Six Flags Magic Mountain

Six Flags Magic Mountain

Slogan	The Thrill Capital of the World The Xtreme Park Go Big! Go Six Flags Magic Mountain!
Location	Valencia, California
Coordinates	34°25′37″N 118°35′49″W / 34.427°N 118.597°W / 34.427; -118.597Coordinates: 34°25′37″N 118°35′49″W / 34.427°N 118.597°W / 34.427; -118.597
Owner	Six Flags
Opened	May 29, 1971
Previous names	Magic Mountain - 1971 to 1979
Operating season	Year round
Visitors per annum	2,848,000 in 2014[1]
Area	262 acres (1.06 km2)
Rides
Total	44
Roller coasters	19
Water rides	3
Website	sixflags.com/magicMountain

Six Flags Magic Mountain is a 262-acre (1.06 km²) theme park located in the Valencia neighborhood of Santa Clarita, California, north of Los Angeles. It opened on May 30, 1971, as Magic Mountain, a development of the Newhall Land and Farming Company.^[2] In 1979, Six Flags purchased the park and added the name "Six Flags" to the park's title.

With 19 roller coasters, Six Flags Magic Mountain holds the world record for most roller coasters in an amusement park.^[3] In 2013, the park had an estimated 2.9 million visitors ranking it fifth in attendance among seasonal amusement parks in North America.^[4]

History

When the park opened, there were 500 employees and 33 attractions, many of which were designed and built by Arrow Development Co. which designed and built many of the original attractions at Disneyland. The admission price in 1971 was $5 for adults, and $3.50 for children between the ages of 3 and 12. Because the park was in a relatively remote part of Los Angeles County, the Greyhound bus line provided bus service to and from the park and Los Angeles, as well as from Northern California, and optionally allowed purchase of park admission at the time the bus ticket is purchased.^[5]

At its 1971 opening, the rides and attractions included Goldrusher, a steel coaster, the Log Jammer log flume, the Sky Tower observation tower, Grand Prix (similar to Disneyland's Autopia ride), El Bumpo (bumper boats), a Carousel, and other smaller rides. There were four transportation rides to the peak – Funicular – cable railway or funicular, later renamed Orient Express, The Metro – three monorail stations around the park; Whitewater Lake, Country Fair and Mountain stations and "Eagles Flight" – Skyride combined two stations at the peak, the long one north to Galaxy Station, and the short one west to El Dorado Station. The Showcase Theater (renamed Golden Bear Theater), was part of the original park and featured Barbra Streisand as the first of many headline performers who would appear at Magic Mountain over the years.

In the 1971 season, Magic Mountain obtained permission from Warner Bros. to use the Looney Tunes characters. However, they did not continue using the characters after their first year. In 1972, they began using trolls as the park mascots. The trolls King Blop, also known as King Troll, Bleep, Bloop, and the Wizard became recognizable symbols of Magic Mountain. All King Productions, a contractor, provided the entertainers wearing the costumes until December 31, 1972, when Magic Mountain took on that role. The characters were used until 1985. Also in 1972, a second flume ride named Jet Stream was added.

In 1973 the park added its second roller coaster, the Mountain Express, a compact Schwarzkopf Wildcat model steel coaster. In 1974 the park also installed a new complex of spinning rides in what would later be known as Back Street. The new additions consisted of the Himalaya, Electric Rainbow, and Tumble Drum. In 1975, the Grand Centennial Railway opened in the Back Street. It took riders on a train journey to Spillikin Corners and back.

Roller coaster revolution

With the opening of Great American Revolution in 1976, Magic Mountain became the first park in the world to have a modern, 360-degree steel looping coaster (though previous roller coasters with loops had been built and dismantled elsewhere due to safety issues). When it was built, there was very little in the way of surrounding brush. Now, the tracks are surrounded by trees and bushes, which prevents the riders from knowing the track layout beforehand. Universal then filmed a major movie at Magic Mountain with the Revolution as its centerpiece called Rollercoaster in 1977.

In 1978, Colossus, at the time the fastest, largest dual-tracked wooden coaster, opened. Following its first season, it was closed and extensively redone. When it reopened, it was a much smoother ride. In 1991, the camel hump before the last, or third, turn was replaced by a block brake. Though it decreased the speed of the ride after this particular brake, it did allow three trains to run per side at a time, greatly increasing capacity. One of the trains sometimes ran backwards for a few years in the mid-80s. However, until the late 1990s this kind of ride was no longer possible due to the newer ride system in place, as well as different trains. During Fright Fest, the park runs one side backwards using a set of trains acquired from the now demolished Psyclone which was located on the other side of the park. In 2015, the coaster was re-tracked with steel tracking and several inversions were added to the coaster. It was subsequently rebranded "Twisted Colossus". This renovation was completed by Rocky Mountain Construction.

Six Flags era

In 1979 the park was sold to Six Flags and became known as Six Flags Magic Mountain in 1980. In 1981, Six Flags Magic Mountain introduced a ride that was on the west coast for the first time called Roaring Rapids. It was developed by Intamin in conjunction with the now defunct Six Flags Astroworld, which had opened a similar ride in 1979. Along with Rapids came the completion of the midway near Spillikin Corners to link with Revolution's area. Finally, a complete circuit could be made around the park. It was originally designed as a dual-sided station, but only one was fully developed, and all that exists of the possible second side is a few supports. It uses large pumps to circulate water, and each of the two pumps can circulate 88,500 gallons per minute. The reservoir can hold 1.5 million gallons of water, and one of the innovations used on it was the introduction of guide boards to help eliminate jam ups.

In 1982 the attraction Freefall was added. Also built by Intamin, it was considered a cutting edge drop tower ride, if not strictly a "roller coaster." It simply ascends the tower and then drops down, with the track curving to horizontal, leaving riders on their backs. Others were built for other parks (some of which are Six Flags). Today, most of these rides are obsolete and have been removed. Some flat rides were added and others removed the next year.

In 1984 Sarajevo Bobsleds was erected. Yet another ride built by Intamin, the coaster was basically a bobsled without ice and snow. The coaster was built in honor of the 1984 Olympics. Six Flags Great Adventure added a similar ride that same year. In 1986 Sarajevo Bobsleds was removed and now operates at Six Flags Over Texas as La Vibora. The other bobsled was moved to Six Flags Great America and later to The Great Escape in Queensbury, New York, where it operates as Alpine Bobsled.

In 1985 Children's World was rethemed as Bugs Bunny World, as Magic Mountain had abandoned the Trolls in favor of the Warner Brothers' characters. That year, Michael Jackson visited the park, riding rides such as Colossus, Revolution and Roaring Rapids. In 1986, the park added a steel stand-up looping roller coaster called Shockwave designed by Intamin. This coaster was located in the back of the park replacing Sarajevo Bobsleds. At the end of 1988, the coaster was removed as part of a ride rotation program and went to Six Flags Great Adventure in 1990. It was removed from there in 1992 and was repainted white and rethemed upon its removal to Six Flags Astroworld. There it was known as Batman The Escape. When Astroworld closed in 2005, the ride was put in storage at Darien Lake, now no longer a Six Flags park.

In 1987 the park re-themed the Back Street. Spinning flat rides were renamed Turbo (Electric Rainbow), Subway (Himalaya), and Reactor (Enterprise). The dance club was rethemed as well, and located near Reactor. After Hours, as it was now called (formerly Decibels), for one summer stayed open later than the rest of the park. It, along with Back Street, would stay open an additional two hours as a place for locals to hang out. This format lasted one season.

Time Warner era

In 1988 Ninja, "The Black Belt of Roller Coasters", opened. Built by Arrow Dynamics, it was the first suspended swing roller coaster on the West coast. Ninja has gone through very few changes since it was opened in 1988; evidently only the wheels and paint have been changed.

Tidal Wave opened in 1989. It is a short, wet ride featuring a large boat that travels up a low-angled incline to a level water trough. The trough, in the shape of a semicircle, ends in a steep drop into a large splashpool. The impact displaces large amounts of water on its riders. The ride's exit ramp crosses over the splashpool, allowing willing patrons leaving the ride to get soaked from the splash.

In 1990, Viper, a multiple looping coaster designed by Arrow Dynamics opened. It features a 188-foot (57 m) drop, speeds up to 70 mph (110 km/h), 3 vertical loops, a batwing turn that inverts riders twice, and a double corkscrew.

In 1991 Magic Mountain added Psyclone, modeled after the Coney Island Cyclone. The Spillikin Corners area of the park was re-themed as Cyclone Bay to suit the new coaster, drawing guests into this area. The change was largely cosmetic, as the earlier theme relied on retail establishments that had been removed previously. The Glass Blower had been replaced by the Shooting Gallery, and the Candy Kitchen viewing area was redesigned. With Psyclone, the crowds returned. Due to the 1994 Northridge Earthquake Psyclone's structure was damaged causing a very bumpy ride and the coaster was never the same. (Psyclone was later removed in 2007.) After adding Ninja, Viper, and Psyclone within 4 years, the park was getting a large repertoire of big roller coasters.

The next year, 1992, a coaster built by Intamin called Flashback was added. This one-of-a-kind ride, originally planned to be enclosed in a building, had already operated at Six Flags Great America and Six Flags Over Georgia prior to its arrival. Very steep, short drops were designed to make riders feel like they were "diving" down in a plane, and it ended in a 540 degree upward spiral. But, because of the shoulder harnesses, riders were subjected to a lot of head banging. This coaster rarely ran by 1996 (it created too much noise for the nearby water park) and on January 23, 2007, the park announced that Flashback would be removed along with Psyclone. The park also stated that Flashback might be re-built elsewhere within the park for 2008 but the ride was finally scrapped at the end of 2008.

In 1993 Six Flags Magic Mountain entered the Time Warner era. The new ride for the year was Yosemite Sam Sierra Falls. It was a water ride that has two twisting tubes that riders could slide down in using a raft. (Yosemite Sam Sierra Falls was demolished in 2011 to make room for Road Runner Express.) Also that year, there was re-theming and High Sierra Territory was opened. The Showcase Theatre became Golden Bear Theater, the Animal Star Theatre was created in Bugs Bunny World, and a large, fake, wooden tree was built. This year also saw the end of live non-Christian themed concerts in the park due to the riot that broke out as a result of a "TLC" concert that was oversold. Magic Mountain was quickly overwhelmed by large crowds that vandalized and destroyed property. Park shops had their windows broken and looting quickly followed. Police were called to the scene in full riot gear. The Park was evacuated and closed down for the night.^[6]

In 1994 Magic Mountain added what two other Six Flags parks already had, a Bolliger & Mabillard inverted looping roller coaster called Batman: The Ride (which other Six Flags parks also added in the coming years). Batman: the Ride (BTR) is an inverted coaster, meaning the usual coaster protocol is reversed; the track is overhead and the cars are below it. The trains travel on the outside of the loops, and rider's legs hang freely, as on a ski lift.

In 1995, no new rides were opened. Instead, a separately gated waterpark called Six Flags Hurricane Harbor opened in June. That park included many body slides, tube slides, a kiddie water play area, lazy river, and a wavepool.

Premier Parks era

In 1996 Superman: The Escape, a dual launch coaster, was built. It opened on March 15, 1997. It consisted of a 30-second ride with speeds running from 0 to 100 miles (160 km) an hour on a track up a 41 story tower. It was designed by Intamin. Later, the ride only ran one side at a time, switching every 6 months or so, and speeds reached only between 85 and 90 miles per hour (140 km/h). However, in 2011 the ride was upgraded to Superman: Escape From Krypton, featuring a backwards launch, new color scheme, and speeds up to 104 miles per hour (167 km/h). It is the world's 1st 100 mph coaster that goes backwards and forwards. Also opening in 1996 was Dive Devil, a SkyCoaster by SkyFun1.

In 1998 a new Bolliger & Mabillard Stand-up roller coaster called Riddler's Revenge would be added as the tallest and fastest stand-up roller coaster, a record that the ride continues to hold. There was also a gang shooting and death in the parking lot that same year. That year, Six Flags was sold to Premier Parks. The next year saw no dramatic changes. In 2000, a steel hypercoaster, Goliath, was added. It was built by Giovanola.

2001 was to be the year of three new roller coasters, but only one actually opened on time: Goliath Jr., a steel kiddie coaster. The other two, Déjà Vu and X (now X²), had mechanical problems. Déjà Vu opened late in 2001 and X opened early in 2002. Déjà Vu was designed by Vekoma and is a Giant Inverted Boomerang coaster (GIB), a variant of their popular Boomerang design. It is an inverted coaster with coaches suspended beneath an overhead track that traverses an open-circuit track forward and in reverse and features two completely vertical drops and three inversions. It opened late in 2001, but suffered a lot of downtime. X was designed by Arrow Dynamics, as the world's first "fourth-dimensional" roller coaster. It is the only one in North America where riders experience going 360 degrees in their seats. Each seat lies on a separate axis from the track. This coaster managed to open briefly on January 7, 2002, only to close due to more technical problems. It reopened late in August of that year. The ride closed for a major refurbishment and re-theme in 2008 where X transformed into X2.

In 2003 Scream!, designed by Bolliger & Mabillard was added. At this point, Six Flags Magic Mountain tied with Cedar Point for the park with the most roller coasters in the United States. Scream is similar in concept with Medusa at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom and is a mirror image of Bizarro at Six Flags Great Adventure. It is a floorless roller coaster with trains riding above the rails traversing seven inversions on 3,985 feet (1,215 m) of track on floorless coaches. Six Flags Magic Mountain made few changes in 2004 and 2005. In 2006, Tatsu, a Bolliger & Mabillard flying roller coaster was added, causing a temporary closure of Revolution to allow construction to take place. It was much larger than the other three Bolliger & Mabillard Flying Coasters at other Six Flags parks, all named Superman: Ultimate Flight. Tatsu has a suspended-track orientation featuring vehicles that recline passengers with their backs against the track and facing the ground. This brought the park up to 17 roller coasters, to tie with Cedar Point for the greatest number of roller coasters in a park (albeit Flashback had been standing but not operating for an extended period of time and thus it is debatable whether the park could claim 17 as its number of roller coasters).

2006 attempted sale

On June 22, 2006, Six Flags, Inc. announced that it was exploring options for six of its parks, including Magic Mountain and its neighboring water park, Hurricane Harbor. Though management said closing the park was unlikely, rumors still began that the park could be sold to real estate developers, with an intent to close the park and build housing developments in the area.^[7] Park officials cited dwindling attendance due to rowdy behavior among some of the park-goers (notably gang members and other teenagers and young adults, who account for a large percentage of the park's attendance) as reasons for wanting to sell the park while management was wanting to move Six Flags into more of a family park direction.^[8] Throughout the Six Flags chain, attendance in the second quarter of 2006 was 14 percent lower than it was in the second quarter of 2005.^[9]

By the fall of 2006, Six Flags announced that Magic Mountain was still up for sale. They also stated, however, that it would be sold to a company that would continue to operate it as a park, and that closing Magic Mountain was not a possibility. Cedar Fair, Anheuser-Busch, and several others considered buying the park but none of the offers came close to the asking price.

When Six Flags announced which parks it was selling in January 2007, Magic Mountain was no longer one of them. The company decided not to sell Magic Mountain and its adjacent water park. Spokeswoman Wendy Goldberg said that upon further evaluation, the company decided that the Los Angeles parks remained too valuable to relinquish, as sales were increasing, and that the park would not be sold. Other parks were sold as a package and remained open.

2007

Psyclone was removed in 2007, and Flashback was demolished in early 2008. As a result, Six Flags Magic Mountain no longer tied the record for the most roller coasters in a single park, relinquishing the record to Cedar Point – the park's total had never surpassed Cedar Point but had tied numerous times. The park began focusing more attention on marketing with family-oriented values, and a new children's theme area, Thomas Town, was added in 2008. The park renovated one its thrill rides, however. "X" was closed in late 2007 for its transformation into X² which featured new fourth-generation trains, a new paint job, and special effects that included flame throwers and audio. It reopened in 2008. In the same year, the park began work on the "Magic of the Mountain" museum at the top of its Sky Tower attraction that contained memorabilia throughout the park's history including old television commercials, park maps, models, and equipment saved from defunct rides.^[10]

Terminator Salvation: The Ride, a wooden roller coaster, opened on May 23, 2009. It was built in the former location of Psyclone and featured tunnels, spraying mist, and special effects. On January 9, 2011, the ride was renamed to Apocalypse and given an appropriate theme that reflects an "end of the world" scenario.^[11] Later that year, Six Flags President and CEO Mark Shapiro said in a Los Angeles Times published interview that Magic Mountain had plans to install a new roller coaster for its 2010 season, and would add a new themed area for children in 2011 called Wiggles World. Shapiro also stated that the adjacent Hurricane Harbor would receive an expansion.^[12]

On May 29, 2010, Mr. Six's Dance Coaster was scheduled to open but it was delayed until 2011 when it would open under a new theme.^[13][14] On the same day, Mr. Six’s Splash Island opened at the adjacent Hurricane Harbor water park.^[15]

On August 3, 2010, it was announced that Superman: The Escape would undergo a major redevelopment before the 2011 season.^[14]

On October 20, 2010, Six Flags Magic Mountain officially announced their full plans for 2011 after a video was leaked six days earlier.^[16][17] In addition to opening Mr. Six's Dance Coaster under a new name and theme, Six Flags announced two other attractions. In time for the 2011 season, Superman: The Escape was refurbished to Superman: Escape from Krypton and featured new backwards launching cars and a new color scheme.^[18][19] The third and final announcement regards an entirely new thrill roller coaster. The Green Lantern: First Flight opened in July 2011 as Magic Mountain's eighteenth roller coaster. It is a Intamin ZacSpin. This roller coaster reclaimed the world record for the highest number of roller coasters at a single theme park.^[20] It was later announced, on November 4, 2010, that the children's roller coaster will be called "Road Runner Express" and has been located in Bugs Bunny World.^[21][22]

In late 2010, Six Flags began the process of removing licensed theming from attractions. They terminated several licenses including their licenses with Terminator and Thomas the Tank Engine. Terminator Salvation: The Ride was renamed and rethemed into Apocalypse beginning January 8, 2011.^[23] Thomas Town was renamed and rethemed to Whistlestop Park in time for the 2011 season.^[24]

On January 18, 2011, the LA Times reported after considering a new theme based on DC Comics superhero sidekicks, the park opted for simplicity and renamed the Little Flash coaster to Road Runner Express.^[25] Due to Green Lantern being placed in Gotham City Backlot, Gotham City was re-themed into DC Universe. In addition, Grinder Gearworks became "Wonder Woman: Lasso Of Truth" and Atom Smasher was renamed "The Flash: Speed Force".

In August 2011, several media sources reported that Six Flags New England would install Six Flags Magic Mountain's Déjà Vu for the park's 2012 season.^[26][27][28]

On September 1, 2011, Six Flags Magic Mountain announced that they would be opening a new attraction for the 2012 season named Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom. The free-fall drop attraction was integrated into both sides of the park's 415 feet (126 m) tall Superman: Escape from Krypton tower structure and will rank as the world’s tallest drop tower, featuring a plummet from 400 feet (120 m) above ground level. One day later, Six Flags Magic Mountain confirmed on Facebook that Déjà Vu will be removed from the park soon.^[29] Then on September 13, 2011, the park announced that Déjà Vu will be removed after October 16, 2011, "Déjà Vu fans, we have created some exclusive after hours ride time for you to ride it again before October 16."^[30]

In preparation for the annual Halloween Fright Night celebrations on October 31, 2011, Log Jammer was closed down and was subsequently removed following the yearly Halloween themed events. Log Jammer was partly removed to open up a future 2013 attraction and the ride itself was becoming too old to operate even though the Log Jammer was very popular and was a favorite to many. The closure of the Log Jammer downgraded the amount of Six Flag's Magic Mountain's water rides from 4 to 3. The space from the Log Jammer was then used for Full Throttle.

In August 2012, Six Flags Magic Mountain announced the rumored roller coaster, Full Throttle which was scheduled to open Spring 2013 (it opened on June 22, 2013.) This became the park's 18th roller coaster built at Six Flags Magic Mountain, now having more roller coasters than any other theme park in the world. The ride was built to feature the world's tallest's vertical loop for a roller coaster at 160 ft. In addition, Full Throttle has the record for the first roller coaster to feature a top hat inversion. The roller coaster makes the use of the 160 foot loop by first launching the guests inside the loop and then over the loop for the final part of the ride. The ride was well received by riders in particular due to the Full Throttle's tall loop inversion, which allows for hang time at the top.^[31]

On August 29, 2013, Six Flags Magic Mountain officially announced that they would run both Batman: The Ride and Colossus backwards for a limited time of the 2014 season. They will also expand Bugs Bunny World with the addition of a new roller coaster.^[32] On April 8, 2014, Six Flags Magic Mountain announced that the park will host its first ever Holiday in the Park Christmas event in late 2014 and for future years after.^[33]

In the summer of 2014, the park has placed banners across the property advertising the new now-open Bonzai Pipelines in the adjacent property, Hurricane Harbor, along with the closing of Colossus which took place on August 16, 2014.^[34] On August 28, 2014, Six Flags announced the a Rocky Mountain Construction conversion of Colossus into Twisted Colossus. Twisted Colossus opened on May 23, 2015.^[35]

On September 3, 2015, it was announced that Revolution would be renovated with a new track and new ride cars. Named "The New Revolution", it will open in 2016

Themed areas

There are presently nine separately themed areas within the park – each zone featuring its own distinct rides, attractions, and food service venues.

Area	Picture	Description
Six Flags Plaza		The main entry and exit of the park. Features gift shops, food service venues, photo services, and guest relations. (pictures: Six Flags Plaza area with the Revolution and Tatsu rides in the background.)
Baja Ridge		South of the border themed desert landscape includes three roller coasters.(X2, Viper, and Revolution)
Cyclone Bay		Features several rides such as Apocalypse, Dive Devil, Jet Stream, Cyclone 500, and midway games.
DC Universe		The rides and attractions in this area are inspired by the DC comics universe.
Samurai Summit		Japanese folklore and mythology themed area, with three roller coasters atop its rugged hillside (Tatsu, Ninja, and Superman: Escape from Krypton). Superman: Escape from Krypton, though not Japanese themed, is included in this area.
Rapids Camp Crossing		This area simulates a campsite set deep in the American wilderness.
Screampunk District		Carnival-style games, and three of the park's largest roller coasters. Also features Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom.
High Sierra Territory		This area features towering redwood trees, inspired by California's great national parks. Bugs Bunny World: The Looney Tunes characters have taken up residence in this outpost filled with rides designed specifically for children. Whistlestop Park: Guests can embark on a train ride through a scenic landscape, aboard the passenger coach of a tank engine. Also a has a train themed roller coaster for kids. Known in the past as "Thomas Town" (2008–2010)
The Movie District		Movie-inspired, guests can plunge 50' off a waterfall, catch a live-action stunt show, climb a staggering rock wall, or ride the area's two roller coasters.

Cinema and television

Magic Mountain's proximity to downtown Los Angeles, the hub of the American film and television industry, has resulted in its appearance in several productions, usually representing a park other than itself. The debut of Revolution was the focal point of the 1977 release Rollercoaster. In 1982, Magic Mountain became the fictional "Walley World" for National Lampoon's Vacation, with scenes featuring Revolution and Colossus (each using fictional names). On television, Magic Mountain doubled as the theme park in the opening credits of the television series Step by Step. Other TV productions featuring Magic Mountain have included: NCIS, Entourage, The Bionic Woman, CHiPs, Wonder Woman, Way Out Games, Knight Rider, Beverly Hills, 90210, Melrose Place, The King of Queens, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The band Kiss also filmed their acting debut in 1978's made-for-TV Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park that featured the band members in the park and near Colossus. In the 2000 movie Space Cowboys Donald Sutherland is shown riding Viper and is portrayed as the designer when Clint Eastwood recruits him.

Magic Mountain was also the filming site for the Real Wheels video, "Here Comes A Roller Coaster"

In the Nickelodeon show Drake & Josh, Drake, Josh, and Megan take a trip to Mystic Mountain (parody of Magic Mountain) in the episode "The Demonator", and they ride the "Demonator". Also, in another Nickelodeon show Zoey 101 Zoey and Lisa take Michael to Mystic Mountain (both Drake & Josh & Zoey 101 were created by Dan Schneider), and they help Michael overcome his roller coaster fear in the episode "Rollercoaster". He rides the "Spine Twister", which was actually the Goliath from Magic Mountain. In 1990, Nickelodeon's Wild and Crazy Kids, the wooden roller coaster,Colossus, was featured as a game called "Wacky RollerCoaster Spill". In the movie This Is Spinal Tap, the band performs as second billing to a puppet show at the fictional "Themeland Amusement Park" in Stockton, California, located 300 miles (480 km) north of Santa Clarita. The actual filming location is Magic Mountain's amphitheater. The Kidsongs video Ride the Roller Coaster is set at Six Flags Magic Mountain. Nick Cannon group The School Gyrls movie premiere was at Magic Mountain. In the new movie Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer, they go to a theme park and ride a roller coaster for the first time. The coaster was Goliath. Goliath was also featured as the "Aquaman" roller coaster in the third season of the HBO series Entourage.

In 2011, the park was chosen as the setting for the Travel Channel's version of the quiz show Scream! If You Know the Answer. The Glee cast visited the park in 2012 for their senior skip day in the "Big Brother" episode, where they ride Viper.^[36]

In 2013, a large section of the parking lot was blocked off for a Toyota Camry commercial. Both pictures and the background footage reveal Goliath and Colossus, indicating that it is Magic Mountain where the commercial was shot. The ride that was built for the commercial bears a resemblance to the park's new coaster at the time, Full Throttle: a big hill, a barrier-test loop, a backwards propulsion section, and a forwards propulsion section that runs through a tunnel placed next to the hill.^[37]

Attractions

Roller coasters

Six Flags Magic Mountain holds the record for most roller coasters in an amusement park at 19.

Current Name	Picture	Year opened	Manufacturer	Park area	Thrill/intensity rating	Description
Apocalypse: The Ride		2009	Great Coasters International	Cyclone Bay	Moderate	Wooden roller coaster featuring steeply banked turns and twisting drops. Known in the past as "Terminator Salvation: The Ride" (2009–2010)
Batman: The Ride		1994	Bolliger & Mabillard	DC Universe	Maximum	An inverted coaster that whips around steeply banked turns and five inversions.
Canyon Blaster		1999	E&F Miler Industries	High Sierra Territory	Mild	Junior roller coaster.
Full Throttle		2013	Premier Rides	Six Flags Plaza	Maximum	A launch roller coaster with 2 forward launches and one backwards launch. Full Throttle has the world's tallest vertical loop at 160 feet (49 m) and the first ever "top hat" constructed on an inversion. It is also the world's fastest vertical looping coaster.
Gold Rusher		1971	Arrow Development	The Movie District	Moderate	Riders dip, turn, and dive up and around the park's mountainous terrain. Gold Rusher is Six Flags Magic Mountain's first roller coaster.
Goliath		2000	Giovanola	Goliath Plaza	Maximum	Riders brave an opening drop of 255 feet (78 m) into a subterranean tunnel and multiple steep banking turns.
Green Lantern: First Flight		2011	Intamin	DC Universe	Maximum	Riders navigate a stacked track path while strapped to seats that freely pitch forward and backward on a separate axis from the track.
Magic Flyer		1971	Bradley and Kaye	High Sierra Territory	Mild	Train themed Junior roller coaster in Whistlestop Park. Known in the past as "Goliath Jr." (2001–2007) and "Percy's Railway" (2008–2010)
Ninja		1988	Arrow Dynamics	Samurai Summit	Moderate	Swinging coaches suspended from an overhead steel track whip around steeply banked turns and curves in and out of the treetops.
The New Revolution		1976	Anton Schwarzkopf	Baja Ridge	Moderate	Riders careen through steep banking turns and spirals in and out of the treetops. Revolution has a full 360 degree loop.
The Riddler's Revenge		1998	Bolliger & Mabillard	The Movie District	Maximum	Riders traverse six upside-down turns on 4,370 feet (1,330 m) of steel track while in a standing position.
Road Runner Express		2011	Vekoma	High Sierra Territory	Moderate	Junior roller coaster.
Scream!		2003	Bolliger & Mabillard	Screampunk District	Maximum	Floorless coaches riding above the rails traverse seven inversions on 3,985 feet (1,215 m) of steel track.
Speedy Gonzales Hot Rod Racers		2014	Zamperla	Bugs Bunny World	Mild	Race-car themed Zamperla family gravity coaster with helix.[38]
Superman: Escape from Krypton		1997	Intamin	Samurai Summit	Maximum	Riders accelerate in reverse from 0 to 104 mph (167 km/h) in seven seconds and climb nearly 41 stories into the air. Entrance to Superman Escape from Krypton, a launch roller coaster. Known in the past as "Superman: The Escape" (1997–2010).
Tatsu		2006	Bolliger & Mabillard	Samurai Summit	Maximum	Suspended beneath a steel track, riders experience a total of 263' in elevation changes while harnessed in a prone position.
Twisted Colossus		2015	Rocky Mountain Construction	Screampunk District	Maximum	Riders experience steep drops, banking curves, and two inversions on nearly 5,000 of track - designed to pit two simultaneously operating vehicles in a race against each other.
Viper		1990	Arrow Dynamics	Baja Ridge	Maximum	Riders are turned upside-down seven times in three different ways and reach speeds of 70 mph (110 km/h)
X²		2002	Arrow Dynamics	Baja Ridge	Maximum	Riders experience predetermined forward and reverse somersaulting maneuvers while harnessed in seats that pitch on a separate axis from the track. Known in the past as "X" (2002–2007).

Other attractions

Ride	Picture	Year Introduced	Manufacturer	Location in Park	Thrill/Intensity Rating	Description
Buccaneer		1980	Intamin	Colossus County Fair	Moderate	Swinging pirate ship ride.
Cyclone 500		1992	J & J Amusements	Cyclone Bay	Mild	Go-Kart attraction. Requires nominal fee for participation.
Dive Devil		1996	SkyCoaster Inc.	Cyclone Bay	Maximum	Large swing attraction simulating the experience of sky diving. Requires nominal fee for participation.
Flash: Speed Force		1974	Mack Rides	DC Universe	Moderate	Mack Musik Express ride known in the past as Himalaya from 1974–1986; Subway from 1987–1993, ACME Atom Smasher from 1994–2004, and Atom Smasher from 2005–2010.
Grand Carousel		1971	Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters	Six Flags Plaza	Mild	Merry-go-round with origins beginning in 1912. It was removed in the 1960s from the Savin Rock Amusement area in West Haven, Connecticut and sold to Magic Mountain. Grand Carousel is a family friendly ride located in the Six Flags Plaza area.
Jet Stream		1972	Arrow Development	Cyclone Bay	Moderate	Flume ride. First Arrow flume to use a turntable loading system. Known from 2001–2006 as Arrowhead Splashdown. Jet Stream is a family friendly flume ride located near the entrance to Gold Rusher. The ride opened in 1972.
Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom		2012	Intamin	DC Universe	Maximum	Free fall drop thrill ride from a height of 400', attaining a terminal velocity of 85 miles per hour.
Orient Express		1971	Korneuberg Shipbuilding Company (Austria)	Six Flags Plaza / Samurai Summit	Mild	1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) metre gauge[39] funicular railway ride, which transports guests to Samurai Summit next to Ninja. Previously known from 1971–1988 as Funicular.[40]
Roaring Rapids		1981	Intamin	Rapids Camp Crossing	Moderate	Rapids water attraction simulating a wilderness raft expedition. Roaring Rapids at Six Flags Magic Mountain. Many guests claim it is the best water ride at the park.
Sandblasters		1971	Reverchon	The Movie District	Moderate	Bumper cars.
Scrambler		2003	Eli Bridge	The Movie District	Moderate	The park's former old Scrambler was damaged from an uprooted tree. This Scrambler was relocated from Six Flags Over Texas.
Sky Tower & Museum		1971	Intamin	Samurai Summit	Mild	38-story observation tower. In 2008, a museum was added to the top of the tower showcasing memorabilia from the park's history.
Sling Shot		2012	Funtime	Cyclone Bay	Maximum	Sling Shot extra charge attraction.
Swashbuckler		1983	Chance Rides	Colossus County Fair	Moderate	Chance Yo-Yo attraction.
Tidal Wave		1989	Intamin	The Movie District	Moderate	Shoot-the-Chute flume. Goes under a bridge on which people get soaked. Tidal Wave is a Shoot the Chute water ride which features a 50-foot drop. The ride is labeled by Six Flags Magic Mountain as a family friendly ride.
Wonder Woman: Lasso of Truth		1974	Hrubetz	DC Universe	Moderate	Round Up ride; known in the past as: Electric Rainbow from 1974–1986, Turbo from 1987–1993, Gordon Gearworks from 1994–1998, and Grinder Gearworks from 1999–2010.

Former rides & attractions

Ride	Year Opened	Year Closed	Manufacturer	Description
99 Steam Train	1971	1981	Crown Metal Products	The 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge train ride to Trollywood, the troll country.[41]
Billy the Squid	1971	1973	Anton Schwarzkopf	Polyp Ride. In 1973 this Polyp ride had a maintenance problem and was removed. The Jolly Monster was built on its site.
Circus Wheel	1971	1999	Chance Rides	Chance Trabant with Roman theming. It spun in a clockwise direction and tilted at the same time. The Trabant was removed and replaced with a Tilt-A-Whirl, retaining the Circus Wheel name.
Circus Wheel	1981	2008	Sellner Manufacturing	This Sellner Tilt-A-Whirl was known in the past under the names Fiesta Dance 1981-1981; Baile de las Flores 1982–1988 and Jolly Roger 1988–1999. The Tilt-A-Whirl was removed to make room for 3-Point Challenge basketball game, which was replaced by Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom. Tilt-A-Whirl has been in storage in a boneyard.
Colossus	1978	2014	International Amusement Devices	The iconic wooden coaster, which had two tracks, was redesigned in August 2014 as Twisted Colossus, a converted hybrid coaster.
Condor	1988	1989	Huss Rides	This Huss Condor was open for two years before being removed. It was removed to make room for Viper.
Crazy Barrels	1971	1989	Intamin	This Intamin Drunken Barrels was formerly located at a county fair. The Barrels were removed, but an abandoned platforms are still there behind the basketball game near the Metro station.
Déjà Vu	2001	2011	Vekoma	Located in "Cyclone Bay". A Floorless coaches suspended beneath an overhead track traverse the track forward and in reverse. Removed and the coaster was sent to Six Flags New England as Goliath.
Dragon	1974	1981	Arrow Development	This transportation cable railway transported riders from the upper level of the back of the mountain down to the lower level, and vice versa. The ride ceased operation in 1981 but was not removed until Ninja was built in 1988. Parts of the upper station were reused for Ninja, The Dragon's concrete track, wall, and lower station are visible to the left of Ninja's final lift hill.
Eagle's Flight – El Dorado	1971	1981	Intamin	This Intamin aerial sky-way ride took passengers from the upper part of the mountain to the lower land on the north of the mountain. The station was next to El Bumpo's area.
Eagle's Flight – Galaxy	1971	1994	Intamin	A second aerial sky-way ride from the top of the mountain to the lower land in the County Fair area.
El-Bumpo	1971	1979	Arrow Development	Gas-powered bumper boats located on the pond.
Flashback	1992	2008	Intamin	Steel roller coaster featuring a stacked design and numerous steep rolling track dives. The Flashback was standing but not operating starting in 2003 and demolished and scrapped in 2008.
Freefall	1982	2008	Intamin	An Intamin 1st-generation Freefall. The ride was standing but not operating from 2005 to 2006; however, it was scrapped for the 2008 season.
Galaxy[42]	1971	1979	Intamin	An Intamin double Ferris wheel with cable pulley that looked like a V-shaped beam. The ride was removed and was located where Buccaneer and Swashbuckler are now sitting.
Grand Centennial Excursion Railroad	1975	1985		A 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge[43] steam train that took passengers around. Located north of the main mountain.
Granny Gran Prix	1971	2007	D. H. Morgan	This track-guided car ride was known as Chevron Gran Prix (Gas Powered) from 1971–1986. A new turnpike (electric-powered) was opened for three years before being moved in 1988 to Bugs Bunny World. The old guided track was demolished to make room for Tidal Wave. In December 2007 it was demolished to make room for Thomas Town's opening in 2008.
Jolly Monster	1973	1981	Eyerly	A standard Eyerly Monster ride which replaced Billy the Squid. This thrill ride was at the Pirate's Cove near Colossus, Buccaneer, and Swashbuckler. The ride was removed and its site sat empty for 7 years before the Tilt-A-Whirl was moved there.
Little Sailor Ride	1971	1985		Yankee Doodle Dandy (1971–1972) Sailboat Ride (1973–1980) Little Sailor Ride (1981–1985)
Log Jammer	1971	2011	Arrow Development	Log flume featuring two large drops. Removed to make way for Full Throttle.
Magic Pagoda	1974	1984		A walk-thru attraction located on Samurai Summit. It featured a talking Buddha, a mirror maze, a strobe light room (with a dragon flying overhead), a walk through a miniature version of Chinatown and various other small scale items of interest with a Chinese Theme. Now used as part of a walk-through maze for the Halloween season.
Metro	1971	2011	Universal Mobility	This monorail ride ran three stations; one at the High Sierra Territory, one at the Colossus County Fair and one at Samurai Summit (this station is currently used as the launch tunnel for Full Throttle). The monorail had been standing but not operating since 2001. As of 2008, the park does not have plans to re-open the attraction. The trains were located near the former location of Flashback where they sat for 10 years. In 2011 the monorail trains are relocated to Hersheypark. The abandoned track and station are planned to be scrapped.
Mountain Express	1973	1982	Anton Schwarzkopf	Wildcat coaster located near where Flashback stood. Relocated to Magic Landing as Wildcat and then to Bosque Magico as Montana Rusa.
Psyclone	1991	2006	Dinn Corporation	A wood tracked roller coaster patterned after the Cyclone at Astroland park in Brooklyn, New York. It was torn down for the 2007 season, and piles of wood remained at the site for many days after the destruction. The site is now home to another wooden coaster, Apocalypse.
Reactor	1977	1993	Anton Schwarzkopf	A Schwarzkopf Enterprise, known from 1977–1987 as Enterprise, was renamed Reactor in 1987. This thrill ride was removed at the end of the 1993 season.
Sarajevo Bobsleds	1984	1986	Intamin	Bobsled coaster named after the 1984 Olympics. Removed due to the Six Flags ride rotation program and replaced with Shockwave. It was moved to Six Flags Over Texas and opened as Avalanche, but was later renamed and rethemed as La Vibora to better match the Spain section of the park.
Scrambler	1973	2003	Eli Bridge	This scrambler had a lot of damage from an uprooted tree and was scrapped; however, Six Flags Magic Mountain received another scrambler from Six Flags Over Texas.
Shockwave	1986	1988	Intamin	A Steel Standup looping roller coaster. it was removed in 1989 and relocated to Six Flags Great Adventure due to the ride rotation program.
Sierra Twist	1973	2008	Anton Schwarzkopf	A Schwarzkopf Bayern Kurve ride, originally known as Swiss Twist. It was a high-speed bobsled ride with a circular track. The ride was removed due to aging parts and high maintenance costs.
Spin Out	1971	2008	Chance Rides	A Chance Rotor known from 1971–1972 as Bottoms Up. Featured in the video for Belinda Carlisle's No. 1 hit song, "Heaven is a Place on Earth" The video was directed by Diane Keaton.
Thrill Shot	2001	2012	S&S Worldwide	Rapidly ascending slingshot attraction. The ride requires a nominal fee from guests to participate. Thrill Shot closed in 2009 and never reopened due to high maintenance costs. In early 2012, Thrill Shot was removed.
Tumble Drum	1974	1980		This walk-through barrel roll was located near the Electric Rainbow (Round up ride).
Yosemite Sam Sierra Falls	1993	2010	WhiteWater West Industries	Double tube waterslides with dingy raft on location at the Bugs Bunny World. Demolished to make room for Road Runner Express.
Z-Force	1987	1993	Intamin	An Intamin Looping Starship/Space Shuttle themed as an Air Force fighter plane. The ride was removed at the end of the season in 1993 to make room for Batman: The Ride.

Rankings

Six Flags Magic Mountain's coasters are commonly ranked high in Amusement Today's annual Golden Ticket Awards. With the opening of Full Throttle on June 22, 2013, Six Flags Magic Mountain obtained the world record for the largest number of roller coasters in an amusement park.

Below is a table with roller coasters at Six Flags Magic Mountain and their highest ranking in the Golden Ticket Awards.^[44]

Roller Coaster	Highest Rank
X²	18
Tatsu	28
Goliath	41

Record breaking rides

Six Flags Magic Mountain has several attractions that set world records in various categories.

Ride	Type of ride	Opening Date	Record(s)	Height
Revolution	Steel roller coaster	May 8, 1976	First vertical looping roller coaster built since 1901.[45] World's tallest roller coaster when built.[46]	113 ft
The Riddler's Revenge	Stand-up roller coaster	April 4, 1998	World's tallest & fastest stand-up roller coaster.	156 ft
Full Throttle	Launched roller coaster	June 22, 2013	First launched roller coaster featuring "top hat" constructed on a vertical loop. World's highest vertical loop.	160 ft
Tatsu	Flying roller coaster	May 13, 2006	World's tallest, fastest & longest flying coaster. Features world's biggest pretzel loop.	170 ft
X²	4th Dimension roller coaster	X: January 12, 2002 ; X²: May 24, 2008	World's first 4th dimension roller coaster. Features flipping seats, chainlift music, fog and fire.	175 ft
Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom	Drop tower	July 7, 2012	World's tallest vertical drop ride when it opened in 2012. Its record was broken by Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom in 2014.	400 ft

See also

• Incidents at Six Flags parks

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Six Flags Magic Mountain.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Magic Mountain.

• Official website
• SFMM: Park Review
• Six Flags Magic Mountain Photos
• Six Flags Magic Mountain at the Roller Coaster DataBase

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