Just because it spins doesn't mean it HAS to be a mouse...

I sincerely hope I'm not the only one confused by all these now spinning coasters...

But I really want to know...which ARE really in effect, mice with spinning cars, a la Reverchons, and which are *coasters* whose cars just happen to spin...it's gotten kinda confusing lately, and I don't wanna have to go to Lagoon to make sure I get to ride a "non-mouse spinning coaster"...;)

Who can clarify which ARE in fact mice (layout-wise), and which are NOT?

Which brings up the next question: What makes a mouse a mouse?

If hairpins make a mouse a mouse, then what does that make the Schwarzkopf 'Wild Mouse' coasters? Were they in fact hamster coasters with clip-on tails?

And if Arrow calls their turnback (and trim)-laden Mad mouse a 'Coaster Mouse' as they did in 1999, does that make them a different mouse among mice? Under S&S Power, have they lost that extra wiggle to their whisker?

Finally, if an coaster is built in Minnesota with small cars but no hairpins, what best describes this attraction?

A) A Midwestern Mouse

B) A non-Midwestern Mouse

C) A non-Midwestern non-Mouse

D) A Midwestern Mouse if it's in St. Paul, but not if it's in Minneapolis

E) None of the above

F) All of the above

G) This thing you like, sit down on and ride

Discuss amongst yourselves.

-CO

*** Edited 2/22/2004 6:34:07 PM UTC by CoastaPlaya***

E.

What makes a coaster a coaster?

What makes an inversion and inversion?

Is a racer two coasters?

This seems like the kind of thing that people will argue around in circles for eternity over and never reach a definitive conclusion.

But what the hey:

a) Single car trains

b) laterals

Ooo, so now a Whip is a Wild Mouse?? Does it *have* to be a coaster"? ;)

-Danny

A coaster is only a "Wild Mouse" if it features a series of un-banked, sharp, hairpin turns. Schwarzkopf never produced a Wild Mouse coaster. He manufactured Wildcats, which do not feature hairpin turns, but rather banked curves.

Reverchon Crazy Mice are Wild Mouse coasters with spinning cars. The new Maurer-Sohne standard spinning coasters that are popping up (Lagoon, Waldameer, Seabreeze), and the larger, extended versions (Alton Towers, Chessington) are not Wild Mice. You can call them spinning coasters, family spinning coasters, compact spinning coasters, but they're not spinning Wild Mice.

Galaxies, Jet Stars, and Wildcats aren't Wild Mice either. They're small compact steel coasters.

Nearly everyone makes Wild Mice. Mack makes the best mouse, IMO. The park-models are both aesthetically pleasing and offer the most thrilling ride. A good example of a portable (but not traveling) Wild Mouse is Hersheypark's Wild Mouse. The mice at Paramount's Kings Dominion and Paramount's Carowinds are good examples of park-model Mack Wild Mouse coasters. Cheetah Chase is a portable Mack Wild Mouse.

Arrow makes a pretty good mouse as well, and installations can be found at Paramount's Great America, Michigan's Adventure, Valleyfair!, Myrtle Beach Pavilion, etc.

Maurer Sohne makes standard portable mice that are nearly identical to the standard Mack Model, but I feel they offer a more "sloppy" ride-- i.e. not as smooth, not as fun, and definitely not as aesthetically pleasing. Maurer standard mice can be found at Dorney Park (this park is rarely aesthetically pleasing, so it fits in well), Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom (ditto, but there's some nice theming elements on this ride), and Lagoon. Maurer also manufactured two Spinning Mouse coasters-- one at CentrO.Park in Germany and one at LaQua in Japan. These rides have a traditional Wild Mouse layout with spinning cars, unlike their other spinning coasters, which do not feature any kind of Wild Mouse layout.

Vekoma manufactured at least one Mouse, and it can be found at Idlewild in PA. Schiff produced a lot of Wild Mice in the late 50s and 60s, but I'm not aware of any that are currently operating. There's at least one wooden Wild Mouse left, and that's currently operating at Blackpool Pleasure Beach.

Various other manufacturers have made random Wild Mouse coasters over the years, but I listed the major players.

Gerstlauer's new spinning coasters don't count, either. Basically, to answer the original poster's question, the only spinning Wild Mice coasters opening are the Reverchon models.

Interesting lil' write ya got thar volcano. I once categorized all the spinning coasters as mice....but now that I am edumacated.....

Well, where do you place the Gerstlauer Bobsled coasters? They feature hairpin turns (a section, in the case of G`Sengte Sau, the first one), but addhelixes and bunny hops and you get a weird ride!

Winjas at Phantasialand features hairpin turns... so you could say its a mouse. *** Edited 2/23/2004 12:51:20 AM UTC by Absimilliard***

The Gerstlauer Bobsled coasters are tricky to define. A traditional Wild Mouse doesn't feature any banked turns at all, while the Gerstlauer Bobsled coasters feature banked turns and helices. I would call them hybrid Wild Mouse coasters. They feature Wild Mouse elements as well as variety of other elements. They're essentially extended Wild Mice coasters.

I don't think Timberland Twister/Spinning Dragons qualifies as a Wild Mouse either. They have just one "hairpin switchback," and a variety of other non-traditional Wild Mice elements. I think it's safe to just call it a "family spinning coaster."

The difference between the Gerstlauer Bobsled coasters and the two new spinning coasters is the number of switchbacks. I said that Wild Mice coasters have a series of switchbacks. The Bobsleds feature series of switchbacks, while the new spinning coasters do not.

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CoastaPlaya said:

Finally, if an coaster is built in Minnesota with small cars but no hairpins, what best describes this attraction?

Discuss amongst yourselves.

CoastaPlaya***

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Are you verklempt? :) *** Edited 2/23/2004 3:13:14 AM UTC by Craig the Coaster Freak***

Wow...you guys are WAY too good at this stuff.

Y'all should call Bill Clinton...he'd understand the definition of "is" in no time... ;)

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VolcanoTBC said:
Basically, to answer the original poster's question, the only spinning Wild Mice coasters opening are the Reverchon models.

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Thanks, that's basically what I was getting at....:)

But I thought M-S had a spinning car mouse as well, is that correct and it's just that none of those have been sold?

AFAIK, Gerstlauer doesn't make "traditional mice" in terms of layouts...

Bill-

This coaster:

http://www.rcdb.com/installationgallery1551.htm

has a mouse layout with spinning cars. However, I don't know if this is an actual purchase option or if MS built it as a test for the spinning concept and sold it cheap once they liked what they rode at the factory.

The closest thing Gerstlauer makes to a traditional Wild Mouse is the Bobsled 380/4:

http://www.rideentertainment.com/Bobsled%20Coaster%20380-4.pdf

http://www.rcdb.com/installationgallery2591.htm

This is what is going into Lagunasia for 2004.

Adam

'gator, he contradicted himself with that last sentence, as he had already mentioned that Maurer-Sohne had built two spinning mice:

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VolcanoTBC said:

Maurer also manufactured two Spinning Mouse coasters-- one at CentrO.Park in Germany and one at LaQua in Japan.

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As for wooden mice, there are no less than five still operating. There's two in England - Blackpool's, which has a unique layout, Pleasureland Southport's, which is similar to the standard design, but slightly different (one of the switchbacks juts out over the lift hill). Then there are three in Australia. Aussie World's operates year-round, Sydney's Luna Park has one which will reopen with the park at Easter and the Royal Melbourne Show has one which only operates during the show, about 10 days a year, which was involved in an incident injuring twelve riders last year.

Wooden mice are by far better than the steel ones - there's no comparison.

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auscoasterman said:
'gator, he contradicted himself with that last sentence, as he had already mentioned that Maurer-Sohne had built two spinning mice:

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VolcanoTBC said:

Maurer also manufactured two Spinning Mouse coasters-- one at CentrO.Park in Germany and one at LaQua in Japan.

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I don't see any contradiction...

Okay, next question: If a coaster is built with 4-passenger cars and only two short hairpins, is it a mouse coaster?

-'Playa

Only if it is really tiny. ;)

*** Edited 2/23/2004 8:58:46 PM UTC by janfrederick***

If the ride does nothing other than the two short hairpins, it's a mouse.

Okay, let's thicken the plot.

Let's say it has a small twisting drop, a steep hop up, then two short hairpins..followed by two larger 360 spirals (each in opposite directions), a large 180 turn with a couple small hops, then two larger bunnies and a sharp 450 finale. The hairpins are a tiny part of a much larger picture.

Mouse or not?

-'Playa *** Edited 2/24/2004 1:04:18 AM UTC by CoastaPlaya***

I think VolcanoTBC already covered that previously:

"I don't think Timberland Twister/Spinning Dragons qualifies as a Wild Mouse either. They have just one 'hairpin switchback,' and a variety of other non-traditional Wild Mice elements. I think it's safe to just call it a 'family spinning coaster.'"

The Gerstlauer spinning coasters are very similar to their "bobsled" coasters. VolcanoTBC called them "family coaster/wild mouse hybrid" and I'd agree with that definition. Wild mouse layouts differ only slightly from manufacturer to manufacturer. The Gerstlauer coasters (bobsleds, spinning coasters) have very different, very unique layouts. They don't have they typical "wild mouse layout", nor do they focus solely on steep drops and switchbacks. They might be a spawn of the wild mouse - or maybe a distant cousin - but they definitely shouldn't be classified as wild mice, IMO.

-Nate