It would probably make sense, but the park has already rethemed and renamed so many rides at this point so I think it’s best that it’s iconic status stays.
Kings Dominion Project 2024/2025 (?): Jungle X-Pedition Retheme Phase II
- Thread starter Zachary
- Start date
Eh, I could take it or leave it. It's unlikely they're going to do much more than give it a new name, repaint the trains, and maybe some updates around the queue. Given how fast you're going, any on-ride scenery would probably not be that wise of an investment (except maybe a tunnel, though I'd venture to guess it'd be prohibitively expensive and not really add much as far as thematics go).
The one thing that I could possibly see is a KCL lighting package like Hangtime and Shellraiser have. That could look awesome if done right
That I wouldn't mind. I just don't want to see a complete theme overhaul.
I can't imagine not wanting i305 rethemed. It was a horrible theme from the start for Kings Dominion, it's an intellectual property the park pays for the rights to, it is a theme with very limited appeal with little overlap with the family demographics Cedar Fair parks target, it's duplicated at the closest Cedar Fair park, and it was always a poorly executed theme. I'd argue that having your park's flagship attraction be themed to something that doesn't even belong to you is a shitty situation all around in fact. You want KD to be building their brand, not the brand of a NASCAR driver who kids today don't even know existed.
I just think the theme was an unimaginably stupid choice back when the ride was built and it has aged horribly. The sooner i305 can be rebranded, repainted, and themed to something park-original, the better in my book.
I just think the theme was an unimaginably stupid choice back when the ride was built and it has aged horribly. The sooner i305 can be rebranded, repainted, and themed to something park-original, the better in my book.
I think both got that theme because both were in proximity to NASCAR tracks. Despite Charlotte being more the NASCAR-centric city.
I like the Intimidator theming, even though I'm not a big NASCAR fan - I know of him even if I didn't follow NASCAR closely - but yes, maybe not for many these days. I guess for me, a racing car theme makes perfect sense for it. I expect it to get rethemed, and that's fine too.
I'm originally from the greater Charlotte area, just south of Kannapolis (Dale Earnhardt's hometown), and I'll say that the Intimidator branding for the coaster at Carowinds makes perfect sense. Dale Sr. is still a revered figure in the greater Charlotte area (heck, so is Dale Jr.), and everybody from old-timers to young kids knows who he is. The minor league baseball team in Kannapolis was called the Intimidators up till a couple of years ago, and there's a disproportionate amount of NASCAR merchandise in shops and antique stores around the region.
That being said, I don't understand why Cedar Fair thought it would make sense to call I305 what they did given the geographic proximity to I232 and the lack of ties to Dale Sr. in the greater Richmond area. I think a rebrand would be the better option for I305, but a lot of people would take issue if they tried to rebrand I232.
Could they still refer to it as Intimidator 305 but with a different theme that fits the jungle setting (like how Fury 325 has a hornet theme and Gatekeeper a griffin theme)? Or did they need to have the Earnhardt theming to even use that name? Also, as somebody pointed out a while ago, Kings Dominion has gained a reputation for renaming many of its rides. If this keeps happening it may take away the authenticity of Kings Dominion's history when there are barely any attractions that still have their original opening names. Authenticity is also one of BGW's better qualities, as there are a gazillion elements from the parks past that still remain today.
I'm not sure that tracks - the most high profile renaming of an existing ride is R75, and then there were a few changes when CF took over due to losing Paramount-controlled/negotiated licenses such as Lara Croft, Outer Limits, Italian Job, and Hannah-Barbera.
However, I don't think these changes did much other than rename existing attractions - certainly not change much of the perception of the park and it's history.
However, I don't think these changes did much other than rename existing attractions - certainly not change much of the perception of the park and it's history.
I would argue that there are few things more authentically Kings Dominion than renaming attractions.
In all seriousness though, I would argue that a park that rents IP from an external brand to use for their park feels far more "inauthentic" than a park that creates its own themes, lore, etc. Jungle X-Pedition is like the gold standard of "authentic theme park" at a regional park in my book. I think that land has the staying power and flexibility to become an iconic Kings Dominion asset for many decades into the future. Dale Earnhardt, at least in Doswell, certainly does not.
Well, the list goes:
Thunder Raceway --> Gran Prix Raceway
Ricochet --> Apple Zapple
Rebel Yell --> Racer 75
Triple Spin --> Bad Apple
Drop Zone: Stunt Tower --> Drop Tower: Scream Zone
Italian Job Turbo Coaster --> Backlot Stunt Coaster
Avalanche --> Reptilian
Scrambler --> Arachnidia
Outer Limits: Flight of Fear --> Flight of Fear
Scooby Doo and the Haunted Mansion --> Boo Blasters on Boo Hill
Red Baron (several previous names) --> Snoopy Vs. Red Baron
Road Rally (several previous names) --> Peanuts Road Rally
Junior Turnpike --> Peanuts Turnpike (originally opened as Top Cat's Turnpike)
Boulder Bumpers --> Lucy's Crabbie Cabbies
Ghoster Coaster --> Woodstock Express (originally opened as Scooby Doo)
Taxi Jam --> Great Pumpkin Coaster
Rugrats Toonpike --> Joe Cool's Driving School
Nickelodeon Space Surfer --> Flying Ace
Is there another park with more of its current rides having been renamed?
On the other hand, list of current rides that never got renamed:
Eiffel Tower
Dominator
Berserker
Shenandoah Lumber Company
White Water Canyon
Blue Ridge Tollway
Flying Eagles
Grizzly
Xtreme Skyflyer
Carousel
Windseeker
Twisted Timbers
Americana
Delirium
Wave Swinger
Dodgem
Tumbili
Anaconda
Intimidator 305
Lucy's Tugboat
Flying Ace Balloon Race
Linus Launcher
Snoopy's Space Buggies
Charlie Brown's Wind Up
Snoopy's Junction
Woodstock's Whirlybirds
Snoopy's Rocket Express
Sally's Sea Plane
Kite Eating Tree
Peanuts 500
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Candy Apple Grove overhaul/refreshes caused these name changes from what I can tell.
These because of the Cedar Fair takeover, losing the paramount branding.
Jungle X Overhaul.
Based on that, from what I can tell, most of their renames/refreshes come more from external factors than the park simply wanting to rename them. With Jungle X, they wanted to fit them in. With the CF acquisition, paramount branding was dropped, so renaming was pretty much unavoidable. And then CAG seems to me more just the general area refresh.
Are we really not acknowledging that The Hurler and Twisted Timbers are the same bones?
I thought about that, but I didn’t count it because that’s more of a replacement than a simple renaming in my book. Supports may be the same but the track and trains certainly aren’t.
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