Kings Island
Kings Island is a amusement park located northeast of Cincinnati in Mason, Ohio, United States. Owned and operated by Six Flags, the park was built by Taft Broadcasting and opened in 1972. It was part of a larger effort to move and expand Coney Island, a popular resort destination along the banks of the Ohio River that was prone to frequent flooding. After more than $300 million in capital investments over the years, the park has grown to feature over a hundred attractions including fifteen roller coasters and a water park called Soak City.
Early in its history, Kings Island appeared in popular sitcoms and received widespread recognition for its record-breaking attractions and events. One of the park's most well-known attractions, The Racer, is often credited with reviving worldwide interest in roller coasters during the 1970s. A variety of attractions over the years introduced notable milestones, and The Beast and Banshee are two that have set enduring world records. The largest single investment in park history is Orion, a $30-million giga coaster that opened in 2020. The park has also experienced a number of setbacks generating negative publicity, including the early demise of The Bat and Son of Beast roller coasters.
Kings Island is divided into nine themed sections and operates seasonally from early spring through Labor Day in the fall, followed by two additional holiday-themed events known as Halloween Haunt and Winterfest. Kings Island had an estimated 3.18 million guests in 2021, ranking third in attendance among seasonal amusement parks in North America behind sister parks Canada's Wonderland and Cedar Point. In addition, Kings Island has won Golden Ticket Awards in the annual publication from Amusement Today, including "Best Kids' Area" in the world for eighteen consecutive years and "Best New Ride" in 2017 for Mystic Timbers. In the same publication, The Beast consistently ranks each year as one of the top ten wooden coasters in the world.
History
Kings Island was conceived as early as 1964 when Coney Island, a popular amusement park east of downtown Cincinnati on the banks of the Ohio River, suffered from a major flood that submerged the area in over of water. Although occasional flooding was common at the successful park, the flood in 1964 was the fourth highest on record and caused considerable damage. Faced with already-limited space for expansion and parking, the event triggered discussions within the organization about relocating the park.Leading the way was Gary Wachs, son of Coney Island president Ralph Wachs, who with friends and family owned a majority of stock. He decided it was time to relocate the park to stay competitive. After years of research and traveling abroad, he presented ideas for a new theme park to the company's board of directors. Some board members opposed relocating, including significant stockholder Charles Sawyer. It was not taken seriously until 1968 when actor Fess Parker announced plans to build a theme park in Northern Kentucky – well within Coney Island's primary market that extended as far south as Louisville. The announcement highlighted the need for change and gave Wachs' proposal credibility within the organization.
Gary and Ralph met with Dudley S. Taft, president of Taft Broadcasting Company, to discuss a possible merger. Taft Broadcasting was interested in promoting its recently acquired Hanna-Barbera division, and in July 1969, the company purchased Coney Island for $6.5 million and in Warren County, Ohio, for $3.2 million. Kings Island still owned of that purchase as of 2005. The site is located between I-71 and the Little Miami River in what was then a part of Deerfield Township. Following the purchase, Fess Parker's efforts to secure financing fell apart along with his plans to build a competing theme park.
Taft Broadcasting and KECO (1970–1992)
Construction began on June 15, 1970. Later that year, a public contest was held to name the new park. "Kings Island" emerged the most popular, as the name was a nod to both the local Kings Mills area as well as the park's predecessor Coney Island. Most of the rides at Coney Island were relocated, and much of what remained was demolished. The popular Sunlite Pool attraction continued to operate, however, and the park was partially restored years later.Less than two years after breaking ground, Kings Island opened its gates to the public on April 29, 1972. It was the first of several preview events. The grand opening was held the following month on May 27, 1972.
Image:Kings Island 1972.jpg|thumb|left|upright|View from The Racer in the mid-1970s with Zodiac on the right
One of the first signature attractions featured at the park was The Racer, a wooden roller coaster consisting of two trains that race side by side on identical tracks. Designed by legendary designer John C. Allen, who was convinced to come out of retirement, The Racer was the first of its kind in 35 years and played an integral part of the roller coaster renaissance of the 1970s. Decades later, it was distinguished as a Roller Coaster Landmark by American Coaster Enthusiasts in recognition for its historical significance. Other roller coasters present on opening day in 1972 were the Bavarian Beetle, a small steel coaster brought over from Coney Island, and a new junior wooden coaster in the Happy Land of Hanna-Barbera originally named Scooby Doo. The most expensive ride to open with the park was Enchanted Voyage, a $2-million dark ride attraction that featured over a hundred animatronic Hanna-Barbera characters.
Kings Island was nationally promoted in two well-known sitcoms: The Partridge Family in 1972 and The Brady Bunch in 1973. Each filmed an episode on location at the park, which were later broadcast on ABC. The Brady Bunch was produced by Paramount Television, a large Taft Broadcasting shareholder. The park also held several world-record-breaking events. In 1974, 69-year-old Karl Wallenda set a world record for the longest tightrope skywalk at a distance of, which was performed off the ground. The following year, Evel Knievel successfully jumped fourteen Greyhound buses on his Harley Davidson at Kings Island, clearing a distance of. The jump set a world record that held until 1999. It was the longest successful jump of his career as well as his last major stunt, and the nationally televised event was broadcast live on ABC, landing 52 percent of the TV audience during that hour with an estimated 55 million viewers. Park executives favored the national exposure and additional revenue being generated by record-breaking, newsworthy events that kept the park at the forefront of the industry. To keep momentum going, Kings Island spent years researching and designing a mammoth roller coaster, The Beast, which opened in 1979 as the tallest, fastest, and longest wooden roller coaster in the world. It was designed and manufactured internally by the park.
On the heels of early success came turbulent times beginning in the 1980s. Kings Island partnered with Arrow Development, an amusement ride company well known for its work at Disneyland and Disney World, to develop a unique roller coaster concept. The Bat opened to the public in 1981 as the first modern-day, suspended roller coaster featuring an overhead track with train cars that swung freely from side to side, designed to simulate the feeling of flight. Although it was well received, it was plagued with design flaws and constant maintenance that resulted in frequent closures over its short, three-year history. To appease frustrated guests, the south track of The Racer began running its trains backward in 1982, which became so popular that the change remained until 2008. The park also pushed forward with its next major addition, King Cobra, which opened in 1984 as the first of its kind to be designed from inception as a stand-up roller coaster.
Kings Island also went through a series of ownership changes over the next decade. Taft sold its theme park division in 1984 for $167.5 million to Kings Entertainment Company, a company formed by senior executives and general managers of Taft Attractions Group. Three parks – Kings Island, Kings Dominion and Carowinds – were involved in the sale. Taft invested in KECO to retain one-third interest. Three years later in 1987, Kings Island was sold individually to American Financial Corporation, led by Carl Lindner. The deal included a contract with KECO to continue managing park operations. KECO, which retained ownership of the other two parks, also added Great America to its portfolio after purchasing it in 1989 from the city of Santa Clara, California.
Paramount's Kings Island (1992–2006)
In 1992 Paramount Communications Inc. purchased KECO along with Kings Island from American Financial in a deal worth $400 million. Paramount formed a new division known as Paramount Parks. KECO owned 20% of Canada's Wonderland, and Paramount bought out the remaining 80% stake in 1993, raising the total number of parks to five. Later that year, Paramount Parks began incorporating themes from its movies into each park. Viacom entered the picture after acquiring Paramount in 1994, paving the way for the inclusion of Nickelodeon themes. Nickelodeon Splat City, an interactive splash pad area, was added in 1995, which later evolved into Nickelodeon Central and eventually Nickelodeon Universe.In 1997, a year after leaving Deerfield Township, the city of Mason annexed most of Kings Island. A temporary measure allowed for some land to remain in Deerfield in an attempt to appease park officials and reduce the impact on the township. The rest would be annexed in 1999. In 2005, Viacom split into two companies, Viacom and CBS Corporation, with CBS inheriting Paramount Parks. CBS made the decision to sell its theme park division in January 2006. CBS CEO Leslie Moonves stated that despite the health and profitability of Paramount Parks, the business was "one that just doesn't fit our core strategy".