Specific Type: Spinning Coaster
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Recycled rides and relocations seem to be the theme in United States parks in the past decade and this ride is no exception. Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in 2008, cashed in on the new spinning wild mouse coaster craze and installed a new roller coaster called Tony Hawk’s Big Spin. The coaster was built by Gerstlauer and was a clone of many other wild spinning mouse coasters that would end up in other Six Flags parks. The coaster was built to offer an extreme sports feeling to the riders as they felt as though they were spinning around on a skateboard or roller blades.
In 2010, licensing issues with certain brands at Six Flags caused the name of the coaster to be changed to Big Spin and then eventually to Pandemonium. In 2012 when Discovery Kingdom announced they would be adding in a massive coaster, they decided to part ways with the spinning mouse coaster and place it in another Six Flags park. The coaster was sent to the coaster museum in Texas before it was eventually sent to Six Flags in Mexico. The coaster was built in 2013 and opened up to the public on March 7, 2013. The coaster was repainted to green and purple and received a new name…Joker! Come with us now as we take a virtual journey on the Joker. At the top, the car's stabilizer is disengaged, and it’s all free spinning from that point on. The rails dive down and to the left, reaching a top speed of 31 mph, before rising back to an elevated series of wild mouse like switchbacks. These really get the car spinning, but there is much more to come. After passing through a light block break, riders then enter into a wicked 450 degree downward helix to the right. No sooner have they exited that element though than track switches banking and ascends a 450 degree helix in the opposite direction. This feeds the train onto the second mid-course block break, from which it dips down providing a bit of air. The skate board themed train jumps up and to the right over the path as onlookers watch and continue to dip and hop as it curves further clockwise. Rising up and over the path again, the rails dive into a small ravine, send riders up and over a small airtime hill before dropping beneath the ride's final break run. A super tight 270 degree left hand turn brings the rails back up to station level. Gliding into the breaks, the car finally comes to rest; still spinning in place as the angular momentum slowly bleeds off. Riders disembark in the station and attempt to regain their balance with crazy grins of their faces wondering which way is up, and when they can ride it again. The next time that you are in the country of Mexico, speed on over to Six Flags and enjoy a spinning good laugh on Joker. |
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