Six Flags to get Thomas the Tank Engine play areas

[DallasAlvey]

I read on Six Flags.com that there getting Thomas the tank engine play areas with rides. Here it is http://www.sixflags.com/whats_new.asp

[christianscoasters]

This is a good idea for families. If you look on the 'what's new' page, it does look like the new installments are all family attractions. Keep going Shapiro!

[Homer]

I must correct 'smartestcoasterkidever!' yet again, oh teh irony...

 

Thomas is related to Six Flags because, well, Shapiro licensed them for use in the parks because it is true that little kids would relate to Thomas more than, say, Bugs Bunny.

[BarryH]

Thomas the Tank Engine is really big among preschoolers. My 3 year old nehpew loves it.

 

Now Six Flags can sell the trains in the gift shop for twice the amount that you can get them at Toys R Us!

[Danbeer]

Looks liks SFNE confirmed it and SFDK is gettin it too.

 

www.masslive.com/hampfrank/republican/index.ssf?/base/news-8/1172670221117260.xml&coll=1

 

And its also on the sixflags homepage.

[CoasterGuy06]

Am I the only one that thinks its a little stupid for SFNE to build two kids areas in one year or are they just really short on family ttractions?

[christianscoasters]

Hasn't this been mentioned before?

 

http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=32459&highlight=thomas

[FlyingScooter]

At least that's better than a cornholing arena! Thomas the Tank Engine Rules!

[Danbeer]

Looks liks SFNE confirmed it and SFDK is gettin it too.

 

www.masslive.com/hampfrank/republican/index.ssf?/base/news-8/1172670221117260.xml&coll=1

 

And its also on the sixflags homepage.

[speedracer]

Cool, I am SO glad SFDK is getting this instead of the Wiggles crap.

[Jayjay719]

That sounds great. But where would it go in New England? Where Timber Town is/was? I thought I read on another forum that it was going to close to the front entrance. I guess I will find out this summer.

[Loco]

^Yea and where the heck is SFDK going to squeeze this in also? Are they just going to add a couple rides somewhere or re-theme their whole Looney Tunes area?

[spacemtfan]

Those @$$holes! When I was going to grow up, I'm going to put in a Thomas & Friends area in my park. Let's hope that there's is nothing like what I envisioned.

 

In case no one knows what the hell I'm talking about, this is what I was planning for my future park and current RCT3 park:

-A more-wilder version of the Duncan Rock n Roll coaster that Robb, Elissa, and Dan went on in Fuji-Highland.

-An updated version of Soarin', where everyone flys over the Island of Sodor (the film will be cleaner and another row of seats will be added to accomdate crowds.)

-A train ride that goes through Thomas's Branch Line.

 

My ideas! Don't steal!

[kraxleRIDAH]

WISHFUL THINKING:

 

I know, I know. This is Six Flags...but hear me out. Even before Six Flags acquired rights to the Thomas & Friends brand, I had always imagined how fun a "Big Thunder Mountain Railroad" style runaway mine-train roller coaster themed to Thomas the Tank Engine would be. As a little kid, I used to love watching Thomas on Shining Time Station and playing with those wood train track playsets. The ride's back story and plot with theming elements would be very executable for a themed roller coaster ride. I felt like being a little creative and let my imagination run so let me set it up for you:

 

As you read the following description, just think of Disney's Big Thunder Mountain Railroad roller coaster and its setup with all the mountain and the way the ride winds through the mountain.

 

Visitors to the Island of Sodor (you, the guest) board the passenger coaches (roller coaster cars) at Shining Time Station (loading platform). The passenger coaches are attached to a lead car that's themed like one of the train personalities (Thomas, Henry, Gordon, Edward, etc.).

 

The story of the ride begins as an audio recording of Sir Topham's voice over the queue PA tells each of the locomotives to "safely and carefully take our dear guests visiting the island back to the village" through a potentially dangerous industrial mining area based in the heart of a rocky mountain. Meanwhile it also narrates all safety precautions and instructions to riders.

 

Ride operators (dressed like railway station attendants) dispatch the trains, riders squeal with delight as the trains pull forward into a tunnel in the mountain and climb a chain-lift. A sound system built into the locomotive does a little "toot-toot."

 

At the top of the lift, you see two openings leading out of the mountain, one way marked directly ahead of you (DANGER: MINING ZONE - DO NOT PROCEED!) and another offset to the left (THIS WAY TO SODOR VILLAGE). The opening and track leading to the left is fake obviously. The coaster train proceeds directly forward to the (DANGER: MINING ZONE - DO NOT PROCEED!) opening and a recording sounds loudly for all riders to hear - "THOMAS! No! STOP! You're going the wrong way!"

 

Then the coaster goes down and through the mountain like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and everyone has a great time. The coaster approaches a separate unload platform and a voice recording of Sir Topham begins to scold Thomas for being so careless. As riders get off the ride, the voice recording tells all passengers to exit to their (left/right) and hopes this incident won’t keep you from revisiting the Island of Sodor and wishes you a great stay at Six Flags [insert park name].

 

Thrilling enough for young children, fun and exciting enough for parents, teens, and young adults.

 

But of course, it'll never happen as long as Six Flags has the rights to Thomas & Friends.

 

Am I the only one that thinks its a little stupid for SFNE to build two kids areas in one year or are they just really short on family ttractions?

 

I was thinking the same thing too. Am I alone when I say that Six Flags New England could have marketed Wiggles World for this season AND THEN go open a Thomas Town area for next year? Why build two kiddie areas in one season when you could split them up within a course of two years so you could "introduce" and market something new back to back rather than blow it all in one season? New England's Thomas Town could have been allocated to another Six Flags park for the 2007 season that wasn't ALREADY introducing a brand new kids' area.

 

Kind of reminds me of what old management used to do with thrillrides. They'd drop multiple major rides into a park in one season when they could have been split up over the course of two or three years.

 

Unless someone would like to correct me and say that Six Flags New England's selection of childrens' attractions is nearly non-existent as of pre-2007...

[superdad1029]

I think it is awesome that our home park is getting the Thomas area. My 4 year old is very excited. I am suprised that SFDK is putting in another kids area just one year after they added a 2nd kids area Tava's Jungle but more the marrier. It would be great is SFMM where to put one in the Phyclone site. We go there 6 to 7 times a year and when we make the rounds once you get past the scrambler their is not a lot for my 4 year old to do while my 9 year old rides the big rides and it is a long way from their over the hill back to bugs bunny land.

[onewheeled999]

Didn't SFDK just get a new kiddie area, like, last year? Why are they adding another? It seems like theme parks are getting more 'family-oriented' every second.

[Canobie Fan]

Unless someone would like to correct me and say that Six Flags New England's selection of childrens' attractions is nearly non-existent as of pre-2007...

 

SFNE had Startoon Studios that became Movie Town when it got flagged.. And also it has had Timber Town.. the area becoming Wiggles World.

 

WW is just a retheme.. So SFNE is really only getting '1' new area. The rest is just new names / new paint.

[Sean Menefee]

Didn't SFDK just get a new kiddie area, like, last year? Why are they adding another? It seems like theme parks are getting more 'family-oriented' every second.

 

MW/DK was a family park before all the thrill rides moved in my friend. They also added Ocean Discovery in 2004, so they have been adding family stuff for the last few years. It's not really a new trend for them at this point.