Six Flags Magic Mountain, formerly known and colloquially referred to as simply Magic Mountain, is a amusement park located in

Valencia, California Valencia is an unincorporated community in northwestern Los Angeles County, California. This area, with major commercial and industrial parks, straddles State Route 126 and the Santa Clara River. Development projects continue to be built in ...

, northwest of downtown Los Angeles. It opened on May 29, 1971, as a development of the

and Sea World Inc. In 1979,

Six Flags Six Flags Entertainment Corporation is an American amusement park corporation, headquartered in Arlington, Texas. It has properties in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Six Flags owns the most theme parks and waterparks combined of any a ...

purchased the park and added "Six Flags" to the park's name. With 20 roller coasters, Six Flags Magic Mountain holds the world record for most roller coasters in an amusement park. It became the first amusement park to offer 20 roller coasters with the opening of Wonder Woman: Flight of Courage in 2022. In 2017, the park had an estimated 3.3 million visitors, ranking it sixteenth in attendance in North America.

History

In 1968, Sea World Inc. founder

George Millay George Millay (July 4, 1929 – February 6, 2006) was an American businessman and founder of SeaWorld and Wet 'n Wild water parks. Millay was born July 4, 1929, at Mercy Hospital and grew up in Ocean Beach, San Francisco, and Hawaii. After ser ...

and his executives began looking for a place in the

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

county to build a theme park. Knowing that

Newhall Land and Farming Company

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...

, he asked CEO John F. Dickason if they could build a theme park. They eventually formed a partnership to build a 200-acre theme park. Construction began in November 1969, until May 1971. When the park opened, there were 500 employees and 33 attractions, many of which were designed and built by

Arrow Development Arrow Development was an amusement park ride and roller coaster design and manufacturing company, incorporated in California on November 16, 1945, and based in Mountain View. It was founded by Angus "Andy" Anderson, Karl Bacon, William Hardiman ...

that did previous work on attractions at

Disneyland Disneyland is a theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney initially envision ...

. The admission price in 1971 was $5 for adults, and $3.50 for children between the ages of 3 and 12. Because the park was in a relatively remote part of Los Angeles County, the Greyhound bus line provided bus service to and from the park and Los Angeles, as well as from Northern California, and optionally allowed purchase of park admission at the time the bus ticket was purchased. At its 1971 opening, the rides and attractions included

Gold Rusher Six Flags Magic Mountain, formerly known and colloquially referred to as simply Magic Mountain, is a amusement park located in Valencia, California, northwest of downtown Los Angeles. It opened on May 29, 1971, as a development of the New ...

, a steel coaster; the Log Jammer, a log flume; the

Sky Tower Sky Tower, SkyTower, Skytower, or Sky Towers may refer to: Buildings In Asia * Higashiyama Sky Tower, Nagoya, Japan * Marina Sky Towers in Dubai, UAE * Sky Tower (Abu Dhabi) in Abu Dhabi, UAE * in Kowloon, Hong Kong * in Dubai, UAE * Sky Tower ...

, an

observation tower An observation tower is a structure used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision to conduct long distance observations. Observation towers are usually at least tall and are made from stone, iron, an ...

; Grand Prix, similar to Disneyland's Autopia ride; El Bumpo, bumper boats; a Carousel; and other smaller rides. There were four transportation rides to the peak: Funicular, a

cable railway Cable may refer to: Mechanical * Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof * Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a he ...

funicular A funicular (, , ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to opposite e ...

, later renamed Orient Express; the Metro, which consisted of three monorail stations around the park: Whitewater Lake, Country Fair, and Mountain stations; and "Eagles Flight", a skyride that combined two stations at the peak: the long one north to Galaxy Station, and the short one west to El Dorado Station. The Showcase Theater (renamed Golden Bear Theater), was part of the original park and featured

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers awar ...

as the first of many headline performers who would appear at Magic Mountain over the years. In the 1971 season, Magic Mountain obtained permission from

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

to use '' Looney Tunes''/'' Merrie Melodies'' characters. However, they did not continue using the characters after their first year (another Six Flags park Great America has continuously used such characters since its opening in 1976, eight years before

Marriott Corporation Marriott Corporation was a hospitality company that operated from 1927 until 1993, founded by J. Willard Marriott and Frank J. Kimball as Hot Shoppes, Inc. In 1957, Marriott Corporation opened its first hotel in Arlington County, Virginia, ...

sold the park to Six Flags.) In 1972, they began using trolls as the park mascots. The trolls King Blop, also known as King Troll, Bleep, Bloop, and the Wizard became recognizable symbols of Magic Mountain. All King Productions, a contractor, provided the entertainers wearing the costumes until December 31, 1972, when Magic Mountain took on that role. The characters were used until 1985. Also in 1972, a second flume ride named Jet Stream was added. In 1973, the park added its second roller coaster, the Mountain Express, a compact Schwarzkopf Wildcat model steel coaster. In 1974, the park also installed a new complex of spinning rides in what would later be known as Back Street. The new additions consisted of the Himalaya, Electric Rainbow, and Tumble Drum. In 1975, the Grand Centennial Railway opened in the Back Street. It took riders on a train journey to Spillikin Corners and back.

The Coaster Revolution

With the opening of Great American Revolution in 1976, Magic Mountain became the first park in the world to have a modern, 360-degree steel looping coaster (though previous roller coasters with loops had been built and dismantled elsewhere due to safety issues). When it was built, there was very little in the way of surrounding brush. Now, the tracks are surrounded by trees and bushes, which prevents the riders from knowing the track layout beforehand.

Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a ...

then filmed a major movie at Magic Mountain with the Revolution as its centerpiece called ''Rollercoaster'' in 1977. SFMM- Colossus 2

In 1978, Colossus, at the time the fastest, largest dual-tracked wooden coaster, opened. Following its first season, it was closed and extensively redone. When it reopened, it was a much smoother ride. In 1991, the camel hump before the last, or third, turn was replaced by a block brake. Though it decreased the speed of the ride after this particular brake, it did allow three trains to run per side at a time, greatly increasing capacity. One of the trains sometimes ran backwards for a few years in the mid-80s. However, until the late 1990s this kind of ride was no longer possible due to the newer ride system in place, as well as different trains. During ''Fright Fest'', the park runs one side backwards using a set of trains acquired from the now demolished Psyclone which was located on the other side of the park. In 2015, the coaster was re-tracked with steel tracking and several inversions were added to the coaster. It was subsequently rebranded " Twisted Colossus". This renovation was completed by

Rocky Mountain Construction Rocky Mountain Construction, often abbreviated as RMC, is a manufacturing and construction company based in Hayden, Idaho, United States. The company is best known for its I-Box track and Topper Track for wooden roller coasters. History In 20 ...

Six Flags era

In 1979, the park was sold to Six Flags and became known as Six Flags Magic Mountain. In 1981, Six Flags Magic Mountain introduced a ride that was on the west coast for the first time called Roaring Rapids. It was developed by Intamin in conjunction with the now defunct

Six Flags Astroworld Six Flags AstroWorld, also known simply as AstroWorld, was a seasonally operated amusement park in Houston, Texas. Owned and operated by Six Flags, the park was situated between Kirby Drive and Fannin Street, directly south of Interstate 610 (Te ...

, which had opened a similar ride in 1979. Along with Rapids came the completion of the midway near Spillikin Corners to link with Revolution's area. Finally, a complete circuit could be made around the park. It was originally designed as a dual-sided station, but only one was fully developed, and all that exists of the possible second side is a few supports. It uses large pumps to circulate water, and each of the two pumps can circulate 88,500 gallons per minute. The reservoir can hold 1.5 million gallons of water, and one of the innovations used on it was the introduction of guide boards to help eliminate jam ups. In 1982, the attraction

Freefall In Newtonian physics, free fall is any motion of a body where gravity is the only force acting upon it. In the context of general relativity, where gravitation is reduced to a space-time curvature, a body in free fall has no force acting on i ...

was added. Also built by Intamin, it was considered a cutting edge drop tower ride, if not strictly a "roller coaster." It simply ascends the tower and then drops down, with the track curving to horizontal, leaving riders on their backs. Others were built for other parks (some of which are Six Flags). Today, most of these rides are obsolete and have been removed. Some flat rides were added and others removed the next year. In 1984,

Sarajevo Bobsleds La Vibora (The Viper) is a steel bobsled roller coaster at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington, Texas, United States. History The ride's cars do not run on conventional tubular rails, but instead travel through a winding half-pipe trough that em ...

was erected. Yet another ride built by Intamin, the coaster was basically a bobsled without ice and snow. The coaster was built in honor of the 1984 Olympics. Six Flags Great Adventure added a similar ride that same year. In 1986,

was removed and now operates at

Six Flags Over Texas Six Flags Over Texas is a 212-acre (86 ha) amusement park, in Arlington, Texas, east of Fort Worth and west of Dallas. It is the first amusement park in the Six Flags chain, and features themed areas and attractions. The park opened on August 5, ...

La Vibora La Vibora (The Viper) is a steel bobsled roller coaster at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington, Texas, United States. History The ride's cars do not run on conventional tubular rails, but instead travel through a winding half-pipe trough that em ...

. The other bobsled was moved to

Six Flags Great America Six Flags Great America is a amusement park located in Gurnee, Illinois, within the northern Chicago metropolitan area. The amusement park originally opened as Marriott's Great America on May 29, 1976, as one of two theme parks built by the ...

and later to The Great Escape in

Queensbury, New York Queensbury is a town in Warren County, New York, United States. The population was 27,901 at the 2010 census. It contains the county seat of Warren County, located at a municipal center complex on U.S. Route 9 south of the village of Lake George ...

, where it operates as

Alpine Bobsled Alpine Bobsled is a steel bobsled roller coaster located at the Six Flags Great Escape and Hurricane Harbor amusement park in Queensbury, New York. Manufactured by Intamin, the coaster first opened to the public in 1984 at Six Flags Great Advent ...

. In 1985, Children's World was rethemed as

Bugs Bunny Bugs Bunny is an animated cartoon character created in the late 1930s by Warner Bros. Cartoons, Leon Schlesinger Productions (later Warner Bros. Cartoons) and Voice acting, voiced originally by Mel Blanc. Bugs is best known for his starring role ...

World, as Magic Mountain had abandoned the Trolls in favor of Warner Bros.' ''Looney Tunes''/''Merrie Melodies'' characters. That year,

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

visited the park, riding rides such as Colossus, Revolution and Roaring Rapids. In 1986, the park added a steel stand-up looping roller coaster called Shockwave also designed by Intamin. This coaster was located in the back of the park replacing Sarajevo Bobsleds. At the end of 1988, the coaster was removed as part of a ride rotation program and went to Six Flags Great Adventure in 1990. It was removed from there in 1992 and was repainted white and rethemed upon its removal to

. There it was known as Batman The Escape. When Astroworld closed in 2005, the ride was put in storage at

Darien Lake Six Flags Darien Lake is a 1,200-acre (4.86 km2) amusement park and resort located in Corfu, New York, off of Interstate 90 between Buffalo and Rochester. Six Flags Darien Lake features a theme park, water park, campground and lodging. It ...

. In 1987, the park re-themed the Back Street. Spinning flat rides were renamed Turbo (Electric Rainbow), Subway (Himalaya), and Reactor (Enterprise). The dance club was rethemed as well, and located near Reactor. After Hours, as it was now called (formerly Decibels), for one summer stayed open later than the rest of the park. It, along with Back Street, would stay open an additional two hours as a place for locals to hang out. This format lasted one season. In 1988,

Ninja A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance, espionage, infiltration, deception, ambush, bodyguarding and their fighting skills in martial arts, including ninjutsu.Kawakami, pp. 2 ...

, "The Black Belt of Roller Coasters", opened. Built by

Arrow Dynamics Arrow Dynamics was an American manufacturing and engineering company that specialized in designing and building amusement park rides, especially roller coasters. Based in Clearfield, Utah, the company was the successor to Arrow Development (194 ...

, it was the first suspended swing roller coaster on the West coast. Ninja has gone through very few changes since it was opened in 1988; evidently only the wheels and paint have been changed. SFMM- Tidal Wave 1

Tidal Wave opened in 1989. It is a short, wet ride featuring a large boat that travels up a low-angled incline to a level water trough. The trough, in the shape of a semicircle, ends in a steep drop into a large splashpool. The impact displaces large amounts of water on its riders. The ride's exit ramp crosses over the splashpool, allowing willing patrons leaving the ride to get soaked from the splash. Six Flags Magic Mountain Viper and X2 from Sky Tower cropped version

Six Flags Magic Mountain Viper and X2 from Sky Tower cropped version

In 1990,

Viper The Viperidae (vipers) are a family of snakes found in most parts of the world, except for Antarctica, Australia, Hawaii, Madagascar, and various other isolated islands. They are venomous and have long (relative to non-vipers), hinged fangs tha ...

, a multiple looping coaster designed by

, opened. It features a drop, speeds up to , 3 vertical loops, a batwing turn that inverts riders twice, and a double corkscrew. In 1991, Magic Mountain added Psyclone, modeled after the

Coney Island Cyclone The Cyclone, also the Coney Island Cyclone, is a wooden roller coaster at Luna Park in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City. Designed by Vernon Keenan, it opened to the public on June 26, 1927. The roller coaster is on a plot of land at the ...

. The Spillikin Corners area of the park was re-themed as Cyclone Bay to suit the new coaster, drawing guests into this area. The change was largely cosmetic, as the earlier theme relied on retail establishments that had been removed previously. The Glass Blower had been replaced by the Shooting Gallery, and the Candy Kitchen viewing area was redesigned. With Psyclone, the crowds returned. Due to the 1994 Northridge earthquake, Psyclone's structure was damaged, and the ride was eventually removed in 2007. After adding Ninja, Viper, and Psyclone within 4 years, the park was getting a large repertoire of big roller coasters. The next year, 1992, a coaster built by Intamin called Flashback was added. This one-of-a-kind ride, originally planned to be enclosed in a building, had already operated at

and

Six Flags Over Georgia Six Flags Over Georgia is a theme park located in Mableton, Georgia. Opened in 1967, it is the second park in the Six Flags chain following the original Six Flags Over Texas, which opened in 1961. Six Flags Over Georgia is one of three park ...

prior to its arrival. Very steep, short drops were designed to make riders feel like they were "diving" down in a plane, and it ended in a 540 degree upward spiral. But, because of the shoulder harnesses, riders were subjected to a lot of head banging. This coaster rarely ran by 1996 (it created too much noise for the nearby water park) and on January 23, 2007, the park announced that Flashback would be removed along with Psyclone. The park also stated that Flashback might be re-built elsewhere within the park for 2008 but the ride was finally scrapped at the end of 2007.

Time Warner era

In 1993, Six Flags Magic Mountain entered the Time Warner era. The new ride for the year was Yosemite Sam Sierra Falls. It was a water ride that has two twisting tubes that riders could slide down in using a raft. Also that year, there was re-theming and High Sierra Territory was opened. The Showcase Theatre became Golden Bear Theater, the Animal Star Theatre was created in Bugs Bunny World, and a large, fake, wooden tree was built. This year also saw the end of live non-Christian themed concerts in the park due to the riot that broke out as a result of a "TLC" concert that was oversold. Magic Mountain was quickly overwhelmed by large crowds that vandalized and destroyed property. Park shops had their windows broken and looting quickly followed. Police were called to the scene in full riot gear. The park was evacuated and closed down for the night. In 1994, Magic Mountain added what two other Six Flags parks already had, a Bolliger & Mabillard inverted looping roller coaster called Batman: The Ride (which other Six Flags parks also added in the coming years). Batman: the Ride (BTR) is an inverted coaster, meaning the usual coaster protocol is reversed; the track is overhead and the cars are below it. The trains travel on the outside of the loops, and rider's legs hang freely, as on a ski lift. SFMM- Sign 2

A separately gated waterpark called

Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Hurricane Harbor is a chain of water parks that are part of the Six Flags theme park chain. Although the parks are not identical, common features include a variety of body slides, speed slides, tube slides, wave pools, lazy rivers, and shopping ...

opened on June 16, 1995. The 22-acre park included body slides, tube slides, a kiddie water play area, lazy river, and a wave pool. The following year, a SkyCoaster called Dive Devil opened at Magic Mountain. A dual launch coaster called Superman: The Escape debuted at the park on March 15, 1997. Designed by Intamin, the 30-second ride launches riders from 0 to in seven seconds on a track that scales up a 41-story tower. It was the first roller coaster in the world to reach speeds of 100 mph. Originally slated to open in June 1996, the ride's opening was delayed and pushed back to 1997 as problems with the LSM launch motors were found. The tower structure was painted a grayish white when the ride first opened and lasted until 2011. SFMM- Riddler's Revenge 5

In 1998, a new Bolliger & Mabillard Stand-up roller coaster called

Riddler's Revenge The Riddler's Revenge is a steel stand-up roller coaster located at Six Flags Magic Mountain. Manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, the ride opened as the park's eleventh roller coaster on April 4, 1998, setting multiple world records among ...

opened as the tallest and fastest stand-up roller coaster in the world.

Premier Parks era

Also in 1998, Six Flags was sold to Premier Parks. The next year saw no dramatic changes. In 2000, a steel

hypercoaster A hypercoaster can mean one of two things: *Any continuous-circuit roller coaster with a height or drop measuring greater than 200 feet Or, more narrowly: *Any complete-circuit roller coaster with a height or drop between 200 and 299 feet ...

, Goliath, was added. It was built by

Giovanola Giovanola Frères SA was a prominent steel manufacturing company based in Monthey, Switzerland. It was known for building electrical power stations, water storage tanks, pipelines, boilers, highway bridges, submarines, ski lifts and many other st ...

. 2001 was to be the year of three new roller coasters, but only one actually opened on time:

Goliath Jr. Magic Flyer also known as Percy's Railway, is a small, oval-circuit steel roller coaster made by Bradley and Kaye that opened in 1971. The coaster is located in the Whistlestop Park area of Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California. It wa ...

, a steel kiddie coaster. The other two,

Déjà Vu ''Déjà vu'' ( , ; "already seen") is a French loanword for the phenomenon of feeling as though one has lived through the present situation before.Schnider, Armin. (2008). ''The Confabulating Mind: How the Brain Creates Reality''. Oxford Univers ...

and X (now X²), had mechanical problems. Déjà Vu opened late in 2001 and X opened early in 2002. Déjà Vu was designed by

Vekoma Vekoma Rides Manufacturing is a Dutch amusement ride manufacturer. Vekoma is syllabic abbreviation of Veld Koning Machinefabriek (Veld Koning Machine Factory) which was established in 1926 by Hendrik op het Veld. History The company originally m ...

and is a Giant Inverted Boomerang coaster (GIB), a variant of their popular

Boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool, typically constructed with aerofoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. A returning boomerang is designed to return to the thrower, while a non-returning ...

design. It is an inverted coaster with coaches suspended beneath an overhead track that traverses an open-circuit track forward and in reverse and features two completely vertical drops and three inversions. It opened late in 2001, but suffered a lot of downtime. X was designed by Arrow Dynamics, as the world's first "fourth-dimensional" roller coaster. It was the only one in North America where riders experience going 360 degrees in their seats. Each seat lies on a separate axis from the track. This coaster managed to open briefly on January 12, 2002, only to close due to more technical problems. It reopened late in August of that year. The ride closed for a major refurbishment and re-theme in 2008 where X transformed into X². In 2003,

Scream Scream may refer to: *Screaming, a loud vocalization Amusement rides * Scream (Heide Park), a gyro drop tower in Soltau, Germany * Scream! (ride), a tower ride at Six Flags Fiesta Texas and Six Flags New England * Scream! (roller coaster), at ...

, designed by Bolliger & Mabillard was added. At this point, Six Flags Magic Mountain tied with Cedar Point for the park with the most roller coasters in the United States. Scream is similar in concept with

Medusa In Greek mythology, Medusa (; Ancient Greek: Μέδουσα "guardian, protectress"), also called Gorgo, was one of the three monstrous Gorgons, generally described as winged human females with living venomous snakes in place of hair. Those ...

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (formerly known as Six Flags Marine World, Marine World, The New Marine World Theme Park, and Marine World Africa USA) is a 135-acre (55 ha) animal theme park located in Vallejo, California, off of Interstate 80 ...

and is a mirror image of

at Six Flags Great Adventure. It is a

floorless roller coaster A Floorless Coaster is a type of steel roller coaster manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard where riders sit with no floor underneath them, allowing their feet to swing freely just above the track. Development of the Floorless Coaster model beg ...

with trains riding above the rails traversing seven inversions on of track on floorless trains. In 2006,

Tatsu Tatsu is a flying roller coaster designed by Bolliger & Mabillard at the Six Flags Magic Mountain amusement park located in Valencia, California, United States. Manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, it opened as the tallest, fastest, and longe ...

, a Bolliger & Mabillard

flying roller coaster A flying roller coaster is a type of roller coaster meant to simulate the sensations of flight by harnessing riders in a prone position during the duration of the ride. The roller coaster cars are suspended below the track, with riders secured ...

was added, causing a temporary closure of Revolution and Roaring Rapids to allow construction to take place. It was much larger than the other three Bolliger & Mabillard Flying Coasters at other Six Flags parks, all named Superman: Ultimate Flight. Tatsu has a suspended-track orientation featuring vehicles that recline passengers with their backs against the track and facing the ground. This brought the park up to 17 roller coasters, to tie with Cedar Point for the greatest number of roller coasters in a park (albeit Flashback had been standing but not operating for an extended period of time and thus it is debatable whether the park could claim 17 as its number of roller coasters).

2006 attempted sale

On June 22, 2006, Six Flags, Inc. announced that it was exploring options for six of its parks, including Magic Mountain and its neighboring water park,

Hurricane Harbor Hurricane Harbor is a chain of water parks that are part of the Six Flags theme park chain. Although the parks are not identical, common features include a variety of body slides, speed slides, tube slides, wave pools, lazy rivers, and shopping ...

. Though management said closing the park was unlikely, rumors still began that the park could be sold to real estate developers, with an intent to close the park and build housing developments in the area. Park officials cited dwindling attendance due to rowdy behavior among some of the park-goers as reasons for wanting to sell the park while management was wanting to move Six Flags into more of a family park direction. Throughout the Six Flags chain, attendance in the second quarter of 2006 was 14 percent lower than it was in the second quarter of 2005. By the fall of 2006, Six Flags announced that Magic Mountain was still up for sale. They also stated, however, that it would be sold to a company that would continue to operate it as a park, and that closing Magic Mountain was not a possibility.

Cedar Fair Cedar Fair, L.P., formally Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, is a publicly traded master limited partnership headquartered at its Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio. The company owns and operates eleven amusement parks, nine included- ...

Anheuser-Busch Anheuser-Busch Companies, LLC is an American brewing company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Since 2008, it has been wholly owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV ( AB InBev), now the world's largest brewing company, which owns multiple ...

, and several others considered buying the park but none of the offers came close to the asking price. When Six Flags announced which parks it was selling in January 2007, Magic Mountain was no longer one of them. The company decided not to sell Magic Mountain and its adjacent water park. Spokeswoman Wendy Goldberg said that upon further evaluation, the company decided that the Los Angeles parks remained too valuable to relinquish, as sales were increasing, and that the park would not be sold. Other parks were sold as a package and remained open.

Since 2007

Roller coasters Flashback and Psyclone were both removed in 2007, with Psyclone being demolished in February and Flashback remained standing until December of that year, when it was finally scrapped. As a result, Six Flags Magic Mountain no longer tied the record for the most roller coasters in a single park, relinquishing the record to Cedar Point – the park's total had never surpassed Cedar Point but had tied numerous times. The park began focusing more attention on marketing with family-oriented values, and a new children's theme area, Thomas Town, was added in 2008. The park renovated one its thrill rides, however. "X" was closed on December 2 for its transformation into X² which featured new fourth-generation trains, a new paint job, and special effects that included pyrotechnics and audio. It reopened on May 24, 2008. In the same year, the park began work on the "Magic of the Mountain" museum at the top of its Sky Tower attraction that contained memorabilia throughout the park's history including old television commercials, park maps, models, and equipment saved from defunct rides. Terminator Salvation: The Ride, a wooden roller coaster, opened on May 23, 2009. It was built in the former location of Psyclone and featured tunnels, spraying mist, and special effects. On January 9, 2011, the ride was renamed to Apocalypse and given an appropriate theme that reflects an "end of the world" scenario. Later that year, Six Flags President and CEO Mark Shapiro said in a

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

published interview that Magic Mountain had plans to install a new roller coaster for its 2010 season, and would add a new themed area for children in 2011 called Wiggles World. Shapiro also stated that the adjacent Hurricane Harbor would receive an expansion. On May 29, 2010, Mr. Six's Dance Coaster was scheduled to open but it was delayed until 2011 when it would open under a new theme. On the same day, Mr. Six's Splash Island opened at the adjacent Hurricane Harbor water park. On August 3, 2010, it was announced that Superman: The Escape would undergo a major redevelopment before the 2011 season. On October 20, 2010, Six Flags Magic Mountain officially announced their full plans for 2011 after a video was leaked six days earlier. In addition to opening Mr. Six's Dance Coaster under a new name and theme, Six Flags announced two other attractions. In time for the 2011 season, Superman: The Escape was refurbished to Superman: Escape from Krypton and opened on March 19, 2011. The coaster featured new backwards launching cars and a new color scheme. The third and final announcement regards an entirely new thrill roller coaster. The Green Lantern: First Flight opened on July 1, 2011 as Magic Mountain's eighteenth roller coaster which was an Intamin ZacSpin. This roller coaster reclaimed the world record for the highest number of roller coasters at a single theme park. It was later announced, on November 4, 2010, that the children's roller coaster would be called Road Runner Express and located in ''Bugs Bunny World''. In late 2010, Six Flags began the process of removing non-

licensed theming from attractions. They terminated several licenses including

Terminator Terminator may refer to: Science and technology Genetics * Terminator (genetics), the end of a gene for transcription * Terminator technology, proposed methods for restricting the use of genetically modified plants by causing second generation s ...

and

Thomas the Tank Engine Thomas the Tank Engine is an anthropomorphised fictional tank locomotive in the British ''Railway Series'' books by Wilbert Awdry and his son, Christopher, published from 1945. He became the most popular and famous character in the series, ...

. Terminator Salvation: The Ride was renamed and rethemed into ''Apocalypse'' which re-opened on January 8, 2011. Thomas Town was renamed and rethemed to

Whistlestop Park Whistlestop Park is a themed children's area with various rides at several Six Flags amusement parks. History Before being named ''Whistlestop Park'', these themed areas were named ''Thomas Town'' from 2007 to 2010. *2006: On December 12, 2006, ...

in time for the 2011 season. On January 18, 2011, the

reported after considering a new theme based on

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

superhero sidekicks, the park opted for simplicity and renamed the Little Flash coaster to Road Runner Express. Due to Green Lantern being placed in Gotham City Backlot, the area was re-themed into

DC Universe The DC Universe (DCU) is the fictional shared universe where most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. Superheroes such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Robin, Martian Manhunter, The Flash, Green Lant ...

. In addition, Grinder Gearworks became "Wonder Woman: Lasso Of Truth" and Atom Smasher was renamed "The Flash: Speed Force". In August 2011, several media sources reported that

Six Flags New England Six Flags New England, formerly known as Gallup's Grove (1870–1886), Riverside Grove (1887–1911), Riverside Park (1912–1995) and Riverside: The Great Escape (1996–2000), is an amusement park located in Agawam, Massachusetts, a western s ...

would install Six Flags Magic Mountain's ''Déjà Vu'' for the park's 2012 season. On September 1, 2011, Six Flags Magic Mountain announced that they would be opening a new attraction for the 2012 season named Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom. The free-fall drop attraction was integrated into both sides of the park's tall Superman: Escape from Krypton tower structure and ranks as the world's tallest drop tower, featuring a plummet from above ground level. The following day, Six Flags Magic Mountain confirmed on Facebook that Déjà Vu would be removed from the park. Then on September 13, 2011, the park announced that Déjà Vu would be removed after October 16, 2011, "Déjà Vu fans, we have created some exclusive after hours ride time for you to ride it again before October 16." On October 31, 2011, Log Jammer operated for the last time and was removed to make way for Full Throttle, which opened in 2013. In August 2012, Six Flags Magic Mountain confirmed rumors that a new roller coaster, Full Throttle, would open the following season. Full Throttle opened as the park's 18th roller coaster, allowing Six Flags Magic Mountain to market having the most roller coasters in the world once again. The ride was built to feature the world's tallest vertical loop on a roller coaster at . In addition, Full Throttle set a record for being the first roller coaster to feature a track section with rails on both sides of the spine. This occurs at the top of the ride's massive inversion. On August 29, 2013, Six Flags Magic Mountain officially announced that they would run both Batman: The Ride and Colossus backwards for a limited time of the 2014 season. They will also expand Bugs Bunny World with the addition of a new roller coaster. On April 8, 2014, Six Flags Magic Mountain announced that the park will host its first ever ''

Holiday in the Park Holiday in the Park (known as Christmas in the Park at Six Flags México) is a Christmas event that takes place at several Six Flags parks. The event features Christmas lights along with live entertainment, and usually follows Six Flags Fright Fes ...

'' Christmas event in late 2014 and for future years after. In the summer of 2014, the park placed banners across the property advertising the Bonzai Pipelines in the adjacent property,

, along with the closing of Colossus which took place on August 16, 2014. On August 28, 2014, Six Flags announced the

conversion of Colossus into Twisted Colossus. Twisted Colossus opened on May 23, 2015. On September 3, 2015, Six Flags announced the renovation of

Revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...

with a new paint scheme, upgraded lighting, and new train eliminating the controversial over-the-shoulder restraints that had been the source of the ride's spotty reputation for much of its life. Named "The New Revolution," the roller coaster reopened on April 21, 2016. On September 1, 2016, the park announced Justice League: Battle for Metropolis to open in 2017. The 4D shooting dark ride is nearly identical to the six other installations located at Six Flags parks around North America. The ride opened on July 12, 2017 and is located in the Metropolis section near The Riddler's Revenge. On August 29, 2017, Six Flags announced the addition of a

Zamperla Antonio Zamperla S.p.A. is an Italian design and manufacturing company founded in 1966. It is best known for creating family rides, thrill rides and roller coasters worldwide. The company also makes smaller coin-operated rides commonly found in ...

Giga Discovery flat ride to be built in a newly renovated Boardwalk Beach area near

. Marketed as "the world's tallest pendulum ride", CraZanity takes riders to a height of 172 feet (52.4 m) and speeds up to 75 mph (120.7 kmh). On August 29, 2018, the park announced the brand new racing launch coaster

West Coast Racers West Coast Racers is a dueling steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Magic Mountain theme park in Valencia, California. Manufactured by Premier Rides, the ride is a collaboration between West Coast Customs and Six Flags that was promoted as ...

from

Premier Rides Premier Rides is an amusement ride manufacturer based in the United States. The company was the first to use Linear Induction Motors (LIMs) on their roller coasters. Jim Seay has been the sole owner and company president since 1996. The first r ...

and a revamp of the old Cyclone Bay area into a high-energy, urban

. The ride itself is dubbed the first launched racing coaster in the world and the first quadruple launched coaster, even though the existing

Fiorano GT Challenge Fiorano GT Challenge is a steel dueling roller coaster at Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The roller coaster features two, tracks, each of which has four LSM launches and four magnetic brake sections, immersing passengers in ...

holds these records. The Möbius loop coaster officially opened to the public on January 9, 2020, and became the 19th coaster at the park. On March 24, 2019, the park announced that Green Lantern: First Flight would permanently close and be removed from the park which no longer makes West Coast Racers the park's 20th coaster. On March 13, 2020, the park closed due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. The theme park reopened on April 1, 2021, with Members and Passholders being granted access on April 1 and 2, with the general public being admitted to the park on April 3. As of August 2021, Six Flags Magic Mountain visitors are no longer required to wear masks outdoors. On October 21, 2021, the park announced

Wonder Woman Flight of Courage Wonder Woman Flight of Courage is a Rocky Mountain Construction roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California. The roller coaster opened on July 16, 2022, as the world's longest and tallest single-rail roller coaster. It fea ...

, the world's tallest and fastest single rail coaster, to open in summer 2022. The ride is an I-Box Raptor coaster built by Rocky Mountain Construction. Starting November 1, 2022, Six Flags Magic Mountain reduced their 365-day operating schedule to operate on select days only. The 365 day schedule, which was introduced in 2018 to “maximize travel industry opportunities,” was limited to select weekends only. Park Marketing & Communications Publicist Alexandria French said in a statement that the changed operation schedule would deliver a more “exceptional guest experience.”

Themed areas

There are presently eleven separately themed areas within the park – each zone featuring its own distinct rides, attractions, and food service venues.

Cinema, television, and computer games

Magic Mountain's proximity to downtown Los Angeles, the hub of the American film and television industry, has resulted in its appearance in several productions, usually representing a park other than itself. The debut of ''Revolution'' was the focal point of the 1977 release ''

Rollercoaster A roller coaster, or rollercoaster, is a type of amusement ride that employs a form of elevated railroad track designed with tight turns, steep slopes, and sometimes inversions. Passengers ride along the track in open cars, and the rides are o ...

''.

Bob Einstein Stewart Robert Einstein (November 20, 1942 – January 2, 2019) was an American actor, comedy writer, and producer. He created and performed the satirical stuntman character Super Dave Osborne, and was also known for his roles as Marty Funkh ...

, as his character

Super Dave Osborne Super Dave Osborne is a character created and played by comedian Bob Einstein. Einstein's comedic depiction was of a naïve but optimistic stuntman who was frequently comically injured when his stunts went spectacularly wrong. Character sketch Su ...

, performed his first "stunt" on a roller coaster at Magic Mountain. In 1983, Magic Mountain became the fictional "Walley World" for ''

National Lampoon's Vacation ''National Lampoon's Vacation'', sometimes referred to as simply ''Vacation'', is a 1983 American road trip comedy film directed by Harold Ramis starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Imogene Coca, Randy Quaid, John Candy, and Christie Brink ...

'', with scenes featuring ''Revolution'' and ''Colossus'' (each using fictional names). On television, Magic Mountain doubled as the theme park in the opening credits of the television series '' Step by Step''. Other TV productions featuring Magic Mountain have included: NCIS, ''

Entourage An entourage () is an informal group or band of people who are closely associated with a (usually) famous, notorious, or otherwise notable individual. The word can also refer to: Arts and entertainment * L'entourage, French hip hop / rap collecti ...

'', ''

The Bionic Woman ''The Bionic Woman'' is an American science fiction action-adventure television series created by Kenneth Johnson based on the 1972 novel ''Cyborg'' by Martin Caidin, starring Lindsay Wagner that aired from January 14, 1976, to May 13, 1978. ' ...

'', ''

The A-Team ''The A-Team'' is an American action-adventure television series that ran on NBC from January 1983 to March 1987 about former members of a fictitious United States Army Special Forces unit. The four members of the team were tried by court ma ...

'', ''

CHiPs ''CHiPs'' is an American crime drama television series created by Rick Rosner and originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to May 1, 1983. It follows the lives of two motorcycle officers of the California Highway Patrol (CHP). The seri ...

'', ''

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...

'', ''

Way Out Games ''Way Out Games'' is a 1976-1977 weekly athletic competition game show where a total of 51 teams representing the United States and Puerto Rico competed in a series of athletic events, with emphasis based on humor and the unexpected. ''Way Out Ga ...

'', ''

Knight Rider ''Knight Rider'' is an American entertainment franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The core of ''Knight Rider'' is its three television series: the original ''Knight Rider'' (1982–1986) and sequel series '' Team Knight Rider'' (1997–1998) ...

'', ''

Beverly Hills, 90210 ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (often referred to by its short title, ''90210'') is an American teen drama television series created by Darren Star and produced by Aaron Spelling under his production company Spelling Television. The series ran for ...

'', '' Melrose Place'', ''

The King of Queens ''The King of Queens'' is an American television sitcom that ran on CBS from September 21, 1998, to May 14, 2007, a total of nine seasons and 207 episodes. The series was created by Michael J. Weithorn and David Litt, who also served as the show ...

'', and '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer''. The band

Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

also filmed their acting debut in 1978's

made-for-TV A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

'' Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park'' that featured the band members in the park and near Colossus. In the 2000 movie ''

Space Cowboys ''Space Cowboys'' is a 2000 American adventure drama film directed and produced by Clint Eastwood. It stars Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland, and James Garner as four older "ex-test pilots" who are sent into space to repair an old ...

'' Donald Sutherland is shown riding Viper and is portrayed as the designer when Clint Eastwood recruits him. Magic Mountain's Showcase Theatre was the filming location for the video game-themed game show '' The Video Game'' from September 1984 to September 1985. Magic Mountain was also the filming location for the children's educational video series '' Real Wheels'' episode "Here Comes A Roller Coaster", with host Dave Hood, which was released in 1995. Magic Mountain was used as a filming site for the 1990 ''

Kidsongs ''Kidsongs'' is an American children's media franchise that includes Kidsongs Music Video Stories on DVD and video, The Kidsongs TV Show, CDs of favorite children's songs, song books, sheet music, toys and an ecommerce website. It was created by ...

'' video, "Ride the Roller Coaster". Colossus was used for filming for the 1995 '' Muppets'' video, ''Muppets on Wheels''. In the

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...

show '' Drake & Josh'', Drake, Josh, and Megan take a trip to Mystic Mountain (parody of Magic Mountain) in the episode "The Demonator", and they ride the "Demonator". On ''

Zoey 101 ''Zoey 101'' is an American comedy drama television series created by Dan Schneider for Nickelodeon. It aired from January 9, 2005, to May 2, 2008. It focuses on the lives of Zoey Brooks ( Jamie Lynn Spears), her brother Dustin ( Paul Butcher), ...

'' Zoey and Lisa take Michael to Mystic Mountain (both series were created by

Dan Schneider Daniel James Schneider (born January 14, 1966) is an American television producer, screenwriter, and actor. After appearing in mostly supporting roles in a number of 1980s and 1990s films and TV shows, Schneider devoted himself to behind-the-s ...

), and they help Michael overcome his roller coaster fear in the episode "Rollercoaster". He rides the "Spine Twister", which was actually the Goliath from Magic Mountain. In 1990, Nickelodeon's '' Wild and Crazy Kids'', the wooden roller coaster, Colossus, was featured as a game called "Wacky RollerCoaster Spill". In the movie '' This Is Spinal Tap'', the band performs as second billing to a puppet show at the fictional "Themeland Amusement Park" in Stockton, California, located north of Santa Clarita. The actual filming location is Magic Mountain's amphitheater. The

video ''Ride the Roller Coaster'' is set at Six Flags Magic Mountain. Nick Cannon group ''

The School Gyrls The School Gyrls (briefly known as Forever) were an North America, American girl group formed in 2008. They were signed to Nick Cannon's NCredible Entertainment. The group starred in an eponymous movie that premiered on Nickelodeon (TV channel), ...

'' movie premiere was at Magic Mountain. In the film '' Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer'', they go to a theme park and ride a roller coaster for the first time. The coaster was Goliath. Goliath was also featured as the "Aquaman" roller coaster in the third season of the HBO series ''

''. In 2011, the park was chosen as the setting for the

Travel Channel Travel Channel (stylized as Trvl Channel since 2018) is an American pay television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, which had previously owned the channel from 1997 to 2007. The channel is headquartered in New York, New York, United S ...

's version of the quiz show '' Scream! If You Know the Answer''. The ''

Glee Glee means delight, a form of happiness. Glee may also refer to: * Glee (music), a type of English choral music * ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy * ''Glee'' (Bran Van 30 ...

'' cast visited the park in 2012 for their senior skip day in the " Big Brother" episode, where they ride

. In 2013, a large section of the parking lot was blocked off for a Toyota Camry commercial. Both pictures and the background footage reveal Goliath and Colossus, indicating that it is Magic Mountain where the commercial was shot. The ride that was built for the commercial bears a resemblance to the park's new coaster at the time, Full Throttle: a big hill, a barrier-test loop, a backwards propulsion section, and a forwards propulsion section that runs through a tunnel placed next to the hill. In 2016, Goliath was used for a

Carpool Karaoke Carpool Karaoke is a recurring segment on ''The Late Late Show with James Corden'', in which host James Corden invites famous musical guests to sing along to their songs with him whilst traveling in a car driven by Corden on a planned route usual ...

segment with

Selena Gomez Selena Marie Gomez ( ; born July 22, 1992) is an American singer, actress and producer. Gomez began her acting career on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004). As a teenager, she rose to prominence for starring a ...

. In 2017, the park and Full Throttle were used in the filming of the music video for Katy Perry's "

Chained to the Rhythm "Chained to the Rhythm" is a song by American singer-songwriter Katy Perry that served as the lead single from her fifth studio album, ''Witness''. It features vocals from Jamaican singer Skip Marley. The artists co-wrote the track with its pro ...

". In 2017, areas of the park were used in the filming of the Netflix comedy ''

Sandy Wexler ''Sandy Wexler'' is a 2017 American comedy film directed by Steven Brill and written by Dan Bulla, Paul Sado and Adam Sandler. The film stars Sandler, Jennifer Hudson, Kevin James, Terry Crews, Rob Schneider, Colin Quinn, Nick Swardson, Lamorne ...

'' starring Adam Sandler. In 2021, some areas of the park were used in the filming of the Netflix comedy

Yes Day ''Yes Day'' is a 2021 American family comedy film directed by Miguel Arteta, from a screenplay and screen story by Justin Malen, based upon the children's book of the same name by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld. It stars Jennifer Garner ...

. Although not featured, Magic Mountain is mentioned numerous times in the Netflix horror-comedy ''

Santa Clarita Diet ''Santa Clarita Diet'' is an American horror-comedy streaming television series created by Victor Fresco for the streaming service Netflix, starring Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant. Fresco serves as the showrunner, and is an executive pr ...

''. A recreation of Magic Mountain was featured built in the computer game '' RollerCoaster Tycoon 2'', including a blank version of the park with no rides and attractions.

Attractions

Roller coasters

Six Flags Magic Mountain holds the record for most roller coasters in an amusement park at 20.

Other attractions

Former rides & attractions

Roller coasters

Other rides and attractions

Rankings

Six Flags Magic Mountain's coasters are commonly ranked high in Amusement Today's annual

Golden Ticket Awards ''Amusement Today'' is a monthly periodical that features articles, news, pictures and reviews about all things relating to the amusement park industry, including parks, rides, and ride manufacturers. The trade newspaper, which is based in Arl ...

. With the opening of Full Throttle on June 22, 2013, Six Flags Magic Mountain obtained the world record for the largest number of roller coasters in an amusement park. Below is a table with roller coasters at Six Flags Magic Mountain and their highest ranking in the Golden Ticket Awards.

Record breaking rides

Six Flags Magic Mountain has several attractions that set world records in various categories.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Six Flags Magic Mountain Amusement parks in California Santa Clarita, California Magic Mountain 1971 establishments in California Amusement parks opened in 1971

History

The Coaster Revolution

Six Flags era

Time Warner era

Premier Parks era

2006 attempted sale

Since 2007

Themed areas

Cinema, television, and computer games

Attractions

Roller coasters

Other attractions

Former rides & attractions

Roller coasters

Other rides and attractions

Rankings

Record breaking rides

See also

References

External links