WestCoasterKing Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 What is the worst theme ever for a roller coaster? I'm not referring to sub-par and cheesy theming. This is about what the ride itself is themed to. Whether or not the actual ride itself sucks or is amazing is beside the point. And coasters that simply have a name and no real theme to them don't count. My vote goes to Coast Rider at Knott's Berry Farm. This little wild mouse coaster is themed to the concept of driving along the winding California coast. What the hell? Lame. Dumb. Stupid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samuel Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 (edited) Coast Rider seems too benign to rustle up such negative sentiment. There's already GhostRider in the park, so it's a slight play on another coaster name, and it's also a pretty harmless motif for a standard mouse. Cheesy theme aside, Disaster Transport was just an odd head-scratcher. Conveying a mission to Alaska to transport some kind of cargo was convoluted at best. On the other hand, the air conditioning was fantastic on a hot day. I'll also put in for Hundeprutterutchebane, the "dog fart" coaster at BonBon-Land, although it's pretty hilarious and I wouldn't want it to change. It's a classic case of bad = good. Edited May 24, 2017 by Samuel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoinItForTheFame Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 (P.S. Pretty sure this has been discussed before) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Themonerd Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 (P.S. Pretty sure this has been discussed before) This is the worst coaster theme thread, not the thread where we praise the overlord himself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steely Dan Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 Cheesy theme aside, Disaster Transport was just an odd head-scratcher. Conveying a mission to Alaska to transport some kind of cargo was convoluted at best. On the other hand, the air conditioning was fantastic on a hot day. and why were going into space to go to alaska (so random)? it made no sense. i mean, if we were going to the moon, or mars, or something, ok, i'm on board, but DT's story always seemed very odd to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samuel Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 Cheesy theme aside, Disaster Transport was just an odd head-scratcher. Conveying a mission to Alaska to transport some kind of cargo was convoluted at best. On the other hand, the air conditioning was fantastic on a hot day. and why were going into space to go to alaska (so random)? it made no sense. i mean, if we were going to the moon, or mars, or something, ok, i'm on board, but DT's story always seemed very odd to me. Lol, exactly. If your cargo has to go to outer space to get to Alaska, that's the first flag that you've gone with the wrong shipping company. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beenagins87 Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 The whole African section at Kings Dominion makes zero sense.. It's themed really well, but a lot of the attractions themselves stick out like a sore thumb, especially I305. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Intaman Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 Before it's transformation, I used to think Mantis had a pretty bad theme. From the color scheme to the station, I felt completely lost by the entire Mantis name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace Of Spades Posted May 25, 2017 Share Posted May 25, 2017 Hurler previously being a Wayne's World coaster was always a bit odd to me. In terms of worst, however, gotta give it up to Swarm and the Apocalypse twins for being legitimately themed around mass-extinction events. Because human mortality is exactly what I wanna think about on a fun day out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boldikus Posted May 25, 2017 Share Posted May 25, 2017 (edited) (P.S. Pretty sure this has been discussed before) I don't know man, that's a pretty ridiculously awesomely themed ride. Distasteful? Sure I guess. But worst? No way. Also not the worst I supposed, but one of the most hilariously bad (and awesome) is Skull Mountain. First off: the death metal. Its fast. Its loud. Its ridiculous. Its amazing. But why? Also, why is there a glowing pumpkin inside of a mountain? What do pumpkins have to do with mountains? And how would a pumpkin grow inside a mountain? Is the pumpkin responsible for the moan at the beginning of the ride? And then... a random skull and strobe lights. The end. Edited May 25, 2017 by boldikus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samuel Posted May 25, 2017 Share Posted May 25, 2017 Hurler previously being a Wayne's World coaster was always a bit odd to me. Hurler made pretty good sense back in the '90s if you got all of the references. When the ride opened, the SNL skits and movies weren't obscure; they were wildly popular & made sense as the movies were from Paramount Pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beenagins87 Posted May 25, 2017 Share Posted May 25, 2017 Hurler previously being a Wayne's World coaster was always a bit odd to me. Hurler made pretty good sense back in the '90s if you got all of the references. When the ride opened, the SNL skits and movies weren't obscure; they were wildly popular & made sense as the movies were from Paramount Pictures. I've been on Hurler at Carowinds, besides the Stan Mikitas (sp) restaraunts out front, was there a lot of theming to waynes world in the paramount days?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevor Hamilton Posted May 25, 2017 Share Posted May 25, 2017 Mantis because I'm absolutely terrified of Praying Mantises. No joke. If I had to pick another, I'd say Zombie Ride at that Mexican park whose name I'm too lazy to look up. I'm actually not even sure that ever opened. Nonetheless, zombies are a stupid idea for a roller coaster. It seems like a permanent Halloween overlay for a Six Flags Coaster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestCoasterKing Posted May 25, 2017 Author Share Posted May 25, 2017 Regarding Hurler, I did they ever actually ride a coaster in the films? I don't remember. Buy if they did then the theme makes at least a little bit of sense. Regarding Zombie Ride, yes it opened in 2015. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunder_Run Posted May 25, 2017 Share Posted May 25, 2017 Hydra: The Revenge at Dorney Park definitely takes the cake. I get the whole reference to Hercules being torn down for it, but the inclusion of "The Revenge" implies Hercules was an amazing coaster, which it really wasn't. The fact that the small depressions in the ground covered in crushed stone are apparently supposed to be canyons doesn't help either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canobie Coaster Posted May 25, 2017 Share Posted May 25, 2017 I personally like the dog fart coaster theme for how weird and random it is. (P.S. Pretty sure this has been discussed before) I don't know man, that's a pretty ridiculously awesomely themed ride. Distasteful? Sure I guess. But worst? No way. Also not the worst I supposed, but one of the most hilariously bad (and awesome) is Skull Mountain. First off: the death metal. Its fast. Its loud. Its ridiculous. Its amazing. But why? Also, why is there a glowing pumpkin inside of a mountain? What do pumpkins have to do with mountains? And how would a pumpkin grow inside a mountain? Is the pumpkin responsible for the moan at the beginning of the ride? And then... a random skull and strobe lights. The end. I feel like Skull Mountain is the David Pumpkins of roller coasters (for SNL fans out there). It's so absurd and leaves you asking so many questions, yet you love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSum1_55 Posted May 25, 2017 Share Posted May 25, 2017 I would say the worst theme has to be YOLOcoaster. YOLO is literally the point of the theme. It has music and billboards that are supposed to be themed to "Living it Up," but they just do not mesh well. This could be excusable if it was a good looking ride, but the area they built the ride on still looks like a dirt mound on a hill with no attempt to make it look nicer. Or that honor could go to Living With the Land at Epcot. It is a ride where you learn about and look at plants. It starts with a mediocre at best dark ride section about how animals adapt to the land, then the rest of the ride is set in a greenhouse where you mostly just look at plants. There is some guilty pleasure in going on a plant themed ride with friends to make fun of how bad it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace Of Spades Posted May 25, 2017 Share Posted May 25, 2017 I would say the worst theme has to be YOLOcoaster. YOLO is literally the point of the theme. It has music and billboards that are supposed to be themed to "Living it Up," but they just do not mesh well. This could be excusable if it was a good looking ride, but the area they built the ride on still looks like a dirt mound on a hill with no attempt to make it look nicer. I was going to mention this one as well, but couldn't find the right way to say it. X2 took the "XTREME" theme and ran with it, and its no-bull approach to that style actually makes it work. It feels fitting for such a unique, messed up coaster. YOLO, on the other hand, feels like the coaster embodiment of a badly managed, albeit well intentioned, college project. Something to the effect of, "F**k, we spent all our money on this kickass tophat loop and backwards launch and it's due tomorrow! Just throw some tarps on it! Nobody will notice!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry M Posted May 25, 2017 Share Posted May 25, 2017 Here are my top bad ones: 1. Derren Brown theme 2. Temple of the Nighthawk 3. Smiling sanctuary 4. Wicker man 5. Evil curse on a family rollercoaster (13) 6. Lego 7. Angry Birds Funny ones: 1. Sex and Torture 2. Wine factory 3. Mouse infestation 4. Anything stereotypical about another country! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixFlagsAstroworld Posted May 25, 2017 Share Posted May 25, 2017 I'm surprised no one mentioned the parking lot theme on Scream at SFMM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry M Posted May 25, 2017 Share Posted May 25, 2017 ^ This is about bad themes...and that does not have a theme to its name...not even generic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingRCT3 Posted May 25, 2017 Share Posted May 25, 2017 Talk about DinoLand USA at Animal Kingdom then, where they made up the parking lot as part of the theming. This being in one of the most beautiful Disney park doesn't help either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCoasterKid211 Posted May 25, 2017 Share Posted May 25, 2017 Green Lantern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samuel Posted May 25, 2017 Share Posted May 25, 2017 Hurler previously being a Wayne's World coaster was always a bit odd to me. Hurler made pretty good sense back in the '90s if you got all of the references. When the ride opened, the SNL skits and movies weren't obscure; they were wildly popular & made sense as the movies were from Paramount Pictures. I've been on Hurler at Carowinds, besides the Stan Mikitas (sp) restaraunts out front, was there a lot of theming to waynes world in the paramount days?? There used to be a special recording of Wayne's World that Myers & Carvey did for the coaster that would play in the queue's many TVs, the station was themed to the old doll factory that the duo moved into after Wayne left his parents' basement in the movies, there was the big "No Way" (one of their catchphrases) giant road sign symbol on the pavement in front of the entrance, Wayne & Garth frequently used euphemisms for vomiting, the nearby rock shop had a ton of Aerosmith merch (one of their favorite bands), there was Stan Mikita's as you mentioned, and perhaps even more. It was a dedicated theme that just started to get phased out as the years went by, the parks expanded further, the characters fell out of the spotlight, and eventually the Cedar Fair acquisition of KI & KD pulled the plug on the direct tie-ins. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwcxVlkYMpw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CNYCoasterguy11 Posted May 25, 2017 Share Posted May 25, 2017 Talk about DinoLand USA at Animal Kingdom then, where they made up the parking lot as part of the theming. quote] Maybe I'm the minority, but I actually don't mind the Roadside theme to Dino-Rama because if you put it together with the whole land's theme it works. As the story goes Dino-Rama was the response of Chester and Hester to the stuffy Dino Institute and a way to make a quick buck. Primeval Whirl is supposed to be knock off of the Dino Institutes Time Travel Device. Yes the rides are cheap when your talking about Disney but really that's what the whole section is supposed to be. It is meant to evoke the roadside attractions of the 50's and 60's and they do a good job of that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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