Wild Thing

Wild Thing is a hypercoaster located at Valleyfair. It is an out and back roller coaster with more than one mile (1.6 km) of track. Its first hill is with a 60 degree drop, and the roller coaster reaches speeds of up to . Wild Thing's height was set by the Federal Aviation Administration due to the nearby presence of Flying Cloud Airport. Designed and manufactured by D. H. Morgan Manufacturing, it was the first hypercoaster to be built by the company, opening in 1996. It was the 5th tallest coaster in the world when it opened. The ride's success led to the construction of Steel Force at Dorney Park in Allentown, Pennsylvania in 1997 and Mamba at Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, Missouri the next year. History After the success of Magnum XL-200 at Cedar Point, Valleyfair's parent company Cedar Fair planned a new roller coaster for Valleyfair's sister park Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom. However, Dorney Park could not secure the necessary permits for the ride, so Cedar Fair switched the recipient of the new coaster to Valleyfair. The move to Valleyfair was officially announced on August 25, 1995, revealing that it would be named Wild Thing. D. H. Morgan Manufacturing was hired to build the new hypercoaster, a roller coaster that exceeds in drop height or overall height. Wild Thing officially opened on May 11, 1996. Ride experience