Roller Soaker For Sale

Here is a Cuddle Up....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAaXzkT5XnA&list=PLB5D4F02686B16F92&...plpp_video

Conneaut Lake Park had one also,a five table one if I remember correctly.It was in the building thats still standing next to the water slides.

Thank you so much, I love seeing that old footage. I believe Swampfoxer also has a video of Coney Island on You Tube and there's a brief shot of their Cuddle Up. I'll see if I can find it.

It's a shame Coal Shaker wound up in a landfill. Aren't there any rich or famous people out there that collect old amusement rides instead of old cars?

Does an actual Cuddle-Up exist ANYWHERE anymore? Not the Crazy Daisys, but the Cuddle-Up.

This ride:
http://www.zamperla.com/en/product/134/demolition-derby.html?category_id=2
is made by Zamperla, and is the Cuddle Up / Crazy Daisy made new. I've seen it operate on carnival midways.
Several years ago I was talking about it to a Zamperla rep at a trade show, and he indicated they could easily make a larger version with multiple tables and custom theme / cars if asked. That may have come true by now, and I can't seem to find proof offhand, but I reckon Disney used them as supplier for Junkyard Jamboree, Lady Bug Boogie, and the Cars Race Rally in Paris.
Maybe other parks will take notice of the product.

Isn't Mater's Junkyard Jamboree at DCA a variation on this as well?

It is Jeff and Zamperla is offering it to parks outside of Disney. No other park has bitten yet, since the sale price is over 4 million dollars and its a lot for what a cheaper tea cups ride does.

So the DCA ride is a Zamperla?

I am nearly positive that it is indeed Zamperla.

It is.

Zamperla also provided modified demolition derbies for Walt Disney Studios Paris. Its two identical rides side by side to double capacity. They also delivered a sea shell single version to Tokyo Disney Sea and the one in Flik's Fun Fair at DCA.

The interesting thing too is that Zamperla and Intamin fought tooths and nails to get the contracts to provide 3 rides (each park) for a toy story themed land at the Paris and Hong Kong parks. Intamin won the bid and provided a modified Half pipe coaster with a non spinning car, a junior parachute tower and the oddest Musik Express I have ever seen. Intamin designed it as a powered coaster!

What is the point of a half pipe coaster with a non spinning car? That just seems boring.

Absimilliard said:

....the oddest Musik Express I have ever seen. Intamin designed it as a powered coaster!

Leave it to Intamin to complicate a Musik Express. Did it count as a coaster? If so, maybe CP could add a few. ;)

I'll actually be a little sad if Roller Soaker goes, but I'm glad that I just got to experience it a couple days ago for the first time (rode it 3 times in a row). I generally dislike super wet rides, but this attracted me being a coaster. I blindly rode it first thing in the morning, figuring it was low capacity and that no one likes to start the day with water rides.

Well, I was right there; no one was in line. Being fully clothed, I asked the ride op how wet I'd get. He rolled his eyes and said, "Well, it's only called Roller SOAKER." He was right; I got a Snake-River-Falls level of wetness.

Once miserably wet, I always let the flood gates open to get as wet as possible. They let me just stay on and re-ride as much as I wanted. So, I took 3 laps, and this ride took me back to feeling like a kid. I managed to pre-soak a dry man and his kids walking up the entrance ramp, timing it perfectly. He raised his hand and jokingly pointed at me as if he was going to seek revenge. He didn't, but it was satisfying.

I went up the lift 2 more times, and I decided that I really enjoyed going up the lift backwards, with its really open, peaceful feel and view. Overall, the ride just felt really unique and new to me, and it had a different feel of excitement / interactivity for a coaster.

This coaster also made me laugh several times (it had an excellent sense of humor). Kids kept mindlessly pulling the water release levers in the station, even though there was a clear sign that said not to. So, the ride ops kept getting soaked when checking restraints, and they were definitely not smiling about it.

All that being said, the ride would be a future pass if I wasn't in my bathing suit, dedicating the day to the water park. It'd also be a pass if longer than a 20-minute wait. Still, let the boomerang be the victim; I like unique coasters. :)

I forgot about the Zamperla take on the Cuddle-Up...I remember seeing they were doing it for DCA and never really thought much about it after that.

Why so expensive though? $4 Million...is that for the Disney instalations? Or just the standard carnival version?

Would be great to start seeing these instaled in more parks preferably with the round tubs.

The DCA 'cuddle up' in Bug Land was built in-house in Florida by Disney people and shipped to DCA. It was rebuilt 2 years ago and now how has similar linkage to Zaperala's model, which is very efficient.

The PTC version at Conneaut Lake had 6 cars, and in 1991, the parks busiest season since the late 60's, the ride experienced serious downtime. The mechanics removed 1 car, and the ride ran fine.

That ride went to auction in fall of 1992, and somehow there was demand. I forget where it went, but I think it is in storage.

There is another one in central PA (not Knoebels) inside a barn waiting to be re-assembled. Its in decent shape, and can run when put back together.

Agent Johnson,

The one in a barn in central PA...do you have any further info on that one? I heard about this same rumor years ago too. I think I may have heard about it while working at Dorney Park...possibly their Cuddle-Up/Iceberg.

Nope, its not from Dorney. its from the New England area. I think Dorney pretty much scrapped their equipment.

AJ - Now that you've piqued my curiosity....Whalom?

I think so. I have stumbled across many of the Whalom rides. They had an amazing collection of old rides, but sadly they were unappreciated. Its a shame, I would have bought them and divided them up between Conneaut Lake, Lakemont, and Idlewild.

There was a story a few years ago that the Cuddle-up that was in Carsonia Park (near Reading) ended up in storage at Twin Grove Park. A few years ago, Twin Grove was sold to new owners who were more interested in developing it as a campground/ RV park, and weren't interested in doing anything with the rides that the park had in storage.

On their website, they list a carousel as an amenity, and a few reviews mention a ferris wheel. Nothing about any other amusement rides. Didn't they supposedly also have a circle swing in storage?

I feel like a terrible enthusiast. How do you guys follow where old rides are being hoarded?

Well, you start with a 4 x 4 and a pretty good camera...