Ghost Blasters
Encyclopedia
Ghost Blasters is an interactive dark ride
franchise
, designed and created by Sally Corporation
. The franchise includes many locations at various amusement parks throughout the United States
and Canada
. Riders on "Ghost Blasters" are equipped with laser guns, as the attraction travels though a themed "haunted manor". The goal of the attraction is to accumulate a high score by aiming and firing at lit targets.
Years after Cedar Fair acquired Paramount Parks
, the Scooby-Doo
themed dark rides from Kings Island
, Carowinds, and Kings Dominion were modified and renamed Boo Blasters on Boo Hill, as this ride is made by the same company and is nearly identical to the original Ghost Blasters. The experience for these rides are based on the refurbished Ghost Blasters II at Elitch Gardens with the gunfire sound effect being borrowed from the original Ghost Blasters.
The attraction at Elitch Gardens in Denver Colorado, received a major refurbishment and renovation in 2008, and is now named Ghost Blasters II.
At Lake Compounce amusement park in Connecticut, the attraction is named Ghost Hunt, and received a major refurbishment in 2008, which incorporated a new trackless ride system. This is the first and only version of this attraction to utilize a trackless system.
Ghost Blasters at the Great Canadian Midway is the only version of this attraction to be located outside of the USA. It was later renamed as Ghost Blasters 3D (despite it not using 3D glasses during the ride).
Dark ride
A dark ride or ghost train is an indoor amusement ride where riders in guided vehicles travel through specially lit scenes that typically contain animation, sound, music, and special effects....
franchise
Franchising
Franchising is the practice of using another firm's successful business model. The word 'franchise' is of anglo-French derivation - from franc- meaning free, and is used both as a noun and as a verb....
, designed and created by Sally Corporation
Sally Corporation
Founded in 1977, Sally Corporation is known for its dark rides , and its human, animal and cartoon animatronic characters and shows. The company serves amusement parks, attractions, museums and retail clients worldwide...
. The franchise includes many locations at various amusement parks throughout the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Riders on "Ghost Blasters" are equipped with laser guns, as the attraction travels though a themed "haunted manor". The goal of the attraction is to accumulate a high score by aiming and firing at lit targets.
Years after Cedar Fair acquired Paramount Parks
Paramount Parks
Paramount Parks was an operator of theme parks and attractions, which annually attracted about 13 million patrons. Viacom had assumed control of the company as part of its acquisition of Paramount Pictures in 1994....
, the Scooby-Doo
Scooby-Doo
Scooby-Doo is an American media franchise based around several animated television series and related works produced from 1969 to the present day. The original series, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, was created for Hanna-Barbera Productions by writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears in 1969...
themed dark rides from Kings Island
Kings Island
Kings Island is a amusement park located northeast of Cincinnati in Mason, Ohio. Opened in 1972 by Taft Broadcasting Company and now owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, Kings Island is the most visited seasonal amusement park in the U.S...
, Carowinds, and Kings Dominion were modified and renamed Boo Blasters on Boo Hill, as this ride is made by the same company and is nearly identical to the original Ghost Blasters. The experience for these rides are based on the refurbished Ghost Blasters II at Elitch Gardens with the gunfire sound effect being borrowed from the original Ghost Blasters.
Ride Premise
"Bleakstone Manor, is overrun with ghosts lead by one named Boocifer, and this seems to be bringing property values down in the area. The area residents have hired Professor Phearstruck, who has invented a boo-blaster, which sends ghosts out of the house when they are shot with it. Guests are to do their best at eliminating Boocifer's ghosts as they travel through the mansion in the boo-blaster vehicles."Locations
- Castle Park in Riverside, CaliforniaRiverside, CaliforniaRiverside is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and the county seat of the eponymous county. Named for its location beside the Santa Ana River, it is the largest city in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area of Southern California, 4th largest inland California...
- Elitch GardensElitch GardensElitch Gardens was a family-owned seasonal amusement park, theater, and botanic garden in the West Highland neighborhood of Denver, Colorado, United States at 38th and Tennyson streets. For more than a century Elitch's was one of the most popular entertainment destinations in Colorado...
in Denver, ColoradoDenver, ColoradoThe City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
(1999):
The attraction at Elitch Gardens in Denver Colorado, received a major refurbishment and renovation in 2008, and is now named Ghost Blasters II.
- Lake CompounceLake CompounceLake Compounce is an amusement park located in Bristol, Connecticut, United States and a part of the neighboring town of Southington, Connecticut; the lake itself lies completely in Southington. It is the oldest continuously operating amusement park in North America, having operated every year...
in Bristol, ConnecticutBristol, ConnecticutBristol is a suburban city located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States southwest of Hartford. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 61,353. Bristol is primarily known as the home of ESPN, whose central studios are in the city. Bristol is also home to...
(1999):
At Lake Compounce amusement park in Connecticut, the attraction is named Ghost Hunt, and received a major refurbishment in 2008, which incorporated a new trackless ride system. This is the first and only version of this attraction to utilize a trackless system.
- Great Canadian Midway, at Clifton Hill in Niagara Falls, OntarioNiagara Falls, OntarioNiagara Falls is a Canadian city on the Niagara River in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario. The municipality was incorporated on June 12, 1903...
:
Ghost Blasters at the Great Canadian Midway is the only version of this attraction to be located outside of the USA. It was later renamed as Ghost Blasters 3D (despite it not using 3D glasses during the ride).
- 'Nickelodeon Universe at Mall of AmericaMall of AmericaThe Mall of America, also called MOA and the Megamall, is a shopping mall located in Bloomington, Minnesota, a suburb of the Twin Cities, in the United States. It is located southeast of the junction of Interstate 494 and Minnesota State Highway 77, north of the Minnesota River and is across the...
in Bloomington, MinnesotaBloomington, MinnesotaBloomington is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota in Hennepin County. Located on the north bank of the Minnesota River above its confluence with the Mississippi River, Bloomington lies at the heart of the southern... - Santa Cruz Beach BoardwalkSanta Cruz Beach BoardwalkThe Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is an oceanfront amusement park in Santa Cruz, California. Founded in 1907, it is California's oldest surviving amusement park and one of the few seaside parks on the West Coast of the United States.- Overview :...
in Santa Cruz, CaliforniaSanta Cruz, CaliforniaSanta Cruz is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, California in the US. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, Santa Cruz had a total population of 59,946...