Worlds of Fun - History

History

Worlds of Fun opened on May 26, 1973, at a cost of $10 million. It was situated at the northern edge of a vast industrial complex developed by Hunt in the bluffs above the Missouri River in Clay County, Missouri. Immediately south of the park is Hunt's SubTropolis underground business complex.

At the time, numerous modernization projects were transforming Kansas City including the opening of Kansas City International Airport, Bartle Hall and Kemper Arena. Lamar Hunt, seeking to capitalize on Kansas City's expansion, began construction on a new amusement park in 1969. The original plan featured Worlds of Fun as a side note attraction to the 500-acre (2.0 km2) entertainment and hotel corridor Hunt planned on creating. A lagging economy scaled down such grand plans.

In 1974, the first addition to Worlds of Fun was the 4000 seat Forum Amphitheater opened in the Europa section of the park. In 1976, a new section opened for America's Bicentennial called Bicentennial Square. The Scream Roller coaster was also added to honor the 200th birthday of the nation. Three mascots also accompanied Worlds of Fun in the early days: Sam Panda, Grrrtrude the Lovable Gorilla, and Dan'l Coon.

In 1982, ten years after Worlds of Fun's opening, Oceans of Fun (at the time the largest water park in the world) opened next door. However, it would take another ten years before the two parks were linked. Also a sub-world "River City" was opened in Americana bordering the Orient. The next year saw the Screamroller being transformed into Extremeroller the USA's first stand up roller coaster. Worlds of Fun ended the decade with a bang, with the addition of the Timber Wolf.

The 1990s would prove to be a decade of challenge, triumph, and struggle for Worlds of Fun. In 1995 Cedar Fair LP bought Worlds of Fun from Hunt Midwest, which took the park in a new direction. 1995 also was one of Worlds of Fun most tragic years when a fatality occurred on the Timber Wolf (The first and only fatality at the park). The following years would see the removal of many original park rides, attractions, and thematic elements that made the park unique. But just as Hunt Midwest had ended the 1980s with the addition of a large attraction, Cedar Fair would close out the 1990s with the addition of Mamba, a D.H. Morgan Manufacturing steel hypercoaster.