The Monster was always the first ride we rode whenever we went to Coney Mall, followed by the Zephyr. I love night rides on both! 

https://www.instagram.com/p/DPgd0V5k_bZ/?igsh=Zm5id3FybDU1MHNi

 

Looks like there's some painting on the pad now? 

M&M's! 

Getting hopeful for a swift reopening...

I really love seeing that they are doing a little extra TLC for the ride! That pad has had faded paint for as long as I can remember. Seeing this little extra attention and care is a beautiful thing. These kinds of rides are already a nearly extinct experience. Seeing KI go the extra mile to take care of and spruce up this piece of history is awesome.

Although nowadays I struggle to ride these kinds of rides, I will make an exception whenever this reopens as a thank you to the hard work the park has put into getting this thing operating at optimal specs again. 

I love to see the bright colors on the pad. I think even if it doesn't come back this season that Kings Island is going to try and do this project right. Monster is such a classic and I think they know it still has its fan. Out of curiosity, with the new colors on the pad, does anyone think they will repaint it any color besides black? I know black is the classic color for the model but I'm just curious if maybe it'll change...other rides on Coney Mall such as the scrambler and troika have gotten new paint colors through the years... Even racer got spruced up a few years ago... If they do decide to go with a different color, what color scheme do you all want to see?

As much as we joke about it, I wouldn't entirely be opposed to seeing the cars be painted like m&m's (the colors, no logos please). Cedar Point's Monster is painted in some awfully garish colors and has little faces on it, and I think it would not be good to see that look come to KI's version. I'd love to see any pictures of it from its Coney Island days to find out if it was all black back then.

If it were up to me I'd go with either all black or black with colorful cars!

11 minutes ago, Losantiville Mining Co. said:

As much as we joke about it, I wouldn't entirely be opposed to seeing the cars be painted like m&m's (the colors, no logos please). Cedar Point's Monster is painted in some awfully garish colors and has little faces on it, and I think it would not be good to see that look come to KI's version. I'd love to see any pictures of it from its Coney Island days to find out if it was all black back then.

If it were up to me I'd go with either all black or black with colorful cars!

I wouldn’t mind seeing those colors on the Monster cars. 

I like the idea of the Monster cars being a different color, so long as the "tentacles" and ride body retain their menacing jet black color. 

Monster was one of my Aunt's favorite rides at Old Coney and in Kings Island6 early years. She passed away in 2020, but luckily I got to ride it once with her that summer season. With what seems like a major overhaul of the ride, I'm hopeful that the ride will be back next season since the ride holds a special place. 

When Shake Rattle & Roll was refurbished 2014 - 2015, it was taken off site. Was the refurbishment done in house at the park or was it shipped off to Germany to HUSS? How extensive is the overhaul of Monster? Will all six arms be strong enough to carry the weight, or will they still only load four? My prediction back in April was that Premier Rides may have won a bid to refurbish the ride with their background in this style of work (think Kangaroo at Kennywood) and Six Flags' partnership with them on AlpenFury at Canada's Wonderland. 

I guess time will tell to see what happens with this beloved flat ride.

 

The monster is still listed on the new website which is a good sign. They did remove the message that they were waiting to install a part. Was this ride open for WInterFest last year? If so I really hope that we see its return for Winterfest. If not things still look very promising that this is not the end for the ride.

12 minutes ago, SmartCat7162 said:

The monster is still listed on the new website which is a good sign. They did remove the message that they were waiting to install a part. Was this ride open for WInterFest last year? If so I really hope that we see its return for Winterfest. If not things still look very promising that this is not the end for the ride.

Monster has never been part of Winterfest.

1 minute ago, disco2000 said:

Monster has never been part of Winterfest.

Thanks for the clarification I could not remember so hopefully it will be back for next year. Especially since they painted the platform. But the chain has done crazier things than painting something and removing it right after. 

Calling out to all of the Monster lovers...

WE HAVE PROGRESS!!! I spotted a notable change behind the fence this evening: the rotor (spinny middle thingy whatchamacallit) has been reinstalled in some manner! We didn't get to go over that way to peer over the fence, but this is an amazing change after nearly 8 months of nothing except a new fence and paint on the ride pad. I'd love to see it in the daylight if anyone can get a good photo in the park (without breaking rules or trespassing) or even on the webcam!

I'm so excited to see this small bit of progress <3 

Great to see. Unfortunately, it'll be next weekend before we can get any pictures with KI, as it's closed the rest of the weekend. 

Part of me really does hope the pods get a different color paint other than black. Black of course is classic but having an additional color could be very classy 

I didn't realize how much I actually missed the Monster until I saw that picture. Thank you for the update!

I wonder if they're putting the long-lost lights back on the centerpiece while they're at it.

A question about how it operates – is there a version in which all the arms are raised and lowered at once for ease of loading/unloading?

I believe the newer models do that, but from what I've seen this particular model/manufacturer (the Monster from the Eyerly Aircraft Company) never did. The other EAC model (I believe it was called the Octopus) might have, but I haven't looked hard enough to find video of one. There is one model on Zamperla's website called the Octopus that is the same ride with a slightly different configuration and a decorative figure on top. This particular model also appears to have five arms compared to our Monster's six arms.

While I suspect that Kings Island could purchase and install a newer model, the fact that our Monster came to the park in the move from Coney Island makes it special.

Photo: Zamperla | https://www.zamperla.com/product/octopus

Love to see this. Also would love to see the lights return to the "head" of the Monster. Otherwise I've always said it looks like a giant trash can without them 

On 12/13/2025 at 5:04 PM, PKIDelirium said:

I wonder if they're putting the long-lost lights back on the centerpiece while they're at it.

One can wish right! 

Anyone have any pictures of it with the lost lights? 

I had a dream last night that they painted three of the arms and their cars one color and the other three arms another... I don't recall what those colors were, but could it be a premonition or just a dream?? (probably just the musings of a dream  )

19 minutes ago, Imperial79 said:

Anyone have any pictures of it with the lost lights? 

https://KICentral.com/enviragalleries/monster/

Sea Warrior at Indiana Beach is similar(ish) to Monster....fun ride, I think it's better than Monster honestly.  All of the ride vehicles are loaded at once on the ground and are independently able to move up and down throughout the ride cycle. 
 

 

The Schwarzkopf type monster is a trade-off.   It is quicker loading because all gondolas load at the same time, but it does not have as high of a range of motion of their arms so it’s a bit less thrillIng ride 

It'd never fly today with the (good and justified) safety standards, but I'd have loved to see the painted ground return. Were the red fences in the background replaced for a reason or were they just a casualty of time? I've seen them in so many early KI pictures and think they look a whole lot better than the black bar fences currently found around the park.

Sometimes when I look at a photo of Monster like the one above, I appreciate how complex the ride is, especially considering the time from which it came. I realize its complexity is also kind of its downfall in some areas, but really its such a fascinating hunk of machinery for how old it is. I will be glad to hear all the little motors whirring in sync again next season!

18 hours ago, Losantiville Mining Co. said:

It'd never fly today with the (good and justified) safety standards, but I'd have loved to see the painted ground return. Were the red fences in the background replaced for a reason or were they just a casualty of time? I've seen them in so many early KI pictures and think they look a whole lot better than the black bar fences currently found around the park.

From aerial photos I've seen this year, it does look like the ground is painted again.