I'm a fan of El Toro Ryan's work and he just came out with a pretty good video. Worth the watch if you like his content and want to see footage of old prototype suspended coasters

 

Great video and great content creator.

 You can certainly tell that the original TV commercial was done by Hanna Barbera. That was like a scene straight out of Scooby Doo. 

As one of the kids of the 80's, I remember that commercial very well.  My parents would not let me ride The Bat because rumors swirled that somebody died on it, same with King Kobra.  

When The Beast commercial came on in 1979, I remember being scared by it.  I would sneak out of bed and watch TV and would freak out and run and sleep under my parent's bed.  I had matured by the time The Bat commercial came on and had ridden The Beast, so no more night terror for me!

2 hours ago, lifetimecoaster said:

 You can certainly tell that the original TV commercial was done by Hanna Barbera. That was like a scene straight out of Scooby Doo. 

Not only that, but you also can tell by the character models. 

Still though, I wish I could find a concrete source that specifically states that HB produced it. 

El Toro Ryan also did a pretty interesting video on the history and leagacy of The Beast. I definitely recommend it to people who haven't watched it already. 

 

I would really miss The Bat if we lost it... Apparently RollerCoaster Tycoon doesn't like it either  

 

 

KI's media team is on it with this video

 

To this very day the trains on the original "The Bat" remain the most incredible trains I've ever seen on a coaster.

I was just 9 years old when it opened, and I can remember being mesmerized by how it looked.  I stood for hours and watched those trains swirl around those turns.  

They were absolute works of art.

I consider myself lucky that I was able to ride the original Bat quite a few times. As a young teenager, and not seeing anything like it before, I was absolutely loved it! The second drop by the trees was my favorite part...the design flaw, even though it was not the fastest coaster around, made a really fun, thrilling ride at the time. I also loved those old commercials for The Beast and Bat. I've said before, that as an artist, those really inspired me as a kid to get into the profession I love as a marketing designer.

For all the fantastic progress that KI has had through the years, there was something special back then, especially after The Beast opened. Maybe it was because I was just a young kid, but the park held a truly magical place in my heart. I remember walking through the shaded walkway in the evening toward Rivertown where The Beast and Bat ruled for awhile...fond memories!

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12 minutes ago, jbeast said:

For all the fantastic progress that KI has had through the years, there was something special back then, especially after The Beast opened. Maybe it was because I was just a young kid, but the park held a truly magical place in my heart. I remember walking through the shaded walkway in the evening toward Rivertown where The Beast and Bat ruled for awhile...fond memories!

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I couldn't agree more.  For those of us fortunate enough to experience those years in the early-to-mid 1980's, its really impossible to describe the "vibe" at the park.  I've never experienced it anywhere else, in the same way.  It really stood in a league all its own on many levels.  I wish I had the perfect word to describe it, but never find one that explains it.

The Bat was a jaw dropper.  At the time, it was like something from another world.  I remember there were always people lining the perimeter fence to watch it.  One of the amazing things about it was that it really wasn't that tall - but it came very close to the ground.

Based on the video, parking at KI was cheap in 1972 at 50 cents a day. Taking inflation into account, that's about a sixth of what we pay in 2020 at $20 a day. Although, visitors probably didn't have Gold Passes back then, LOL.

This video is very insightful, but I would really like to know where Ryan got his info on Vortex being completely free. 

This video is very insightful, but I would really like to know where Ryan got his info on Vortex being completely free. 

Right...I know there was a big discount involved. Never heard free.

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Was that video all you @Kyle Kruthoffer?

12 hours ago, SonofBaconator said:

Was that video all you @Kyle Kruthoffer?

I thought it would be nice to add some homage and highlight a truly underrated ride in the park. 

10 minutes ago, Kyle Kruthoffer said:

I thought it would be nice to add some homage and highlight a truly underrated ride in the park. 

Well you succeed. Give yourself a raise

I totally agree Shaggy! There was a very different feel and vibe there during that the early to mid 80's. And it's very hard to describe in words. Guess you just had to be there then to understand it. I was in total awe of both The Bat and Beast and the general ambiance of the park. The only word that comes to mind  of that time in the park is just magical. But, as a young teenager then, the world in general was a simpler, much different place too.