One Last Launch

“With ‘twists’ on both towers – instead of just one – Wicked Twister will be the first and only coaster of its kind anywhere in the world.”

On November 20, 2001, Cedar Point announced to the world that it would build the planet's tallest and fastest double-twisting impulse roller coaster. For just about 20 years, it kept that title.

At the time, there was a boom in the introduction of these types of coasters, but most with only one twisting spike at one end, and a straight, 90-degree vertical track section at the other (many with a brake that held the train for a quick second for an added thrill).

Wicked Twister would dramatically change the famous CP skyline with its twin, 215-foot-tall bright yellow spiraling vertical spikes – a structure that’s as daunting as it is a work of art.

Today, the coaster’s history has been written. It will close for good on Monday, September 6, 2021 as we prepare for future park improvements.

Since it opened on May 5, 2002, Wicked Twister has given more than 16 million rides. For the next 31 days, we hope you have a chance to be a part of that ridership history and take one last launch on the world’s first record-breaking, double-impulse, five-time-LIM motor-launching, screeching teal and sunburst yellow steel behemoth.

There are more fun details to share about Wicked Twister’s last day – we’ll reveal those later. In the meantime, just for fun, take a read of the original press release below.

CEDAR POINT ANNOUNCES PLANS FOR TWO NEW ATTRACTIONS FOR 2002 SEASON:  A FOCUS ON THRILLS AND FAMILY

FAMED AMUSEMENT PARK/RESORT TO BUILD 15TH ROLLER COASTER; PEANUTS ICE SHOW TO DEBUT IN NEWLY RENOVATED THEATRE

SANDUSKY, Ohio (Nov. 20, 2001) – Cedar Point will give guests a “double whammy” – focusing on both thrills and family – when it debuts the world’s tallest and fastest “double-twisting” impulse roller coaster and a PEANUTS ice show for its 2002 season. These new attractions will represent a $13 million capital investment project at the famed amusement park/resort for the upcoming season.

THE COASTER:  Named Wicked Twister, the 215-foot-tall, 72-mph steel roller coaster will launch riders into a new dimension of thrills and will be Cedar Point’s 15th roller coaster, enabling the park to break its own world record for having more coasters than anywhere on Earth.

A “double-twisting” impulse roller coaster, Wicked Twister will use the advanced technology of linear induction motors (LIM) to rocket riders out of the coaster’s station – at a maximum speed of 72 mph in 2.5 seconds! – propelling forward and backward and up and down a U-shaped track with spiraling 450-degree corkscrews atop each vertical 215-foot-tall tower.  With “twists” on both towers – instead of just one – Wicked Twister will be the first and only coaster of its kind anywhere in the world.

With its train suspended from below its track, Wicked Twister will challenge passengers immediately by launching halfway up the first 90-degree 215-foot-tall tower before briefly pausing, reversing direction and accelerating into the station where it will be thrust nearly all the way up the second 90-degree 215-foot-tall tower. The coaster will be launched out of the station five times – three forward and two backward – while reaching the apex of each tower on the U-shaped track as it picks up speed through the LIM propulsion system. Riders will face the sky while rotating up the twisting towers and will face the ground while rotating backward in the opposite direction, creating a unique visual illusion of the ground rotating below.

With the addition of Wicked Twister, Cedar Point will be the only amusement park in the world to stake claim to having three roller coasters above 200 feet tall: the 205-foot-tall Magnum XL-200 (1989); the 310-foot-tall Millennium Force (2000) and now the 215-foot-tall Wicked Twister. This twisted scream machine will also be the eighth world-record-breaking ride Cedar Point has introduced since debuting the world-renowned Magnum XL-200 roller coaster in 1989. Plus, Wicked Twister will be the eighth roller coaster the park has added during this same time period.

Located on the east side of the Cedar Point Peninsula, along the park’s historic beach and stretching on both sides of the Giant Wheel, Wicked Twister will have a two-tone structure, blending a sunburst yellow track with bright teal columns. Wicked Twister’s train will be a mixture of blue, magenta, teal and yellow. The ride will use a 32-person train consisting of eight four-passenger cars and will have a ride capacity of approximately 1,000 riders per hour.  Each seat will have an individual shoulder restraint and restraining belt.

The roller coaster engineering and manufacturing firm, Intamin, headquartered in Wollerau, Switzerland, is the creator of the “double-twisting” impulse coaster concept. Guests will be able to take their first Wicked Twister ride when Cedar Point opens for the 2002 season in May. 

THE PEANUTS ICE SHOW:  Good Grief!  Cedar Point will introduce guests to the world’s only skating beagle when it debuts “Snoopy Rocks! On Ice,” an elaborate ice show hosted by the park’s “top dog” himself and also featuring four other popular PEANUTS characters – Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus and Sally. A cast of professional ice skaters will complete the dazzling ensemble and will showcase entertaining skating elements with artistry and technical wizardry.

“Snoopy Rocks! On Ice” will feature several favorite PEANUTS classics – on ice – such as Snoopy battling the Red Baron, Charlie Brown’s infamous kite-eating tree, Lucy’s five-cent psychiatric advice and the Great Pumpkin Patch. The dramatic grand finale will highlight a high-energy skating number with the entire cast at “Club Snoopy,” a groovy ice disco.

Throughout the 30-minute ice spectacular, guests will be wowed by lavish sets, detailed props and colorful costumes, along with an upbeat musical score, including everything from rock ‘n’ roll to hip hop.

This PEANUTS ice extravaganza will be located in the former Cedar Point Cinema, which housed the IMAX film presentations at the park since 1975. Renamed the Good Time Theatre, the 900-seat theater will be climate controlled and its stage will be renovated into a giant ice platform. The Good Time Theatre is sponsored by FirstEnergy, the official energy supplier of Cedar Point.

Co-produced by Cedar Point’s sister park, Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, Calif., and Woodstock Ice Productions, Inc. in Santa Monica, Calif., which is headed by Jill Schulz, daughter of the late Charles M. Schulz, and managed by Cedar Point’s live entertainment department, “Snoopy Rocks! On Ice” will debut in mid-June and will be presented through Labor Day, Sept. 2. Karen Kresge, who worked with Charles M. Schulz for 21 years and is the resident choreographer of Schulz’s Redwood Ice Arena in Santa Rosa, Calif., will be the principal director-choreographer of Cedar Point’s “Snoopy Rocks! On Ice.”

“The 2002 season will be an exciting time at Cedar Point – for both thrill-seekers and families,” says Daniel Keller, vice president and general manager of Cedar Point. “As our 15th coaster, Wicked Twister will reinforce Cedar Point’s reputation as the world’s roller coaster capital, while ‘Snoopy Rocks! On Ice’ will win over audiences with a brand new type of family entertainment.”        

Construction of Wicked Twister and the production of “Snoopy Rocks! On Ice” are currently under way and will continue throughout the winter. For frequent updates, log on to cedarpoint.com.

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