Woody Woodpecker's Nuthouse Coaster
Universal Studios Florida
LocationUniversal Studios Florida
Park sectionWoody Woodpecker's KidZone
Coordinates28°28′42″N 81°27′58″W / 28.478405°N 81.466225°W / 28.478405; -81.466225
StatusClosed
Opening dateMarch 13, 1999 (March 13, 1999)
Closing dateJanuary 15, 2023 (January 15, 2023)
ReplacedHard Rock Cafe
(original location)
Replaced byTroller Coaster
(DreamWorks Land)
General statistics
TypeSteel – Junior
ManufacturerVekoma
DesignerUniversal Creative
ModelJunior Coaster
Lift/launch systemChain lift
Height27.9 ft (8.5 m)
Length679.2 ft (207.0 m)
Speed21.7 mph (34.9 km/h)
Inversions0
Duration0:44
Capacity780 riders per hour
Height restriction36 in (91 cm)
TrainsSingle train with 8 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in a single row for a total of 16 riders per train.
Woody Woodpecker's Nuthouse Coaster at RCDB

Woody Woodpecker's Nuthouse Coaster was a junior roller coaster located at Universal Studios Florida. It was the park's first roller coaster and the first roller coaster constructed at Universal Orlando Resort. The coaster was built in 1999, between the outside queue area for E.T. Adventure and the original location of Hard Rock Cafe. The premise of the ride was that guests were going on a wild ride through Woody Woodpecker's Nut Factory. The coaster was included in the original plans for the construction of Universal Studios Dubailand before the proposed park was scrapped.

History

In May 1998, Universal announced plans to introduce a new Woody Woodpecker's KidZone area featuring Woody Woodpecker's Nuthouse Coaster and Curious George Goes to Town at its Orlando theme park location.[1] They were built near other family attractions, such as A Day in the Park with Barney and Fievel's Playland, and were aimed at a younger audience between the ages of 5 and 12.[1] Woody Woodpecker's Nuthouse Coaster opened on March 13, 1999.[2] Universal Studios Florida closed the coaster permanently on January 16, 2023, along with Fievel's Playland, DreamWorks Destination, Curious George Goes to Town, and Shrek and Donkey's Meet and Greet, with its last day of operation on January 15.[3] It was rumored that the coaster will be re-themed to DreamWorks's Trolls.

Summary

Queue

As guests entered the queue, they passed Woody Woodpecker's insignia, along with certain bells which made various noises which guests could pull. They also passed a sign where Splinter and Knothead, Woody's niece and nephew, were arguing about who would first sign it. Guests then entered the factory, where they lined up in rows, and soon entered the ride vehicles.

Ride

After guests were seated and Woody's assistants had pushed down their lap bars, a bell rang and the ride train left the station and started to climb a lift. As it neared the top, riders had a full view of KidZone. At the top, a sign read "Ready or nut...Here we go!" and Woody (voiced by Billy West) could be heard saying "Guess who?", and then did his famous laugh. The vehicle went down a winding drop and went up a hill and did a smaller drop and went in multiple winding turns before coming to a complete stop with signs in front of it which read "Stop! Track ends! Now!" The vehicle then came back to the station and guests exited.

Track layout
Turning the bend after the drop
Going under the lift hill

Incident

On June 19, 2006, a 4-year-old girl injured one of her feet while exiting the train. She was taken to the hospital to be treated for cuts on her foot. Reports said that the girl's foot got stuck between the train and platform. Her foot was freed, but Universal closed the coaster so that staff could examine the ride. The attraction reopened the next day on June 20.[4]

References

  1. 1 2 "Universal adds kiddie attractions". Florida Today. May 27, 1998. Retrieved September 13, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ↑ Marden, Duane. "Woody Woodpecker's Nuthouse Coaster  (Universal Studios Florida)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Universal Orlando Resort on Twitter: Update from Universal..." Twitter. @UniversalORL. Retrieved 1 November 2022. Publish date: 1 November 2022
  4. ↑ "Closed Roller Coaster Reopens After Girl Injures Foot". Ultimate Rollercoaster.
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