Paramount Parks was the operator of Paramount's Kings Island, Paramount's Kings Dominion, Paramount's Great America, Paramount's Carowinds, and Paramount Canada's Wonderland, which annually attracted about 13 million patrons. National Amusements-owned Viacom assumed control of the company as part of its acquisition of Paramount Pictures in 1994.
Canada's Wonderland, formerly known as Paramount Canada's Wonderland, is a 134-hectare (330-acre) amusement park located in Vaughan, Ontario, a municipality within the Greater Toronto Area. Opened in 1981 by the Taft Broadcasting Company and the Great-West Life Assurance Company, it was the first major theme park in Canada and remains the country's largest. Cedar Fair purchased the park from Paramount Parks in 2006, and they have owned and operated the park since then. In 2019, it was the most-visited seasonal amusement park in North America with an estimated 3.9 million guests. The park still retains this record, with an estimated 3.8 million guests in 2022 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
A pirate ship is a type of amusement ride based on pirate ships, consisting of an open, seated gondola which swings back and forth, subjecting the rider to various levels of angular momentum. A variant where the riders must pull on ropes to swing the ride is known as a swing boat.
Wilde Beast is a wooden roller coaster located at Canada's Wonderland, in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada. It was originally named "Wilde Beast", from 1981 to 1996, when it was renamed to "Wild Beast" in 1997. The ride was reverted to its original name in 2019. It is one of the five roller coasters that debuted with the park in 1981, and is one of three wooden coasters at Canada's Wonderland modeled after a ride at Coney Island amusement park in Cincinnati, Ohio ; the other is the Mighty Canadian Minebuster. The ride's fan curve was rebuilt in 1998.
The swing ride or chair swing ride is an amusement ride that is a variation on the carousel in which the seats are suspended from the rotating top of the carousel. On some versions, particularly on the Wave Swingers, the rotating top of the carousel also tilts for additional variations of motion.
Wonderland Sydney was an amusement park in Eastern Creek, Sydney, Australia. Officially opened in December 1985 by the Premier of New South Wales, Neville Wran, the park was the largest in the southern hemisphere. It remained open for over 18 years and was the premier theme park in New South Wales for much of its life until its closure in 2004.
The Mighty Canadian Minebuster is a wooden roller coaster located at Canada's Wonderland amusement park in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada.
The Monster is an amusement ride manufactured by Eyerly Aircraft Company. The ride spins while moving up and down at a slow pace. Each car spins while giant arms move up and down in a circular motion. Riders may experience the feeling of weightlessness when going in the air and coming back down to ground level.
Hopkins Rides is an amusement ride manufacturer based in Palm City, Florida. The company has produced amusement rides for over 45 years and currently focuses on water rides.
Hornet is a family twister roller coaster located at Wonderland Park in Amarillo, Texas. It was previously enclosed and located at Six Flags AstroWorld, as well as at Boblo Island Amusement Park.
Behemoth is a steel roller coaster located at Canada's Wonderland in Vaughan, Ontario. Designed and developed by Swiss manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M), Behemoth opened to the public in May 2008 as the tallest and fastest roller coaster in Canada, a claim it held until 2012 when Leviathan opened at the same park. Behemoth is similar to Diamondback, Intimidator (Carowinds), Goliath and Nitro.
Through its history, Hanna-Barbera has operated theme park attractions, mostly as a section in Kings Island, Carowinds, California's Great America, Kings Dominion, Canada's Wonderland, and, recently, Six Flags Great America.
O.D. Hopkins was the founder of the amusement ride manufacturing firm O.D. Hopkins Associates Inc. Hopkins' family moved from Beijing to New Jersey when he was two years old. He first worked as a farmer, then in logging and road and bridge contracting, then in pre-poured concrete].
Wonderland Amusement Park may refer to:
Wonderland Amusement Park was a trolley park that operated on the east side of Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, from 1906 to 1911. The park, near the intersection of East Washington Street and Gray Street, surrounded a lake and featured a Shoot-the-Chutes ride, a scenic railway ride, the signature 125-foot (38 m)-tall Electric Tower, a ride that simulated the Johnstown Flood, a dirigible, a funhouse, a dance pavilion, and other exhibits and games in its 24 buildings. In addition to the standing attractions, the park also offered live exhibits and performances from bands, acrobats, animal acts, vaudeville acts, and members of a "Filipino tribe", the "Igorrote."
Morgan's Wonderland is an accessibility-focused theme park in San Antonio, Texas founded in 2010. The park was developed by Gordon Hartman, a former homebuilder from San Antonio. Morgan's Wonderland has had over a net million guests since its opening in 2010. The park features several attractions including rides, playgrounds, gardens, a catch-and-release fishing lake, a special-event center, and 575-seat amphitheater. The park's focus on accessibility makes it free for disabled individuals to attend the park.
The Texas Tornado is a steel roller coaster at Wonderland amusement park in Amarillo, Texas. It is the first coaster to be designed by North American water ride company Hopkins Rides. The design for Texas Tornado was scribbled on a napkin at a cocktail party at a trade show.
Toboggan is a portable roller coaster that was built by Chance Industries from 1969 to the mid-1970s. The coaster features a small vehicle, holding two people, that climbs vertically inside a hollow steel tower then spirals back down around the same tower. There is a small section of track at the base of the tower with a few small dips and two turns to bring the ride vehicle back to the station. Each vehicle has a single rubber tire with a hydraulic clutch braking system that governs the speed of the vehicle as it descends the tower. The rubber tire engages a center rail that begins halfway through the first spiral. The ride stands 45 feet tall with a track length of 450 feet. A typical ride lasts approximately 70 seconds.
Yukon Striker is a steel roller coaster at Canada's Wonderland in Vaughan, Ontario. Designed as a dive coaster from manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard, the ride opened to the general public on 3 May 2019 in place of SkyRider, a roller coaster that was removed from the park in 2014. Featuring a height of 68 metres (223 ft), a length of 1,105 metres (3,625 ft), and a maximum speed of 130 km/h (81 mph), Yukon Striker is the world's tallest, longest, and fastest dive coaster, sharing its height record with Valravn at Cedar Point. Its four inversions and drop length of 75 metres (245 ft) also set world records among dive coaster models.
