Matt N

No, can’t honestly see this happening for the reasons largely mentioned above. 
 
Disney World is ‘primarily’ aimed at families, hence why most attractions are in the medium-family thrill category as the new additions in Star Wars Land and Avatar Land for example have proven. 
 
Pretty much all the other Disney resorts have ‘thrill based’ parks not particularly far away and they are all able to generally operate successfully without this affecting their product and demographic.

Or like a dark gothic horror theme, with the area called the Dark Kingdom, and call the new coaster as Knightmare

Part of it was down to the fact that's where the space was, and that's where investment was going. The Canada Creek Railway was introduced when they introduced the Canada Creek area (including Loggers Leap). It wasn't just a means of transportation, it was also an attraction in its own right, and looping round Canada Creek and giving that - albeit minimal - interaction with Loggers Leap helped too.
 
The area by Rumba and what's now Inferno had other attractions, and didn't really have the space for a train station, train storage shed and a turnaround.
 
 
It should be remember that the farm was just that - a farm! It had animals and restaurant. It wasn't noisy or disruptive in any way. If Thorpe Park didn't exist, no one would bat an eyelid at that area being used as a farm.
 
It should also be remember that when Thorpe Park opened, it wasn't really a theme park. It was a leisure park, which slowly developed into a theme park, with rides added in at certain periods. A farm in that location made perfect sense in the context of what Thorpe Park originally was.
 
At the same time, having it far away from everything else made sense. It was a place for animals and for quiet, away from some of the louder and busier leisure activities at the park. 
 
I don't think the plane exhibits were in any different parts of the park than what exists now. They were located in various parts of the park, including what is now The Jungle, where Vortex/Zodiac are, and parts of where Loggers Leap are. When Loggers Leap an Canada Creek were introduced, some parts of the lake were infilled to create the area. This might be the separate lake that was spoken about.
 
It was separate. 
 
Treasure Island opened in 1983, so pre-dates CCR. Before CCR opened, one could take the waterbus to the Farm, or you could walk there. To walk there, you would go alongside the lake, from what is now roughly between Rumba Rapids and Inferno to the Farm. About a third of the way along was the station / entrance for Treasure Island. You can see a pathway in the video @Mattgwise posted.
 
When CCR opened, you could still walk to the Farm, and I believe walking was the only way still to get to Treasure Island.
 
 
Yes, the park own them. Treasure Island could function as a ride site, Thorpe Farm almost definitely not.
 
Here's a very crude picture:

Roughly speaking, everything within the yellow region is - in some loose definition - Thorpe's, or of Thorpe's responsible.
Everywhere within the red region (up to the yellow line) is pretty much where the park are allowed to develop rides currently. That's not to say that the park couldn't develop outside that region, but it would require a lot of extra work and changes with the council.
 
As you can see, Treasure Island lies within this region. Back when Treasure Island was an attraction, The Swarm island didn't exist, nor did the straight patch of land above it. In the mid 2000s, the park decided to build an engineering facility building (which is one of the buildings directly above where "The Swarm" is written, just under one my crude yellow lines). The new land helped create a service road to connect it towards the back of the park in an easy way.
 
The Farm is outside of this development region. The park currently use it as storage and work space for some teams (such as Landscaping and Waste Management). At least one of the buildings there is listed too, so can't be demolished. There is some stuff that's also just kind of chucked there (if you've seen the Big Top documentary from Jack Silkstone, you'll see that the clown entrance feature has pretty much been dumped there).
 
Again, it's not impossible for it to be used for something low key or quiet, but highly unlikely.
 
 
The park certainly has gone through several transformations over the decades. Especially in enthusiast circles, there's more and more people who weren't born when Colossus opened, and that was truly the turning point for the park becoming a thrill park. So there's lots of people like yourself who will never know Thorpe as anything other than a thrill park, and it's really strange.
 
If you're interested in learning more, there's a fair few sources out there, albeit less stuff pre-Tussauds
Thorpe Park Mania: We have an okay selection of history / archive bits, albeit a bit more recent stuff... https://thorpeparkmania.co.uk/
Memories of Thorpe Park: Memories of Thorpe Park have a good range of stuff too... https://memoriesofthorpepark.co.uk/ / https://www.facebook.com/MoTP.uk/
Thorpe Park Nostalgia: If you're on Instagram, this is a great account to follow from someone who worked at the park and shares lots of stuff from the later 90s/early 00s... https://www.instagram.com/thorpeparknostalgia/
 
And obviously, feel free to ask on here too!

Disney won't build anything like Velocicoaster.
 
The most thrilling coasters they've built are Space Mountain at DLP and Rock n Roller Coaster. They've never been interested in the out and out thrill market even when IoA first opened with Hulk and Duelling Dragons in Florida. Whilst California has Knotts and Magic Mountain nearby.
 
The newer coasters look firmly in the family thrill category (if Tron rides like the other Booster Bikes thrill would be a stretch anyway), which is Disney's demographic. Never been afraid to have a number of "bigger" attractions. The likes of Tower of Terror or Test Track for example are great examples of the type of ride Disney go for. 

Maybe. 
 
I don't think it would take Velocicoaster to cause a significant shift though. All of the Disney investment points at interactive family rides and I think thats how it will continue. It would take a severe drop in attendance that is unrelated to covid-19 restrictions that may force Disney to alter slightly. Right now though, no. 

I aint too sure. The thrill market as a niche is far smaller than the family audience. Disney will most likely always be the biggest family draw in the world so I cant see them rushing to put in thrill coasters purely because Universal have done so.
 
They would have moved to do that back when IOA first opened with Hulk and the Dragons.

There's also a handy bit of info here: https://memoriesofthorpepark.co.uk/treasureisland.html
 
I'll follow this post up with more later, but again, Memories of Thorpe Park can give a nice bit of info about Thorpe Farm and CCR:
https://memoriesofthorpepark.co.uk/thorpefarm.html
https://memoriesofthorpepark.co.uk/ccr.html
 
 

Treasure Island was halfway between Thorpe Farm and the park, virtually a little west of where the vacant island next to Swarm is. Thorpe Farm was nowhere near Canada Creek/Old Town. The railway was shortened to just a loop when the farm shut.
 
See image below and watch the attached video. At 2:31 you can see the interchange for the Treasure Island Railway. Waterbuses used to also run from Model Village (next to where Sunken Garden is now over to the jetty you can see just east of my Thorpe Farm label. 

 

Sorry to double post, but unsurprisingly, the opening has now been officially pushed back to 2025: I think they’ve got a far better chance of meeting 2025 than 2024, personally; 2 years seemed like a phenomenally short amount of time to build a new park from the ground up, whereas 3 years seems perhaps more achievable, in my opinion.   On a side note, it would appear they’ve altered the concept art a fair bit; the British and French flags from the huge dome buildings are gone, for a start! Could this be the altered concept coming out of the SSSI designation?

Heres another of mine and I aint sure how "unpopular" it is. I will assume it is given the massive fanbase and popularity Europa has in the theme park/coaster community. Full disclaimer, I really like Europa before anyone things likewise!! 
 
Of the two top German parks, I FAR prefer Phantasia to Europa. I believe the following reasons are valid enough.
 
1. Whilst Europa has a far large coaster selection, I much prefer Taron and Black Mamba to ANY coaster at Europa. I actually personally find most the Europa coasters "middle of the road" with the exception of Wodan. I would rather one world class coaster to a handful of "good ones". Quality over quantity.
 
2. With water rides. Again, Europa has a far bigger selection but I would have Chiapas and River quest over any of the Europa water rides. Same as I said in point 1.
 
3. Dark rides. I personally prefer Maus Au Chocolat to all Europas dark rides. I personally cant warm to the dark rides at Europa as I find them to be blatant rip offs of Disney dark rides.
 
4. I find it a more manageable park in regards to not feeling knackered when walking around and trying to fit it all in. I liken Phantasia to a dish where the portion is just right and the food is incredible whereas Europa is a buffet where one has gone mad stacking the plate high.
 
5. I think Phantasia has a more unique overall feel to it and the theming quality in my book is far higher. Rookburgh and Klugheim optimise that.
 
6. I prefer the food options at Phantasia. Rutmoors tavern is heaven and the noodles in China are gorgeous!!.
 
So yeah. They be my reasons for having the opinion of Phantasia being the better park to Europa.
 
 

One that came to mind after how both rides have been running this year.
 
I'd say that Infusion is much more intense, fun and thrilling than Icon.  It also looks cooler and delivers a much higher throughput based on both rides' performance this year.
 
The only thing that holds it back from being better outright is inconsistency and the fact it's sometimes horribly rough.  If it ran at its best, all the time, I'd genuinely consider it a "better" coaster than Icon.

Yes. Yes you are!! 😛
 
For me the obvious small coaster that did a lot with its space was wild mouse at blackpool. Just an absolutely brilliant nostalgic ride and is truely missed. The other I will go with is Balder at liseberg. Doesnt take up that huge a space at all and is a quality wooden coaster.
 
Big coaster that wastes its size. Now the one I am gonna go with is either Diamondback or Silver Star. Two absolutely naff hypers. Sorry if that triggers any of the "Europa is perfect" brigade 😜

Obvious one here, Nemesis. Everyone knows why.
 
 
Big coaster that is a waste.. mmm. Leviathan at Canadas Wonderland. Behemoth in the same park is a much better ride are is basically the same, just longer and with far more air time.
 
I'll throw in Top Thrill Dragster as well. Waiting for the thing is a nightmare because of the risk of roll back. You go on it and sure, it is thrilling. but I want more than just twelve seconds of actual thrill, it severely under-delivers.

Small coaster? Think I’m also going to have to say Backlot Stunt Coaster. What is packed into it’s space is absolutely sublime and amazing. That helix alone warrants it’s position here IMO. 
 
And big coaster wasting space? Valeavn comes to mind. It just doesn’t really do anything outstanding or different to any other dive coasters or the other (and much better) B&Ms within the same park. 
 
Blivvy has the drop, Valkyria has the variety and Baron has the theming/backstory. This one just exists tbh. 

Wild Mouse was easily the best "thrill per footprint" coaster out there imo.  In terms of still existing coasters, I'd probably go with Revolution.
 
In terms of big coasters that waste their size, I'd say Oblivion, because it has a good first drop and then that's... it. 😂

I'm surprised this hasn't been mentioned yet, but Coaster Chall recently posted a very interesting video about what Drayton could be receiving in 2022, as well as what could be coming in 2023:
If you don't want to watch, Chall's inside source is suggesting that:
Drayton Manor's 2022 addition will be a Viking-themed area on the triangular plot of land near to where Vertigo and Buffalo are located named Viking Village. The addition is set to be fully revealed in March 2022, with an opening apparently set for 1st April. The rides installed will be a Zamperla Disk'O Coaster, a Zamperla Nebulaz and a pony ride-style attraction (think George's Dinosaur Adventure at Paultons) themed to Viking battle horses. As well as this, Vertigo will apparently be kept, rethemed into the area and included in park admission, and Buffalo is also being rethemed to the Loki Serpent Snake. Away from Viking Village, markings are already being taken for a new roller coaster, and Looping Group are currently scouring for different manufacturers to build it. However, the ride is said to have 800m of track, forwards and backwards sections, and a swing launch somewhere within the ride. In terms of a location, the combined location of Apocalypse, Pandemonium and Test Track is apparently being eyed up for this coaster, and it's rumoured to be a 2023 addition, functioning as a phase 2 expansion to Viking Village. Isn't this all very exciting? Take this with a pinch of salt, of course, but Chall's inside source within Drayton Manor has been incredibly reliable so far, correctly predicting nearly all of what happened with Adventure Cove in 2021. So for that reason, I'd say that what Chall is saying has a high chance of being true, personally!

Welcome to TPM @CineramaMax!

Hellooo I'm Max! Long time lurker but was once a member as a teenager as 'Coaster XTREME', so it's good to be back with a slightly more mature username xD.
 
I'm a filmmaker/film geek and long time coaster/theme park enthusiast.
 
I've been going to Thorpe Park since I was very young and I run some of the biggest theme park groups on Facebook..
 
 
 

I don't think I've ever posted my top 10 coasters on here, so here's my list with a little explanation as to why each ride is where it is, as well as each ride's score out of 10 for how much I enjoy it relative to the other coasters I've done. Before starting, I should probably clarify that I don't rate coasters purely based on intensity; fun factor and rerideability are the two most important factors for me. My very favourite coasters are all rides that are thrilling enough to give you a kick out of riding them, but not so intense that they put you off reriding or do things to your body, and they're also all reasonably smooth and comfortable to a point; I'm not personally a fan of overly rough rides. I've also noticed that I personally like airtime coasters the most, or rides with at least a certain degree of negative g's or "out of your seat" action of some description (so hangtime might also count).
Matt N's Top 10 Coasters as of December 2021 (Coaster Count: 79)
Mako - SeaWorld Orlando: My first and last rides on this coaster were in August 2016, but the 3 rides I had on Mako stick out to me as 3 of my favourite coaster rides ever even 5 years on; my first ride in particular gave me a hit of pure joy no coaster has since! As for why this coaster sticks out compared to the rest; where do I begin? As soon as you board the train, the restraints are some of the most gorgeously comfortable coaster restraints I've ever sat in, and when the ride itself kicks into motion, there's so much amazing stuff going on; the sustained airtime is phenomenal throughout, with the first drop, first big hill and speed hill sticking out as 3 particularly biblical airtime moments (I know floater is often considered weak airtime nowadays, but 13 year old me remembers it feeling like I was being catapulted into space, and floating in the air for what felt like forever!), and even away from airtime, the sense of speed is amazing, and the ride is so blissfully smooth, negotiating each element with what feels like flawless precision! And on the whole, while it may not be an intense g-machine, Mako is a coaster where I felt a strong urge to run back round and give it another go each time I did it, more so than any other coaster I've been on; I think the balance between thrill and fun factor/rerideability is just perfect! Prior to riding this, I was a little lost as to why enthusiasts revered airtime so much, but Mako was the coaster that converted me, and made me understand that love for airtime that most enthusiasts have! I'll admit that I'm unsure if this should still be number 1 what with how long it's been (with some of the amazing coasters below like Icon, Wicker Man et al, I worry that this wouldn't stand up if I were to ride it today), but I've decided to keep it here for now on the basis of the memories. What do you guys think? 10/10 Icon - Blackpool Pleasure Beach: Controversially, I do really love Icon! I’ve ridden it 4 times on 2 separate visits to Blackpool in 2018 & 2019, and it’s really struck a chord with me, hitting all the right notes each time! It’s fast, it’s thrilling enough to give you a kick but not too intense to be fun, it’s smooth, it’s rerideable, it has some amazing ejector airtime, the trains are lovely, the rapid transitions are great, and on the whole, I see little not to like about Icon from my personal perspective! Sure, the launches aren’t the punchiest (although I don’t personally think they’re as feeble as they’re often made out to be), and the ride as a whole isn’t exactly an intense, pedal-to-the-metal g-machine, but I just find it tremendously, tremendously fun, and it puts a smile on my face and gives me an urge to reride every time! And surely coming off a coaster smiling and wanting to go round again is the most important indicator of enjoyment, is it not? 10/10 Wicker Man - Alton Towers: I’m not usually a hardcore wooden coaster fan like a lot of enthusiasts, but I’d have to say that Wicker Man is most definitely a ride I make an exception for; I find it tremendously fun, fairly smooth and comfortable in wooden coaster terms, and very rerideable! The ride is really, really fast, it has some smooth yet exceedingly fun transitions, many surprising pops of ejector airtime, and as I’ve said with the rides above, it strikes the perfect balance between thrill and fun factor, in my opinion! And on the back row in particular, this coaster is a real hoot, with some excellent airtime moments, although I think every row is fun on Wicker Man, personally! Overall, I think Wicker Man is a hugely fun ride; even if it isn't the most intense coaster, it always puts a huge smile on my face! 10/10 Mine Blower - Fun Spot Kissimmee: I know that 2 wooden coasters in my top 5 might possibly contradict my earlier statement about not being a hardcore wooden coaster fan, but Mine Blower is the other ride that I’d say I make an exception for! I should preface what I say about Mine Blower by saying that I only had one ride on it, in the front row, with a practically empty train. However, in spite of this; Mine Blower did impress me, and I think there’s a lot to like about it! The ride is fast-paced from start to finish, and I absolutely love that bouncing, darting sequence of airtime moments the ride incorporates! I also love the ride’s sole inversion; that zero-g roll provides a really excellent moment of sustained hangtime! I know it’s in stark contrast to the more abrupt, erratic sensations in the rest of the layout, but I really like how the start of the ride contrasts with the rest of it! I was slightly worried about Mine Blower’s roughness prior to riding, as I have a low roughness tolerance and I’d heard numerous reports about Mine Blower’s roughness, but on the front row, I’d personally say I didn’t find it overly rough; no more so than something like Wicker Man, anyway. One slight caveat I admittedly have is that I don’t like the trains as much as the GCI trains; the restraints are a bit tight, and I think the GCI rolling stock generally feels a bit more comfortable, in my opinion. Overall, however; even though I’d say Wicker Man just edges it for me in terms of woodies (the trains are far more comfortable, and I also really like the smooth twisty bits on Wicker), I was very impressed by Mine Blower, and I’d say it’s a more than worthy candidate for a favourite woodie! 9/10 Oblivion - Alton Towers: Perhaps oddly given the one-note nature of it, Oblivion is a coaster I've really grown to love with time! This could admittedly be a tentative opinion until I get back on SheiKra, but to be honest, I actually think I like Oblivion more nowadays; I love how concise it is, and although it doesn't do a lot, I think Oblivion does everything it has in its arsenal extremely well! The sense of speed on the drop is phenomenal; my dad always says to me whenever we ride it together that Oblivion feels like the fastest coaster he's ever done, and I can certainly see why he thinks that, as it really feels like you're flying at warpspeed through that tunnel! The airtime is also great, in my opinion; the drop itself provides an excellent moment of strong sustained airtime, and the hill into the brakes also provides a surprising bonus pop! The ride is also really smooth and comfortable, in my opinion; for a coaster of 23 years old, I think it's aged phenomenally, and I think that as OTSRs go, B&M's traditional ones are about as unobtrusive and comfortable as they come! Overall, while it might be short, I think Oblivion is certainly sweet! 9/10 Montu - Busch Gardens Tampa: My memories of Busch Gardens Tampa are getting hazier with time, as it’s close to 5 years since my first and only visit, but I do remember very much liking Montu! I remember it being relatively smooth, as B&Ms mostly are, but also packing a real punch! It was a long ride, but one that kept its momentum throughout, and it had many awesome inversions and moments of positive force! The one ride I had certainly sticks out as my favourite ride I’ve had on a B&M invert, and I remember really liking it at the time, but I’m unsure whether I’d rank it quite as highly now, as my tastes have changed slightly towards rides with more negative g’s and a wider variety of forces on offer as opposed to rides with little aside from positive g’s. Still, Montu is a fab invert, in my opinion! 9/10 SheiKra - Busch Gardens Tampa: As I alluded to in my musings about Oblivion above, this is probably a tentative ranking until I get a reride on SheiKra, but in spite of me now saying I rank Oblivion a bit higher, I did still really like SheiKra, from memory! The ride is massive, which adds a certain element of fear to it, and I remember the drops and big, swoopy elements being really nice! I really do need a reride, though; based on my recent experience with Oblivion, it might well end up pushing SheiKra up a few spots… 9/10 Nemesis Inferno - Thorpe Park: This coaster has really grown on me in recent years, and perhaps controversially, I'd now say it is my favourite of Britain's two Nemesises (Nemesi? I don't really know what the plural of Nemesis is...) by a marginal amount (as for how marginal; Nemesis is the coaster directly below!)! The reasons I like this coaster marginally more than Nemesis are that it's smoother, more consistent in terms of keeping up the pace throughout the layout, and also that it doesn't have any sustained greyout moments like Nemesis' helix (perhaps controversially, I'm not a greyout fan; I often think too much intensity can take away from a ride, personally). And in terms of Inferno as a standalone coaster on its own merits; I think it's a great one, personally! The ride is nice and fast throughout, thrilling without being overly intense, fairly smooth (I only got a slight bit of headbanging on my last ride), and on the whole, it's a coaster I like a lot! It's not quite up there as one of my very favourites as I don't rate coasters focused solely on positives as highly as I used to, but Inferno's still a hoot, for my money! 9/10 Nemesis - Alton Towers: As much as Inferno may just have pipped it among British inverts, I still think there's a hell of a lot to like about the original Nemesis! Firstly, I admire its raw brilliance as a structure and a feat of engineering; it still blows my mind how John Wardley packed so much into that pit! I also have a long relationship with Nemesis, and it’s my most ridden coaster of all time, with me having had 24 rides in total since 2013, so I do have a lot of love for it, in that regard! And when we go to the layout itself; as much as Nemesis isn't quite as smooth and consistently paced as Inferno, in my opinion, there's still a lot to like, in my opinion, and I think there's some great elements in there, personally! However, I'm controversially not a fan of Nemesis' much revered helix; as much as I think the pacing and design of it are excellent, I don't personally enjoy the sustained grey out moment it always gives me. Overall, I still think Nemesis is a fantastic inverted coaster that I always really enjoy; even if I don’t rank it quite as highly as others, that’s simply because as I said about other rides above, I don’t personally rate coasters focusing exclusively on positive g’s quite as highly as I used to. 9/10 The Swarm - Thorpe Park: This might surprise you based on its current placement, but prior to riding Mako in 2016, Swarm was actually my favourite coaster. And I won't deny, there's still a lot that I love about it; the sense of speed is phenomenal (you really do feel like you're flying!), the winged seating does add something, and I think the ride has some phenomenal moments (the first drop is absolutely amazing, and the negative g forces in that last inversion are just blissful, in my opinion!)! However, I've been going off it a little as of late, and I can think of numerous reasons why it doesn't rank as highly as it used to for me. For starters, I'm growing less keen on the restraints; I didn't used to mind them, but they seem a lot tighter nowadays, and they also seem to come down on you further during the ride. Also, while I wouldn't call Swarm rough by any stretch, it does seem to be getting a touch rougher and losing that silky smoothness I always loved about it; the outer back ride I had in September seemed fairly juddery to the point where it did take away from the ride a bit for me, and while the inner seats were much smoother and more enjoyable, even those inner rides seemed to have a slight grind/rattle that the ride never used to have. Finally, the helicopter helix has started inducing a somewhat unpleasant sustained greyout that I haven't been particularly enjoying (I love the rest of Swarm, but as with any sustained greyout, I just sort of grin and bear this moment and wait for it to be over), which takes away from it slightly for me. Sorry if I sound very picky there, and I could well have had hit Swarm on a bad day in September (noone else seems to pick up on many of the things I mentioned there; am I going mad?), but I just felt I should explain why the ride isn't higher given that it was my favourite coaster for 2 years pre-Mako. For now, Swarm's highs are great enough and its lows are inconsequential enough to narrowly keep it in the top 10, but Inferno has superseded it as my favourite Thorpe coaster now, which I never thought would happen a few years ago, and with me hoping to visit Europa next year, time will tell if Swarm stays in the top 10. 9/10 So, that's my top 10 coasters! I apologise if any of that is controversial, and if you want to question me on any of that, ask away!
P.S. Here's the rest of my list in case you're wondering where a certain ride is that's missing: https://captaincoaster.com/en/tops/192

Small coaster I'd have said Wild Mouse at BPB prior to it getting knocked down, that thing used to chuck you about left, right, up and down and covered a very small area. Certainly my favourite coaster in the UK when it was about. Now I'd probably go with Backlot Stunt Coaster at King's Island. I was expecting a naff kids coaster as it looked small and didn't take up huge amount of space , but what happened was I massively greyed out more than any other intense coaster I'd ever down literally after the naff launch and into the helixes. You want intense helixes then this thing will tick all the boxes. I 
 
Coasters that are disappointing for their size? Would have to go with diamondback. The thing looked incredible and was expecting it to be on par with Shambhala but instead was probably the most disapointing large coaster I'd ever been on.
 
Or Mystic Timbers. Again was expecting something great having been on Wodan and Wickerman which I both enjoyed. But nope just lacked any umph. Though seems I'm in a minority with that. 

Hi, I'm Danny, 19-year-old non-binary (AFAB) and American. Have never been to Thorpe, but it seems like a good place. I love X:/ No Way Out because of its computer horror motif, and it reminds me of an obscure character from Toonami (a Cartoon Network block that aired in the US) named Swayzak, who I have created an MCU level of lore surrounding.
 
Home park is Six Flags Great Adventure, which is heaven for this DC nerd. I always wanted to go to Alton Towers as a kid because of Sonic Spinball. But now the theming's gone, so...

Whilst I have a TV licence it is only for the odd few programmes I watch on BBC Iplayer (rarely watch as they air). However these days with so many streaming services I often question whether it's worth having.

I'd definitely say traditional TV is dying. 

Yes I definitely think it is.
 
Since moving out of my parents' house around 10 years ago I haven't had a TV licence at all, and I don't think I've watched any live TV since.
 
The idea of scheduling my evening around a TV show coming on to the telly at a certain time is a mad thought to me. We've all become so used to everything being on demand!
 
For me the only thing I miss about traditional TV is watching the F1 live. Other than that, I'm not all that bothered.

One which came to mind is the grabber machines round by Ghost Train, which has loads of 'Easter Eggs', including the forward reference to Exodus:

All listed here: https://justanotherthemeparkblog.wordpress.com/2021/07/02/every-easter-egg-on-thorpes-graffiti-machines/ (courtesy of yours truly )
 
A fun one from the link @Inferno posted: Stealth's sign being 'wrong'. Yep, in 2006 it was advertised as going from 0-80mph in 2.3 seconds, and then in 2007 it was "upgraded" to go 0-80mph in 1.9 seconds. I don't think anything happened, so was just either marketing spiel, or a change in the way they measure it.
 
As another plug, every year on social media, TPM do an advent calendar, which usually mentions loads of these fun Easter eggs too!
 
Now I'll rattle off some I can remember which haven't been mentioned...
 
Swarm
-The helicopter had its last flight approx 2 weeks before arriving at the park
-On the toilet block, there's Roman numerals written above the entrance: LCXII. As Roman numerals, that's nonsense, but it's actually saying LC12, which was the codename
 
Black Mirror
-In the section after the bright tunnel (with the screens where your avatar is being drained), there are codes above each screen, such as JB1, KH2, etc. These are initials of people who were involved in the project.
-The screen before the mirror maze has letters "BML X:\NWO" written on it; a nod to X:\No Way Out
 
Walking Dead: The Ride
-There's a 'workforce board' in the pre-show room (on the left as you go in). This has names of everyone involved in the project, in one way or another
-There's lots of replica props dotted between the pre show room and load room. 
 
Trailers
The whole maze is an Easter egg to old stuff
 
Derren Brown
-When you exit the train the first time (onto the tube platform), the information boards are set to the time 06:05:16. That was the original advertised open date for the ride.
-On the exterior of the building, the year 1871 is written. This is 100 years before Derren Brown's birthday, to reference the supposed Victorian-era theme..
-Also in the tube platforms, along with the fracking posters, is a poster resembling Derren Brown's trick or treat cards from one of his old TV shows
-I believe that the old second VR scene (where you were stopped on a bridge above a street) was designed to mimic a road in Action, though I'm not certain of this.
-The station building is modelled off a Victorian-era built, train depot near Willesden Junction
-The floating carriage is modelled off a real carriage:

Consulting my notes, it's a North Eastern railway clerestory bogie composite coach no.3071, first built in 1903. 
 
To be continued...

Hi guys. With Omicron sending countries into lockdown, closing parks in some places and wrecking people’s theme park travel plans, I thought we could do with a little positivity around here this evening! So why don’t we take a journey into a land of dreams? Let’s go to one where COVID preferably doesn’t exist and you have an unlimited pot of money and an unlimited amount of land with which to build your dream theme park. Planning restrictions are also non-existent, so height and noise restrictions are no object either! So my question to you this evening is; if you were given the chance to build the theme park of your dreams, what rides would you put into it? And if you want to elaborate a little further than what I’m suggesting and go past mere rides; what sort of park would your dream theme park be in terms of themes, name, areas etc?   In terms of my dream theme park; off the top of my head, I’d do something similar to this: Coasters B&M Hyper Coaster - I love a good B&M Hyper Coaster, and I think one would work beautifully as a headline attraction of my dream park, going near the entrance; I can just imagine guests entering the park in perfect parallel with a row of parabolic hills that would provide beautiful sustained floater, and I can also imagine that this coaster would have a big capacity, to really devour those opening time queues! In terms of a theme; I’ve always loved the idea of a B&M Hyper being themed to a protector of the park, and being given the name Emperor! Intamin Blitz Coaster - I’d love a coaster like VelociCoaster in this park, with heavy theming, but also some nice airtime moments and inversions too. I can definitely imagine a top hat, with a twisty layout packed with some twisted airtime moments and fun inversions! As much as I specified Intamin, I do think a Mack would fit this brief nicely too. GCI Dueling/Racing Wooden Coaster - Based on the one GCI I’ve ridden, I’d have to say that I really like the ride type, and I’ve always thought that GCI’s dueling coasters, such as Joris at Efteling, looked like great fun, so I’d definitely plump for a duo of dueling GCIs, personally! In terms of what type of layout I’d go for; I’m unsure if I’d go for dueling or racing, but if it were racing, I’d go for two out and back-style layouts like Joris’ two sides have, and if it were dueling, I’d go for two twistier, more spaghetti bowl-style layouts. These would definitely be mid-size GCIs as opposed to anything too huge, though, as I think they’d make a nice starter thrill ride! B&M Dive Coaster - As much as I know that these aren’t the biggest enthusiast favourite, I think they’re very popular rides, and based on personal preference, I do really like them! I’d certainly build one with the original restraints, and I’d probably make it a bigger 200ft model with 10-across seats. I’d chuck in a couple of inversions, and maybe an airtime hill or two as well, and of course at least 2 vertical drops (the big one, and one off the MCBR). Maybe a splashdown element as well. I’d also deck this out with tons of theming Baron-style, to really increase the overall experience factor. Mack PowerSplash (Could also count as water ride) - I’ve always thought that Pulsar looked like a really fun water ride, and I think a Mack PowerSplash would be quite a good filler thrill ride, personally, as well as filling the void traditionally filled by a shoot-the-chutes! I’d probably go for the Pulsar layout (with a turntable for high capacity), but I might go for a PowerLoop depending on how I felt! Intamin Family Launch Coaster - I can imagine a ride like Juvelen or Hagrid’s working really well in my dream theme park, with heavy theming, launches, some fun twists and turns, and maybe a drop track! Mack Water Coaster (Could also count as water ride) - As much as I’ve got the Mack PowerSplash above, I also think a traditional water coaster would work really well; I can imagine something similar to SeaWorld Orlando’s Journey to Atlantis, with some really nice dark ride sections, but a more extended coaster section than Orlando’s JTA. Vekoma Suspended Family Coaster - I can imagine a ride like Flight of the Pterosaur or Orkanen working wonderfully in this park! Possibly something more like Orkanen, with a height of roughly 60 or 70ft, some fun helixes and turns, and possibly some near misses too! Unlike the existing SFCs, I’d also go for 2 trains and a brake run, just to up that capacity a bit. GCI Junior Wooden Coaster - I’ve always really liked the way that Stampida and Tomahawk over at PortAventura coexist with one another, so I’d try and cram a GCI Junior Wooden Coaster in alongside the dueling GCIs so that the kids could race alongside the older riders at some point during the dueling coasters’ course! Mack Powered Coaster - This may come across as a rather intriguing choice, but I’ve always felt that Mack Powered Coasters are one of the most universally appealing ride types a park can buy; whenever I ride Runaway Mine Train at Alton Towers, I see a really wide range of demographics riding it, from the youngest kids right through to the teenagers and older adults, and everyone seems to come off with a smile on their face, and I’d certainly want that type of ride in my park! In terms of how I’d build it, I’d go for a nice long, sprawling RMT-style layout, and I’d definitely have some fun RMT-style helixes in there! Heck, I might even go for dueling Mack Powered Coasters Max & Moritz-style, to add a fun element of interaction and also double capacity! ART/Mack Kiddie Coaster - As kiddie coasters go, I’ve always liked the look of the ART/Mack model, so I’d definitely want to put something similar to B-a-a-a Express into my park! Thrilling Flat Rides Gyro Drop Tower - I love a good drop tower, and I think the big gyro model that rotates would be a brilliant landmark flat ride for this park, personally! In terms of manufacturer; Intamin seems like an obvious choice, but I do love Funtime’s model, so I’m undecided! I would definitely want to put some tilting seats on it; maybe a mix similar to Highlander at Hansa Park would work, so that those who don’t want tilting seats can still ride, but those that want that extra fear factor can still experience it? Intamin Mega Gyro Swing - I’ll admit I wasn’t a huge fan of the Gyroswing-style attraction I did at Paultons Park earlier this year, but they are undeniably popular rides, so I would build one what with how well-liked they are! I think Intamin’s model looks like the nicest to me; those overhead lap bars look lovely! I’d also maybe look to integrate some special effects and heavy theming into this one! S&S Screamin’ Swing - As much as I may have said above about not especially liking the Gyroswing I did, I absolutely love a good Screamin’ Swing, and I think this would make for a nice non-spinny flat ride that offers some great speed and weightlessness! Pirate Ship - Pirate ships are arguably a theme park classic, so I’d definitely look to integrate one in here! In terms of manufacturer; I don’t think I’d really care, as they’re all fairly similar. Maybe the Intamin Bounty, as they’ve manufactured quite a few other rides and I could get a nice package deal, but any would do! Dark Rides ETF Ride Systems Trackless Multi Mover - I’d love a large-scale trackless dark ride similar to Symbolica at my dream park, personally; I can imagine it working so well, and being a staple family attraction! In terms of a theme; I’ve personally always loved the idea of a modern take on the Haunted Mansion concept done using the trackless technology, so I’d go with a spooky house/spooky mansion theme. In terms of a name; I think Macabre Mansion would do the job nicely! Intamin Ultra Tower (https://www.intamin.com/product/ultra-tower/) - I know building an unbuilt ride concept seems like a risk, but I’ll admit I do like the sound of this one! Tower of Terror at Hollywood Studios is one of my all-time favourite rides, and this sounds like a new take on the concept, so I’d absolutely love one for my dream park! Vekoma Mad House - I do think these are quite fun filler dark rides, and the illusion is always great fun, so I’d certainly try and put one in here! I’d do some nice pre-shows (maybe 1 or 2, Hex-style) to set the scene, and get a nice musical score composed for the ride itself! Interactive Dark Ride - As much as I know interactive dark rides are often considered gimmicky, I think they are popular, and I also think they can be quite fun rides! In terms of shooting system for this; I’d probably go with regular guns, but I do think Ninjago hand gesture shooting might be cool too! And I think I’d probably go with an omnimover for the ride system, to keep the capacity nice and high; I feel like the interactive dark ride is a ride type where the omnimover system would work well, as they’re not usually the most story-driven or triggered effect-driven rides, with effects usually being triggered by riders’ shooting of targets! ETF Ride Systems Mystic Mover - I feel like a second trackless dark ride would work really well, and I think this smaller ride system would do well as a dark ride for the younger kids! Water Rides Mack PowerSplash (Also coaster) - See above. Mack Water Coaster (Also coaster) - See above. Intamin Rapids Ride - I love a good rapids, personally, and I think one would be a great fit in my dream theme park! In terms of what type of ride it would be; I’d ensure it had heavy theming and some nice waves, water jets & waterfalls, and I’d also go for an elevator lift and drop similar to Infinity Falls! Slow Boat Ride - Even though I’ve filed this under water rides, this wouldn’t be a ride that would get you wet. It would instead function as a gentle, story-driven ride aimed to appeal to everyone, with some nice animatronics & theming and a nice story. This could be an indoor dark ride or an outdoor ride depending on how I felt, and I’m not sure about a manufacturer, but it would definitely be story-driven and not wet. Family Flat Rides Gerstlauer Polyp - I haven’t ridden one of these, but I’ve been told they’re great fun! Teacups - These are arguably a theme park staple, so I don’t think I could go without a teacups ride! Caterpillar/Musik Express - I do quite like this style of ride, so I’d definitely try and integrate one in. I could maybe see some nice theming going alongside this one. Intamin Parachute Tower - I think a family drop tower would be a nice fit for those who aren’t quite so into the big drop tower elsewhere in the park! Intamin Flying Island - I’ve always liked the look of these as far as panoramic attractions go, and a flying island would be quite novel! Other ETF Ride Systems Panorama Pedal Plus - When I was a child, I always loved Squirrel Nutty at Alton Towers, and this looks fairly similar in style, so I reckon this would make for a really nice gentle ride! Intamin People Mover P6 - I think a monorail would be great for transportation at this park, as well as for some nice panoramic views! So that’s a basic overview of some of the rides in my dream park! In reality, there would probably be quite a few more than that, as I’m missing quite a few things like kids’ flat rides, but those are just some of the main rides that come to mind off the top of my head!   But what rides would you put into your dream theme park? And do you like the sound of my dream park?