It’s the end of an era. Colossus, one of the world’s most famous roller coasters, is about to bite the dust.
This jumbo-sized landmark has been thrilling guests at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California, for more than 35 years. Colossus first opened to the public on June 29th, 1978 after its construction was delayed by a storm that tore down part of the ride. At the time of its construction, it was both the fastest and talent roller coaster on the planet. It was also set apart even further from other roller coasters because it had two sets of tracks that allowed carts to run alongside one another, simultaneously serving more guests while also terrifying them.
In the years that followed, the coaster was modified a few times to accommodate increasingly restrictive safety regulations. During the Halloween season, it was also tweaked in order to allow the carts on one of its tracks to run backwards past a gigantic plastic spider.
Unfortunately, times have changed. Back in the ‘70s, a wooden roller coaster with a 125 foot peak that could reach speeds of up to 62 mph was considered cutting edge. These days, Colossus is practically considered a dinosaur, especially in comparison to faster, taller, more death-defying roller coasters across the park at Magic Mountain. Colossus is scheduled to stop running on August 16th to make way for new rides.
Even if you’ve never ridden Colossus, you’ve probably seen it in a movie or TV show. Most notably, it served as “The Screemy Meemy” in National Lampoon’s Vacation. At the conclusion of the 1983 comedy, the Griswold family forces their way into the closed “Wally World” theme park at gun point and rides the coaster with a park employee played by John Candy, who can barely keep from throwing up for the duration of the ride.
The roller coaster had cameos in Knight Rider, Wonder Woman, The A-Team, and Doogie Howser, M.D and served as a backdrop for fight scenes in the TV movie KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park. It was also included in the opening credits of Step By Step, a sitcom that aired on ABC and CBS in the ‘90s.