Peanuts 500 (Kings Island)

PEANUTS 500
This is the logo used currently for the ride
Location	Kings Island
Area	Planet Snoopy
Status	Operating
Opening date	1979
Attraction Type	Slot Car Ride
Manufacturer	Venture Ride Manufacturer Incorperated
Theme	Peanuts
Capacity	275 riders per hour
Vehicle type	Pint-Sized Cars
Vehicles	10
Riders per vehicle	2
Rows	1
Riders per row	1-2
Previous Names	Mister Jink's Jalopies and Nick Junior Drivers
Height Maximum	54 inches

PEANUTS 500 is a ride where 1-2 guests can drive their own pint sized cars around the "expressway". The ride was designed for kids and is located in the kid's area of the park which is called Planet Snoopy. The ride is themed to characters from the peanuts show.

History

PEANUTS 500 opened in the year 1979 as Mr. Jink's Jalopies to fit the theme of the children's area which at the time was The Happy Land of Hanna-Barbera. In 1998, there was a minor renovation of The Happy Land of Hanna-Barbera and it caused the ride's name to be changed to Fender Bender 500. In 2006, came the complete makeover of The Happy Land of Hanna-Barbera, with 3 new rides and attractions. The area then became known as Nickelodeon Universe. This makeover included complete rethemeing of all the Hanna-Barbera rides to fit the Nickelodeon theme. That is when the ride became known as Nick Jr. Drivers. Although Cedar Fair Entertainment Company had the rights to continue using the Nickelodeon theme through 2016^[1] following its purchase of the park in 2006, it was decided to remove all remaining Hanna-Barbera and Nickelodeon themes from the kids area in time for the start of the 2010 season. So in 2010, the area went through a another rethemeing to fit with other Cedar Fair's kid's areas. Nickelodeon Universe then became known as Planet Snoopy. To fit with the rethemeing, Nick Jr. Drivers became PEANUTS 500.

Fun Fact

PEANUTS 500 has given 7,134,043 rides since 1979, the 26th-most in park history. Its record year was 1982, when 512,769 rides were given .^[2]

Layout

As the car pulls out of the station, it goes straight for about 20 feet. Then, you'll travel under a bridge, and then the track turns 135 degrees to the left. From there it travels about 2 yards and then turns 180 degrees to the left and heads up the bridge. Once at the top, the ride turns about 135 degrees to the right and heads down the bridge and then turns into the station.

PEANUTS 500 features 10 separate vehicles, each accommodating 1-2 riders. On the vehicles, different characters from peanuts (Joe Cool, Sally, Linus, ect.) are painted on the sides. Two steering wheels are mounted inside each car. The one on the left actually controls the wheel's direction (however, even if a rider chooses not to steer, the car will still steer itself, as there is a track that guides the car), while the one on the right just spins around and does not actually control anything.

If this wasn't very clear, click here for a picture or click here for a short video.

References

1. ^ Sloan, Sam (2006-06-01). "Paramount Parks Sold to Cedar Fair". www.sliceofscifi.com. http://www.sliceofscifi.com/2006/06/01/paramount-parks-sold-to-cedar-fair/. Retrieved 2010-04-15. 
2. ^ Island, Kings. "PEANUTS 500". www.visitkingsisland.com. http://www.visitkingsisland.com/public/park/rides/planet_snoopy/peanuts_500.cfm. Retrieved 2011-11-16.