Kings Island

Kings Island is a amusement park located northeast of Cincinnati in Mason, Ohio, United States. Owned and operated by Cedar Fair, the park first opened in 1972 by the Taft Broadcasting Company. 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, the park features over 100 attractions including fourteen roller coasters and a water park.

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. The Beast and Banshee are among other attractions that have set world records, some of which are still held today. Kings Island's largest single investment is Orion, a giga coaster that opened in 2020 at a cost of $30 million. The park has also suffered through times of negative publicity, particularly surrounding the early demise of roller coasters The Bat and Son of Beast.

Kings Island is divided into several themed sections and operates seasonally from early spring through the fall, partially reopening for Winterfest during the holiday season. In 2021, Kings Island had an estimated 3.18 million guests, 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 from ''Amusement Today'' for having the "Best Kids' Area" in the world for eighteen consecutive years (2001–2018) as well as "Best New Ride" in 2017 for Mystic Timbers.

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 wasn't 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, the president of Taft Broadcasting Company, a business interested in promoting its recently acquired Hanna-Barbera division, to discuss a possible merger. In July 1969, Taft Broadcasting Company purchased Coney Island for $6.5 million and soon after purchased in Warren County, Ohio, for $3.2 million. Kings Island still owned of that purchase . 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 for its recognition of the Kings Mills area as well as its predecessor Coney Island. Most of the former park's rides were relocated, and much of what remained was demolished. Coney Island's 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.

One of the first major 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 (ACE) 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 100 animatronic Hanna-Barbera characters.

Kings Island was nationally promoted in two well-known sitcoms on ABC. Each filmed an episode on location at the park: ''The Partridge Family'' in 1972 and ''The Brady Bunch'' in 1973. 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 – a record that wasn't broken until 1999. The longest successful jump of his career was also his last major stunt, and the nationally televised event was broadcast live on ABC landing 52 percent of the TV audience for 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, meant to simulate the feeling of flight. Although it was well received by those who rode it, it was plagued with design flaws and constant maintenance that resulted in frequent closures over its short, three-year history. In order 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 (KECO), 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. (formerly Gulf+Western) purchased KECO along with Kings Island from American Financial in a deal worth $400 million. Paramount formed a new division known as Paramount Parks. They bought out the remaining 80% stake in Canada's Wonderland in 1993, raising the number of parks to five. That same year, Paramount Parks began incorporating themes from its movies into the park. Viacom entered the picture after acquiring Paramount in 1994, paving the way for the appearance of Nickelodeon themes. First was Nickelodeon Splat City, followed by 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. On June 14, 2005, Viacom announced intentions to split into two companies (Viacom and CBS Corporation) with CBS inheriting Paramount Parks. Seven months later in January 2006, CBS announced intentions to sell its theme park division. CBS CEO Leslie Moonves said that despite the health and profitability of its Paramount Parks business, it was "one that just doesn't fit our core strategy".

Cedar Fair era (2006–present)

After receiving interest from a variety of potential suitors, CBS announced the sale of Paramount Parks to Cedar Fair on June 30, 2006, for approximately $1.24 billion. The acquisition of Kings Island gave Cedar Fair ownership of the last of three major amusement parks in Ohio, alongside Cedar Point and Geauga Lake – the latter was purchased from Six Flags in 2004. Part of the agreement allowed Kings Island to continue using Nickelodeon themes and characters for four years and other Paramount-related branding for ten years, with the option to extend the license on both. Cedar Fair opted for a buyout option within an agreement clause to remove Paramount branding after one season. Beginning in 2008, ''Face/Off'' became Invertigo, ''The Italian Job Stunt Track'' became Backlot Stunt Coaster, ''Tomb Raider: The Ride'' became The Crypt and ''Top Gun'' became Flight Deck. Nickelodeon's presence remained until the 2010 season, when Cedar Fair began incorporating its Peanuts theme throughout the park, primarily in the children's area.

In late 2009, the Mason City Council added a measure on its 2010 ballot that would mandate a 3-percent ticket tax and a 5-percent parking tax at both Kings Island and The Beach Waterpark. Council member Tony Bradburn argued that it was necessary for the city to help pay for infrastructure improvements, as well as cover police and fire expenses. The proposed tax hike was the center of debate for several months, as Kings Island actively encouraged the public to write, email, and call Mason City Council representatives to express opposition. On February 8, 2010, Mason City Council voted 5–1 against the measure.

In 2021, Cedar Fair added an outdoor resort and RV campground near the park named Camp Cedar. The year-round campground features 73 cottages, 164 RV lots, and a waterpark. For 2023, Kings Island plans to add a new themed area called Adventure Port, replacing the area once known as Oktoberfest and adding two new family rides – Sol Spin and Cargo Loco.

Areas and attractions

Action Zone

Action Zone opened in 1974 as Lion Country Safari, a section of the park featuring a monorail ride that took guests on a safari-style tour through an animal preservation. This was part of a network of other safari-style zoos also called Lion Country Safari. It was later renamed Wild Animal Safari in 1977. In 1983, the area became known as Wild Animal Habitat and included Adventure Village, a new area within the rebranded section. Over the years, it featured rides such as Screamin' Demon

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