# Wild Thing (Valleyfair) > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Wild_Thing_(Valleyfair) > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Wild_Thing_(Valleyfair).md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Thing_(Valleyfair) > Source revision: 1350053923 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Roller coaster in Shakopee, Minnesota This article needs more citations. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Wild Thing" Valleyfair – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (June 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Wild Thing Wild Thing above the trees Valleyfair Location Valleyfair Park section South Midway Coordinates 44°47′54.8″N 93°27′31.4″W / 44.798556°N 93.458722°W / 44.798556; -93.458722 Status Operating Opening date May 11, 1996 Cost $9,500,000 USD General statistics Type Steel Manufacturer D. H. Morgan Manufacturing Designer Steve Okamoto Model Hypercoaster Track layout Out and Back Lift/launch system Chain-lift Height 207 ft (63 m) Drop 196 ft (60 m) Length 5,460 ft (1,660 m) Speed 75 mph (121 km/h) Inversions 0 Duration 3:00 Max vertical angle 60° Capacity 1,700 riders per hour G-force 4.1 Height restriction 48 in (122 cm) Trains 3 trains with 6 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 3 rows for a total of 36 riders per train. Fast Lane available Wild Thing at RCDB **Wild Thing** is a [hypercoaster](/source/Hypercoaster) located at [Valleyfair](/source/Valleyfair).[1] It is an [out and back roller coaster](/source/Out_and_back_roller_coaster) with more than one mile (1.6 km) of track.[2] Its first hill is 207 feet (63 m) with a 60 degree drop, and the [roller coaster](/source/Roller_coaster) reaches speeds of up to 74 mph (119 km/h). Wild Thing's height was set by the [Federal Aviation Administration](/source/Federal_Aviation_Administration) due to the nearby presence of [Flying Cloud Airport](/source/Flying_Cloud_Airport). Designed and manufactured by [D. H. Morgan Manufacturing](/source/D._H._Morgan_Manufacturing), it was the first [hypercoaster](/source/Hypercoaster) to be built by the company, opening in 1996. It was the 5th tallest coaster in the world when it opened. The ride's success led to the construction of [Steel Force](/source/Steel_Force) at [Dorney Park](/source/Dorney_Park_%26_Wildwater_Kingdom) in [Allentown, Pennsylvania](/source/Allentown%2C_Pennsylvania) in 1997 and [Mamba](/source/Mamba_(roller_coaster)) at [Worlds of Fun](/source/Worlds_of_Fun) in [Kansas City, Missouri](/source/Kansas_City%2C_Missouri) the next year. ## History After the success of [Magnum XL-200](/source/Magnum_XL-200) at [Cedar Point](/source/Cedar_Point), Valleyfair's parent company [Cedar Fair](/source/Cedar_Fair) planned a new roller coaster for Valleyfair's sister park [Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom](/source/Dorney_Park_%26_Wildwater_Kingdom). However, Dorney Park could not secure the necessary permits for the ride, so Cedar Fair switched the recipient of the new coaster to Valleyfair. The move to Valleyfair was officially announced on August 25, 1995, revealing that it would be named Wild Thing. [D. H. Morgan Manufacturing](/source/D._H._Morgan_Manufacturing) was hired to build the new [hypercoaster](/source/Hypercoaster), a roller coaster that exceeds 200 feet (61 m) in drop height or overall height.[3] Wild Thing officially opened on May 11, 1996.[4] ## Ride experience Wild Thing's lift hill After the ascent to the top of the 207 ft (63.1 m) [lift hill](/source/Lift_hill), the train plunges down the 196 ft (59.7 m) drop, reaching the maximum speed of 74 mph (119.1 km/h). The train then enters a 103 ft (31.4 m) [parabolic hill](/source/Parabola), resulting in one of the longest low gravity sections of any coaster in the world. After the hill, the train climbs a larger 130 ft (39.6m) hill and turns left followed by a large figure-eight turnaround. The train then makes a s-turn into a [mid-course brake run](/source/Brake_run). followed by several airtime hills, two of which are inside a [tunnel](/source/Tunnel) where riders are photographed via [on-ride camera](/source/On-ride_camera). The train is led into a final brake run followed by a right turn back into the station. ## Accidents Several minor injuries occurred following a derailment on the Wild Thing on May 21, 2006, when a brake mount came loose. The accident happened in the mid brake, where a train waits to enter the station following a run. The failed brake mount struck the rear axle of the train's fifth car, causing the sixth car to detach from the train and de-rail on one side. 14 people were taken to St. Francis Regional Medical Center, but all were released the same day with minor or no injuries. Contrary to widespread rumors, neither the train, the cars, or any of the riders fell from the track. All riders were wearing their required seat belts and lap bars, preventing them from being ejected from their car. The sixth car did not completely derail from the track, rather settling in a leaning position on its right side. Wild Thing reopened on June 1, 2006, after being judged safe by inspectors. ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** [https://www.valleyfair.com/rides-experiences/wild-thing](https://www.valleyfair.com/rides-experiences/wild-thing) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** [https://rcdb.com/137.ht](https://rcdb.com/137.ht) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Cedar Fair to build steel coaster"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79914262/cedar-fair-to-build-steel-roller-coaster/). *The Akron Beacon Journal*. August 26, 1995. Retrieved June 26, 2021 – via Newspapers.com. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Marden, Duane. ["Wild Thing (Valleyfair)"](https://rcdb.com/137.htm). [Roller Coaster DataBase](/source/Roller_Coaster_DataBase). Retrieved June 26, 2021. ## External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Wild Thing](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Wild_Thing). - [Official page](http://www.valleyfair.com/rides/Thrill-Rides/Wild-Thing) - [Press Release](http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/files/image_8232.jpg) v t e Valleyfair Current roller coasters Corkscrew Cosmic Coaster Excalibur High Roller Mad Mouse Renegade Steel Venom Wild Thing Attractions Planet Snoopy Power Tower North Star Thunder Canyon Winterfest Xtreme Swing Defunct Camp Snoopy Dinosaurs Alive! Mild Thing ValleyScare Rails Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF National United States --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Wild Thing (Valleyfair)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Thing_(Valleyfair)) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Thing_(Valleyfair)?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.