- [Theme Park Crazy] Epilepsy warning for flashing lights
and colors. (upbeat instrumental music)
We've talked about many weird
and obscure roller coasters before on this channel,
but there are just so many of them out there,
they deserve more than one video.
Recently I conducted a poll with my viewers
with several bizarre roller coasters to choose from,
so as voted on by the fans,
Here are just some
of the many unusual roller coasters ever built.
Number 10, Inversa at Brazil's Acqua Lokos.
Made in-house by the park.
Located on the south Brazilian coast,
Acqua Lokos is a full fledged resort
with a hotel and a plethora of entertainment options.
The resort features a paintball arena
and even helicopter rides, as if all of that wasn't enough,
there's also a small amusement park for guests to enjoy.
This park features a variety of attractions,
but only one truly stands out for its strangeness.
Introducing La Inversa, an inverted shuttle coaster
that was actually made in-house by the park itself.
Since it was made independently,
the ride comes with a few unique quirks to it.
First of all, the track structure looks like
less of a rollercoaster,
and more like a dead end electrical tower.
Second, take a look at the front car.
For some reason, the back half of a seat
completely blocks the view from the front.
It's unknown why it's there
and it's a peculiar design choice to say the least.
Moreover, the restraints are made entirely out of metal,
something you usually don't see on roller coasters.
The ride itself is as simple as can be,
with guests being lifted forwards onto one end
before plunging backwards towards the other.
The train rocks back and forth for a while,
before the ride slows down enough to activate the brakes.
As of right now,
it is the only operating inverted shuttle coaster
in South America,
and one of only five operating inverted coasters
in the entire continent.
So it's a pretty rare find worth checking out.
Number nine, Looping at France's Parc St. Paul.
Made by French manufacturer, Soquet.
This is one coaster
that the park would undoubtedly like to forget about.
Powered coasters usually use contacts
on the rails to send electricity
to power a motor on the ride vehicle,
allowing it to be less dependent on gravity
and have more of a compact layout.
Ordinarily, these coasters aren't built to be thrill rides,
and are usually family attractions with mild layouts.
Well, one French company named Soquet
decided to take the powered coaster
to a whole another level.
This company was actually daring enough
to add a vertical loop to their powered coaster model,
and a rather tight one at that.
Through the use of electrical power
and several small motors on the train,
this coaster was able to forego a small lift hill
and send riders zooming
through the course right from the start.
The train would start by maneuvering
an upwards helix straight out of the station,
before speeding up further on a section of straight track.
After a bank turned to the left,
the track heads downwards towards the vertical loop.
Although the first part of this loop is powered,
the train completes the rest of the course
with its own momentum,
making this a partially powered coaster.
The train would then maneuver the course
for a second time before stopping at the station.
After a lengthy run in the French Fair Circuit,
it would be moved to Parc St. Paul for the 2003 season.
It seemed like a rather unique
and entertaining rollercoaster at first,
but just two years after it opened at Parc St. Paul,
disaster struck.
On July 17th, 2005,
one of the cars actually derailed during the loop.
Four people were injured
and the ride was closed shortly afterwards.
After a year of sitting, standing but not operating,
it would be removed from the park.
Number eight, Los Simpson at Spain's Holiday World,
made by an unknown manufacturer.
Not to be confused with the acclaimed theme park in Indiana,
Spain's Holiday World is a small amusement park
on the island of Gran Canaria.
This park once featured a coaster
that pretty much had copyright infringement
written all over it.
This kiddie coaster named Los Simpson
is named after the long running animated series
"The Simpsons."
While the bottom of the ride's structure
does feature illustrations of "Simpson's" characters,
the rest of the ride has nothing to do with the series.
Let's look at the train from front to back.
We have Simba, Adam West's Batman,
Disney's Big Bad Wolf, the Red Power Ranger,
and Raphael from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
If the sense of right internet meme was a coaster,
this would be it.
You can also find illustrations of several Disney characters
on the ride structure,
and you really have to wonder what went
into the design process of this ride.
Most likely, this was originally meant
to be a traveling fair coaster,
drawing kids to ride it with its many colorful characters,
and it's unlikely any major media company
would bother claiming copyright infringement
over a small kiddie coaster in the Canary Islands.
Sadly, this head scratching masterpiece was removed
in early 2019 as an effort to renovate the park.
It is unknown what will happen to it,
but we're very lucky to have it documented.
Number seven, Pipeline Express
at Ohio's Putt N' Pond Speed Park,
made by Canadian manufacturer, Bailey Rides.
Some roller coasters are wooden,
some roller coasters are steel,
but did you know that there was once a plastic coaster?
You may remember the Auto Sled
from my 10 Rare and Unique Roller Coasters video.
This now extinct coaster model
featured small plastic sleds that each sat one person,
and guess what?
Strapped themselves in with a seatbelt.
In 1986, the first Auto Sled debuted at Fostoria, Ohio's,
Putt N' Pond Speed Park.
While the structure and ties were made of steel,
the rails were actually constructed from plastic PVC pipes.
Yes, the same material that hooks up septic systems.
This is the kind of thing you'd see on a backyard coaster
and not one you'd see at an operating amusement park.
Nevertheless, the ride proved to be quite popular
and would operate all the way until the early 2000s.
It's unknown how the park maintained the plastic rails
or why exactly the coaster closed,
but the fact that it existed is truly fascinating.
Number six, the Roller Ball model,
made by Swiss manufacturer Ride Engineers Switzerland.
Remember the Dizzy Dropper from "Roller Coaster Tycoon 3?"
Well 14 years after the game came out,
this roller coaster would become reality.
In 2018,
Ride Engineers Switzerland would introduce the Roller Ball,
a family coaster with one of the most unusual designs
you'll ever see.
Passengers board the ride vehicles at the bottom,
sitting parallel to the sideways track.
They're then sent up a vertical lift
before descending into the course.
The layout consists of several sharp downwards turnarounds,
making it resemble a wild mouse flipped on its side.
With each dip downwards, a brake is applied.
Ordinarily putting a brake at the drop
would kill a ride's fun factor,
but there's a special reason for this braking system.
The ride vehicles are designed to swing back and forth
but not flip,
hitting the brakes causes a sudden shift in momentum
that causes riders
to swing even more than they would without the brakes.
This allows the ride to be more enjoyable to families,
and even a few hardcore enthusiasts say
the ride was better than expected.
The first of these coasters would open
at Germany's Schwaben Park.
This ride named Wilde Hilde would be themed
to a chicken coop,
featuring several chicken scattered
throughout the structure,
an egg display in the queue line,
and a rather eccentric theme song.
Just take a listen to this.
(chickens clucking) (upbeat instrumental music)
Yes, that is a clucking sound.
Pretty awesome if you ask me.
More recently, a much bigger Roller Ball
would open at France's Parc Spirou,
and would be themed to the Franco-Belgian comic character,
Marsupilami.
Still though, while the one in France is bigger,
Wilde Hilde's more elaborate theming
makes it stand out much more.
Look for more Roller Balls to be installed
in the coming years.
Number five, the Gliding Coaster model,
made by French manufacturer Reverchon.
Imagine taking a wild mouse
and re-imagining it as a suspended coaster.
That's exactly what French manufacturer
Reverchon did with this creation.
Currently exclusive to traveling fairs,
there are only two of these coasters operating
in the entire world,
one named Ala Delta and the other named Euro Coaster.
Both of these coasters feature one row trains
that each seat four people.
Just like a wild mouse,
the course features several switchback turns and a few dips.
However, the ride vehicles have the added bonus
of rocking guests side to side.
For every turn,
you'll find yourself swinging in the opposite direction.
Another unique aspect to this ride is the queue line.
At its annual installation
at London, England's Hyde Park Winter Wonderland,
it is rebranded Christmas Coaster,
and features a "Funhouse" style queue line,
complete with rollers and rotating platforms.
Despite its standout features though,
the ride as a whole has received a negative reception
from enthusiasts.
YouTube user Changa says, "It's horrendous.
I'd recommend it for the credit,
but every time it banks, you get lurched forward
then rattled to death in the corners."
YouTube user Swant NoLimits says,
"It felt like they threw out the designer
halfway through the development."
And YouTube user Another Swiss YouTube User said,
"The drops are really fun,
but the rest is kind of boring."
Despite this criticism though,
Chinese manufacturer Golden Horse
released their own unauthorized version of this coaster,
but would you believe that the knockoff version
is actually considered to be better than the original?
Notable enthusiast, Richard Bannister agrees.
Although he was a harsh critic of the Reverchon version,
Bannister said the Golden Horse version quote,
"Had one rough transition towards the end of the course,
but for the most part was good fun."
It just goes to show you can't judge a coaster
by its manufacturer.
Number four, The Illusion model,
made by Dutch manufacturer Vekoma.
Once upon a time, Vekoma created a brand new
family coaster model named The Illusion.
Since then it has become known as one of the most unique
and bizarre indoor roller coasters in existence.
First opening at Tennessee's defunct Opryland as Chaos,
only two of these rides were ever built,
and the only one remaining is Revolution,
at Belgium's Bobbejaanland.
This coaster model is notable
for having an insanely long train.
The one on Revolution has 30 cars,
and the one on Chaos was even crazier at 40 cars.
That's quite a lot of passengers.
As a result, this coaster has a maximum capacity
of around 1200 riders per hour with one train alone,
which is just 300 less
than the capacity of Fury 325 at Carowinds.
In addition to the lengthy train,
the layout itself is equally unusual.
Starting off with a long spiral lift,
passengers can view a projection screen on the ceiling,
as dreamlike background music plays.
After the lift,
the train descends a long layout,
consisting of a long, wavy, downward spiral,
with the ride ending shortly afterwards.
The ride experience isn't going to blow you away,
but its distinctiveness alone makes it a must ride
for rare credit seekers.
Number three, the Tower Coaster model,
made by Italian manufacturer SBF Visa.
If you thought the Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter
had a steep decline,
just look at the SBF Tower coaster.
This compact, looping coaster
was originally designed for traveling fairs.
Its small layout is both easy to set up
and easy to transport from fair to fair.
Said layout consists of a vertical lift
and a small vertical loop,
with an unorthodox P shape drop in between.
This drop is so steep,
many believe that it's the steepest drop on Earth,
though it's angle of descent has never been recorded.
In the beginning, the Tower coaster made its debut
in the fairs circuit under the name Cool and Fresh.
After a few years,
it then made its way to the Netherlands DippieDoe,
though it was never actually installed there,
but just recently, this coaster has reportedly resurfaced
at Turkey's Wonderland Eurasia under the name Migfer,
which is the Turkish word for helmet in English.
It is set to have a new Viking theme,
though it is yet to open at the park as of yet.
Once it does though,
it'll be sought after by thrill seeking travelers
around the world.
Number two, the Queen Bee AR28 model,
made by Italian manufacturer Pinfari.
Since the 1970s, Pinfari's Wacky Worm model
has become one of the most popular rollercoaster designs
in history,
and has been replicated by countless other companies.
These simple, easy to construct kiddie coasters,
consist of a single lift hill, a few turns,
and in some cases, a large apple structure
that the trains maneuver through.
It is perhaps the most common coaster model on Earth,
but the same can't be said about its sister model.
Believe it or not,
Pinfari decided to take this simple concept
and morph it into an inverted coaster.
This rare family coaster model
is officially known as the Queen Bee AR28,
with the AR standing for Ape Regina,
which is Italian for Queen Bee.
So the coaster is literally called
the Queen Bee Queen Bee 28.
Wrap your head around that.
As for the coaster itself,
it unquestionably takes inspiration
from the original Wacky Worm.
The layout is extremely small,
focusing more on turns and accessibility for small children
than flat out thrills, and instead of a large apple,
the lift hill takes guests through a large beehive.
Though perhaps the tamest Pinfari ever made,
it's still a cute design that's sure to win over kids.
However, only two of these were said to have been made.
One operated at Argentina's Center Norte from 1999 to 2007,
while another continues to operate
at England's Botton's Pleasure Beach.
Though it is unusual to see an invert this small and mild,
there's no doubt that countless English enthusiasts
got their start on this ride,
and it's likely to inspire more potential thrill seekers
for years to come.
Before the number one spot,
here are a couple of honorable mentions
that just didn't make the cut.
First up is Roller Coaster,
at Bangladesh's Tamanna World.
This may seem like an ordinary Wacky Worm,
but one aspect of this ride made it worthy of a mention.
There are absolutely no brakes on this coaster.
Instead, the ride uses the lift hill chain
to bring the train to a stop.
This means of course, that guests must board the vehicle
while it's sitting on the lift hill,
and the station is literally a large staircase,
with the front row boarding towards the top.
A unique specimen of a coaster to stay the least.
Next up is Mariehonen at Denmark's Braendesgardshaven.
Also known as Ladybug in English,
Mariehonen sits on a tiny Danish island.
The coaster consists of a single ride vehicle
that can sit one parent and one small child.
No electricity is used on the ride,
so passengers must physically push the car up the lift hill
before boarding and heading downwards.
It's definitely a kiddie coaster
and parents can easily push their kids up the lift.
Now, just imagine having to push Fury 325 up its lift hill,
I'll bet your arms hurt just from the thought of it.
Number one, the Astral model,
made by Italian manufacturer Fabbri.
Fabbri is well known
for their numerous inventive flat rides,
but did you know this company also has a few roller coasters
in their resume?
First, they created a Wacky Worm model,
one of which received the name Wallis's Wonderful
Wriggling Wirral Wacky Worm.
A weird name indeed,
but not a weird coaster model on its own.
No, that honor would have to go to their Astral model.
This strange coaster model won my poll
in a landslide victory,
and one look at it makes it easy to see why.
First of all, the layout is completely unorthodox.
Not only does it have an emphasis on banked helixes,
but it also features a straight downwards track section
that's banked to the side.
By far, the strangest thing about this coaster
is the fact that rider are literally instructed
to cross their legs while on board.
The first installation named Mirage Rosso
at Italy's Fasanolandia
actually features a sign instructing guests to do so.
This sign says, (speaking in Italian),
which means, "On the carousel, keep your legs crossed."
Now, this is a roller coaster and not a carousel,
but at least that's what Google translates as it means.
It's unknown why exactly these instructions are necessary,
but there may be an answer.
Many have speculated that if passengers choose
not to cross their legs,
which is often the case based on recorded footage,
they run the risk of hitting their feet
on the ride's supports.
This is evidenced by leg guards being placed
on the second installation at Kazakhstan's Fantasy World.
Crossing your legs while sitting down
does put more room between you and the floor,
so this at least seems very likely.
The fact that you need to cross your legs
on a rollercoaster is undeniably bizarre,
and with that rule alone, it's a worthy number one.
Before we wrap things up,
I just wanna give a special shout-out
to my two new Patreon supporters.
Verbal shout-outs start at the gold tier,
so if you don't hear your name,
it will be listed at the end of the video.
Here is a special shout out to Lubba and Wasatch Coasters.
Thank you all so much,
and if you wanna support me on Patreon,
you can find a link in the description.
Thanks for watching everyone.
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This is Theme Park Crazy and I'll see you all next time.
(upbeat instrumental music)