When will European rides get covered? I'm dying to see Dragon Khan or Furius Baco get covered, and ESPECIALLY Stampida, wich got significantly less enjoyable after they swapped the trains.
Big bad wolf was both mine and my brothers first roller coaster with our now deceased mother. My family has worked for BG for a very very long time and when they took down Big bad wolf I stood on the Italy bridge watching and cried my eyes out.
I was gonna make a comment of insider info as someone who operated this coaster about the diaper bags and chain dogs because I thought it was a secret but you covered it! Impressed! You even knew how long it took to evac from the safety brakes, the worst place for a breakdown when I was working it in the late 90s. You knew about the AirWolf. What we found in those bags the most often was these little P-shaped thin wire clips from the anti-rollback system, not the bigger chain dogs. On every train that came in the station, you popped the diaper bag from below with your hand while peeking inside to see if anything was in there. I think we were allowed to find 5 of those clips before they wanted to shut it down to put some back, if I recall correctly. It always felt sketchy to me but the engineers all said it was fine. Working dispatch on this coaster was so fun before the recorded messages, because you got to howl on the mic at the riders. Seriously impressed by how much you researched about this coaster's foibles! Despite them all it was such a great flying sensation and track layout, never to be recreated. I was in the park the day George Brown was struck, it was Scouts Day in the park, we were in the bumper cars area and they made us leave because they were afraid we would see the paramedics walking in.
I'll be honest. I rode Verbolten very bitterly with my arms crossed. But when we hit that surprise drop and rolled out to the iconic river drop, I smiled and accepted it as a worthy successors. I still miss BBW though. It was my favorite ride at BGW second to Apollo's Chariot.
It kills me that they got rid of Escape from Darkastle to put in yet another new coaster. Totally agree with you on Apollo’s Chariot, it’s my favorite.
Woohoo!!! I’m glad you covered this, this was my very first roller coaster, at just 4 years old in 2001. I know that sounds SUPER young, but I have the photo my mom took of me as the train left the station. My dad bamboozled me into riding it and I was TERRIFIED. It took another 4 years for me to try it again, and I’m glad I did! I will forever miss this ride ❤️
it was my first coaster because i didnt want big drops and my friends were able to lie to me and say there werent any because the drop over the hill was hidden lmao
For all those watching…. Watch the back car on the last drop, being in the back you would swing out on the left turn and keep swinging all the way down the drop along with being yanked it was such an amazing sensation. The arrow suspended model will be my favorite retired coaster model. Thank you so much for making this video Ryan I’ve been waiting for it. As this being my home park Big Bad Wolf was my first roller coaster and I miss it so much 😢
As my home park being 53 years old I was lucky enough to experience this park from day one of the doors opening. The wolf was an all time favorite and much wilder before the drag brakes were added on the final drop. Will never forget this awesome ride.
This one hit me hard because it was my first roller coaster ever. As you said in the video the low hight requirement made this one of the only rides for me at the age of 5. Even Lochness Monster's height is 48". I am currently an employee at BGW and I found out more about this coaster from this video than anyone else who works there. I now know why we play our clear track tone everytime we come up from a shut down and learning about the Big Bad Wolf incodent where Pop Brown lost his life. Also I never realized that verbolten payed tribute to Big Bad Wolf with its original concrete supports and the twists at the end. Thanks for bringing back some good childhood memories and informing me in the proccess. Excelent research and a great video.
If there’s one coaster I regret not getting to ride, this one is it. It was my mom’s absolute favorite coaster. I love Iron Dragon, and the Wolf was like 3x more intense.
I've ridden a lot of different styles of coasters in my 50 years on the planet and nothing is quite like an Arrow Suspended coaster. I wish somebody would bring this design style back in a modern form.
@@ashleighelizabeth5916 As a Brit, I never got to ride Big Bad Wolf but the closest I have got is the Vampire at Chessington World of Adventures (just outside of London) - also made by Arrow. And still operating to this day.
I was so enamored by the video I forgot to comment just how much this means to me. Big Bad Wolf was my first roller coaster. I used to travel with my family down to Busch Gardens Williamsburg on a yearly basis, and that park is where I hit most of my major first coaster milestones. My first coaster, my first looper (Nessie), my first hyper (Apollo's Chariot). Really crushed they took this ride out because not only was it a sentimental favorite, but it really was a great ride.
As someone whose home park is Busch Gardens, I loved learning more about this legendary attraction. I never knew it had this many problems! Like Ryan, I was once scared of roller coasters, but utterly fascinated with them. I never got to ride this coaster, but it looked awesome and I think it’s replacement was worthy of avenging the wolf. RIP 1985-2009!
@@WarriorCat235 they used to actually have wolves in a enclosure off to the side years ago as a nod to the ride. not sure if they still do but it is definitely a staple in the the 757 VA.
Beautiful research and presentation as always. I’m wondering what other problematic coasters videos are coming up? IMO these would make great videos: - X2 - Lightning Rod - Volcano - Hypersonic XLC - Steel Curtain - Phantom’s revenge - Xccelerator - Superman: EFK - RMC raptors - Skyrush - Vekoma GIBs
That drop at the end followed by a sharp curve over the river that really sent the cars swinging was such an incredible element. That and the excellent theming made Big Bad Wolf an outstanding coaster that I dearly miss.
YES! I loved this roller coaster. The lochness monster, and big bad wolf were my first coasters! I m PUMPED to watch this! Edit: I appreciate the research you put into this. The first 15 minutes with the newspaper articles, and other sources. Intamin initially being the manufacturer was stuff I didnt know at all. Also that old Intamin catalog you pictured at 10:26 would be a cool thing to have.
I'm grateful to have been able to ride both "The Bat" and "Iron Dragon." These Arrow Suspended Coasters are such a unique ride experience, and I've never had a bad ride on them, aside from maybe a longer wait time due to mechanical reasons. Also, I love the transition into the ad. So absurd it made me laugh. Thank you Ryan lmaoo. This was probably the most effective Vessi ad I've seen. All the others use the stock footage, but watching you drench them actually moved my opinion some
Riding BBW in back car was fantastic. The intensity of the swing from whipping around the turn at the top of the river drop (contrast being gradually lowered at the front) was one of my favorite coaster experiences.
This was the only roller coaster I would ride for YEARS. I remember it vividly, from the departure script to the scenery of the first half of the ride. I was so sad that it closed during a period of my life when a trip to Busch Gardens was not an option, and I live in hope that a similar coaster may rise one day (and that Verbroken will stop breaking down so much so I can get that drop towards the Rhine River again!)
The Big Bad Wolf is such a fun coaster for me, especially since I remember experiencing it during summer camp in my childhood. Nowadays when I go to BGW, I'm not surprised that there's still merch being made to commemorate this ride, even this many years later. This video uncovered some lost childhood memories for me. Thank you for making such a wonderful tribute to a legendary ride.
Great video! Always happy to see Vincent Price getting involved in things. I am 95% sure though, that the commercial clip that is highly circulated (the only one I can find?) is not voiced by Vincent Price, unless they did horrible horrible things to his voice. Which would defeat the purpose of hiring him in the first place, as his voice is pretty iconic. It could just be that other TV commercials/radio commercials are just lost to time somewhere (a shame) since the News host in the extended version of that clip mentions it as well. Some fantastic films he's been in are House of Wax, The Fly, and House on Haunted Hill, (and many many more) He has a great video that he hosted called "America Screams" about rollercoasters and rollercoaster history in the late 70's
"Intamin would essentially act as the project manager" okay that perfectly confirms my intuition that a lot of early Intamin coasters are basically B&M coasters in disguise, since the Bolliger and the Mabillard had worked for Giovanolla and took off with the track and train design when they left
Hey I know you probably won't see this but my home park is Busch Gardens. And though I'm too young to have ridden Big Bad Wolf (as it was decommissioned before I was born) but I have herd a lot about it and know people would did ride it. A story I heard was on opening day of the coaster. Someone on the coaster had just gone down the Rhine River drop when a bolt came loose and hit that person on the knee. They reported it to the ride operators who closed the ride down for the rest of the day. I heard that story a long time ago but I heard some thing crazy relating to that story. After I came back from a day at Busch gardens I was talking to my friends Dad about my time there when he told me he was at Busch gardens on the opening day of Big Bad Wolf. And he was siting next to his friend on the coaster when he heard him scream and watched as a bolt bounced off his knee. So yeah. The name of the person who was hit is named Drew Floyd.
I was fortunate enough to ride the Wolf on two occasions, once in 2003 as a 12-year-old, and again in 2009 during its farewell season. Both times, the ride blew me away. And I have very fond memories of riding it, including that time my dad lost his sunglasses in the rhine river during the big drop. The first time, it was my favorite ride at the park. The second time, Griffon and Apollo’s Chariot took the top spots, but the Wolf still hadn’t lost any of its luster on that last trip. I haven’t been back to BGW since, so I haven’t had the chance to experience Verbolten, or any of the other new coasters at the park. But Big Bad Wolf still holds a very special place in my memory as one of my all-time favorite coasters.
The Vortex at Canada's Wonderland is another one of these types of Arrow Suspended coasters, I'm surprised to see so few people mentioning it in the comments as it looks almost the exact same. It opened in 91 and is still in operation. It is the tallest and fastest of these rides as well, since it actually goes over the park's iconic mountain structure and down over the lake.
Thrilled to see this video at last! I'm having a little trouble reviewing the script 'cause I keep watching the footage instead. There's already something so beautiful about how roller coasters move; adding suspension simply mesmerizes me. EDIT: Those metric conversion jokes are pretty funny. Wonder where you came up with the idea? 😆 Great job, Ryan!
As someone who isn't a huge fan of verbolten, I really wish they gave Big Bad Wolf the Hulk treatment. Since I love The Bat at Kings Island, I'm sure I would've loved this ride too.
For what its worth, I wish they kept Big Bad Wolf because it was a great ride and I could always take the younger kids in my family, giving them a thrilling roller coaster experience!
This was my very first roller coaster. Only one I was tall enough to ride. My uncle has a sign that used to hang inside the queue that he got when they were getting rid of things, it’s really cool. I’ve been going to Busch Gardens my entire life and I might be biased, but it’s so underrated in the theme park world. Things have fallen off a little bit these past few years there, but I hope to see them bounce back soon. This ride really means a lot to me and will always be close in my heart, it was such a joy to see someone spend the time and effort to give it the love it deserves. Thank you!
I got to ride this (and drachen fire) on a school field trip in I think '97 or maybe '98. I don't remember much of it, but I do remember that drop and it was pretty epic at the time. Wish I could ride it again as an adult. Anywho, good stuff as always.
Drachen Fire was closed by the middle of 98 (but still standing) so if you rode it that year it had to be in the Spring. I went that year in the Fall and I remember the fencing erected to cover the Apollo's Chariot worksite and sadly not being able to ride Drachen Fire. She was sitting there in all her glory with one of the trains halfway up the lift hill but not open. Such a disappointment since I was still young enough not to care if a roller coaster had a reputation for being rough.
That was an amazing documentary! I am impressed with how you were able to find so many wonderful details about an older coaster like this. I am an older enthusiast and had the pleasure to ride the Big Bad Wolf in the summer of 1987. I absolutely loved it!
I went on this ride back in 2004 or 2005 as a kid. This was literally the only coaster I wasn't super afraid to ride thanks to it not being a very tall coaster (heights are scary). This is one of the best coasters I've been on- even now as I explore more and overcoming the fear of heights.
Thank you so much for doing BBW justice with this wonderful video. You certainly go into the deepest depths on all the videos you make. BBW will always have a very special place in my heart as it was the first "big" coaster I rode (1987) and with my sister no less. It lit a lifelong passion for rollercoasters. I was terrified while riding it and the big plunge toward the Rhein River below almost made me scream. Swinging violently during the finale was exhilarating for this 13 year old. I don't remember how many times we rode it that day but I was excited each time. The last time I went to BGE was in 1997 just after Alpengeist opened. The last few rides was at the Speed of Fright as I preferred it to anything else in the park. To this day it's still my all time favorite rollercoaster. X2 certainly is scarier and Kingda Ka is taller and faster but I just long for just one more ride. I was devastated to learn that it had closed in 2009. I would have made a special trip just to ride it all day long. While business decisions must be made I feel that if AB never sold to InBev then BBW would still be running to this day. DaVinci's cradle is also gone....
Bravo Ryan, bravo... Without spending weeks combing through your back video catalog again to be sure, my first impression is that this is the best video you ever put out. Not only is coverage of this particular coaster specifically desirable as a preservation of history for a gem that will not be forgotten, but your coverage of it is it's about as best as anyone could do covering this coaster. I have to say that you're editing, pacing, and research here are second to none. I'd also like to specifically comment on how much improved your verbal delivery has gotten. I'll be honest and say that I've often found your delivery letting down your excellent scripting, by being flat, monotone, and monotonous. I have never once said anything about it as your content was so excellent and your passion so evident that I just couldn't bring myself to say that I often had to struggle through the longer videos that you must produce to cover the subjects properly because everything else about your presentations has always been good growing to excellent always never being a waste of time. The one thing that never seemed to develop much at all was your verbal delivery, but I have noticed lately and in peticular here, a vast improvement. While this area of your presentations does still need a decent amount of work no offense, it is clear that in this video to me there is no hindrances to that continued improvement. Despite my extensive background in educational verbal presentation (see thumbnail for a hint), this still is my opinion and like all opinions are extremely subjective no matter how hard you try not to be. I'm not saying your verbal presentation is bad in general, but I am saying is that it's not nearly as good as the rest of what you're putting out and specifically maybe 1/4 of how good it could be well at least until this video which is definitely an improvement above that. This feedback is given with as much love for you as the rest of what I state in this posting which I think is pretty evident. You Sir are a hero to the roller coaster fan community and to roller coasters themselves. Even if you were to stop doing this work tomorrow you would be remembered as one of the greatest roller coaster and theme park historians of all time. I can't express my thanks enough for covering such an important individual coaster but also a coaster type that sadly looks like it's going to be lost to history, something that cannot be understated, most especially considering that you did it right. Please forgive me if you've already done so, but I'd love to see similar coverage of the korean located similar type suspended coaster Eagle's Fortress. Aside from BBW, it seems to be the only suspended coaster of this school that receives universal love without thoughts or comments of disappointment despite like all similar type coasters being maintenance and engineering nightmares. I am unaware of any other suspended coasters to get such love. If someone out there has heard differently, please let me know. That said I can't think of a better person to answer such a question than ElToroRyan.
I've been waiting for a video on this ride! I only got to ride Big Bad Wolf once back in 2006 but it was a very memorable ride. The only other Arrow suspended coaster I've ridden is The Bat at Kings Island (the "new" one) which was much more recent but I didn't find it as thrilling as the Wolf. I remember the Wolf having more intense swinging and that final drop and finale was awesome. Too bad it met it's fate the way it did. Gone but not forgotten. Great video!
Great video. BBW was my first coaster. It was the only one I could ride in the park for a couple of years being so short. But it was the coaster that got me to fall in love with rollercoasters
I missed Big Bad Wolf by three years, but I'm grateful that my home park (Kings Island) still has a coaster of the same type (The Bat, 1993). I love the inclusion of little-known facts such as the weight of the trains and the purpose of the flag plates (I always wondered why the rear-most wheel assemblies look different from the rest!). Big Bad Wolf is one of a handful of defunct coasters which I wish I'd had the chance to ride, and while the current Bat at Kings Island isn't quite as big or famous, it's still quite fun and I will cherish it for as long as possible!
If I had a time machine, this is one of the coasters I wish I could go back and ride. It was closed back when I was still young and long before I started my coaster enthusiast journey. It's at least in my top 5 coasters I wish I got to ride along with Dueling Dragons and Volcano the blast coaster. May these legends rest in peace.
side note, i appreciate immensely the care and attention you put into making sure the captions are accurate. so many big channels don't bother or use automated captions which suck. i'm hard of hearing and it's an absolute breath of fresh air when a youtuber puts forth the effort to include me and people like me. you are a class act all the way
Dude how do you find all these clips, it's consistently amazing. Not to mention they are hilarious to watch or pause and stare at. Really liked this ride as a kid, still have a Keychain somewhere!
ElToroRyan… I just love the way you do ads in your videos. Props to you for not making them annoying AND also doing sponsorships for products it seems you ACTUALLY enjoy and would endorse.
In the Summer of 1986, The Loch Ness Monster was the first roller coaster I ever rode. The Big Bad Wolf was the 2nd. It was so cool how the individual cars would swing out to make it look like you were going to hit a building or tree. And when you bottomed out on the 2nd drop, water sprayed underneath the cars to make it feel like you hit the river. It was such a great coaster. I’m sad to see it is gone.
The Big Bad Wolf was the first roller coaster I ever rode! I live near BG, so I rode it many times over the years. I was really sad when they announced they were dismantling it. It was a super fun ride!
I rode this as a child in the late 80's, it was completely different than anything I have ever ridden, and to this day remains on of my favorites. The 2nd half is one of the most memorable experiences to this day.
What a great video! Thank you so much for all the efforts you put into creating such great high-quality content. I wish I could´ve experienced the Big Bad Wolf myself. It really broke my heart as they announced closing it for good.
Big Bad Wolf had to be one of my absolute favorite coasters I've ever ridden. The first time my family ever went to Busch Gardens was 2000, and as awesome as Apollo's Chariot, Alpengeist, and Loch Ness Monster were, BBW was my favorite. I have a wonderful memory of having it as my last right of a night when fireworks were going off, and it was so exhilarating! We did Busch Gardens a few times in my life, but I was heart broken when I found out they closed it. Thanks for a great trip down memory lane.
I'm very surpised to hear they were planning on refurbishing the ride.It's even more wild to think that around 10 years later refurbishing steel coasters has become more common place! An excellent video as alwys! Keep them coming!
I think if they tried to pull Loch Ness out of the park at this point it would cause a riot so I'd say it will be damn likely it will get a major refurb when the time comes.
Thanks for another fantastic video. This brought back a lot of memories; as Big Bad Wolf was one of the first coasters that I got to ride that wasn't in my home area.
I was lucky enough to be a cast member assigned to the wolf in the summer of 1992. (that summer I watched them build and was on the commercial train with the Knights for DraconFire) Your information was spot on in so many ways, but you might not know that the voice over of instructions which used to be manual was changed to automatic because operators would sometimes yell into the mic at night and that would echo off the rhine river amplified into the Kingsmill Neighborhood. By automating riders instructions they could set the max volume.
Whoa! That was the fastest 49 minutes ever! Fascinating detailed history of a ride I wish I could’ve ridden! Thanks for knocking it out if the park again!
This was actually the first roller coaster I ever rode upon, despite the warnings of my parrents, neither of whom liked coasters. It was back when Drachenfire was still the hot new coaster at the park, so the line on BBW was short and I got on quickly, and had the time of my life! Sadly, that was my one and only ride on the coaster, and I never got to really compare it with others. Still have many fond memories of the Big Bad Wolf.
Looking back now my parents were absolutely amazing at keeping me out of trouble. In 1996 I was graduating high school and I was so pumped for my senior trip. Right before, my parents asked me if I would rather go to Bush Gardens Williamsburg with them and my two younger brothers. They knew that very summer I talked about going there just to ride Big Bad Wolf and damn they got me! Today I’m using the same mojo on my teenage son 🤙
I remember the first time I went to Busch Gardens to ride The Big Bad Wolf. I had some vacation time from work and wasn’t sure what to do with it. My colleague Louise handed me a section of the New York Times newspaper that Sunday, and as soon as I opened it, there was a big spread about the opening of The Big Bad Wolf in Williamsburg, VA. I fell in love with it right away and made all kinds of arrangements and reservations to head to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg to ride it. The day I got there, I almost didn’t get to ride it because it wasn’t ready and was still having issues. But the next day, I finally got to ride it, and man, it was the bomb! It was the first suspended coaster I had ever ridden. The way it came off the hill and swung over the village-type houses was amazing. My favorite part was when it swung alongside the villages and there was a church bell that made an echoing bong sound as if the coaster had hit the bell as we flew by. It was great! When the coaster came down by the river, it felt like it was going 60 miles an hour, swinging back and forth. Oh my god, I loved that coaster so much that when I was a truck driver, I took the name “The Big Bad Wolf” as my CB handle. I sure do miss that ride, but I’ve heard rumors that they might bring it back in a different format at Williamsburg. That would be a great tribute to the original Big Bad Wolf. I love saying that name, “The Big Bad Wolf.” It sounds like me, LOL.
A few other ways The Big Bad Wolf lives on in Verbolten: (spoilers for the attraction building ahead) -It reused BBW's ride station. Obviously all the technical parts were rebuilt for the new ride and the theming was changed. But, you still enter and exit the exact same way, including over the track as you exit, as you did previously and the train direction is the same. -Each of the trains feature European style license plates with references to the ride (one says "BLK FRST" for Black Forest). The plate on the [appropriately] red train is "WLF XING" (wolf crossing). -There are different themes used in the attraction building which are selected at random. One of those themes incorporates wolf eyes in the dark and howls and growls of wolves.
I remember riding the wolf over and over again with my family on a childhood visit. So fun. I also went a few years ago and rode Verbolton over and over again with my wife’s family which was also a blast. Circle of life I suppose. At least it pays homage which is more than most classic replacements can say.
I wish I was able to ride big bad wolf it looks like it was easily the best suspended coaster ever built. I think suspended coasters offer such a cool sensation that newer coasters have not matched since.
You can still ride Vortex in Canada's Wonderland in Toronto, its an Arrow suspended clone and apparently it runs faster than big bad wolf ever did and it's still going strong!
What a legend. I grew up riding the Big Bad wolf with my sister and my dad, we would travel every summer from NC to visit this attraction specifically. There truly was nothing else like the sensations of this coaster.
When I was little, I was afraid of roller coasters too. On one trip, when the rest of my family wanted to ride Big Bad Wolf, they couldn't just leave me by myself, and this conversation happened right at the entrance to get in line, where the employee who held the measurement stick stood. He offered to watch over me while my family rode, so we did just that. While waiting, he asked if I wanted to try holding the measurement stick up for a bit, which I did. When my parents came around to get me, he gave me $1 as thanks, which I thought was super cool. This was back in I think 1998 or so. Now a days, I'll ride anything. If that employee happens to watch this video and see this, thanks again, its something I'll never forget. (and speaking of never forget, dont forget about the t-shirt that was thrown and caught on a tree branch right before the big drop for years)
The Big Bad Wolf was my first ever roller coaster as a small kid and scarred me for life into hating roller coasters until my friends took me on Millennium Force 20 years later, lol. Now I think your video has totally changed my mind on this old bad boy, too. My mother took me on Wolf as a small kid when I wasn't ready and was terrified because my older brother and his friend wanted to go. I guess she thought I'd get over it, but that didn't happen, lol. As a desperate reconciliation she got me a ridiculously large stuffed animal wolf at the gift shop afterwards that I still have and cherish to this day. As a result I've always had this really weird love-hate relationship with this coaster, but it's really cool to see it through the lens of someone who loves coasters (and managed to avoid it as a kid whose sibling wanted to go XD). And as an engineer, hearing about its problems and how it was designed is really cool and helps me understand it and why people love it a bit better. I'm really glad you made this video, and I think my love-hate relationship has turned more into a love relationship. Never thought I'd be sad it's dead. The new one looks way more generic, and ngl the old theming was a lot cooler. I wish I could go back and ride it again, RIP.
Big Bad Wolf was the first coaster I went on outside of a Disney park. I think I was about 6 years old and it began my love of roller coasters. Great video!
Flipping your roller coaster fear as a child I can say I loved them from first ride as a child and now as an old women I love watching others ride. Anyway I was fortunate to ride Big Bad Wolf many times and was gutted to find it had been raised. This was an awesome coaster so needless to say love your video on it. I'll be watching this again and sharing with family members to enjoy. Thanks for the history and coverage on it and beautiful Busch Gardens my home state.
I can't say enough good things about your videos, Ryan. I grew up afraid of roller coasters, but I memorized all the roller coaster statistics I could. I recognize several clips here from a 1994 VHS tape called America's Greatest Roller Coaster Thrills, which came with 3d glasses. The Revolution was my first upside-down coaster, and it took away all my fear. Thanks for all you do, bud.
Shocked that more of these weren't converted like Vampire. Still riding it today, the trains don't swing as much as the original, but this helps the stress on the track. Whilst a few supports were modified for the trains, no track replacement has happened yet still.
This coaster was my first ever “favorite roller coaster” I even made a brochure about it for a school project in third grade 🤣 I miss it dearly but (like volcano) I’m thankful and lucky I got to experience it!
I just missed Wolf’s last year of operation, as my first visit to Busch Gardens was in 2010, one year after it closed. Though I’m sure it was a great ride, Verbolten is a great ride in its own way and a worthy successor
This was my first roller coaster as a kid. I absolutely loved it. This and lochness monster being my second one a year or two later. Thank you for making this great video!
Bravo another amazing video!! I appreciate all the time and love you put into these. I actually look forward to them so much! I rode BBW in the 80s as a kid and it still stands out as one of the most unique coasters. Sad to see it gone.
Ugh my first roller coaster ever in 1995 and much like you I had previously been too scared to ride a coaster, but riding it changed me and the next year visiting the park I rode all three of the coasters that were in the park at the time, Big Bad Wolf, Loch Ness Monster and yes even Drachen Fire (which actually I do not recall being that bad of a ride, later years going on Goliath or Mind Eraser at Six Flags New England were way way more painful rides as far as I can recall). My last visit to Busch Gardens was in 2007 and i was fortunate enough to ride the Big Bad Wolf at least half a dozen times during that trip so hopefully the memories will last me the rest of my life. I was devastated hearing the ride was being shut down having long assumed it would also be my kids' first coaster too, and I'm sad all over again watching this video. Thank you for making this it brought back so many good memories!
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@Maddox2021 - Comedy and More Alternate man makes free videos for us. Let him make some cheddar you hater
@Maddox2021 - Comedy and More Alternate Cry more about creators making money little kid. Your opinion is shit
When will European rides get covered? I'm dying to see Dragon Khan or Furius Baco get covered, and ESPECIALLY Stampida, wich got significantly less enjoyable after they swapped the trains.
Do you know what happened to the Sandblaster a rollercoaster that was once at Six Flags over Georgia?
Purchased a pair of these a few months back and love em. I have decided i will only buy vessis from here on out forever
If there's a roller coaster that deserves a 50-minute documentary, it's definitely the Big Bad Wolf. RIP to this legend.
All the OG rides at BGW are amazing. Loch Ness, Big Bad Wolf, Drachen Fire. They're my holy trinity of roller coasters and the ones I grew up on.
Probably not, but there's a 50 min tutorial about block zones on ever one of his videos.
Oh For Heaven's Sake it's been gone for years please get over it it's gone
@@woody72691 bro, what?
@@stalefish1873 and for those who are unfamiliar, a block zone is a section of track...
Big bad wolf was both mine and my brothers first roller coaster with our now deceased mother. My family has worked for BG for a very very long time and when they took down Big bad wolf I stood on the Italy bridge watching and cried my eyes out.
“A few centimeters” and “Many centimeters” are without a doubt the best measurements in one of Ryan’s videos ever. 😂
Also "lots of kg" 😂
jokes aside, i think he did it because he didn't know the exact metric distance in centimeters or he was too lazy to do it in his head
I was gonna make a comment of insider info as someone who operated this coaster about the diaper bags and chain dogs because I thought it was a secret but you covered it! Impressed! You even knew how long it took to evac from the safety brakes, the worst place for a breakdown when I was working it in the late 90s. You knew about the AirWolf. What we found in those bags the most often was these little P-shaped thin wire clips from the anti-rollback system, not the bigger chain dogs. On every train that came in the station, you popped the diaper bag from below with your hand while peeking inside to see if anything was in there. I think we were allowed to find 5 of those clips before they wanted to shut it down to put some back, if I recall correctly. It always felt sketchy to me but the engineers all said it was fine. Working dispatch on this coaster was so fun before the recorded messages, because you got to howl on the mic at the riders. Seriously impressed by how much you researched about this coaster's foibles! Despite them all it was such a great flying sensation and track layout, never to be recreated. I was in the park the day George Brown was struck, it was Scouts Day in the park, we were in the bumper cars area and they made us leave because they were afraid we would see the paramedics walking in.
I'll be honest. I rode Verbolten very bitterly with my arms crossed. But when we hit that surprise drop and rolled out to the iconic river drop, I smiled and accepted it as a worthy successors. I still miss BBW though. It was my favorite ride at BGW second to Apollo's Chariot.
“Very bitterly with my arms crossed” 😂 👏🏼
It kills me that they got rid of Escape from Darkastle to put in yet another new coaster. Totally agree with you on Apollo’s Chariot, it’s my favorite.
@@scarletgoldenthornever done pantheon
@@scarletgoldenthorndarKoaster is pretty good though. Yeah its complete darkness but that aside it was a good ride for families
@Elijah I was the same way at first because The Wolf was such a legendary coaster. But that surprise drop on Verbolten helped me get over things.
Woohoo!!! I’m glad you covered this, this was my very first roller coaster, at just 4 years old in 2001. I know that sounds SUPER young, but I have the photo my mom took of me as the train left the station. My dad bamboozled me into riding it and I was TERRIFIED. It took another 4 years for me to try it again, and I’m glad I did! I will forever miss this ride ❤️
This was my first rollercoaster too! Rip big bad wolf :/
Also my first coaster when I was 4... in 1985! I was actually on park staff running this coaster in the late 90s.
It was my first big roller coaster. I was barely tall enough (also at the age of 4) in 2009 right before they shut it down!
it was my first coaster because i didnt want big drops and my friends were able to lie to me and say there werent any because the drop over the hill was hidden lmao
@@Hajimimashte that is LITERALLY what my dad told me! Why did they do us dirty like that?? 🤣
For all those watching…. Watch the back car on the last drop, being in the back you would swing out on the left turn and keep swinging all the way down the drop along with being yanked it was such an amazing sensation. The arrow suspended model will be my favorite retired coaster model. Thank you so much for making this video Ryan I’ve been waiting for it. As this being my home park Big Bad Wolf was my first roller coaster and I miss it so much 😢
Unrelated but i’m disappointed that on rct the arrow suspended has no banking
@@staringcorgi6475just go to planet coaster or TPT2
The back car was the best. Rip bbw
As my home park being 53 years old I was lucky enough to experience this park from day one of the doors opening. The wolf was an all time favorite and much wilder before the drag brakes were added on the final drop. Will never forget this awesome ride.
This one hit me hard because it was my first roller coaster ever. As you said in the video the low hight requirement made this one of the only rides for me at the age of 5. Even Lochness Monster's height is 48". I am currently an employee at BGW and I found out more about this coaster from this video than anyone else who works there. I now know why we play our clear track tone everytime we come up from a shut down and learning about the Big Bad Wolf incodent where Pop Brown lost his life. Also I never realized that verbolten payed tribute to Big Bad Wolf with its original concrete supports and the twists at the end. Thanks for bringing back some good childhood memories and informing me in the proccess. Excelent research and a great video.
It also pays tribute with a special license plate on one train.
If there’s one coaster I regret not getting to ride, this one is it. It was my mom’s absolute favorite coaster. I love Iron Dragon, and the Wolf was like 3x more intense.
I've ridden a lot of different styles of coasters in my 50 years on the planet and nothing is quite like an Arrow Suspended coaster. I wish somebody would bring this design style back in a modern form.
@@ashleighelizabeth5916 Crazy fun fact. They were actually designed to be able to invert.
@@ashleighelizabeth5916 As a Brit, I never got to ride Big Bad Wolf but the closest I have got is the Vampire at Chessington World of Adventures (just outside of London) - also made by Arrow. And still operating to this day.
The one I regret not getting on is Son of Beast.
Iron dragon was my first coaster ❤ I still love it. I was lucky enough to grow up less than an hour from cedar point
I was so enamored by the video I forgot to comment just how much this means to me. Big Bad Wolf was my first roller coaster. I used to travel with my family down to Busch Gardens Williamsburg on a yearly basis, and that park is where I hit most of my major first coaster milestones. My first coaster, my first looper (Nessie), my first hyper (Apollo's Chariot). Really crushed they took this ride out because not only was it a sentimental favorite, but it really was a great ride.
As someone whose home park is Busch Gardens, I loved learning more about this legendary attraction. I never knew it had this many problems! Like Ryan, I was once scared of roller coasters, but utterly fascinated with them. I never got to ride this coaster, but it looked awesome and I think it’s replacement was worthy of avenging the wolf. RIP 1985-2009!
Big Bad Wolf is gone, but not forgotten.
Which is why I love how Busch Gardens still sells merchanise for Big Bad Wolf
@@WarriorCat235 they used to actually have wolves in a enclosure off to the side years ago as a nod to the ride. not sure if they still do but it is definitely a staple in the the 757 VA.
@@diamondd8017 They still have the wolves for I saw them back in February ^^
Actually it’s coming back!!
Beautiful research and presentation as always. I’m wondering what other problematic coasters videos are coming up? IMO these would make great videos:
- X2
- Lightning Rod
- Volcano
- Hypersonic XLC
- Steel Curtain
- Phantom’s revenge
- Xccelerator
- Superman: EFK
- RMC raptors
- Skyrush
- Vekoma GIBs
He has mentioned X2 is coming so get excited
has he done for top thrill dragster
I would love to see one of Phantoms Revenge
Volcano 😔
@@boltgaming248 no but the Kingda Ka video applies
That drop at the end followed by a sharp curve over the river that really sent the cars swinging was such an incredible element. That and the excellent theming made Big Bad Wolf an outstanding coaster that I dearly miss.
If you were in the middle or back cars you could feel the water mist
YES! I loved this roller coaster. The lochness monster, and big bad wolf were my first coasters! I m PUMPED to watch this!
Edit: I appreciate the research you put into this. The first 15 minutes with the newspaper articles, and other sources. Intamin initially being the manufacturer was stuff I didnt know at all. Also that old Intamin catalog you pictured at 10:26 would be a cool thing to have.
I'm grateful to have been able to ride both "The Bat" and "Iron Dragon." These Arrow Suspended Coasters are such a unique ride experience, and I've never had a bad ride on them, aside from maybe a longer wait time due to mechanical reasons.
Also, I love the transition into the ad. So absurd it made me laugh. Thank you Ryan lmaoo. This was probably the most effective Vessi ad I've seen. All the others use the stock footage, but watching you drench them actually moved my opinion some
Riding BBW in back car was fantastic. The intensity of the swing from whipping around the turn at the top of the river drop (contrast being gradually lowered at the front) was one of my favorite coaster experiences.
This was the only roller coaster I would ride for YEARS. I remember it vividly, from the departure script to the scenery of the first half of the ride. I was so sad that it closed during a period of my life when a trip to Busch Gardens was not an option, and I live in hope that a similar coaster may rise one day (and that Verbroken will stop breaking down so much so I can get that drop towards the Rhine River again!)
Sit back and enjoy ride at the speed of FRIGHT! Ride Ops were so great on on this coaster!
The Big Bad Wolf is such a fun coaster for me, especially since I remember experiencing it during summer camp in my childhood. Nowadays when I go to BGW, I'm not surprised that there's still merch being made to commemorate this ride, even this many years later.
This video uncovered some lost childhood memories for me. Thank you for making such a wonderful tribute to a legendary ride.
Great video! Always happy to see Vincent Price getting involved in things. I am 95% sure though, that the commercial clip that is highly circulated (the only one I can find?) is not voiced by Vincent Price, unless they did horrible horrible things to his voice. Which would defeat the purpose of hiring him in the first place, as his voice is pretty iconic. It could just be that other TV commercials/radio commercials are just lost to time somewhere (a shame) since the News host in the extended version of that clip mentions it as well.
Some fantastic films he's been in are House of Wax, The Fly, and House on Haunted Hill, (and many many more) He has a great video that he hosted called "America Screams" about rollercoasters and rollercoaster history in the late 70's
Yeah thats definitely not Vincent Price’s voice.
Came here looking for this comment. Also, I felt ancient when he explained who Vincent Price was. I thought VP was part of our collective knowledge.
"Intamin would essentially act as the project manager" okay that perfectly confirms my intuition that a lot of early Intamin coasters are basically B&M coasters in disguise, since the Bolliger and the Mabillard had worked for Giovanolla and took off with the track and train design when they left
Hey I know you probably won't see this but my home park is Busch Gardens. And though I'm too young to have ridden Big Bad Wolf (as it was decommissioned before I was born) but I have herd a lot about it and know people would did ride it. A story I heard was on opening day of the coaster. Someone on the coaster had just gone down the Rhine River drop when a bolt came loose and hit that person on the knee. They reported it to the ride operators who closed the ride down for the rest of the day. I heard that story a long time ago but I heard some thing crazy relating to that story. After I came back from a day at Busch gardens I was talking to my friends Dad about my time there when he told me he was at Busch gardens on the opening day of Big Bad Wolf. And he was siting next to his friend on the coaster when he heard him scream and watched as a bolt bounced off his knee. So yeah. The name of the person who was hit is named Drew Floyd.
I was fortunate enough to ride the Wolf on two occasions, once in 2003 as a 12-year-old, and again in 2009 during its farewell season. Both times, the ride blew me away. And I have very fond memories of riding it, including that time my dad lost his sunglasses in the rhine river during the big drop. The first time, it was my favorite ride at the park. The second time, Griffon and Apollo’s Chariot took the top spots, but the Wolf still hadn’t lost any of its luster on that last trip. I haven’t been back to BGW since, so I haven’t had the chance to experience Verbolten, or any of the other new coasters at the park. But Big Bad Wolf still holds a very special place in my memory as one of my all-time favorite coasters.
The Vortex at Canada's Wonderland is another one of these types of Arrow Suspended coasters, I'm surprised to see so few people mentioning it in the comments as it looks almost the exact same. It opened in 91 and is still in operation. It is the tallest and fastest of these rides as well, since it actually goes over the park's iconic mountain structure and down over the lake.
Yeeesssss! I've been waiting on this!!!! Thank you! Can't wait to watch after work.
Thrilled to see this video at last! I'm having a little trouble reviewing the script 'cause I keep watching the footage instead. There's already something so beautiful about how roller coasters move; adding suspension simply mesmerizes me.
EDIT: Those metric conversion jokes are pretty funny. Wonder where you came up with the idea? 😆
Great job, Ryan!
As someone who isn't a huge fan of verbolten, I really wish they gave Big Bad Wolf the Hulk treatment. Since I love The Bat at Kings Island, I'm sure I would've loved this ride too.
For what its worth, I wish they kept Big Bad Wolf because it was a great ride and I could always take the younger kids in my family, giving them a thrilling roller coaster experience!
Never expected less from you, Ryan. I was lucky to even ride the BBW 3-4 times.
This was my very first roller coaster. Only one I was tall enough to ride. My uncle has a sign that used to hang inside the queue that he got when they were getting rid of things, it’s really cool. I’ve been going to Busch Gardens my entire life and I might be biased, but it’s so underrated in the theme park world. Things have fallen off a little bit these past few years there, but I hope to see them bounce back soon. This ride really means a lot to me and will always be close in my heart, it was such a joy to see someone spend the time and effort to give it the love it deserves. Thank you!
Whatttt! That sign sounds so cool!!!
I got to ride this (and drachen fire) on a school field trip in I think '97 or maybe '98. I don't remember much of it, but I do remember that drop and it was pretty epic at the time. Wish I could ride it again as an adult. Anywho, good stuff as always.
Any memories of drachen fire?
Drachen Fire was closed by the middle of 98 (but still standing) so if you rode it that year it had to be in the Spring. I went that year in the Fall and I remember the fencing erected to cover the Apollo's Chariot worksite and sadly not being able to ride Drachen Fire. She was sitting there in all her glory with one of the trains halfway up the lift hill but not open. Such a disappointment since I was still young enough not to care if a roller coaster had a reputation for being rough.
That was an amazing documentary! I am impressed with how you were able to find so many wonderful details about an older coaster like this. I am an older enthusiast and had the pleasure to ride the Big Bad Wolf in the summer of 1987. I absolutely loved it!
Excellent video Ryan, I look forward to your Volcano: The Blast Coaster episode in the future!
My favorite coaster of all time. Like so many have said no other coaster deserves a treatment like this video. Excellent work.
I went on this ride back in 2004 or 2005 as a kid. This was literally the only coaster I wasn't super afraid to ride thanks to it not being a very tall coaster (heights are scary). This is one of the best coasters I've been on- even now as I explore more and overcoming the fear of heights.
Thank you so much for doing BBW justice with this wonderful video. You certainly go into the deepest depths on all the videos you make. BBW will always have a very special place in my heart as it was the first "big" coaster I rode (1987) and with my sister no less. It lit a lifelong passion for rollercoasters. I was terrified while riding it and the big plunge toward the Rhein River below almost made me scream. Swinging violently during the finale was exhilarating for this 13 year old. I don't remember how many times we rode it that day but I was excited each time. The last time I went to BGE was in 1997 just after Alpengeist opened. The last few rides was at the Speed of Fright as I preferred it to anything else in the park. To this day it's still my all time favorite rollercoaster. X2 certainly is scarier and Kingda Ka is taller and faster but I just long for just one more ride. I was devastated to learn that it had closed in 2009. I would have made a special trip just to ride it all day long. While business decisions must be made I feel that if AB never sold to InBev then BBW would still be running to this day. DaVinci's cradle is also gone....
Bravo Ryan, bravo...
Without spending weeks combing through your back video catalog again to be sure, my first impression is that this is the best video you ever put out. Not only is coverage of this particular coaster specifically desirable as a preservation of history for a gem that will not be forgotten, but your coverage of it is it's about as best as anyone could do covering this coaster. I have to say that you're editing, pacing, and research here are second to none. I'd also like to specifically comment on how much improved your verbal delivery has gotten. I'll be honest and say that I've often found your delivery letting down your excellent scripting, by being flat, monotone, and monotonous. I have never once said anything about it as your content was so excellent and your passion so evident that I just couldn't bring myself to say that I often had to struggle through the longer videos that you must produce to cover the subjects properly because everything else about your presentations has always been good growing to excellent always never being a waste of time. The one thing that never seemed to develop much at all was your verbal delivery, but I have noticed lately and in peticular here, a vast improvement.
While this area of your presentations does still need a decent amount of work no offense, it is clear that in this video to me there is no hindrances to that continued improvement. Despite my extensive background in educational verbal presentation (see thumbnail for a hint), this still is my opinion and like all opinions are extremely subjective no matter how hard you try not to be. I'm not saying your verbal presentation is bad in general, but I am saying is that it's not nearly as good as the rest of what you're putting out and specifically maybe 1/4 of how good it could be well at least until this video which is definitely an improvement above that. This feedback is given with as much love for you as the rest of what I state in this posting which I think is pretty evident.
You Sir are a hero to the roller coaster fan community and to roller coasters themselves. Even if you were to stop doing this work tomorrow you would be remembered as one of the greatest roller coaster and theme park historians of all time. I can't express my thanks enough for covering such an important individual coaster but also a coaster type that sadly looks like it's going to be lost to history, something that cannot be understated, most especially considering that you did it right. Please forgive me if you've already done so, but I'd love to see similar coverage of the korean located similar type suspended coaster Eagle's Fortress. Aside from BBW, it seems to be the only suspended coaster of this school that receives universal love without thoughts or comments of disappointment despite like all similar type coasters being maintenance and engineering nightmares. I am unaware of any other suspended coasters to get such love. If someone out there has heard differently, please let me know. That said I can't think of a better person to answer such a question than ElToroRyan.
Big Bad Wolf being one of the most legendary arrow suspended coasters, it sucks that it’s gone but at least verboten is somewhat a good replacement
I'd rather have big bad wolf 🥲
@@shishsquared a lot of people would. They really shouldn’t have gotten rid of it :P
i would've loved to see footage of the "air wolf" riding the track during maintenance. sounds badass!
Reminds me of the freight railroads’ LORAM Rail Grinder lol
I've been waiting for a video on this ride! I only got to ride Big Bad Wolf once back in 2006 but it was a very memorable ride. The only other Arrow suspended coaster I've ridden is The Bat at Kings Island (the "new" one) which was much more recent but I didn't find it as thrilling as the Wolf. I remember the Wolf having more intense swinging and that final drop and finale was awesome. Too bad it met it's fate the way it did. Gone but not forgotten. Great video!
Great video. BBW was my first coaster. It was the only one I could ride in the park for a couple of years being so short. But it was the coaster that got me to fall in love with rollercoasters
I missed Big Bad Wolf by three years, but I'm grateful that my home park (Kings Island) still has a coaster of the same type (The Bat, 1993). I love the inclusion of little-known facts such as the weight of the trains and the purpose of the flag plates (I always wondered why the rear-most wheel assemblies look different from the rest!). Big Bad Wolf is one of a handful of defunct coasters which I wish I'd had the chance to ride, and while the current Bat at Kings Island isn't quite as big or famous, it's still quite fun and I will cherish it for as long as possible!
If I had a time machine, this is one of the coasters I wish I could go back and ride. It was closed back when I was still young and long before I started my coaster enthusiast journey. It's at least in my top 5 coasters I wish I got to ride along with Dueling Dragons and Volcano the blast coaster. May these legends rest in peace.
side note, i appreciate immensely the care and attention you put into making sure the captions are accurate. so many big channels don't bother or use automated captions which suck. i'm hard of hearing and it's an absolute breath of fresh air when a youtuber puts forth the effort to include me and people like me. you are a class act all the way
Your defunct-problematic coaster videos are always great and give us some new info we didn't know before. Keep up the great work!
I'm assuming that the maintenance issues huffed and puffed and blew the coaster down.
Yep. A friend of mine's husband used to work maintenance on the coasters at Busch. He said it was miserable trying to keep it running towards the end.
Thanks! For doing so many BGW Problematic coasters
Thank you so much for the super thanks!! I'm glad you enjoyed the videos!
I just discovered your Problematic Roller Coasters videos. I've watched them all. I'm so happy to see this upload today!!!
Truly an amazing documentary, Big Bad Wild has quite the story
Thank you for all of this hard work and dedication, Ryan!
Dude how do you find all these clips, it's consistently amazing. Not to mention they are hilarious to watch or pause and stare at.
Really liked this ride as a kid, still have a Keychain somewhere!
ElToroRyan… I just love the way you do ads in your videos. Props to you for not making them annoying AND also doing sponsorships for products it seems you ACTUALLY enjoy and would endorse.
In the Summer of 1986, The Loch Ness Monster was the first roller coaster I ever rode. The Big Bad Wolf was the 2nd. It was so cool how the individual cars would swing out to make it look like you were going to hit a building or tree. And when you bottomed out on the 2nd drop, water sprayed underneath the cars to make it feel like you hit the river. It was such a great coaster. I’m sad to see it is gone.
I was there summer 86 too! I was 10. Loved the BBW. My sister and I rode it like 5 times lol.
The Big Bad Wolf was the first roller coaster I ever rode! I live near BG, so I rode it many times over the years. I was really sad when they announced they were dismantling it. It was a super fun ride!
I'm glad I got to ride Big Bad Wolf before they tor it down. It was a breathtaking monster.
I rode this as a child in the late 80's, it was completely different than anything I have ever ridden, and to this day remains on of my favorites. The 2nd half is one of the most memorable experiences to this day.
What a great video! Thank you so much for all the efforts you put into creating such great high-quality content.
I wish I could´ve experienced the Big Bad Wolf myself. It really broke my heart as they announced closing it for good.
That was the smoothest ad transition I have ever heard.
Just FYI, that was not Vincent Price’s voice on the snippet of the commercial used here. He has a tenor voice, as displayed in the Thriller song.
Big Bad Wolf had to be one of my absolute favorite coasters I've ever ridden. The first time my family ever went to Busch Gardens was 2000, and as awesome as Apollo's Chariot, Alpengeist, and Loch Ness Monster were, BBW was my favorite. I have a wonderful memory of having it as my last right of a night when fireworks were going off, and it was so exhilarating! We did Busch Gardens a few times in my life, but I was heart broken when I found out they closed it. Thanks for a great trip down memory lane.
I’m hooked on these videos. These bring back great memories of my Mom being a trooper & going with me on all the rollercoasters when I was a kid.
I'm very surpised to hear they were planning on refurbishing the ride.It's even more wild to think that around 10 years later refurbishing steel coasters has become more common place! An excellent video as alwys! Keep them coming!
I think if they tried to pull Loch Ness out of the park at this point it would cause a riot so I'd say it will be damn likely it will get a major refurb when the time comes.
Thanks for another fantastic video. This brought back a lot of memories; as Big Bad Wolf was one of the first coasters that I got to ride that wasn't in my home area.
I was lucky enough to be a cast member assigned to the wolf in the summer of 1992. (that summer I watched them build and was on the commercial train with the Knights for DraconFire)
Your information was spot on in so many ways, but you might not know that the voice over of instructions which used to be manual was changed to automatic because operators would sometimes yell into the mic at night and that would echo off the rhine river amplified into the Kingsmill Neighborhood. By automating riders instructions they could set the max volume.
It breaks my heart to know the Big Bad Wolf is gone. It was such an iconic coaster, it made the park.
Wow! What a thorough report! I enjoyed watching it. 👍
Whoa! That was the fastest 49 minutes ever! Fascinating detailed history of a ride I wish I could’ve ridden! Thanks for knocking it out if the park again!
Rode it when it opened and many times until closed. I miss this ride.
This was actually the first roller coaster I ever rode upon, despite the warnings of my parrents, neither of whom liked coasters. It was back when Drachenfire was still the hot new coaster at the park, so the line on BBW was short and I got on quickly, and had the time of my life! Sadly, that was my one and only ride on the coaster, and I never got to really compare it with others. Still have many fond memories of the Big Bad Wolf.
Looking back now my parents were absolutely amazing at keeping me out of trouble. In 1996 I was graduating high school and I was so pumped for my senior trip. Right before, my parents asked me if I would rather go to Bush Gardens Williamsburg with them and my two younger brothers. They knew that very summer I talked about going there just to ride Big Bad Wolf and damn they got me! Today I’m using the same mojo on my teenage son 🤙
Glad they are bringing a new coaster with big bad wolf in the name. This was my first roller coaster!
Great video Ryan! I miss this rollercoaster so much it was my absolute favorite it was unique an was a great fit in the park R.I.P. Big Bad Wolf
I remember the first time I went to Busch Gardens to ride The Big Bad Wolf. I had some vacation time from work and wasn’t sure what to do with it. My colleague Louise handed me a section of the New York Times newspaper that Sunday, and as soon as I opened it, there was a big spread about the opening of The Big Bad Wolf in Williamsburg, VA. I fell in love with it right away and made all kinds of arrangements and reservations to head to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg to ride it.
The day I got there, I almost didn’t get to ride it because it wasn’t ready and was still having issues. But the next day, I finally got to ride it, and man, it was the bomb! It was the first suspended coaster I had ever ridden. The way it came off the hill and swung over the village-type houses was amazing. My favorite part was when it swung alongside the villages and there was a church bell that made an echoing bong sound as if the coaster had hit the bell as we flew by. It was great!
When the coaster came down by the river, it felt like it was going 60 miles an hour, swinging back and forth. Oh my god, I loved that coaster so much that when I was a truck driver, I took the name “The Big Bad Wolf” as my CB handle. I sure do miss that ride, but I’ve heard rumors that they might bring it back in a different format at Williamsburg. That would be a great tribute to the original Big Bad Wolf. I love saying that name, “The Big Bad Wolf.” It sounds like me, LOL.
Big Bad Wolf was my first coaster ever. Definitely memorable. Thanks for this video. Keep up the great work!
A few other ways The Big Bad Wolf lives on in Verbolten: (spoilers for the attraction building ahead)
-It reused BBW's ride station. Obviously all the technical parts were rebuilt for the new ride and the theming was changed. But, you still enter and exit the exact same way, including over the track as you exit, as you did previously and the train direction is the same.
-Each of the trains feature European style license plates with references to the ride (one says "BLK FRST" for Black Forest). The plate on the [appropriately] red train is "WLF XING" (wolf crossing).
-There are different themes used in the attraction building which are selected at random. One of those themes incorporates wolf eyes in the dark and howls and growls of wolves.
So fortunate to ride this rollercoaster! RIP Big Bad Wolf but I love Verbolten a little bit more💛💚💙
I remember riding the wolf over and over again with my family on a childhood visit. So fun. I also went a few years ago and rode Verbolton over and over again with my wife’s family which was also a blast. Circle of life I suppose. At least it pays homage which is more than most classic replacements can say.
I wish I was able to ride big bad wolf it looks like it was easily the best suspended coaster ever built. I think suspended coasters offer such a cool sensation that newer coasters have not matched since.
You can still ride Vortex in Canada's Wonderland in Toronto, its an Arrow suspended clone and apparently it runs faster than big bad wolf ever did and it's still going strong!
GVT: "But you cant theme your park of early America to not take away from Gettysburg tourism"
Park: "Ok. Old British it is then..."
What a legend. I grew up riding the Big Bad wolf with my sister and my dad, we would travel every summer from NC to visit this attraction specifically. There truly was nothing else like the sensations of this coaster.
"Even without Vessi's on guests ' feets..."
😄😄😄 great segue. I just started the video and I am already impressed, as usual.
When I was little, I was afraid of roller coasters too. On one trip, when the rest of my family wanted to ride Big Bad Wolf, they couldn't just leave me by myself, and this conversation happened right at the entrance to get in line, where the employee who held the measurement stick stood. He offered to watch over me while my family rode, so we did just that. While waiting, he asked if I wanted to try holding the measurement stick up for a bit, which I did. When my parents came around to get me, he gave me $1 as thanks, which I thought was super cool. This was back in I think 1998 or so. Now a days, I'll ride anything. If that employee happens to watch this video and see this, thanks again, its something I'll never forget.
(and speaking of never forget, dont forget about the t-shirt that was thrown and caught on a tree branch right before the big drop for years)
The Big Bad Wolf was my first ever roller coaster as a small kid and scarred me for life into hating roller coasters until my friends took me on Millennium Force 20 years later, lol. Now I think your video has totally changed my mind on this old bad boy, too.
My mother took me on Wolf as a small kid when I wasn't ready and was terrified because my older brother and his friend wanted to go. I guess she thought I'd get over it, but that didn't happen, lol. As a desperate reconciliation she got me a ridiculously large stuffed animal wolf at the gift shop afterwards that I still have and cherish to this day. As a result I've always had this really weird love-hate relationship with this coaster, but it's really cool to see it through the lens of someone who loves coasters (and managed to avoid it as a kid whose sibling wanted to go XD). And as an engineer, hearing about its problems and how it was designed is really cool and helps me understand it and why people love it a bit better.
I'm really glad you made this video, and I think my love-hate relationship has turned more into a love relationship. Never thought I'd be sad it's dead. The new one looks way more generic, and ngl the old theming was a lot cooler. I wish I could go back and ride it again, RIP.
Thankfully rode it in 1992. The best! No suspended coaster ever matched it.
Big Bad Wolf was the first coaster I went on outside of a Disney park. I think I was about 6 years old and it began my love of roller coasters. Great video!
There’s just nothing like an El Toro Ryan Problematic Coaster analysis! I love the detail and deep historic research you do. 🧡
Flipping your roller coaster fear as a child I can say I loved them from first ride as a child and now as an old women I love watching others ride. Anyway I was fortunate to ride Big Bad Wolf many times and was gutted to find it had been raised. This was an awesome coaster so needless to say love your video on it. I'll be watching this again and sharing with family members to enjoy. Thanks for the history and coverage on it and beautiful Busch Gardens my home state.
I can't say enough good things about your videos, Ryan. I grew up afraid of roller coasters, but I memorized all the roller coaster statistics I could. I recognize several clips here from a 1994 VHS tape called America's Greatest Roller Coaster Thrills, which came with 3d glasses. The Revolution was my first upside-down coaster, and it took away all my fear. Thanks for all you do, bud.
Shocked that more of these weren't converted like Vampire. Still riding it today, the trains don't swing as much as the original, but this helps the stress on the track. Whilst a few supports were modified for the trains, no track replacement has happened yet still.
Recently discovered your channel and with almost every video I'm like "Wait, that coaster's been gone for decades??". Loving it, great job!
This coaster was my first ever “favorite roller coaster” I even made a brochure about it for a school project in third grade 🤣 I miss it dearly but (like volcano) I’m thankful and lucky I got to experience it!
I just missed Wolf’s last year of operation, as my first visit to Busch Gardens was in 2010, one year after it closed. Though I’m sure it was a great ride, Verbolten is a great ride in its own way and a worthy successor
Having worked the bat a bit last year, it’s nice to hear it’s not the only one that’s had problems lol. Love a good ride in the woods
This was my first roller coaster as a kid. I absolutely loved it. This and lochness monster being my second one a year or two later. Thank you for making this great video!
Bravo another amazing video!! I appreciate all the time and love you put into these. I actually look forward to them so much! I rode BBW in the 80s as a kid and it still stands out as one of the most unique coasters. Sad to see it gone.
Ugh my first roller coaster ever in 1995 and much like you I had previously been too scared to ride a coaster, but riding it changed me and the next year visiting the park I rode all three of the coasters that were in the park at the time, Big Bad Wolf, Loch Ness Monster and yes even Drachen Fire (which actually I do not recall being that bad of a ride, later years going on Goliath or Mind Eraser at Six Flags New England were way way more painful rides as far as I can recall). My last visit to Busch Gardens was in 2007 and i was fortunate enough to ride the Big Bad Wolf at least half a dozen times during that trip so hopefully the memories will last me the rest of my life. I was devastated hearing the ride was being shut down having long assumed it would also be my kids' first coaster too, and I'm sad all over again watching this video. Thank you for making this it brought back so many good memories!
I've been lucky enough to ride Big Bad Wolf, KI's Top Gun/Flightdeck/The Bat, and CP's Iron Dragon.
It did my heart good to see both trains going through Nessie's loops like it did when I was a kid. 🥰 Thanks mang!