While writing the first installment of the Influential Coasters of My Childhood series, I began to insert a “modern take” section at the conclusion of the blog. The more I thought about it, the more I decided I wanted that portion to be its own blog as well. So here you have my modern takes on those coasters I once loved as a child. Have my views changed? Find out…
Related Article: “Influential Coasters of My Childhood – Big Bad Wolf” – March 13, 2021 | Featured Photo Courtesy of John Gray
So far in my Influential Coasters of My Childhood series I have published the Modern Take follow ups within a few days. For Big Bad Wolf, however, I needed time to think. For the first time since I began this series, I’m writing a Modern Take for a coaster that is no longer around. I honestly didn’t know how to tackle this. I think it’s best to just sit down and let the thoughts flow.
Two Visits in 2009 with Unknowing Last Rides
June - James' Final Rides
In early June 2009 and James and I decided it would be fun to head down to Busch Gardens Williamsburg (BGW) for a day. We left on a Saturday after work, made the 3.5 hour drive down, booked a hotel, and went to the park early the next morning. We spent the entire day going from ride to ride, getting in our first-ever rides on Griffon and making sure we did a few laps on Alpengeist and Apollo’s Chariot. One coaster we also made sure to ride was Big Bad Wolf.
“Big Bad Wolf has a special place in my heart. Busch Gardens was the first ‘big’ park I visited as a teenager and I loved everything from the coasters to the landscape,” said James
What I recall most about this trip was James and I seeing the 25th anniversary sign while in line for the Wolf – the one featured in John Gray’s featured image. Both of us talked about our memories of the ride during the wait and how neat it was to be there during its 25th anniversary. At the time, the park was yet announced its upcoming closure in September. We had no idea that James was getting in his final rides on the Wolf. I only said James because I was lucky enough to return to the park in August.
August - Meeting Up with My Aunt Cheryl
In mid-August I made my way down to BGW once again. My Aunt Cheryl and cousins were spending the weekend at the park. They invited me to come down and stay with them. Since I had went in June with James, I agreed to come down, but said it would just be for a day. I was joined by my friend Nicole.
Although BGW had made the announcement about Big Bad Wolf’s impending closure, I hadn’t heard the news. I was oblivious to the fact that my lone ride on Big Bad Wolf that day was going to be my last. Twelve years ago, I was not “into” industry news and/or rumors like I am today. As far as I knew, I’d be riding the Wolf for years to come.
Thinking about this trip in hindsight, it was by far, the busiest day I have ever experienced at BGW. After a long, slow, grueling five hour drive to the park, we were directed to park in BGW’s overflow lot down the street. I didn’t even know they had an overflow lot. I knew the lines were going to be long and we were already getting to the park an hour and a half late due to the traffic. For years I just figured that BGW gets busy on Saturdays. But maybe, just maybe, people were coming to the park to get their final rides on the Wolf?
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (July 24, 2009) – After 25 years traveling at the speed of fright, The Big Bad Wolf will take its last trip through Busch Gardens’ Bavarian village Sept. 7. “We hate to see The Big Bad Wolf go,” said John Reilly, Busch Gardens’ general manager. “We realize The Big Bad Wolf is a guest favorite. We’re making the announcement now so coaster fans can ride one last time before it closes after Labor Day.”
The world’s first suspended roller coaster took coaster design to a new level when it opened in 1984. And while it cannot claim to be the fastest or the tallest, more than 29 million guests have ridden what has become one of the park’s most beloved thrill attractions. Legions of fans—young and old alike—often cite it as their introduction to the coaster experience.
“The Big Bad Wolf offers a thrilling ride experience coupled with aggressive ride dynamics. While it remains a safe attraction, it has simply reached the end of its service life,” said Larry Giles, Busch Gardens’ vice president of engineering and design. Park officials are reviewing several design concepts for a new park attraction to replace The Big Bad Wolf, but no announcement is planned at this time.
Learning the News
About a week after my August visit, I was sitting out back on my patio eating food I bought home from work. That’s when I found out the disheartening news. While on Facebook I came across someone’s post about final rides on Big Bad Wolf. What did they mean, “final rides?” A few Google searches later, I found out that BGW had indeed announced the news back in July. I immediately sent the URL to James.
Neither of us could believe the news. Obviously the announcement had been made about a month prior, but this was our first time seeing it. I didn’t know what to think. That’s when James called me and we began to talk. We couldn’t believe that they were closing the ride, no less doing so during its 25th anniversary.
“When I found out Big Bad Wolf was closing, I was glad I got to ride it a few times in June,” said James. “I do wish parks would give at least a year’s notice so people can enjoy it one last time though.
To be honest, I found myself rather sad when digesting the news. The way the press release read, it sounded like it had to be done. Arrow was no longer in business and parts were probably hard to come by, or expensive to fabricate. At the time, I expected other parks to follow suit with their Arrow Suspended Coasters. Alas, that was not the case.
Howl-O-Scream... 3 Years Later
Let me say this now. I love BGW. Always have, always will. After my two visits in 2009, however, I just didn’t feel the need to make the 3.5 hour drive back down to the park for a few years. There weren’t any new coasters being added and there was a major hole left behind from Big Bad Wolf’s removal. What I did instead was focus on traveling to parks I had yet to visit – parks like Kennywood.
It took me three years to make my way back down to BGW, the same year they added Verbolten. It was 2012 and my friend Kristina and I wanted something to get into for Halloween. I mentioned BGW for Howl-O-Scream knowing that I’d also be able to get a new credit and see what the park did with the Wolf’s old plot of land. Kristina loved the idea and our plans were set.
Verbolten - A New Coaster & All New Memories
Talk about some lasting first impressions for Verbolten. I didn’t know anything going in about this coaster. All I knew was it had a name that began with a “V” that took me a good long while to remember. Thankfully I didn’t watch any YouTube POV videos or read anything about ride’s elements. Not doing so allowed Kristina and I to share a moment that I’ll never forget on a roller coaster – our first drop track. More on that in a bit.
Entering the Ride
Walking into the queue I was immediately impressed with Verbolten’s theming. The wrecked car and all the items found in the different queue buildings and the station had the both of us in awe. As far as amusement parks go, I had never seen anything like it with the attention to detail. Then, I saw it…
Kristina and I got a front row seat, loading in the second station on the platform. I looked forward, seeing the license plate on the train in front of us. It read, “WOLF XING.” I tapped on Kristina’s arm and was like, “Look!”
I started talking about how that was an Easter Egg for the Big Bad Wolf roller coaster. Kristina looked at what I was pointing to and she shook her head. I don’t even know if she knew what I was talking about, honestly. I felt like I was being that old guy telling stories of “how it used to be.” She was 18 at the time and I was 33. There’s a good chance that she never even rode the Big Bad Wolf.
The Ride
Once it was our turn to ride, I will admit, the slow launch and show building had me a little underwhelmed. While I enjoy dark rides, the look of the props inside the show building just don’t match all the high quality theming found in the station and queue. Had they used trees like the ones found at the start of Curse of DarKastle, then wow… Just wow. Instead you have flat glow paint props you see in old school dark rides. It just doesn’t match for me.
As for the course, I did enjoy the launch and the sense of not knowing where the train was heading. And speaking of not knowing where you’re heading, I could have never expected for the ride to travel down in the manner that it did.
Verbolten slowed to a crawl. I figured we were about to launch or were just on a mid-course brake run. Then out of nowhere, the floor fell out from under us. Kristina and I grabbed one another’s hands. I’m sure her eyes opened just as wide as mine when that happened too. Since it was dark though, I couldn’t tell. We were both startled beyond belief and with that, the ride made its way out of the building.
From there, another launch and the iconic drop over the river – just like Big Bad Wolf used to do. We were still so shaken up and laughing about the drop track though that we didn’t get to appreciate the finale. Even pulling into the station and walking off the ride, the drop track was all we were talking about. We went right back in line to ride it again. I think we rode it three or four times that day.
Ever since this experience I never tell any of my friends about the drop track if they’re riding it for the first time. I have heard so many amazing reactions over the years when that track drops out too. Whether it was Mindy, Jason, or James, the outcome was the same every single time. I wanted Sam to have a similar experience last year, but she ruined it by watching the POV beforehand.
Verbolten, a Worthy Successor?
Now it’s time to ruffle some feathers. Not as bad as the feathers ruffled by Fabio’s face over on Apollo’s Chariot back in 1999. Sorry, too soon? I’m sure the mere mention of BGW still gives Fabio goosebumps. Get it? Geese… Bumps… Moving on.
As I’m sure you can tell by now, I really enjoy Verbolten. The thing is, I also really enjoyed Big Bad Wolf. I wish both coasters could be at the park, one behind the other. How amazing would it look seeing both of them diving down over the river? Since that is just a fantasy and Big Bad Wolf no longer exists, I will say I do find Verbolten to be a worthy successor.
BGW did a good job with Verbolten. They certainly could have done worse. I’m certainly glad they included all the various homages to the Wolf throughout the ride. It’s always nice to see parks doing that.
For some, no matter what was placed in the Wolf’s empty plot, nothing was going to be good enough. I feel like that’s also going to be true for King’s Dominion’s Volcano replacement. There is just too much nostalgia to overcome.
“When I heard a new coaster was coming, I was like, ‘I don’t care what it is because nothing could be better than or replace Big Bad Wolf,'” said James. “After finally riding Verbolten, I thought it was just okay. I attribute that to how much I missed Big Bad Wolf. Over time, I’ve come to think of Verbolten as a good ride, but not as good as the wonderous Big Bad Wolf.”
Looking Back at Big Bad Wolf's Removal 12 Years Later
I’ll be the first to admit that I felt a little sour towards BGW in the years that followed Big Bad Wolf’s closure. Seeing parks like Cedar Point and Kings Island not only hang onto their Arrow Suspended Coasters, but even re-theme them, felt off. Was BGW being honest with their reason for wanting to remove it? I’m sure they were, but a small part of me still felt betrayed. Now, however, I can’t imagine BGW without Verbolten.
Whether it was Kristina and I clutching each other like two scared children in the dark, or the countless others experiences I’ve had in the 12 years since, I wouldn’t trade them for anything. As much as I loved Big Bad Wolf, and cherish all those memories, what’s done is done. The coaster that came to its empty plot three years later has been a great addition. At this point, if the park ever decides to remove Verbolten, I think I’m going to feel the exact same way I did back in 2009. Call me crazy, but I’m someone who loves both rides and am glad that I’ve gotten a chance to experience both.
A Tribute to Big Bad Wolf
In closing, I leave you with a WTVR CBS 6 new segment announcing the opening of the Big Bad Wolf, along with several photo galleries from three members from the Facebook group, Busch Gardens Insiders. You’ve already seen a few of their photos throughout the two blog entries on the Wolf, but I thought it would be nice to share them all here in their unedited forms. A big thanks goes out to John Gray, Ashley Martens, and a third member who wished not to be named.
