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Awesome Theme Parks

Qiddiya: Set Play Free

Qiddiya: Set Play Free

This promo spot for Saudi Arabia’s planned leisure district Qiddiya starts off with a bunch of bored people going through the motions with their humdrum entertainment, then takes the rails off the rides, freeing them to truly enjoy their playtime. Director Nick Roney’s execution of the concept is fantastically inventive and filled with fun moments.

Defunctland: Garfield’s Nightmare

Defunctland: Garfield’s Nightmare

Defunctland creator Kevin Perjurer delves deep into the history of a strange Garfield-themed theme park ride. Garfield’s Nightmare operated as an overlay on an old Tunnel of Love ride at Kennywood’s Old Mill in Mifflin, PA. There’s lots of backstory before Garfield shows up, but it’s a fascinating watch for theme park fans.

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World’s Longest Water Slide POV

World’s Longest Water Slide POV

Most of the water slides we’ve ridden on are done in under 30 seconds, but it takes more than 4 minutes to complete a ride on this 3654-foot-long slide. Two passengers share an inner tube down the record-breaking water slide at Malaysia’s Sim Leisure Escape.

Mine Waste Ski Slope

Mine Waste Ski Slope

When companies mine the ground for precious minerals, what do they do with the materials they dug up and didn’t use? In the case of one kaolin mine in Bavaria, Germany, you turn the leftovers into a slope for sandboarders and skiers. Tom Scott takes us on a journey to the Monte Kaolino theme park.

LEGO Fairgrounds Roller Coaster

LEGO Fairgrounds Roller Coaster
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This 3756-piece Loop Coaster set sends passengers up an elevator, down a thrilling vertical drop, and through loops and twists. The set includes 11 Minifigures, a park bench, balloon cart, hot dog stand, pretzel cart, and a height marker sign. Upgrade with a LEGO Powered Up motor to automate the ride. This roller coaster drops 7.2022.

Roller Coaster Parkour

Roller Coaster Parkour

The normal way to get to the top of a roller coaster track is to strap in and take a ride. But freerunners Jason Paul, Krystian Kowalewski, and Silke Sollfrank prefer to use their feet. The trio headed to Germany’s Erlebnispark Tripsdrill amusement park for a thrilling run through their large wooden coaster.

NanoCoasters

NanoCoasters
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Do you love roller coasters? The guys at CoasterDynamix make teeny models of virtual thrill rides for your desk or bookshelf. They come in a variety of designs, including traditional, looped, and adventure-themed rides, each sold as an easy-to-build kit. Find more variants here.

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The Rig Amusement Park

The Rig Amusement Park

An investment fund in Saudi Arabia is working on one of the craziest ideas for an amusement park ever. They plan on building a giant theme park and resort on an oil rig platform in the Arabian Gulf. Once complete, The Rig is expected to have three hotels, 11 restaurants, and a variety of thrill rides, live shows, and water sports.

Homemade Disneyland Star Tours

Homemade Disneyland Star Tours

Long before Disney owned Star Wars, their theme parks dabbled in sci-fi action with Star Tours, a 1987 attraction that simulated a flight to Endor. So after his daughter requested a Disneyland-themed birthday party, the World’s Greatest Dad built her a low-budget replica of the motion sim using original video and audio from the ride.

The Types of Roller Coasters

The Types of Roller Coasters

You might think that there are just two types of roller coaster – metal and wood, but there are many more shades of grey in thrill ride design. WIRED met up with engineer Korey Kiepert of The Gravity Group for an explanation of the main types of coaster, what makes them different, and what goes into designing a coaster.

Inside Super Nintendo World

Inside Super Nintendo World

We previously got a brief aerial view of the Super Nintendo World attraction that’s coming to Universal Studios Japan. Now Mario’s creator Shigeru Miyamoto takes us inside the park for an in-depth tour of some of its main attractions. We love all the movement in the exterior design. The park is slated to open 2.4.2021.

Super Nintendo World Flyover

Super Nintendo World Flyover

Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan is slated to open in early 2021. From the looks of this flyover of the park, it’s going to look amazing when it’s all done, transporting Nintendo fans into the heart of their favorite games. We spy Peach’s and Bowser’s castles, a Mario Kart ride, and a Toad House among other details.

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Nuclear Plant Amusement Park

Nuclear Plant Amusement Park

Around the globe, there are numerous decommissioned nuclear power plants. In the case of this plant that never opened along the German-Dutch border, it’s now home to an amusement park that includes a vertical swing ride inside of its cooling tower. A scenic mural on its outside helps it blend into its surroundings.

Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance

Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance

This 23-minute journey is Disney’s most ambitious attraction yet, recruiting guests into service as heroes of the Resistance in a climactic battle with the First Order. Rise of the Resistance made its galactic debut at Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios in Florida and will launch at California’s Disneyland Park on January 17, 2020.

Life-size Godzilla

Life-size Godzilla

This permanent “life-sized” replica of Godzilla is coming to Japan’s Nijigen no Mori anime theme park on Awaji Island in 2020. A massive lizard measuring 65′ x 82′ x 180′ will dominate Godzilla Interception Operation, which will feature several “missions” including a shooting game and a zipline that rides into the monster’s mouth.

LEGO Technic Roller Coaster

LEGO Technic Roller Coaster

LEGO Technic expert Shadow Elenter is back with another sweet build for his theme park collection. This time, he built a complex roller coaster using 17 motors, sending a Technic figure passenger on an crazy thrill ride. We’re surprised this little guy didn’t throw up from that backwards launch or the rotating seat gimmick.

Space Mountain with the Lights on

Space Mountain with the Lights on

One of Disney theme parks’ most famous attractions is Space Mountain, a thrilling indoor rollercoaster that you ride in the dark. If you’ve ever wondered what the ride looked like with the lights on, Theme Park University is here to show you just how much less exciting it is.

Universal Studios x Stranger Things

Universal Studios x Stranger Things

Stranger Things haunts Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights in Orlando and Hollywood this season. The attraction re-stages some of the show’s scariest bits including the Demodogs. It’s a real scream, as season three co-star Priah Ferguson discovered. Watch as Priah faces her fears… and her doppelgänger.

Universal’s Epic Universe

Universal’s Epic Universe

Universal Orlando Resort has confirmed that its fourth theme park will be called Universal’s Epic Universe, and that the 5-to-6-year building process has begun. Rumors have it that the park’s themed lands will include Fantastic Beasts, How to Train Your Dragon, Classic Monsters, Super Nintendo World, and a dueling launch coaster ride.

Disney Parks’ Avengers Campus

Disney Parks’ Avengers Campus

Galaxy’s Edge still has that new theme park smell. Now, Disney has revealed 2020 plans for a Marvel-themed land at Disney California Adventure and Disneyland Paris. “Avengers Campus” will include the current Guardians of the Galaxy ride, and a new Spider-Man ride-through attraction, Tony Stark’s Worldwide Engineering Brigade.

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Preview

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Preview

2019 will bring a major new addition to both Disneyland and Walt Disney World – a massive, Star Wars-themed land. In this brief preview clip, they tease a bit of the park, as well as its two rides: Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run, and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.

Resort in a Blimp Hanger

Resort in a Blimp Hanger

This massive structure was once used to house airships, but has been converted into an indoor resort. Located in Eastern Germany Tropical Islands features an indoor rainforest, hiking paths, waterslide, hotel rooms, restaurants, and a beach. Wonder World takes us inside.

How Roller Coasters Affect Us

How Roller Coasters Affect Us

While roller coasters offer up plenty of thrills, a whole lot of engineering goes into making them safe enough to not snap our necks or make us pass out. TEDEd looks at the impact that these rides can have on our bodies, and how coaster safety has improved over the years.

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