster</span> Amusement ride

Fairly Odd Coaster is a spinning roller coaster themed to The Fairly OddParents that opened on March 15, 2004, at Nickelodeon Universe in the Mall of America. Individual cars have two rows facing each other and each car spins independently throughout the course of the ride. The ride is geared toward families. The ride was installed by Ride Entertainment Group, who handles all of Gerstlauer's operations in the Western Hemisphere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mystery Mine</span> Steel roller coaster at Dollywood

Mystery Mine is a steel roller coaster located at Dollywood amusement park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Manufactured by Gerstlauer, the Euro-Fighter model is heavily themed as a haunted mining operation from the 19th century. The roller coaster was Dollywood's largest single investment in the park's history at the time, costing $17.5 million to construct. A large portion of the track is located indoor, where the ride utilizes a series of special effects. It was the first Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter installation in the United States and had the steepest drop of any coaster in North America at the time of its opening. The ride was installed by Ride Entertainment Group, who handles all of Gerstlauer's operations in the Western Hemisphere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gerstlauer</span> German manufacturer of amusement rides and roller coasters

Gerstlauer Amusement Rides GmbH is a German manufacturer of stationary and transportable amusement rides and roller coasters, located in Münsterhausen, Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pepsi Orange Streak</span>

Pepsi Orange Streak is a custom Zierer roller coaster located in Nickelodeon Universe in the Mall of America. It is located in the west side of the park, and debuted with the park in August 1992. Some of its features include two lift hills, a tunnel through the Log Chute, and three large helices, twisting its way through the park. The ride is sponsored by Pepsi, Mall of America's official soft drink.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rage (roller coaster)</span> Steel rollercoaster located in Adventure Island

Rage is a steel roller coaster situated at Adventure Island in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. Rage is a Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter model roller coaster. At 97 degrees, it is steeper-than-vertical and tied for the third steepest roller coaster in the United Kingdom. it is also tied six ways between itself, Fahrenheit, Speed: No Limits, SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge, Typhoon, and Vild-Svinet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter</span>

The Euro-Fighter is a type of steel roller coaster developed by Gerstlauer. First launched in 2003, the trademark feature of the roller coaster is its beyond-vertical drop, which reaches an angle greater than 90 degrees. Although the majority of Euro-Fighters are custom designed for each installation, every design so far has included the trademark drop. A number of different track elements are possible, including vertical loops, diving loops and barrel rolls. Almost all Euro-Fighter models have a vertical chain-driven lift hill, although LSM launch systems are also available.

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Mumbo Jumbo is a roller coaster which opened to the public on 4 July 2009 at Flamingo Land Resort, UK. Mumbo Jumbo is situated in the Lost Kingdom section of the park and has orange supports and black tracks.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">TMNT Shellraiser</span> Steel roller coaster

The TMNT Shellraiser is a steel indoor roller coaster at Nickelodeon Universe amusement park, within the American Dream Meadowlands shopping and entertainment complex, at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States. The roller coaster is a Euro-Fighter model manufactured by Gerstlauer, and themed to the 2012 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles television series. It is the steepest roller coaster in the world with a vertical drop of 121.5 degrees. The TMNT Shellraiser has the same layout as Takabisha at Fuji-Q Highland in Japan, a previous record holder for world's steepest roller coaster.

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Nickelodeon Slime Streak is a steel family roller coaster located in the Nickelodeon Universe Theme Park at the American Dream Meadowlands megamall in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The coaster opened for the park's grand opening on October 25, 2019, and is primarily targeted at children and younger audiences.

References

  1. "Gerstlauer busy in 2011". Park World Magazine. 29 December 2010. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  2. "Projects". Ride Entertainment Group. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  3. Spongebob Squarepants Rock Bottom Plunge Review Nickelodeon Universe Mall of America , retrieved 2023-01-09
  4. SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge Review, Nickelodeon Universe | Mall of America Coaster , retrieved 2023-01-09
  5. "Mall Of America Roller Coasters". www.johnweeks.com. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
  6. Ficker, Dan (21 October 2007). "Cool Rides At The MOA? Maybe" . Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  7. "Custom Stuff". Tivolitoo.com. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  8. Bennett, Byron (13 October 2013). "Bloomington's Metropolitan Stadium – MIA At The MOA". DeadBallBaseball.com. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  9. America, Mall of. "Celebrating 1 million plunges at Nickelodeon Universe® in Mall of America®". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved 2023-04-29.
Preceded by
unknown
World's steepest roller coaster
March 15, 2008 – July 5, 2008
97°
Succeeded by
Steel Hawg
111°