Volume 3, No. 9. May 9, 2003
New Arrivals
It’s
a flat ride & kiddie area!
Paramount Canada’s Wonderland in Vaughan, Ontario, announces the arrival
of Sledge Hammer and Nickelodeon Central, May 4, 2003. Measurements for
Sledge Hammer: 80 feet high (24 meters), 6,738-square-foot (626-square-meter)
footprint, six eight-seat gondolas. Measurements for Nickelodeon Central, 39,127
square feet (3,635 square meters), four new rides. Delivered by Barbeieri, Huss
and SBF.
Big is the over-used descriptor for Paramount Canada’s Wonderland this
year: a big debut, a really big ride, and a bigger-than-Elvis star—the
latter would be, of course, SpongeBob SquarePants.
His character is one of the Nickelodeon cartoon cast members who have been enjoying
popular runs on Canada’s YTV and Treehouse broadcasts, but Wonderland’s
Nickelodeon Central is the first to introduce the brand live to Canadian guests.
The new Nickelodeon Central area, similar in tone and style to those at Paramount’s
other North American parks, includes an SBF Wild Thornberrys Treetop Lookout
and Barbeieri Dora’s Dune Buggy like those at Paramount’s Great
America in California (THE
LOOP, April 11, 2003), a Jimmy Neutron’s Brainwasher also by
SBF, and kiddie bumper cars totally made over as a Rugrats Toonpike.
In addition to the rides, the area features four characters for meet-and-greet:
Dora the Explorer, Hey Arnold, Jimmy Neutron and SpongeBob. “You’d
think they were pop stars,” said Kris Williams, the park’s manager
of public relations and special events. “They just got mobbed.” Especially
the guy in SquarePants, whose 3-D movie also opened at the park’s motion
theater on Sunday.
When it came to making a big impression, though, the Sledge Hammer carried
the day. Looking like a giant claw opening and closing with spinning gondolas
affixed to its fingers, the Huss Jump2 simply awed anybody who came within its
view, whether they rode it or not. “People are just mesmerized, it is a
fabulous, incredible machine to watch,” Williams said. “Pound for
pound it’s easily one of the most powerful rides on the planet. And it
has the most sophisticated computer system in the entire park. You can’t
help but be captivated by it. I spent the entire day with media crews out there
and talking with guests, so I know that to be true.”
On a day that reached 16 Celsius (61 degrees Fahrenheit) with sunny skies, the
park saw a typical opening day attendance, what Williams described as “an
amazing crowd.” “We’ve always had good turnouts on opening day,”
she said. That this year’s opening turnout was no different from the past
is testimony that the SARS epidemic in nearby Toronto is playing no role in
the park’s performance. For 2003, it appears to be business as usual—only
bigger.
THE LOOP is written and produced by Eric Minton, Minton Enterprises, LLC. To see more examples of Eric Minton's work and Minton Enterprises services, visit www.ericminton.com.
©2003, Minton Enterprises
LLC
All rights reserved
