The end

On July 24, 2009, the park announced that that summer would be Big Bad Wolf’s last. They cited a 25-year shelf-life recommendation from the manufacturer, Arrow. Also worth noting: even after The Bat, Arrow had a tumultuous history all its own, enduring takeovers, changing tastes, and engineering problems culminating in a December 2001 deathblow when the prototype “4th dimension” coaster X at Six Flags Magic Mountain proved too complex and expensive to handle. The ride’s very-delayed opening ultimately bankrupted the company, whose assets today continue on in S&S Sansei.

And indeed, in its 25th year, Big Bad Wolf was one of very few suspended coasters left in the world, and by far the oldest. Only five suspended coasters remain today; the eldest four are Iron Dragon at Cedar Point (1987), Ninja at Six Flags Magic Mountain (1988), Vampire at Chessington World of Adventures (1990), and Vortex at Canada’s Wonderland (1991).

Image: Cedar Fair

The fifth might surprise you: taking everything they’d learned since the failure of The Bat at (then Paramount's) Kings Island, Arrow returned to the site of their first and failed suspended coaster and constructed Top Gun: The Jet Coaster in 1993. In a bout of nostalgia, the ride was painted orange in 2014 and renamed The Bat as a nod to its predecessor, though this Bat still swoops through the forested hillsides of Ohio today.

Big Bad Wolf was demolished, leaving only its concrete footers visible along what had been the iconic river dive finale. The vacant station and now-empty woods were a visible and unfortunate reminder of what had been, and families no doubt lamented the loss of such a wonderful introductory roller coaster. But such prime real estate wouldn’t stay vacant for long. Some park fans imagined that the massive plot of land Big Bad Wolf had occupied might be reborn as a brand new themed hamlet for the park – perhaps Russia or Spain might finally join the park’s Italy, France, Canada, Ireland, Scotland, and England.

But the park had other plans. For one, the concrete footers left along the river remained intentionally. They would be used again…

Oktoberfest

Image: SeaWorld Parks

In September 2010 – about a year after Big Bad Wolf’s demolition – the park announced that the Oktoberfest hamlet would soon undergo a radical transformation, restoring the entire land to a glorious and vibrant style of maypoles, banners, live entertainment, and more. The smell of fresh pretzels and beer would radiate through the land, as dancers, singers, and authentic German details would take center stage.

This all-at-once refresh of Oktoberfest would give the hamlet a consistant identity and style, uniting its many shops, restaurants, streets, and the towering Festhaus with the look and feel of a real celebrating village. The transformation would begin in 2011 with the opening of Mäch Tower, a thrilling 246-foot tall drop tower holding 30 riders in a revolving ring, complete with on-board audio and first-ever vibrating seats.

Image: SeaWorld Parks

But while all eyes were drawn skyward to the new tower, something decidedly darker was taking shape in the woods that Big Bad Wolf had rampaged through for 25 years. The radical rebirth of Oktoberfest was all leading up to something sinister. The forest would become home to a new family roller coaster that would take Busch Gardens’ careful fusion of thrills and storytelling and create a follow-up to the Big Bad Wolf that would amaze fans of all ages.

Construction walls blocking Big Bad Wolf’s vacant Bavarian station were adorned with warning signs and a peculiar omen: a metallic V with a lightning bolt shape tearing through the center.

Verbolten: Brave the Black Forest

Image: SeaWorld Parks

Verbolten opened in 2012. Inspired by the Autobahn and legends of the mysterious Black Forest, the ride’s queue sends guests into the old Big Bad Wolf station, now redressed as sister-brother duo Gerta and Gunter’s Tours and Rentals. Gerta greets guests in the Tour Center via television, welcoming them to Oktoberfest and encouraging them to enjoy their driving tour through the German countryside. “But,” she warns emphatically, “whatever you do, do NOT go near the Black Forest. It is verboten.”

The warning is ominous, but clear: stay away from the stone wall that keeps the Black Forest at bay, lest you find yourself drawn into its deadly branches. Should you find yourself near the forest, petal-to-the-metal! Head for the old covered bridge; it’s the only way out.

Image: SeaWorld Parks

Continuing out of the Tour Center and toward the garage where you'll board, guests pass through a small shed serving as a makeshift office for Gerta’s elusive brother Gunter. The sights within hint that – unbenownst to Gerta – Gunter's intentions are nefarious; his office is crawling with parastic vines and brambles, escaped from strange experiments he seems to be conducting on seedlings from the Black Forest. The sinister vines creep through his makeshift laboratory and ensnare piles of hidden luggage from missing tourists...

What follows is a sincerely stunning family roller coaster that just so happens to include a first-of-its-kind-in-the-US feature that stuns even repeat riders. Verbolten launches through a disorienting layout filled with sincerely surprising scenery. Then, it enters a second act beyond the walls of the Black Forest where... well... we can't give away the secrets.

Image: Anna Marie, PullOverandLetMeOut

We've got to admit – we're huge fans of Verbolten and chronicled its many details in a Behind the Ride feature that's well worth a read... if you don't mind spoilers.

By the end of Verbolten's course, it races through a finale that recalls Big Bad Wolf. And that’s on purpose…Is Verbolten a worthy successor to the Big Bad Wolf? Absolutely. Verbolten is a truly spectacular roller coaster all on its own, sometimes derided unfairly by park fans simply because of the ride it replaced.

Image: SeaWorld Parks

Of course, its not Verbolten’s fault that the park retired Big Bad Wolf (perhaps before its time had really come), and viewed without the cloud of Wolf’s legacy around it, Verbolten is one of the best family roller coasters on Earth – a perfect blend of thrills, theme, and thoughtful placement – it’s a world-class addition to a world-class park, and it’s every bit the family thrill Big Bad Wolf was. For themed coaster aficionados, Verbolten is well worth the trip to Busch Gardens.

Remembering

And before you go thinking Busch Gardens would rather forget Big Bad Wolf than celebrate its legacy, think of Verbolten as an extended tribute:

• One of Verbolten’s five “German roadster” trains has an apt license plate: “WOLF X ING."
• Once launched beyond the stone wall and into the Black Forest, one of the three scenarios riders encounter is the train being stalked and surrounded by a pack of howling wolves.
• Verbolten’s finale is practically a shot-for-shot recreation of Big Bad Wolf’s iconic river drop act, intentionally re-using the concrete footers for the dive toward the water and the slaloming return trip to the station.

I

 

Image: Devin Olson, Devin Olson Media

Even if the loss of Big Bad Wolf stings, at least it'll be remembered forever as a legend, quite differently from its next-door neighbor – a coaster so unimaginably painful, it lasted only a few years. The story behind Busch Gardens' dreaded "Franken-coaster" is so wild, we chronicled it in its own in-depth Disaster Files: Drachen Fire feature that's a must-read for Busch Gardens fans.

The truth is, Busch Gardens’ fans are right to mourn the loss of Big Bad Wolf, a truly exemplary family coaster and perhaps the pinnacle of the suspended coaster, too. It may be that no roller coaster built on that hallowed ground could satisfy the generations that cite Big Bad Wolf as their first “grown-up” thrill ride. But maybe they can rest assured in recognizing that, for a whole new generation, Verbolten will be every bit as memorable and, objectively, a worthy successor to a beloved ride.

Now it’s up to you. In the comments below, share your memories of Big Bad Wolf to preserve this delightful ride for future generations. Did you get to ride Big Bad Wolf? What was your favorite part? Was it your first “big” coaster? How does it compare to other suspended coasters you’ve ridden? Are we right to say that Verbolten is a fitting follow-up and tribute, even if it’s hard to see that because of Wolf’s legacy? We can’t wait to see the memories you share of this one-of-a-kind coaster.

Then, set course for your next Lost Legend with a trip to our In-Depth Feature Library.