Six Flags Magic Mountain

History

In 1968, Sea World Inc. founder George Millay and his executives began looking for a place in Los Angeles county to build a theme park. Knowing that Newhall Land and Farming Company had enough undeveloped land in the new town of Valencia, he asked CEO John F. Dickason if they could build on his land. They eventually formed a partnership to build a 200-acre theme park. Construction began in November 1969 and continued until May 1971. The park was named after the nearby Magic Mountain, a peak located to the east of the Santa Clarita Valley.

When the park opened, there were 500 employees and 33 attractions, many of which were designed and built by Arrow Development, which had previously worked on 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 at the time, the Greyhound bus line provided bus service to and from the park and Los Angeles, and from Northern California, and optionally allowed purchase of park admission at the time the bus ticket was purchased.

At its 1971 opening, the rides and attractions included Gold Rusher, a steel coaster; the Log Jammer, a log flume; the Sky Tower, an 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, a cable railway or funicular, which was renamed Orient Express, then Helpful Honda Express, and is currently named Magic Mover.

Attractions included The Metro, which was three monorail stations around the park, including the Whitewater Lake, Country Fair, and Mountain stations; and "Eagles Flight", a gondola lift ride that had two stations at the peak, the long one north to Galaxy Station and the short one west to El Dorado Station. The Showcase Theater (later renamed the 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 Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies characters. Six Flags Great America, has continuously used such characters since its opening in 1976, eight years before Marriott Corporation sold the park to Six Flags.

The 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 looping steel coaster. 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 vegetation. In the time since, the tracks have been surrounded by trees and bushes, which prevents the riders from knowing the track layout beforehand. Universal filmed part of the suspense film Rollercoaster at Magic Mountain in late 1976, which featured the Revolution as its centerpiece during the film's climax.

In 1978, Colossus opened, and at the time was the fastest and largest dual-tracked wooden coaster in the world. 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 allowed 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-1980s. In 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. It was 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 1981, Six Flags Magic Mountain introduced Roaring Rapids, a river rapids ride that was on the West Coast for the first time. 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. 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 U.S. gallons per minute (5.58 m3/s). The reservoir can hold 1.5 million U.S. gallons (5.7 Ml) 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 horizontally, 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 were removed the following 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 Winter Olympics, for which Sarajevo was the host city. Six Flags Great Adventure added a similar ride that same year. In 1986, Sarajevo Bobsleds was moved to Six Flags Over Texas, where it operated as La Vibora until permanently closing in late 2024. The other bobsled was moved to Six Flags Great America and later to The Great Escape in Queensbury, New York, where it operated as Alpine Bobsled.

In 1985, Children's World was rethemed as Bugs Bunny World, as Magic Mountain had abandoned the Trolls in favor of Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies characters, licensed by Warner Bros. 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, also designed by Intamin. This coaster was located in the back of the park, replacing Sarajevo Bobsleds.

Time Warner era

In 1993, Six Flags Magic Mountain entered the Time Warner era. The new ride for the year was Yosemite Sam Sierra Falls, a water ride with two twisting tubes that riders could slide down using a raft. Also that year, there was retheming and the High Sierra Territory was opened. The Showcase Theatre became the Golden Bear Theater, the Animal Star Theatre was created in Bugs Bunny World, and a large, fake wooden tree was built.

In 1993, live concerts ended in the park due to a 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.

In 1994, Magic Mountain added what two other Six Flags parks already had, a Bolliger & Mabillard inverted looping roller coaster called Batman: The Ride. More Six Flags parks added the ride in the coming years. Batman: The Ride 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.

A separately gated waterpark called Six Flags Hurricane Harbor opened on June 16, 1995. The 22-acre (8.9 ha) park included body slides, tube slides, a kiddie water play area, a lazy river, and a wave pool. The following year, a SkyCoaster called Dive Devil opened at Magic Mountain.

A dual launch coaster called Superman: The Escape debuted at the park on March 15, 1997. Designed by Intamin, the 30-second ride launches riders from 0 to 100 mph (160 km/h) in seven seconds on a track that scales up a 41-story tower. It was the first roller coaster in the world to reach speeds of 100 miles per hour (160 km/h). Originally slated to open in June 1996, the ride's opening was delayed and pushed back to 1997 as problems with the LSM launch motors were found. The tower structure was painted a grayish white when the ride first opened and lasted until 2011.

Premier Parks era

In 1998, a new Bolliger & Mabillard stand-up roller coaster called Riddler's Revenge opened as the tallest and fastest stand-up roller coaster in the world. Later that year, Six Flags was acquired by Premier Parks. In 2000, a steel hypercoaster called Goliath, which was manufactured by Giovanola, opened at the park.

Three new roller coasters opened in 2001, although only one opened on schedule – a kiddie steel coaster called Goliath Jr. The other two, Déjà Vu and X (now X²), suffered early mechanical issues. 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.

After its late opening, the ride still suffered a lot of downtime. X was designed by Arrow Dynamics as the world's first "fourth-dimensional" roller coaster. It was 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 12, 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 retheme 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 to Medusa at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom and is a mirror image of Medusa 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 trains. In 2006, Tatsu, a Bolliger & Mabillard flying roller coaster, was added, causing a temporary closure of Revolution and Roaring Rapids 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.

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. Park officials cited dwindling attendance due to rowdy behavior among some of the park-goers as reasons for wanting to sell the park while management was wanting to move Six Flags into more of a family park direction. 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.

By the fall of 2006, Six Flags confirmed that Magic Mountain had remained 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.

By the time 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.

Since 2007

With the removal of Flashback and Psyclone in 2007, Six Flags Magic Mountain was no longer tied for the record of having the most roller coasters in a single park, relinquishing the record back to Cedar Point. The park instead turned its focus to family-oriented improvements, including a new children's themed area called Thomas Town, which was added in 2008.

One of its premier thrill rides received a makeover. X was closed on in late 2007 for its transformation into X2, adding new fourth-generation trains and special effects and being repainted. It reopened on May 24, 2008. Later in 2008, the park renovated the "Magic of the Mountain" museum at the top of its Sky Tower attraction, which houses memorabilia from the park's history including old television commercials, park maps, models, and equipment salvaged from defunct rides.

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 Apocalypse and given an appropriate theme that reflects an "end of the world" scenario. 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.

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

In August 2010, it was announced that Superman: The Escape would undergo a major redevelopment before the 2011 season. On October 20, 2010, Six Flags Magic Mountain officially announced their full plans for 2011 after a video was leaked six days earlier. 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 opened on March 19, 2011. The coaster featured new backwards launching cars and a new color scheme.

Themed areas

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

Cinema, television, and computer games

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. Bob Einstein, as his character Super Dave Osborne, performed his first "stunt" on a roller coaster at Magic Mountain. In 1983, 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 television productions featuring Magic Mountain have included: NCIS, Entourage, The Bionic Woman, The A-Team, CHiPs, Wonder Woman, Way Out Games, Knight Rider, Beverly Hills, 90210, Melrose Place, The King of Queens, Fresh Off the Boat, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The band Kiss 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 film Space Cowboys, Donald Sutherland is shown riding Viper and is portrayed as the designer when Clint Eastwood recruits him.

Magic Mountain's Showcase Theatre was the filming location for the video game-themed game show The Video Game from September 1984 to September 1985.

Magic Mountain was also the filming location for the children's educational video series Real Wheels episode "Here Comes A Roller Coaster", with host Dave Hood, which was released in 1995.

Magic Mountain was used as a filming site for the 1990 Kidsongs video, "Ride the Roller Coaster".

Colossus was filmed as the Serpent in the 1993 film, My Life.

Colossus was used for filming for the 1995 Muppets video, Muppets on Wheels.

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" roller coaster. Mystic Mountain was also featured in the Zoey 101 episode "Rollercoaster" (as both series were created by Dan Schneider), where Zoey and Lisa take Michael to the park to help him overcome his roller coaster fear. He rides the "Spine Twister", which was actually the Goliath from Magic Mountain.

Attractions

Former rides and attractions

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 in June 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.

Record breaking rides

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

Attendance

Although Six Flags does not release attendance figures, the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) and other theme park industry analyst companies estimate attendance numbers for the park.