Big Bad Wolf Roller Coaster to Retire

by Jordan Yerman | July 27, 2009 at 06:43 am

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The Big Bad Wolf roller coaster at Busch Gardens will retire on September 7 after 25 years of scaring the crap out of people.

The Big Bad Wolf, which makes its lair at the Williamsburg, VA theme park, is th eworld's first suspended roller coaster, inspiring a generation of whizzing, swinging contraptions to make kids scream and parents throw up. The park's management decided that 25 years was a long enough lifespan, and work is underway to decide what will replace the Big Bad Wolf roller coaster.

Roller coasters are engineering marvels, treading the line between fun and pain. Safety, though, is a key element, and the many, many components of a roller coaster will wear out over time. Park management must decide when it's better to replace parts, and when it's better to just start over from scratch.

The world’s first suspended roller coaster took coaster design to a new level when it opened in 1984. And while it cannot claim to be the fastest or the tallest, more than 29 million guests have ridden what has become one of the park’s most beloved thrill attractions. Legions of fans—young and old alike—often cite it as their introduction to the coaster experience.

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