coasterverse

I was at a Ghost Train behind the scenes tour last Tuesday with the initial presentation taking place in the hospitality tent thing - Fright Nights rehearsals were taking place next door and they were definitely rehearsing to the Big Top theme which I believe is used in the Big Top room in Trailers, so that seems to suggest it'll return this year. Hoping that the scenes that remain inside Trailers are modified in some way too - Trailers was really showing signs of aging last year and was looking really, really exhausted.

Best part of Oktoberfest at Thorpe for me has always been the ride audio overlays and the Oktoberfest Thorpe theme (which we have now lost). A real shame because one of my first ever Thorpe trips (I'm a newbie in comparison to lots of others here) was during Oktoberfest and I bloody loved it and would even go as far as saying it was my favourite event. Little to no crowds, catchy soundtrack, beer... what's not to love?! I'm going to the park tomorrow to experience it, but judging by here and social media it is a shame to see that they have lost their touch with Oktoberfest this year. I wouldn't be opposed to bringing back the old Oktoberfest theme... we all know how much Thorpe love a 'nod to the past'!

this project has turned out to be one questionable decision after the other to be honest - don't get me wrong - I absolutely cannot wait to ride - but everything from the station building, planned landscaping, lack of a viewing platform, queueline etc has been pretty disapponting thus far. I also personally find thorpe's generous (putting that lightly) overuse of the gold colour super tacky. if it was used as a highlight colour against a black station, it would look so much more elegant. also a little confused by the black and gold colourscheme of the station, queue etc but the actual coaster itself is white and gold? wouldn't a white and gold station have fit the aesthetic better than a black and gold one..?

Yeah that's definitely a stylistic choice, I personally don't mind it... well, as much as somebody who still doesn't really like the new logo can 'not mind' something. The new logo has definitely grown on me though, my opinion of it now is 'it's okay'. I still think the old one suited the tone of the park better and they'd have been better off keeping the infinity rings but just changing the comic sans logo, but alas the new Dafont logo is seemingly here to stay!

Would be a different scenario if they were designed to get riders wet, but we know in all likelihood the water won't as much as graze the riders. Can't help but feel like Thorpe have made a lot of questionable decisions throughout this build process - but ultimately, as long as it rides nicely I'm happy enough.

Don't suppose anybody knows if Rocky Express is coming back, do they?

Really, REALLY silly decision in my opinion. Likely been cut because of time (and possibly budget, considering they weren't originally planning on rebuilding the shop from the ground up - so that must've been a bit of a spanner in the works), but it really would've made the area something special. People were vocal about a lack of supporting ride in the area, but I always dismissed it as I thought the viewing area would've compensated for it nicely - something extra to do, and something nice for those that aren't wanting to ride but wanting to keep an eye out for their friends/family etc. The area isn't going to look bare with a massive 236ft rollercoaster in it by any means, but it certainly isn't going to be the majestic, elegant land that was initially proposed in the plans now. Bitterly disappointed by this decision, I'm not gonna lie.

I was just about to point this out - the park have said they're no longer doing themed lands... yet in the same breath announced angry birds land is changing to big easy boulevard?! breaking away from themed lands is pointless in my opinion anyway, especially if you're going to continue grouping rides together that used to be in said themed lands! why does big easy boulevard get the privillege of being the only official themed land?!

I dunno, providing that the trackwork is able to be completed by the end of this month as planned, two months of testing & training is entirely doable. The unforeseen weather delays are absolutely still a factor though - so although they mentioned that it's PLANNED for opening, that doesn't necessarily mean it will. I personally can't see it being ready for opening, but I very much feel like the park want it to be ready for opening and are doing everything they can in their power to ensure it stays on track. (It also says everything we are about to reveal is currently planned for March 2024 😉)

Just like to remind everyone that this was mentioned in the Project Sparkle video on Christmas Day... 👀

New logo reveal at 7:30 on Thursday! The park have announced that there will be a new YouTube video talking about the past, present and future of Thorpe Park branding at 7:30pm every night for the next three nights. Predictions?

I hope so - they need to decide what they want to do one way or another. Removing themselves as a resort now doesn't mean they can't go back to it in the future, but being a resort right now clearly doesn't align with their vision. In my opinion, until a purpose-built hotel is made with various pieces of out of hours entertainment, the park will never be a resort and should not be advertised as such. It's borderline misleading to be honest.

The new Hyperia teaser photos have something a little unusual on them... notice how the logo on the bottom right is blurred, but only partially. The word 'Thorpe' is still (for the most part) intact, whilst the 'Park' is totally obscured. Could this be a hint towards Thorpe Park dropping the 'Park' from its branding? I'm in two minds about this. Firstly, I know that the park and lots of enthusiasts have referred to it simply as just 'Thorpe' for many years, so can totally see them rebranding as just that. On the other hand, being a park called 'Thorpe Park' but branding themselves as 'An Island Like No Other' is a bit contradictory. I wonder if 'Thorpe Island' is on the cards for the rebrand? Would make the brand a lot more coherent, but on the other side the park may move away from 'The Park Like No Other' branding entirely next year too. Either way, if I wasn't excited about this rebrand before, I most definitely am now. EDIT: Just looked at the previous Hyperia update from the 28th October and the same thing is apparent here too... albeit less of the logo is obscured. So, perhaps this is simply the park 'erasing' the logo as the updates go on, before finally being revealed bit by bit the opposite way after the logo is entirely obscured. Who knows!

I can't believe after all this time we've finally got a coherant response from Parm Pap themself!

Definitely not. Not only because that is just absolutely abhorrent graphic design, but the park have also already confirmed that they're keeping the golden colour scheme to Hyperia only and won't be reflected in their new branding.