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Wild Mouse at BPB Closure - R.I.P. 1958-2017

Was anyone here around when The Reel was demolished? I imagine it had the same sort of impact the demolition of the Mouse does - a wild ride many people had fond memories of, but unceremoniously demolished at the age of 60. Obviously there wouldn't have been social media or the Internet to discuss it on, but in terms of what coaster enthusiasts, regular visitors to the park and even locals, I imagine they would have had the same reaction to the news of the Reel's demolition as we have to the Mouse's demolition.
 
Pear said:
Haha it fits well, but Kanonen was confirmed to be going outside of Europe.
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He's joking. Like Blackpool would be able to afford this and build Icon XD (or be stupid enough to build two launches)

Anyway, I thought we all said a replacement should be as good as the Mouse not, you know, awful...
 
ATI said:
Interesting what Robb Alvey thinks of the whole ordeal:-

Oh, trust me, I completely get why they did this. Had they announced it in advance, or did a "come get your last rides" type of thing, you'd have every nerdy roller coaster enthusiast angrily bad-mouthing them and harassing them to the point of making it not worth their while to allow someone to get a "last ride" in. Clearly the decision was made to close the ride a while ago, as a park doesn't just wake up one day and go "Hey, you know what? After lunch, let's go demolish that ride over there..." so this means they purposely made the choice NOT to let people know that it was going to be demolished.

Honestly, I cannot blame them. Parks don't HAVE to do anything for "enthusiasts" and regardless if you are happy or not about this decision, it's not going to stop the masses from coming to the park. I've seen plenty of times parks go out of their way to allow guests a "last ride" on a classic ride at a park only to have that bite them in the A$$ and people moan and complain about it.

If I owned a park, I would have done exactly the same thing. In fact, if it were up to me, I probably would have done a live stream of the demolition!
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No, it is not, go away. Plus Alvey would probably sell both his kidneys to get some perks from amusement parks worldwide, of course he's going to defend anything a park might or might not do with their rides...
 
TommyAlex said:
Was anyone here around when The Reel was demolished? I imagine it had the same sort of impact the demolition of the Mouse does - a wild ride many people had fond memories of, but unceremoniously demolished at the age of 60. Obviously there wouldn't have been social media or the Internet to discuss it on, but in terms of what coaster enthusiasts, regular visitors to the park and even locals, I imagine they would have had the same reaction to the news of the Reel's demolition as we have to the Mouse's demolition.
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Look back a few posts!
Watched it go at the time...it was falling apart with rot, and the ride staff struggled to get the cars pushed through the station due to the supports softening.
It was strange watching it go, a bit like peeling an onion at times, layers and layers of plywood had been nailed over the top of each other over the years, all painted in different styles through the decades.
There was no great fuss, a few of us stood and watched, I will even admit shedding a tear.
No computers, no fanboy community at all back then apart from a few individuals speaking by landline, or sending each other nice letters and photos.
How very quaint.
I then took the pony and trap home, paying the halfpenny toll over the river at Preston.
It was replaced by a few (very popular) flats, then the Globe tent was put up for shows.
There is no chance of it ever being redone, it was a massive structure, but I have rebuilt it in my head many times.
 
Ben said:
It’s so sad, and I haven’t really started processing it yet. I’m in the first stage of grief still, pure denial.

My thoughts and prayers are with all the victims and their families at this time.
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RIP lickle soljur. Ur wiv da angles and nana now.

Sent from my Redmi Note 4 using Tapatalk
 
So, Mr Alvey says "I probably would have done a live stream of the demolition!"

Who knows if this is a wind up or not? I'm sorry but to me this would be like photographing or filming a loved one's dead body. I have lots of happy memories and photos of Wild Mouse and I want to remember it as I enjoyed it. Demolition photos and videos of beloved rides are not something I enjoy. I accidentally stumbled upon Log Flume's destruction pics and they horrified me! It was bad enough seeing an empty space where Mouse should be, let alone the thought of watching cranes rip through it. Some people will film anything, but I'd rather remember Mouse in its prime
 
Dipper_Dave said:
So, Mr Alvey says "I probably would have done a live stream of the demolition!"

Who knows if this is a wind up or not? I'm sorry but to me this would be like photographing or filming a loved one's dead body. I have lots of happy memories and photos of Wild Mouse and I want to remember it as I enjoyed it. Demolition photos and videos of beloved rides are not something I enjoy. I accidentally stumbled upon Log Flume's destruction pics and they horrified me! It was bad enough seeing an empty space where Mouse should be, let alone the thought of watching cranes rip through it. Some people will film anything, but I'd rather remember Mouse in its prime
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Hes (let's keep it to "not agreeable" - Pokey). He should keep his nose out.

His opinion is no more important than anyone else's posted online.
 
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rob666 said:
Look back a few posts!
Watched it go at the time...it was falling apart with rot, and the ride staff struggled to get the cars pushed through the station due to the supports softening.
It was strange watching it go, a bit like peeling an onion at times, layers and layers of plywood had been nailed over the top of each other over the years, all painted in different styles through the decades.
There was no great fuss, a few of us stood and watched, I will even admit shedding a tear.
No computers, no fanboy community at all back then apart from a few individuals speaking by landline, or sending each other nice letters and photos.
How very quaint.
I then took the pony and trap home, paying the halfpenny toll over the river at Preston.
It was replaced by a few (very popular) flats, then the Globe tent was put up for shows.
There is no chance of it ever being redone, it was a massive structure, but I have rebuilt it in my head many times.
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Yeah, I was also around at the time. I'd just got old enough to ride it and then they pulled it down. But while sad I don't think anyone had any issues with it - the thing was in a shocking state and it was time for something new.

Bear in mind at that point over the previous 15 years they'd installed the Log Flume, Steeplechase, Monster, Gold Mine, the Revolution, Tom Sawyer's Rafts, Pirate Ship, Tokyado Express and more. It sort-of didn't matter a clapped-out ride was coming down as we were always getting something new. That's not the case nowadays.
 
In the last 5-10 years, they've certainly spited more than they've installed.
Noah's Ark, Trauma Towers, Turtle Chase, Black Hole, The Whip, Log Flume, The Monorail, Magic Mountain, at least one set of dodgems... the list goes on.

The bulk of 'new' attractions have been rethemes or relocations.
 
I've just had a quick look on Google Earth at how much space Wild Mouse takes up, and it takes up round 700 square metres, and Trauma towers takes up around 500 square metres. Is there any kind of attraction that can fill any of those spots? If they removed Alice in Wonderland, that would give them a space of around 2,100 square metres, an area that could house a Mack spinner slightly larger than Turbulence. I know this wont come for a while, but I put money on it that Alice in Wonderland will be the next ride on the chopping block.

In the Wild Mouse's space, I could see a swinging ride of some kind in 2020, maybe an Intamin gyro? I've looked on GE again, and there is definitely for a Maelstrom-sized pendulum ride to fit there, and enough room for the arm to swing either side with a decent amount of clearance.
 
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I believe this also means that Blackpool Pleasure Beach lose the record for the most wooden roller coasters in the world.
 
ATI said:
I've just had a quick look on Google Earth at how much space Wild Mouse takes up, and it takes up round 700 square metres, and Trauma towers takes up around 500 square metres. Is there any kind of attraction that can fill any of those spots?
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They haven't got rid of Trauma Towers though. They've merely removed the facade - the building is still there, and presumably still serving whatever function it has been for the last few years (I'd guess storage of some sort). The statement said nothing about removing it so don't start assuming there's going to be a new ride in all that space.
 
ATI said:
I've just had a quick look on Google Earth at how much space Wild Mouse takes up, and it takes up round 700 square metres, and Trauma towers takes up around 500 square metres. Is there any kind of attraction that can fill any of those spots?
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I suppose an Intamin 4D coaster (ZacSpin) could fill such a small spot. Those things are tiny, yet can still be popular with guests. Other than that, most flat rides are small enough to fit in the area.
 
Pokemaniac said:
I suppose an Intamin 4D coaster (ZacSpin) could fill such a small spot. Those things are tiny, yet can still be popular with guests. Other than that, most flat rides are small enough to fit in the area.
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The only one of those you could easily fit would be the small version of the ZacSpin, like Inferno at Terra Mítica. The lager version like Green Lantern at SFMM might just fit at a push, but only just. The S&S 4D freespins are to long to fit bot in the Wild Mouse plot and the Trauma Towers.
 
They have nothing planned for that space. They have just spouted some vague waffle about "future plans" as a fig-leaf. Something to do with health and safety or litigation regarding the Mouse has led to it being demolished. It hasn't been gotten rid of to make way for a similar size ride.
 
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