Prowler (roller coaster)

Prowler is a wooden roller coaster located at Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, Missouri. Manufactured by Great Coasters International, the $8-million ride opened to the public on May 2, 2009.[1]

Prowler
Prowler with car asecending
Worlds of Fun
LocationWorlds of Fun
Park sectionAfrica
Coordinates39.174400°N 94.483691°W / 39.174400; -94.483691
StatusOperating
Opening dateMay 2, 2009 (2009-05-02)
Cost$8 million
General statistics
TypeWood
ManufacturerGreat Coasters International
ModelCustom
Track layoutTerrain Wood Twister Out and Back
Lift/launch systemChain Lift
Height102.3 ft (31.2 m)
Drop85.9 ft (26.2 m)
Length3,074 ft (937 m)
Speed51.2 mph (82.4 km/h)
Inversions0
Duration2:30
Capacity850 riders per hour
Height restriction48 in (122 cm)
Trains2 trains with 12 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in a single row for a total of 24 riders per train.
Fast Lane available
Prowler at RCDB
Pictures of Prowler at RCDB

The ride

Prowler is the second wooden roller coaster to be built at Worlds of Fun with the first one being Timber Wolf. The ride reaches an unspecified height of 85 feet, into a spiral drop which swoops into a ravine and through the woods at the top speed of 51 MPH.[1] The ride is located in the Africa section of the park behind the Zulu Ride.[1] Prowler has an estimated capacity of 850 riders per hour. It is the third ride to occupy that current spot at the park that the ride is operating in; originally home to the Safari Adventure and the Python Plunge (later renamed The Plunge). The lot was vacant from the Plunge's close in 1999 to the Prowler's opening in 2009.[2] The ride's layout (darting in and out of the woods) and promotional material (logo and tagline) makes reference to the famous wooden coaster The Beast at Kings Island, another Cedar Fair park near Cincinnati, Ohio.

Trains

Two "Millennium Flyer trains" with 12 cars per train. Riders are arranged two across in a single row for a total of 24 riders per train.

The Hype

Before the announcement of the new ride, there were teasers put out by the park. These teasers included placing a mysterious large storage crate at the front of the park, which was 'delivered' by the "International Wildlife Organization" or the "IWO".[3] More details of the package kept coming out through the blog and videos came out [4][5][6] as the IWO storyline continued until the main announcement of the ride on September 1, 2008.[1]

Rankings

Prowler was voted Best New Ride of 2009 - Amusement Park in Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Awards.[7]

Golden Ticket Awards: Top wood Roller Coasters
Year20092010201120122013201420152016201720182019
Ranking 8[8]12[9]10[10]13[11]12[12]12[13]17[14]14[15]27[16]30 (tie)[17]29[18]
  • Prowler's first drop
  • Prowler's line queue
  • Prowler with car ascending

References
  1. Worlds of Fun Announces a new king of the jungle for 2009: Prowler Roller Coaster RCDB September 1, 2008
  2. [worldsoffun.org Timeline of Worlds of Fun]
  3. Confidential Delivery Archived 2011-09-28 at the Wayback Machine Hot Air Blog with Brandon Stanley July 6, 2008
  4. Worlds of Fun Delivery IWO YouTube.com
  5. Worlds of Fun IWO Press Conference YouTube.com
  6. Worlds of Fun IWO Beast Footage YouTube.com
  7. 2009 Golden Ticket Awards
  8. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 13 (6.2): 38–39. September 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  9. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 14 (6.2): 38–39. September 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  10. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 15 (6.2): 46–47. September 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  11. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 16 (6.2): 46–47. September 2012. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  12. "2013 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 17 (6.2): 40–41. September 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  13. "2014 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 18 (6.2): 38–39. September 2014. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  14. "2015 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 19 (6.2): 45–46. September 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  15. "2016 top 50 wooden roller coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2016. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  16. "2017 Top 50 Wooden Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2017. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  17. "2018 Top 50 Wooden Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2018. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  18. "2019 Top Wood". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2019. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
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