I remember riding Cuddle Up at old Coney. It was my first non-kiddie ride. I remember slipping and falling before getting on the ride. ( The floor was real slippery.) Like Enchanted Voyage, Sky Ride, Bavarian Beetle, Der Spinnin Keggers,Tumble Bug ( I can go on and on.) here is another wonderful ride removed by KI in the name of "progress".

Photo 72

I recommend opening each photo in a different window and switching back and forth between the two years.

I took these comparisons in 2008, and there just now finally being posted....

Paul, that is absolutely one of the best things I have ever seen posted here or anywhere. Fantastic! Thanks so very much for posting these (and all of your incredible photos...the ones you have taken and those you have collected). You are an incredible repository of information and I always look forward to your incredible posts.

Wow Paul, amazing! Very interesting to see the areas, how they've changed throughout the years, yet how much has remained the same. Thanks for posting these!

Some areas of the park looked so sparse in 1972. But these bring back some memories.

That is really awesome! I did not know that Festhaus currently sits in the former spot of the Bavarian Beetle.

We learn something new every day..

Holy smokes. This thread gets better and better everyday.

Thank you soooooo much for sharing.

Agree, nice comparison shots Paul. Few people realize how lacking the original Kings Island was with mature trees, as those pictures of the kiddy area and Oktoberfest clearly demonstrate.

Also notice how faded the artwork on the Carousel had become. I believe that artwork was "repainted" in 1969 when the Carousel received a complete restoration. While I don`t think those murals have been repainted, they have been repainting other areas of the Carousel in recent years. The Carousel building was recently repainted (with new gold leaf put into place), and the ceiling on the actual carousel was also repainted not too long ago. Now if only the oldest ride in the park could see its live music generating device returned...

What year is the HB picture from? I notice there's no compass atop Enchanted Voyage. I wonder when they added that? As always, amazing pictures!

What year is the HB picture from? I notice there's no compass atop Enchanted Voyage. I wonder when they added that? As always, amazing pictures!

Summer 1972, Much more to come. With over 1,000 photos and over 1,000 scans there's much that will be posted. Keep checking back.

It seems that I remember 1972 much better than I should for only being 3 years old at the time. And I love the fact that the day will come when my own children will look at today's pictures the same way I look at the 1972 images. Thank you for your pictures.

And I love the fact that the day will come when my own children will look at today's pictures the same way I look at the 1972 images. Thank you for your pictures.

Exactly, I feel the same way about all my photos I've taken 06-now

Paul, I hope you don`t mine me sharing some photos from my personal collection from KI in the mid to late 1980s. The KI that I see in these photos is drastically different than the KI that you can visit today!

Well how about this:

That is actually me on the right side of that car. My brother is in the middle, and my cousin is on the left giving the thumbs up.

Or, how about this:

On board the smurf ride around 1987.

Or lets throw in some more Sunshine Turnpike shots, shall we?

Leaving the station with my Dad at the wheel.

And here is one of the infamous elephant fountain in Hanna Barbera Land. Let me preface this by saying that my parents were not bad parents. Yes, they had a leash on me. But that was apparently the in thing back in the 1980s. (And I have seen numerous parents, still to this day to that to their kids when at places like Coney and Kings Island.) The subject of this fountain was brought up in a discussion not too long ago, and here is proof of it in the park. To give you some perspective, the restrooms that are on the border of Planet Snoopy would be just out of view of the image on the left. The Sunshine Turnpike station area is visible at far right.

Photo 71

(Notice how The Vortex postcard image is reflected.)

^I've seen that Vortex photo multiple times, I always have wondered why it's a mirror image.

That middle picture made me chuckle. I wish KI kept that ride.

I love The Vortex, hence my avatar.

Photo 70

^ I love their expressions in that picture!

^ I love their expressions in that picture!

Priceless. I loved that old sign, but the new one fits the area a lot better.

I loved the kids whip ride. What was its name?

I loved the kids whip ride. What was its name?

Don't remember what it used to be called, but now it is called Linus' Beetle Bugs.

Here is a picture of my son ridding it a few seasons ago, before Planet Snoopy.

I loved the kids whip ride. What was its name?

Wasn't it just "The Whip"? At least that's what my mom always called it when I was little.

In Nick days it was something like Swipers Sweepers

According to the almighty Unofficial Guide to Paramount's Kings Island, it was called Alley Cat 500 before that.

And its had a few other names along the way before it was Alley Cat 500. Remember, that ride originally opened at Cincinnati`s Coney Island!

As mentioned above the kiddie whip has had many many name changes through the years. I still think to this the day the kiddie whip gives more genuine heart felt thrills than any ride Kings Island currently has now or in the past. That thrill can be experienced without even riding the ride, just watching the kids on it will thrill your heart and watching the parent/grand parent watching their children will thrill you too. The best thrill that ride gives is to the parents watching their young children riding. This ride is a classic and in my opinion the best thrill ride out there when all things are considered.

As far as its name back in the early to mid 70's I know it was called Looney Duney as you can see in the video of the same two kids riding over a span of a few years.

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Photo 71

When this photo was taken it was called The Funky Phantom. You can make out the cartoon character of Funky Phantom holding his arms up over his head on the front of the cart.

Hanna Barbara's Funky Phantom

And these very popular rides were made by W.F. Mangels of Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York. Few adult Whips remain...less than a dozen. It's really sad that Coney Island's of Ohio did not survive...and what LeSourdsville Lake did to theirs in a misguided attempt to modernize it was even sadder...

Those kiddie whips are a lot of fun. *I* actually rode the one at Stricker's a few years back, when Ralph was still alive. Unlike the adult versions, most of the kiddie whips have not been slowed down. At Camden Park, for example, you will see that a large steel screw has been inserted about half way across the throttle lever span. The kiddie whip has no such restriction.

http://www.flatrides...Pages/whip.html

What LeSourdsville did:

http://www.negative-...Americana5.html

I still think to this the day the kiddie whip gives more genuine heart felt thrills than any ride Kings Island currently has now or in the past. That thrill can be experienced without even riding the ride, just watching the kids on it will thrill your heart and watching the parent/grand parent watching their children will thrill you too.

I couldn't agree more...watching the facial expressions of the kids on this ride is truly priceless!