The Park at MOA
Encyclopedia
Nickelodeon Universe is the seven-acre (28,000 m²) indoor amusement park
located in the center of the Mall of America
(MOA), in Bloomington, Minnesota
, USA.
On August 18, 2009, Nickelodeon
and Southern Star Amusement announced that the second Nickelodeon Universe would be located in New Orleans, Louisiana
and have a tentative opening date around the end of 2010. It was set to be the first outdoor Nickelodeon Universe theme park, but on November 9, 2009, Nickelodeon announced that it had ended the licensing agreement with Southern Star Amusements.
The amusement park is co-owned or distributed by The Triple 5 Group, which is owned by or owner of Mall of America, Inc. and is in a part of the TV channel owner, MTV Networks
, a division of Viacom International
.
in Buena Park, California
. The floor has a wide variance in height – the highest ground level in the park is 15 feet (4.6 m) above the lowest. This allows for a far more naturalistic experience than would normally be found in an indoor amusement park.
The park has four small roller coasters, but mainly has flat rides due to space constraints. Near the Rugrats Reptarmobiles is the site of home plate for Metropolitan Stadium
, which was previously located on the site of the Mall.
The park was originally known as Knott's Camp Snoopy, and later, simply Camp Snoopy, and was themed around the Charles M. Schulz
"Peanuts
" comic strip
characters.
Camp Snoopy themed areas are still located at the following Cedar Fair parks: Cedar Point
, Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom
, Knott's Berry Farm
, Worlds of Fun
, Canada's Wonderland Michigan's Adventure
, and Valleyfair! in Shokopee Minnesota.
Camp Snoopy was never aggressively themed to the Peanuts franchise; the park had a very outdoors and woodsy feel with more subtle references to the Peanuts franchise. Much of the original theming in the Camp Snoopy fountain and all around the park was already toned down by the time the rights to the Peanuts characters were lost.
Theming that was removed from the park prematurely and was never replaced includes various kites near the ceiling, Charlie Brown
and Lucy
playing baseball
above the Sports Grill restaurant (although their baseball remained suspended in the air afterwards), theming in Snoopy fountain, the retheming of Snoopy Boutique, Snoopy Bouncer, and the Snoopy Shop and much smaller theming.
On April 7, 1998, New Horizon Kids Quest, Inc. opened a Kids Quest hourly child care facility in Knott's Camp Snoopy. The facility incorporated 17385 square feet (1,615.1 m²) and served children ages six weeks to twelve years until it was removed in 2007.
In 2005, there were plans to revitalize the Camp Snoopy image, and a new logo
was introduced in October, called the "roller coaster
logo" to replace the "canoe
logo". However, this did not last long, as there were even bigger and unexpected changes coming within the next few months.
The park's new licensing deal and name, "Nickelodeon Universe", was announced on July 25, 2007. Construction began on August 27, 2007, work was completed in sections so 80 percent to 90 percent of the park remained accessible at all times. Nickelodeon Universe was completed on March 15, 2008.
New rides include SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge
, a Gerstlauer
Euro-Fighter style coaster themed after the Nickelodeon show SpongeBob SquarePants
, the Splat-O-Sphere, a tower drop-ride in the center of the park, and the Avatar Airbender
, a surf-rider attraction located in the center of the park as well and Brain Surge which is on the side of the park. The shooting gallery beneath the Ripsaw/Orange Streak roller coaster was gutted and was replaced by Rugrats Reptarmobiles.
The site of the Mystery Mine Ride was completely demolished to make way for SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge
, a new Gerstlauer
roller coaster. This site also included an Old Time Photography studio and restrooms. Old Time Photography relocated into the mall (but not within the park) and restrooms did not return in this section of the park.
Levy Restaurants
partnered with Nickelodeon Universe to include a themed restaurant at the park. The restaurant is called EATS and is located in the former Park at MOA food court. Recently, the partnership ended; the EATS area closed and was replaced with a butterfly display.
On March 12, 2008, the Star Tribune reported that the price of ride points, daily wristbands, and, in particular, annual passes, would take a significant price hike once the park transitioned to Nickelodeon Universe. The price for an annual pass, which had remained $99 per year since the park opened in 1992, would increase to $250, and daily wristbands would be raised from $24.95 to $29.95. Some decried the price increases as being unjustifiably high when compared to other parks, such as much larger Walt Disney World at $249.95 and local park Valleyfair at $79.95–$99.95. Others defended the pricing as necessary to accommodate the millions of dollars of investment needed to rebrand the park as Nickelodeon Universe.
Even though the Nickelodeon
cable channel changed their logo in September 2009, Nickelodeon Universe still continued to use a variant of the splat logo. The old logo was phased out after the new, all-text Nickelodeon Universe logo was revealed in an ad for the park's New Year's Eve event. The new logo has now replaced all of the old logos on the website, and in the park. However, the stickers made to fasten wristbands still use the original logo.
Amusement park
thumb|Cinderella Castle in [[Magic Kingdom]], [[Disney World]]Amusement and theme parks are terms for a group of entertainment attractions and rides and other events in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people...
located in the center of the Mall of America
Mall of America
The 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...
(MOA), in Bloomington, Minnesota
Bloomington, Minnesota
Bloomington 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...
, USA.
On August 18, 2009, Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
and Southern Star Amusement announced that the second Nickelodeon Universe would be located in New Orleans, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
and have a tentative opening date around the end of 2010. It was set to be the first outdoor Nickelodeon Universe theme park, but on November 9, 2009, Nickelodeon announced that it had ended the licensing agreement with Southern Star Amusements.
The amusement park is co-owned or distributed by The Triple 5 Group, which is owned by or owner of Mall of America, Inc. and is in a part of the TV channel owner, MTV Networks
MTV Networks
MTV Networks is a division of media conglomerate Viacom that oversees the operations of many television channels and Internet brands, including the original MTV channel in the United States...
, a division of Viacom International
Viacom International
Viacom International, Inc. is a current subsidiary of Viacom .It is the holding company for copyrights associated with Viacom's corporate website and its cable networks, specifically MTV Networks, and is the division which licenses the product rights for their various properties...
.
Design
Nickelodeon Universe is primarily lit by a glass ceiling, which is also the source of most of the heat for Mall of America. It was originally built by the then-owners of Knott's Berry FarmKnott's Berry Farm
Knott's Berry Farm is a theme park in Buena Park, California, now owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, and a line of jams, jellies, preserves, and other specialty food, now part of The J. M. Smucker Company based in Placentia, California....
in Buena Park, California
Buena Park, California
Buena Park is a city in northwestern Orange County, California. As of Census 2010 the population was 80,530. The city is adjacent to the city of Anaheim and is 12 miles northwest of downtown Santa Ana. The Current OMB metropolitan designation for Buena Park and the Orange County Area is "Santa...
. The floor has a wide variance in height – the highest ground level in the park is 15 feet (4.6 m) above the lowest. This allows for a far more naturalistic experience than would normally be found in an indoor amusement park.
The park has four small roller coasters, but mainly has flat rides due to space constraints. Near the Rugrats Reptarmobiles is the site of home plate for Metropolitan Stadium
Metropolitan Stadium
Metropolitan Stadium was a sports stadium that once stood in Bloomington, Minnesota, just outside Minneapolis. The area where the stadium once stood is now the site of the Mall of America...
, which was previously located on the site of the Mall.
Camp Snoopy
Charles M. Schulz
Charles Monroe "Sparky" Schulz was an American cartoonist, whose comic strip Peanuts proved one of the most popular and influential in the history of the medium, and is still widely reprinted on a daily basis.-Early life and education:Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Schulz grew up in Saint Paul...
"Peanuts
Peanuts
Peanuts is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz, which ran from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000, continuing in reruns afterward...
" comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
characters.
Camp Snoopy themed areas are still located at the following Cedar Fair parks: Cedar Point
Cedar Point
Cedar Point is a 364 acre amusement park located in Sandusky, Ohio, United States on a narrow peninsula jutting into Lake Erie. Cedar Point is the only amusement park with four roller coasters that are taller than...
, Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom
Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom
Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom is an American amusement and water park located in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The park features nine roller coasters, other adult and children's rides, and a waterpark, Wildwater Kingdom....
, Knott's Berry Farm
Knott's Berry Farm
Knott's Berry Farm is a theme park in Buena Park, California, now owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, and a line of jams, jellies, preserves, and other specialty food, now part of The J. M. Smucker Company based in Placentia, California....
, Worlds of Fun
Worlds of Fun
Worlds of Fun is an amusement park in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. The park opened in 1973 and was originally built by Lamar Hunt and Jack Steadman . In 1995 Hunt-Midwest sold Worlds of Fun to Cedar Fair Entertainment Co., which currently owns the park...
, Canada's Wonderland Michigan's Adventure
Michigan's Adventure
Michigan's Adventure is a amusement park in Muskegon County, Michigan, about halfway between Muskegon, Michigan and Whitehall, Michigan. It is the largest amusement park in the state and has been owned and operated by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company since 2001...
, and Valleyfair! in Shokopee Minnesota.
Camp Snoopy was never aggressively themed to the Peanuts franchise; the park had a very outdoors and woodsy feel with more subtle references to the Peanuts franchise. Much of the original theming in the Camp Snoopy fountain and all around the park was already toned down by the time the rights to the Peanuts characters were lost.
Theming that was removed from the park prematurely and was never replaced includes various kites near the ceiling, Charlie Brown
Charlie Brown
Charles "Charlie" Brown is the protagonist in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz.Charlie Brown and his creator have a common connection in that they are both the sons of barbers, but whereas Schulz's work is described as the "most shining example of the American success story", Charlie...
and Lucy
Lucy van Pelt
Lucille "Lucy" van Pelt is a fictional character in the syndicated comic strip :Peanuts, written and drawn by Charles Schulz. She is the main bully and the older sister of Linus and Rerun. Lucy is a crabby and cynical eight-year old girl, and often bullies the other characters in the strip,...
playing baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
above the Sports Grill restaurant (although their baseball remained suspended in the air afterwards), theming in Snoopy fountain, the retheming of Snoopy Boutique, Snoopy Bouncer, and the Snoopy Shop and much smaller theming.
On April 7, 1998, New Horizon Kids Quest, Inc. opened a Kids Quest hourly child care facility in Knott's Camp Snoopy. The facility incorporated 17385 square feet (1,615.1 m²) and served children ages six weeks to twelve years until it was removed in 2007.
In 2005, there were plans to revitalize the Camp Snoopy image, and a new logo
Logo
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
was introduced in October, called the "roller coaster
Roller coaster
The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...
logo" to replace the "canoe
Canoe
A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
logo". However, this did not last long, as there were even bigger and unexpected changes coming within the next few months.
The Park at MOA
On January 9, 2006, Mall of America management announced that talks between MOA and Cedar Fair Entertainment Co. (which owns the national rights to amusement-park branding of the Peanuts license) had broken down, primarily over the mall's rights to effectively market its park within and outside the United States, and effective January 19, the park's Peanuts branding would end, the park being temporarily renamed "The Park at MOA" while new branding was being applied. All traces of the Peanuts branding was removed, some very sloppily, although the gift shops were allowed to continue selling Peanuts merchandise without the Camp Snoopy label. The inflatable Snoopy character was removed and it took several months before it was finally replaced by a generic tree house inflatable. Many other landmarks in the park were either replaced by generic landmarks or not replaced at all.Nickelodeon Universe
New rides include SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge
SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge
SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge is a loop and corkscrew Eurofighter roller coaster located at Nickelodeon Universe in the Mall of America, Bloomington, Minnesota. It is the shortest Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter roller coaster to date, standing only 67 feet tall; yet it has a 97 degree drop...
, a Gerstlauer
Gerstlauer
Gerstlauer Amusement Rides GmbH is a German manufacturer of stationary and transportable amusement rides and roller coasters, located in Münsterhausen, Germany.-History:...
Euro-Fighter style coaster themed after the Nickelodeon show SpongeBob SquarePants
SpongeBob SquarePants
SpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series, created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg. Much of the series centers on the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the underwater city of "Bikini Bottom"...
, the Splat-O-Sphere, a tower drop-ride in the center of the park, and the Avatar Airbender
Avatar Airbender
Avatar Airbender is an Intamin roller coaster themed after the TV series Avatar: The Last Airbender located at Nickelodeon Universe in the Mall of America. Avatar is a halfpipe roller coaster that goes up to 70 ft to the top and back tower while spinning the riders. It reaches the top of both...
, a surf-rider attraction located in the center of the park as well and Brain Surge which is on the side of the park. The shooting gallery beneath the Ripsaw/Orange Streak roller coaster was gutted and was replaced by Rugrats Reptarmobiles.
The site of the Mystery Mine Ride was completely demolished to make way for SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge
SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge
SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge is a loop and corkscrew Eurofighter roller coaster located at Nickelodeon Universe in the Mall of America, Bloomington, Minnesota. It is the shortest Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter roller coaster to date, standing only 67 feet tall; yet it has a 97 degree drop...
, a new Gerstlauer
Gerstlauer
Gerstlauer Amusement Rides GmbH is a German manufacturer of stationary and transportable amusement rides and roller coasters, located in Münsterhausen, Germany.-History:...
roller coaster. This site also included an Old Time Photography studio and restrooms. Old Time Photography relocated into the mall (but not within the park) and restrooms did not return in this section of the park.
Levy Restaurants
Levy Restaurants
Levy Restaurants is a restaurant company based in Chicago specializing in providing premium-quality vending and food services to major entertainment and sports venues. It is a unit of Compass Group, and was founded in 1978....
partnered with Nickelodeon Universe to include a themed restaurant at the park. The restaurant is called EATS and is located in the former Park at MOA food court. Recently, the partnership ended; the EATS area closed and was replaced with a butterfly display.
On March 12, 2008, the Star Tribune reported that the price of ride points, daily wristbands, and, in particular, annual passes, would take a significant price hike once the park transitioned to Nickelodeon Universe. The price for an annual pass, which had remained $99 per year since the park opened in 1992, would increase to $250, and daily wristbands would be raised from $24.95 to $29.95. Some decried the price increases as being unjustifiably high when compared to other parks, such as much larger Walt Disney World at $249.95 and local park Valleyfair at $79.95–$99.95. Others defended the pricing as necessary to accommodate the millions of dollars of investment needed to rebrand the park as Nickelodeon Universe.
Even though the Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
cable channel changed their logo in September 2009, Nickelodeon Universe still continued to use a variant of the splat logo. The old logo was phased out after the new, all-text Nickelodeon Universe logo was revealed in an ad for the park's New Year's Eve event. The new logo has now replaced all of the old logos on the website, and in the park. However, the stickers made to fasten wristbands still use the original logo.
Rides/attractions
The park is free to enter, but the rides require patrons to purchase a varying number of tickets (points), depending upon the type of ride. Unlimited single rider wristbands or season passes are also available.
List indicator(s)
- A dark grey cell indicates the attraction was not present in the era.
- Italics indicate the years a removed attraction operated.
Rides
| Knott's Camp Snoopy | The Park at MOA | Nickelodeon Universe |
|---|---|---|
| Avatar Airbender Avatar Airbender Avatar Airbender is an Intamin roller coaster themed after the TV series Avatar: The Last Airbender located at Nickelodeon Universe in the Mall of America. Avatar is a halfpipe roller coaster that goes up to 70 ft to the top and back tower while spinning the riders. It reaches the top of both... |
||
| Li'l Shaver | Back at the Barnyard Hayride Back at the Barnyard Hayride Back at the Barnyard Hayride is a roller coaster located in Nickelodeon Universe in the Mall of America. It is primarily designed for children as a "junior coaster", and was added to the park in 1995 when it replaced Huff and Puff.... |
|
| The Kite-Eating Tree | Tree Swing Tree Swing Tree Swing is a ride at The Park at MOA. It spins riders around in a circle, while they sit in seats connected to the "tree" by a cable.-Nickelodeon Universe Rethemeing:The tree swing is being rethemed into Backyardigan's Swing Along.-External links:... |
The Backyardigans Swing-Along |
| Balloon Race | ||
| Truckin' | Big Rigs | |
| Red Baron | Blue's Skidoo | |
| BrainSurge | ||
| Americana Carousel | Nick-Go-Round | |
| Screaming Yellow Eagle | Danny Phantom Ghost Zone Danny Phantom Ghost Zone Danny Phantom Ghost Zone is a flat ride located in Nickelodeon Universe in the Mall of America. It is a Chance Falling star attraction that is located at the east entrance of the park.- Description :... |
|
| Camp Bus | Diego's Rescue Rider | |
| Skyscraper Ferris Wheel | The Dora and Boots Sun Wheel | |
| Timberland Twister | Fairly Odd Coaster Fairly Odd Coaster The Fairly Odd Coaster can refer to one of three roller coasters owned by Cedar Fair.*Fairly Odd Coaster at Nickelodeon Universe in the Mall of America near Minneapolis, Minnesota.... |
|
| Ghost Blasters Ghost Blasters 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... |
||
| Huff and Puff (1992–1995) | ||
| Treetop Tumbler | Jimmy Neutron's Atomic Collider | |
| Bloomington Express | Dora the Explorer "La Aventura de Azul"/"Azul's Adventure" | |
| Paul Bunyan's Log Chute | Log Chute Log Chute Log Chute is a log flume attraction located in Nickelodeon Universe in the Mall of America. It has been open since the Mall of America debuted in 1992. The majority of the ride takes place inside a landscaped cave/mine. It has two lift hills and two drops. The vehicles of this flume are designed to... |
|
| Mystery Mine Ride (1992–2007) | ||
| Bumpers | Naked Brothers Crazy Cars | |
| Pepsi Ripsaw | Pepsi Orange Streak Pepsi Orange Streak Pepsi Orange Streak is a custom Zierer roller coaster located in Nickelodeon Universe in the Mall of America. It is located in the east side of the park, and debuted with the park in August 1992... |
|
| Snoopy Bounce | Bounce | Pineapple Poppers |
| Rugrats Reptarmobiles | ||
| Splat-O-Sphere | ||
| SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge is a loop and corkscrew Eurofighter roller coaster located at Nickelodeon Universe in the Mall of America, Bloomington, Minnesota. It is the shortest Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter roller coaster to date, standing only 67 feet tall; yet it has a 97 degree drop... |
||
| Speedway | Swiper's Sweeper | |
| The Mighty Axe The Mighty Axe Tak Attack was a thrill ride at Nickelodeon Universe. It was originally named The Mighty Axe and themed as a giant axe that towered over the park. The ride was closed for good on November 14th, 2011. A new, unannounced attraction will replace it in 2012.- External links :*... |
Tak Attack | |
| Frog Hopper | Wonder Pets Flyboat | |
| Beagle Ballroom | ||
| Linus Loop | ||
Dining
- Caribou Coffee
- Kemps Ice Cream Cafe
- Various carts featuring popcorn, ice cream, pretzels
Former Dining
- EATS
- Tall Timbers
- Stampede Steakhouse
- Mrs. Knott's Restaurant
- Mrs. Knott's Picnic Basket
- The Silver Stein-Festhaus
- Festhaus Buffet
- Hormel Cook Out
- McGarvey Camp Bakery
Retail
- Nickelodeon Store
- nuStuff (Nickelodeon Universe merchandise)
- SpongeBob 4U
- TOYS
- LEGO Store
- American Girl Store
Other Attractions
- Big Green EcoPark (Butterfly Bay)
- The Flying Dutchman Ghostly Gangplank
- American Girl Store
- LEGO Store-recently remodeled in 2010 with the largest LEGO model ever made, and reopened December 4, 2010
Accidents
- In April 1998, a dime-sized plastic nut in the ride "The Mighty Axe" (now known as Tak Attack) came loose, causing the ride to come to a stop with the riders stuck upside down at the very top. The loose nut had interrupted the power to the seating platform. The five riders were stuck for about an hour before park mechanics were able to get them down.
- On Saturday, August 1, 1998, a 12-year-old boy fell off the log chute. When the boat neared the top of the chute, the boy began to panic and reached outside of the log to grab a railing. The ride was stopped, but the log had already began its descent down the major drop. Losing his grip, he fell off the chute, falling onto the landscaping rocks. The boy died from his injuries. O.D. Hopkins Associates, Inc., the manufacturer of the ride, inspected it and found it was in proper working order. It was Camp Snoopy's first fatal accident.
- On Saturday, August 15, 1998, an 8-year-old girl died of a heart attack after she rode the Screaming Yellow Eagle (now known as Danny Phantom Ghost Zone), a rotating platform ride. She had a history of heart problems for the five years before her death. The ride was working properly.
- On November 4, 2007, a conveyor belt on the log chute malfunctioned, causing one log to crash into the other. However, there were only minor injuries. The ride was inspected and fixed. It reopened on November 15, 2007.
- On May 14, 2008, four people were slightly injured, suffering minor leg injuries when the Backyardigans Swing Along malfunctioned, apparently spinning at a faster-than-normal rate. The ride was shut down when it became apparent that it was malfunctioning and remained shut down until maintenance crews located and fixed the problem. On May 18, 2008, The ride was inspected and fixed. It reopened on May 19, 2008.
- On January 27, 2009, one of the coaster cars didn't make it over the last hill on the Fairly Odd CoasterFairly Odd CoasterThe Fairly Odd Coaster can refer to one of three roller coasters owned by Cedar Fair.*Fairly Odd Coaster at Nickelodeon Universe in the Mall of America near Minneapolis, Minnesota....
and stalled. No one was hurt, and once the lap bars were unlatched, the riders in the stalled car were let off. The other two cars on the circuit were stopped safely by the computer's actuation of the ride's air brakes. The method and speed with which the air brakes were deployed caused a small panic; many visitors said it sounded like a gunshot (as this is standard every time when the brakes go off on this ride). The ride was running normally the next day.