Big Bad Wolf was an Arrow suspended coaster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg in Virginia. This
was a beloved coaster that operated from 1984 to 2009, but it was unfortunately removed after
25 years of operation due to wear and tear on the structure. I was fortunate enough
to have ridden Big Bad Wolf a few times on my first visit to Busch Gardens so in this video,
I will review Big Bad Wolf, discussing both the ride’s history and the on-board experience.
Big Bad Wolf was one of the earliest successful suspended coasters.
The concept had been around since the 1900s. Cars would hang below the track and could freely
swing side-to-side on the turns. The most notable example from this time was Bisby’s Spiral Airship
at Queens Park in Long Beach, California, which operated from 1902 to 1915. But the coaster
model wouldn’t be revisited for another 60 years. In 1975, German manufacturer Messerschmitt debuted
Alpenflug at Okotberfest. This coaster was a major step towards the suspended coasters we know today.
Alpenflug featured the longer trains we’d eventually see Arrow and Vekoma use. The
ride had 2700 feet or 823 meters of tangled track and it was the most popular ride at Oktoberfest,
but it was short-lived. After the 16 day run at the fair, the ride already had significant
wear. The unbanked turns caused stress in the track and the brake fins were below the trains,
which caused stress in the wheel assemblies. Flash forward to 1981 and Arrow Dynamics built
the Bat for Kings Island. This is not the Bat that currently operates at Kings Island.
This was an earlier version. Like Alpenflug, this coaster was extremely popular, but it was plagued
by the same issues. Arrow didn’t learn from Messerschmitt’s errors. Bat’s unbanked turns
also stressed the track and trains. And the brakes again were placed below the trains
and damaged. The original Bat was short-lived and only lasted until 1983, operating intermittently.
While Arrow failed to learn from Messerschmitt’s errors, they did learn from their own errors.
Their future suspended coasters would include banked turns,
to reduce stress on the tracks and trains. And the braking system would be redesigned.
Arrow just needed a chance. Two parks gave them the opportunity to
build updated suspended coasters in 1984. First was XLR-8 at Six Flags Astroworld in Houston.
This coaster was a success, as it operated until Astroworld’s closure in 2005. The ride was
reliable. It was wasn’t overly thrilling. But the coaster that opened just one month later would.
In June of 1984, Arrow unveiled Big Bad Wolf at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Busch Gardens
had been eying a suspended coaster for a few years. Originally, they contacted
Schwarzkopf for the project. Schwarzkopf had provided the park’s first two major coasters.
First was Glissade, a Jumbo Jet, in 1975. Second was Die Wildkatze, a Schwarzkopf Wildcat,
in 1976. It is rumored that Schwarzkopf developed 3/4 of a prototype suspended coaster,
but they went bankrupt before they could complete it.
So Busch Gardens contacted Arrow to fulfill their desire for a suspended coaster.
Arrow provided the wildly successful Loch Ness Monster for Busch Gardens in 1978. This double
looping coaster was the park’s most popular attraction and Arrow was known for innovation,
which is why Arrow was given a chance despite their issues with the Bat.
Big Bad Wolf was originally supposed to open in March one month ahead of XLR-8, but Arrow ran into
issues on the ride’s signature drop. The Rhine River drop was too fast and the subsequent turn
would be both uncomfortable for riders and cause excessive wear to the ride. Arrow’s
solution was to trim the final drop and this is how Big Bad Wolf throughout its 25 year life.
Flash forward to 2009. Big Bad Wolf was at the end of its service life.
While the banked turns and trim brake did help prolong Big Bad Wolf’s life,
this suspended coaster still generated dynamic forces that gradually wore out
the track and train’s components. And since Arrow went out of business in 2002,
it would not have been easy to replace these parts. So Busch Gardens made the hard decision to
close the coaster at the end of the 2009 season. While that would be the end of Big Bad Wolf’s
story, the coaster does have a spiritual successor of sorts. In 2012, Busch Gardens opened Verbolten,
a Zierer multi-launch coaster. This coaster would follow Big Bad Wolf’s second half identically,
so much so that Verbolten actually uses Big Bad Wolf’s old concrete footers.
The ride also has a few tributes to the old suspended coaster in the queue line,
one of the three possible show-scenes in the enclosed section, and one of the trains.
But back to Big Bad Wolf, this coaster was located in the Oktoberfest section of Busch Gardens.
Much of the ride was a mystery, shielded by the dense woods.
But the ride’s climactic finale over the Rhine River was on full display. Big Bad Wolf’s drop was
one of the most iconic elements of any coaster. In my lone visit with Big Bad Wolf operational,
Busch Gardens wasn’t busy. And that was a good thing since Big Bad Wolf’s line crawled. Big
Bad Wolf had 2800 feet or 853 meters of track, but because of a long pre-lift and two painfully
slow lift hills, station to station, Big Bad Wolf took 3.5-4 minutes. The coaster
could support three train operations, but it was only running two the day I visited. When
everything else in the park was a walk-on, Big Bad Wolf had a 15-20 minute wait for comparison.
The trains are identical to the remaining Arrow suspended coasters in North America. They have
the familiar over-the-shoulder restraints and deep, bucket trains. I remember enjoying the front
row more on Big Bad Wolf for the unobstructed visuals, which are a big part of the experience.
Once secure, Big Bad Wolf rolled out of the station and approached the first of two
lifts. The first lift was 50 feet or 15 meters tall. Big Bad Wolf started with a gradual drop.
It wasn’t overly steep, but it built all the speed needed for the first half.
Big Bad Wolf was famous for its second half, but the first half was quite good as well.
The ride had three consecutive low turns set in a mock Bavarian village.
Each of these 180 degree turns resulted in some great swinging and stunning near-misses with
the village. Big Bad Wolf then dipped down and traversed a 360 degree helix. This was probably
the tamest part of the ride. I don’t remember it offering any standout swinging or forces.
You then hit the brake run, slowing to a halt. And then you climbed the 100 foot or 30.5 meter
tall lift at the pace of a snail. It definitely disrupts the ride’s pacing. The intermission
is similar to the one on Twisted Colossus at Six Flags Magic Mountain.
But both rides deliver a worthy payoff. Once atop the lift, you turn 90 degrees and
are staring face-to-face with the famous Rhine River drop. This drop may have only been 80 feet
or 24 meters tall, but it felt twice as tall as you stared down at the river. It was one of the
most intimidating views of any coaster. It wasn’t the drop that was scary. It was more the following
turn. You would question in the back-of-your head if the train would snap off of track.
The drop itself gave a tiny pop of airtime in the back, but it was short-lived due to the
trim. You definitely felt the trim hold back the coaster, but you still built up an impressive
head of speed. And the turn over the Rhine River was exceptional. The vehicles would
swing parallel to the water. It was fast and violent. It was the most intense turn on any
of the Arrow suspended coasters I’ve ridden. But what often got lost in the shuffle is the
following turn. After traversing the famous Rhine River turn, you shot back in the woods
and navigated another 180 degree turn. An ever tighter one. So the swinging was about on par
with the prior turn. It just didn’t have the same visual where you were gliding above the water.
You then started rapidly bleeding off speed as you climbed uphill.
You then navigated one last turn that- while slow- gave one last wild swing and then you’d
rock into the brake run, ending the ride. While Big Bad Wolf was an objectively long ride,
most of that time was spend crawling around slow turns or up lift hills.
Big Bad Wolf actually only had about 40 seconds when you were actively navigating
drops or high-speed turns. For reference, that is just as long as Vortex at Canada’s Wonderland
or the new Bat at Kings Island are. And both those coasters feel like they’re on the shorter side.
Big Bad Wolf was like the Batman vs. Superman film. The action is great when it occurs.
But there are a lot of moments when both rides are slowly plodding about. Both the
first and second halves have 20 seconds of thrilling swinging, but the ride’s pacing
feels uneven because of what surrounds those segments.
In terms of smoothness, Big Bad Wolf was quite comfortable. There were a few bumps, but there
was never any headbanging since you’d swing into each turn rather than fighting against it.
So what would I rate Big Bad Wolf? I would give this coaster a 7.5 out of 10.
It was a fun coaster. The ride had a breathtaking setting from the forest to the Bavarian village
to the Rhine River. It was one of the best locations of any coaster. And this coaster
had the fantastic finale and the best swinging of any suspended coaster I have ridden. But
I do have to knock the ride down a few points for the brevity of the ride’s active sections
and uneven pacing caused by the lift mid-ride. Of the suspended coasters I have ridden,
Big Bad Wolf is my favorite by a slim margin over the aforementioned new Bat at Kings Island
and Vortex at Canada’s Wonderland. I think the other two coasters maintain their speed better,
but Big Bad Wolf gets the boost for the ride’s setting and signature drop and turn. While I
definitely miss Big Bad Wolf, I do actually prefer Verbolten. It’s similar to how I feel about
Dueling Dragons and Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure at Islands of Adventure. I
was definitely sad to see the former go, but I have to admit the replacement ride is superior.
So those are my thoughts on the former Big Bad Wolf at Busch Gardens Williamsburg.
Did you ever ride this coaster? How do you think it compares to the other suspended coasters out
there? I would love to hear your thoughts down in the comments. If you enjoyed this review, I’d
appreciate it if you gave this video a like and you considered subscribing since there will be a
lot more roller coaster and amusement park videos here at Canobie Coaster. Thanks for watching!