Prowler
Prowler with car asecending
Worlds of Fun
LocationWorlds of Fun
Park sectionAfrica
Coordinates39°10′28″N 94°29′01″W / 39.174400°N 94.483691°W / 39.174400; -94.483691
StatusOperating
Opening dateMay 2, 2009 (2009-05-02)
Cost$8 million
General statistics
TypeWood
ManufacturerGreat Coasters International
ModelCustom
Track layoutTerrain Wood Twister Out and Back
Lift/launch systemChain Lift
Height102.3 ft (31.2 m)
Drop85.9 ft (26.2 m)
Length3,074 ft (937 m)
Speed51.2 mph (82.4 km/h)
Inversions0
Duration2:30
Capacity850 riders per hour
Height restriction48 in (122 cm)
Trains2 trains with 12 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in a single row for a total of 24 riders per train.
Fast Lane available
Prowler at RCDB

Prowler is a wooden roller coaster located at Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, Missouri. Manufactured by Great Coasters International, the $8-million ride opened to the public on May 2, 2009.[1] The ride is located in the Africa section of the park behind Zulu.

History

Before the announcement of the new ride, there were teasers put out by the park. These teasers included placing a mysterious large storage crate at the front of the park, which was 'delivered' by the "International Wildlife Organization" or the "IWO".[2] More details of the package kept coming out through the blog and videos came out [3][4][5] as the IWO storyline continued until September 1, 2008. That day, Worlds of Fun announced that Prowler would be coming to the park.[1]

Prowler opened to the general public on May 2, 2009.

For the 2019 season, both Prowler and Timber Wolf were retracked. Some sections had their wood replaced, including the first drop. The wood on the outside section of the hill was being replaced with IPE wood, which was the highest quality timber available and eight times harder than California Redwood. This would add some softness to the turn and reduce the stress on the track. Plus, the ride received a new chain for the lift hill.[6]

Ride Experience

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (November 2023)

Prowler is the second wooden roller coaster to be built at Worlds of Fun with the first one being Timber Wolf. The ride reaches an unspecified height of 85 feet (26 m), into a spiral drop which swoops into a ravine and through the woods at the top speed of 51 miles (82 km) per hour.[1]

Trains

Two "Millennium Flyer trains" with 12 cars per train. Riders are arranged two across in a single row for a total of 24 riders per train.

Rankings

Prowler was voted Best New Ride of 2009 - Amusement Park in Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Awards.[7]

Golden Ticket Awards: Top wood Roller Coasters
Year 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023
Ranking 8[8] 12[9] 10[10] 13[11] 12[12] 12[13] 17[14] 14[15] 27[16] 30 (tie)[17] 29[18] 31[19] 30[20] 24[21]

Gallery

References

  1. ^ a b c Worlds of Fun Announces a new king of the jungle for 2009: Prowler Roller Coaster RCDB September 1, 2008
  2. ^ Confidential Delivery Archived 2011-09-28 at the Wayback Machine Hot Air Blog with Brandon Stanley July 6, 2008
  3. ^ Worlds of Fun Delivery IWO YouTube.com
  4. ^ Worlds of Fun IWO Press Conference YouTube.com
  5. ^ Worlds of Fun IWO Beast Footage YouTube.com
  6. ^ "Wood Working: Timber Wolf & Prowler". Worlds of Fun.
  7. ^ 2009 Golden Ticket Awards
  8. ^ "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 13 (6.2): 38–39. September 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  9. ^ "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 14 (6.2): 38–39. September 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  10. ^ "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 15 (6.2): 46–47. September 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  11. ^ "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 16 (6.2): 46–47. September 2012. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  12. ^ "2013 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 17 (6.2): 40–41. September 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  13. ^ "2014 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 18 (6.2): 38–39. September 2014. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  14. ^ "2015 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 19 (6.2): 45–46. September 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  15. ^ "2016 Top 50 Wooden Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2016. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  16. ^ "2017 Top 50 Wooden Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2017. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  17. ^ "2018 Top 50 Wooden Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2018. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  18. ^ "2019 Top 50 Wood Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2019. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  19. ^ "2021 Golden Ticket Award Winners". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2021. Archived from the original on November 15, 2021. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  20. ^ "2022 Golden Ticket Award Winners". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2022. Archived from the original on September 12, 2022. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  21. ^ "2023 Golden Ticket Award Winners". Amusement Today. 27 (6.2): 71–72. September 2023. Archived from the original on September 10, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2019.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Prowler (roller coaster).
Worlds of Fun
Golden Ticket Award for Best New Ride
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