History Horrible / Rides

* The mid-to-late 90's saw a revamp of Epcot where almost all of its attractions were either updated or replaced. While many of these changes remain contentious among fans, one change with no defenders is the transformation of the beloved icon ''Ride/JourneyIntoImagination'' into a [[DarkerAndEdgier needlessly cynical romp]] known as '''''Journey Into YOUR Imagination'''''. The ride exists solely as a ContractualObligationProject, as Disney wanted a major revamp of the ride before Walt Disney World's Millennium Celebration. The ride's sponsor, Kodak, agreed to help foot the bill, but only if it was done on a ludicrously small budget. Right from the get-go, the old ride had been gutted and many parts auctioned or even thrown away. To save money, the ride track was cut down to half its length, shortening the eleven minute attraction to a measly five. The original main characters of the ride, the warm and fanciful Dreamfinder and his loveable purple dragon creation Figment, are almost entirely abandoned, with Dreamfinder being completely absent and with Figment [[DemotedToExtra being reduced to one Easter egg and a blink and you’ll miss it vocal cameo at the end]]. [[ReplacementScrappy In their place is an unlikeable host]] named Dr. Nigel Channing [[note]]A character who originated from the neighboring attraction ''Honey, I Shrunk the Audience''[[/note]], played by Creator/EricIdle. The ride opens with [[TakeThatAudience insulting the audience’s intelligence]], scanning their brains as Nigel tells them there's "not much going on upstairs, imagination-wise". The rest of the ride consists of extremely brief, yet direly boring exhibitions. Gone are the creative representations of the arts, sciences, society and nature, and in their place are hollow shells, such as an empty, black room with nothing but speakers, two wall panels that light faint colors, another empty, black room with blinking lights that form unimpressive and non-moving constellations, and the supposed big finale that's a stationary, normal-looking house that just happens to be upside-down. [[InNameOnly Almost every element from the original is gone]], with the ride's finale claiming that your imagination is now off the charts, even though the ride is quite possibly the least imaginative thing Disney has ever built. Opening in October 1999, this ride only lasted all of two years before being retooled into the comparatively better current incarnation ''Journey Into Imagination with Figment'', which, while still considered vastly inferior to the original ride, is still considered a step up, with it serving as a huge TakeThat against its predecessor. However, scars from this version remain, such as some show room designs and the shortened track length. Yesterworld looks at it [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZ92iTDfWr4 here]].

->''Amusement and theme park rides are often divisive. What is beloved by one fan might be despised by another. There are endless debates on whether any given ride is good or bad, thrilling or uncomfortable, fun or boring. But every now and then, the stars align and a majority opinion emerges, and fans, critics, and casual guests alike come together in their shared love, or hatred, of an attraction.''
-->--'''Kevin Perjurer''' of ''WebVideo/{{Defunctland}}'', in the opening of his video on ''Green Lantern: First Flight''

[[AC:Ride/DisneyThemeParks:]]

[[AC:Other Parks:]]

-->--Kevin Perjurer of ''WebVideo/{{Defunctland}}'', in the opening of his video on ''Green Lantern: First Flight''

# A ride isn't horrible just because WebVideo/{{Defunctland}}, WebVideo/SomeJerkWithACamera, or any other theme park critic disliked it. There should be independent evidence from general audiences as well as professionals.

* In 1992, Busch Gardens Williamsburg opened '''''Drachen Fire''''' and unintentionally created one of the most notorious flops in amusement park history. The trouble started before it was even opened; BGW approached Arrow Dynamics, who had constructed the park's previous 2 headlining roller coasters, Loch Ness Monster and Big Bad Wolf, to deliver a brand new thrilling looping coaster for the 1992 season. [[note]]Contrary to popular belief, BGW did NOT go to Bolliger & Mabillard first before turning to Arrow and having Arrow try to copy B&M's design, as El Toro Ryan notes [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSMjpbQEy3Y here]]. Drachen Fire was an Arrow Dynamics coaster from day one[[/note]] Busch Gardens requested that Arrow ditch their traditional "copy-and-paste" elements for more modern track, support, and train designs, and while Arrow did adopt computer-aided design for the coaster, they still went back to their antiquated design methodologies while other manufacturers like B&M were starting to deliver smoother experiences. The ride's soft opening on April 3, 1992 was a harbinger of things to come: after about six successful runs, the train stalled on the lift hill and forced an evacuation, followed by the next train doing the same thing and ending the ride's operations for the day. After the initial rush of riders when it opened to the public, the ride swiftly gained a reputation for being excruciatingly rough -- thanks to the aforementioned awkward transitions that were made much worse by Arrow's design techniques -- to the point where the park strongly advised riders to remove clip-on earrings before riding because of the extreme and violent headbanging. The corkscrew that immediately followed the mid-course brakes was quietly removed shortly before the 1995 season to reduce the roughness, but the issues were so pervasive that it was little more than a bandaid. A 1996 theme park special on E! where Creator/AlexWinter rode it and then commented that he felt as if his vertebrae had been broken was another blow to the ride, and by the time the ride was finally closed in 1998, ridership had dwindled down to almost nothing and at least one personal injury lawsuit may or may not have been filed. Attempts to sell it were made, but no parties were interested, and the ride sat unused until it was finally demolished in 2002. Though still memorialized by the park, who sell t-shirts bearing the ride's logo to this day, Drachen Fire was an example of a good idea implemented ''very'' poorly; [[AnAesop serving as an effective cautionary tale]] regarding the dangers of trying to adopt newer techniques and simply falling back on older and outdated methods, as well as trying to play it safe instead of taking risks (Busch Gardens Williamsburg went with Arrow Dynamics since they were more established and tried-and-true, while Busch Gardens Tampa took a risk with B&M, which paid off handsomely). Get the whole story from ElToroRyan [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSMjpbQEy3Y here]].

* '''''Terminus''''' is a fair-level dark ride operated by Reithoffer Shows that outwardly advertises itself as a harrowing adventure where the riders dodge zombies and a caged up monster, which isn’t even remotely true. Instead of avoiding zombies, the riders avoid...absolutely ''[[https://youtu.be/EyVdldXN6pE nothing]]''. Much like ''Pirate’s Hideaway'' above, the ride basically amounts to the riders slowly trudging through a giant metal box with very little scenery to be seen nor any real scares or thrills to be had beyond a very brief drop and the only noises to be heard being the rattly carts the riders sit in, making for an incredibly boring ride experience. On top of this, due to the black exterior of the ride, the ride’s interior would reportedly get unbearably hot on summer days and make riders feel like they were riding through an oven instead of a warehouse ostensibly filled with zombies. All in all, a complete and total rip-off. Theme Park Crazy conducted a poll for worst dark ride among his users for [[https://youtu.be/tqk_-CEVPrY a future video]], and this ride was number one on the list, beating even the above-mentioned ''Superstar Limo'' by a landslide.

* In 1992, Busch Gardens Williamsburg opened '''''Drachen Fire''''' and unintentionally created one of the most notorious flops in amusement park history. The trouble started almost as soon as it was conceived; the original idea was for the hot new Swiss design firm Bolliger & Mabillard to design it as well as a sibling to Busch Gardens Tampa's then-upcoming Kumba, but [=B&M=] simply did not have the resources to take on two major projects at the same time, and so the park went with established manufacturers Arrow Dynamics as a Plan B. Arrow did their best to emulate [=B&M's=] stylistic hallmarks, but did so in a way that exemplified all of Arrow's most glaring design flaws; namely their janky, abrupt transitions and rough ride experience made even worse by not using their regular methods. The ride's soft opening on April 3, 1992 was a harbinger of things to come: after about six successful runs, the train stalled on the lift hill and forced an evacuation, followed by the next train doing the same thing and ending the ride's operations for the day. After the initial rush of riders when it opened to the public, the ride swiftly gained a reputation for being excruciatingly rough -- thanks to the aforementioned awkward transitions that were made much worse by Arrow's attempts to emulate a B&M layout -- to the point where the park strongly advised riders to remove clip-on earrings before riding because of the extreme and violent headbanging. The corkscrew that immediately followed the mid-course brakes was quietly removed shortly before the 1995 season to reduce the roughness, but the issues were so pervasive that it was little more than a bandaid. A 1996 theme park special on E! where Creator/AlexWinter rode it and then commented that he felt as if his vertebrae had been broken was another blow to the ride, and by the time the ride was finally closed in 1998, ridership had dwindled down to almost nothing and at least one personal injury lawsuit may or may not have been filed. Attempts to sell it were made, but no parties were interested, and the ride sat unused until it was finally demolished in 2002. Though still memorialized by the park, who sell t-shirts bearing the ride's logo to this day, Drachen Fire was an example of a good idea implemented ''very'' poorly; [[AnAesop serving as an effective cautionary tale]] regarding the dangers of trying -- but failing -- to copy the talents of others instead of focusing on your own. Get the whole story from Defunctland [[https://youtu.be/kKfSC3_LUtA here]].

* ''Innoventions'' was an indoor space at Epcot which contained multiple small attractions inside it, usually meant to promote the companies sponsoring each experience. Opening in 1994 as a SpiritualSuccessor to ''[=Communicore=]'' in the same space, the attractions in its two-decade long history ranged from bland and forgettable to quality enough to be remembered as unique today. However, the ''Innoventions'' exhibit with hands-down the worst reception was '''the original iteration of ''Habit Heroes'''''. It opened in 2012 with an original cast of heroes and villains, the latter of which represented bad habits. Seems innocuous, right? Well, it would be... had the attraction not initially concentrated on ''[[http://red3.blogspot.com/2012/02/disneys-wonderful-world-of-fat-shaming.html fat-shaming]]'', right during a time when it was beginning to be recognized as an unacceptable way to combat obesity that either didn't work, [[GoneHorriblyRight resulted in eating disorders]], or (in severe cases) caused ''suicide''. All three main villains were obese caricatures that were so bad that they were replaced almost immediately. A tie-in online game did include a wider variety of villains representing other habits, but this only brought up more UnfortunateImplications[[invoked]], such as classifying uncontrollable mental health issues like high stress and insecurity as "bad habits." The attraction itself wasn’t very interesting either, as it was a watered-down "interactive" attraction that had been done better by ''Toy Story Mania'', starring uncharismatic Creator/DisneyChannel reject hosts that were hoping to get riders fit, alongside appallingly ugly computer-animated villains and environments that were a decade out of date when it was new and downright shameful by Disney standards. The initial attraction lasted only a month, and despite being revamped in 2013 to be less insensitive (and getting much better reception from the public), the negative reaction to the original version caused the attraction to be closed down forever in 2016, with ''Innoventions'' itself being taken down three years later.

* '''''Submarine Quest''''' was planned as the flagship attraction for Ride/SeaWorld San Diego's new "Ocean Explorer" realm in 2017. The ride was originally conceived as an elevated track with dark ride portions through aquariums, with a touchscreen game on the ride vehicle encouraging riders to note the creatures they saw around them. Despite the massive hype for the attraction, guests were disappointed to discover that [[NonIndicativeName this "submarine" ride was not underwater, but mostly took place in broad daylight]], and most of the "animal life" consisted of simple props or electronic displays. Most of the effort had gone into the ride vehicle and its touchscreen game, but the game's controls were confusing and [[FakeInteractivity didn't actually affect the ride]]; for example, there's a button riders can press to open a hatch... which opens ''immediately'' after getting the instruction, before you can even press anything. The ride also saw frequent technical difficulties that got increasingly worse; so by the end of its run, it barely operated at all. ''Submarine Quest'' received negative reviews from both riders and news publications, leading to a rebrand specifying that the ride was only for very young guests. This didn't do much good, as it quietly closed less than a year after opening. CEO Joel Manby cited it as the one true disappointment of his run, stepping down from his position not long after its closure. ''WebVideo/{{Defunctland}}'' unravels the history of the ride [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJfgHa49GX0 here]]. To top it off, competing park Ride/{{LEGOLAND}} California later opened ''Lego City Deep Sea Adventure,'' an ''underwater'' submarine ride with a similar touchscreen game and ''real sea creatures''; many fans drew comparisons to ''Submarine Quest'', remarking with surprise that the ''LEGO'' ride ironically had far more to do with ocean exploration than the ''[=SeaWorld=]'' ride.

When done right, amusement park rides can provide up to decades of enjoyment for generations upon generations of park-goers. However, some rides can end up being so bad on either a technical or thematic level (or even both!) that they are doomed to only be remembered for all the wrong reasons.

* Opening in 1998 at the small M&D's Theme Park in Scotland, '''''Tornado''''' was an especially infamous ride that gave new meaning to the word "painful". One of only two ''[=RC70=]'' model coasters built by Pinfari, it was their largest model; packing in several swooping turns and three inversions -- two loops and a corkscrew -- in a compact, portable layout. However, even at its debut, it was known for being notoriously bad with its rough ride and hard, high over-the-shoulder restraints leaving painful headbanging more-or-less unavoidable regardless of your height. The corkscrew in particular[[note]]Notably, it was the only time Pinfari ever tried doing one.[[/note]] was ''infamous'' for being one of the most horrific inversions ever put to a coaster, to the point it was removed and replaced with a banked curve in 2006; the fact that [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFQfAgzXxng the only known POV of it]] outright [[CameraAbuse caused the camera to violently glitch]] should tell you everything. A major 2016 incident involving another coaster in the park (Tsunami) sealed Tornado's fate there, when a flawed inspection [[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-36635086 lead to its train derailing and crashing,]] injuring 10 people. It was [[HiddenInPlainSight not-so subtly covered up]] by [[CrappyCarnival a travelling funhouse]] and left standing but not operating for a long time, before being dismantled and sold on to a French travelling fair in 2020. There, it was refurbished and eventually [[https://youtu.be/3RU1uKwHaRM reopened in 2021]] as ''Gotham'', complete with a new ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}''-based theme. Even so, most UK coaster enthusiasts were [[AndThereWasMuchRejoicing quite happy to see it taken off their hands]].

* In 1997, Knott’s Berry Farm opened '''''Windjammer Surf Racers'''''. Built by TOGO, this was a surfing-themed dueling coaster that was intended as a tribute to the beloved but by-then dated [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCARcjduziY Wacky Soap Box Racers]] coaster that it replaced. However, when the ride opened, everything that could have gone wrong ''did'' go wrong. Firstly, the ride would have a habit of continuous breakdowns. And ironically, it was especially prone to breaking down in winds as low as ''three miles an hour''. But even when it did operate, the ride was nowhere near a pleasant experience; despite the dueling feature being a large part of the ride’s appeal, the trains almost never raced. Not to mention, the attraction was incredibly rough with tight restraints and jittery track, the layouts were very dull beyond the loops above the water; with lots of long, slow turns and precious little airtime or forces to speak of. Riders would spend less time enjoying the ride and more wondering if the train was going to drop off the track. Upon opening, [[ReplacementScrappy the ride was immediately hated by park-goers and coaster enthusiasts]]. This all culminated in Knott’s suing TOGO for the coaster’s poor engineering. Finally, in 2000, Windjammer was closed for good -- [[AndThereWasMuchRejoicing much to the sadness of no one]] -- and after being torn apart for scrap, would soon be replaced by the Xelerator in 2002. Needless to say, the new launched coaster received a far more positive reception than its predecessor; and the park would eventually revisit the idea of a surfing-themed thrill coaster, opening the considerably more successful [=HangTime=] in 2018.

* '''The original iteration of ''Habit Heroes''''', an attraction at ''Innoventions'' that opened in 2012 with an original cast of heroes and villains, the latter of which represented bad habits. Seems innocuous, right? Well, it would be... had the attraction not initially concentrated on ''[[http://red3.blogspot.com/2012/02/disneys-wonderful-world-of-fat-shaming.html fat-shaming]]'', right during a time when it was beginning to be recognized as an unacceptable way to combat obesity that either didn't work, [[GoneHorriblyRight resulted in eating disorders]], or (in severe cases) caused ''suicide''. All three main villains were obese caricatures that were so bad that they were replaced almost immediately. A tie-in online game did include a wider variety of villains representing other habits, but this only brought up more UnfortunateImplications[[invoked]], such as classifying uncontrollable mental health issues like high stress and insecurity as "bad habits." The attraction itself wasn’t very interesting either, as it was a watered-down "interactive" attraction that had been done better by ''Toy Story Mania'', starring uncharismatic Creator/DisneyChannel reject hosts that were hoping to get riders fit, alongside appallingly ugly computer-animated villains and environments that were a decade out of date when it was new and downright shameful by Disney standards. The initial attraction lasted only a month, and despite being revamped in 2013 to be less insensitive (and getting much better reception from the public), the negative reaction to the original version caused the attraction to be closed down forever in 2016, with ''Innoventions'' itself being taken down three years later.

* When Paul Pressler led the controversial 1998 redesign of Tomorrowland, he green-lit a replacement for the low-capacity ''Peoplemover''. The result, known as the '''''Rocket Rods''''', was easily [[AmusementParkOfDoom the most unsafe ride]] Disney had ever developed. The rickety vehicles used had uncomfortable seating, were exposed to the elements, and were placed on a track design very obviously never meant for a fast-paced thrill ride. The inconsistency of the ride was illustrated when it speeds up at the start with an annoying revving sound before quickly and roughly slowing down for a turn. It kept on doing this, turn after turn, making for a bumpy ride. This is all because the ''Peoplemover'' was a slow-moving tour of Tomorrowland and, when they reused its track for a thrill ride, they didn't even bother to bank the turns, making it an anticlimactic experience every time the speed increased, turning an originally sixteen minute experience to a paltry three minute waste of time. Because of the bootstrapped ride system, the vehicles and track were frequently prone to malfunctioning, leading to fluctuating speeds and system failures. Not even a slight revision three months later could fix things, and they remained completely unreliable. It was unceremoniously closed in 2001, and quietly announced to be a permanent closure. To this day, the Peoplemover track stands unused, likely as a consequence of this disastrous ride. Its only saving grace is that it would eventually receive {{Spiritual Successor}}s in Epcot's ''Test Track'' and California Adventure's ''Radiator Springs Racers'', which would [[SurprisinglyImprovedSequel vastly improve on the concept]] of a fast-moving slot-car ride with a specially designed track for withstanding stress and keeping a more consistent pace throughout the ride.

* When [[Ride/{{Disneyland}} Disney's California Adventure]] was in the planning stages, one of the attractions in development was a standard dark roller coaster themed around Hollywood. The plot of this ride was that the rider had to get to Grauman's Chinese Theater to meet then-CEO Michael Eisner without getting caught by the paparazzi. This would result in a high-speed chase from the vicious snappers, forming the basis of the roller coaster. Then [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfWindsor Princess Diana]] died under similar circumstances while the project was being installed, and [[DistancedFromCurrentEvents the paparazzi concept was scrapped for fear that it would be seen as being in very poor taste]]. So, without either the time or resources for a replacement, the ride was forced under a massive ReTool. The end result? '''''Ride/SuperstarLimo''''', widely considered the Black Sheep of the Disney Parks. In this version, the ride slowly inched its way to a "Superstar Premiere" where they pass through [[NoBudget scenery that wouldn't be out of place in a cheap pop-up book]], bad joke after bad joke, and most notoriously, barely-moving animatronic caricatures of B-list celebrities from contemporary ABC shows, none of which would be impressive at a rinky-dink county fair, let alone at ''the park that pioneered animatronic movement in the first place''. Suffice to say, feedback on ''Superstar Limo''--as with almost every part of California Adventure at launch--was swift and scathing. Worse yet, in spite of negative reception all around, [[CreatorsPet Eisner went on record to defend the ride, calling it one of his favorites on more than a few occasions]]... even though even the Imagineers disliked the ride. The ride was closed in January 2002, less than a year after opening the previous February. The ride building sat vacant for several years before ultimately being replaced with the current attraction ''[[WesternAnimation/MonstersInc Monsters Inc: Mike and Sulley to the Rescue]]'', a simple, yet far better received ride that reuses the ride track and vehicles, but changed everything else. ''WebVideo/{{Defunctland}}'' goes into more detail on the situation [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2L-bZiqckM here.]] Disney themselves has [[CreatorBacklash disowned the attraction]] if the Creator/DisneyPlus original ''The Imagineering Story'' is anything to go by, with episode 4 briefly mentioning its shortcomings.

* '''The original iteration of ''Habit Heroes''''', an attraction at ''Innoventions'' that opened in 2012 with an original cast of heroes and villains, the latter of which represented bad habits. Seems innocuous, right? Well, it would be... had the attraction not initially concentrated on ''fat-shaming'', right during a time when it was beginning to be recognized as an unacceptable way to combat obesity that either didn't work, [[GoneHorriblyRight resulted in eating disorders]], or (in severe cases) caused ''suicide''. All three main villains were obese caricatures that were so bad that they were replaced almost immediately. A tie-in online game did include a wider variety of villains representing other habits, but this only brought up more UnfortunateImplications[[invoked]], such as classifying uncontrollable mental health issues like high stress and insecurity as "bad habits." The attraction itself wasn’t very interesting either, as it was a watered-down "interactive" attraction that had been done better by ''Toy Story Mania'', starring uncharismatic Creator/DisneyChannel reject hosts that were hoping to get riders fit, alongside appallingly ugly computer-animated villains and environments that were a decade out of date when it was new and downright shameful by Disney standards. Despite being revamped in 2013 to be less insensitive (and getting much better reception from the public), the negative reaction to the original version caused the attraction to be closed down forever in 2016, with ''Innoventions'' itself being taken down three years later.

* In 1992, Busch Gardens Williamsburg opened '''''Drachen Fire''''' and unintentionally created one of the most notorious flops in amusement park history. The trouble started almost as soon as it was conceived; the original idea was for the hot new Swiss design firm Bolliger & Mabillard to design it as well as a sibling to Busch Gardens Tampa's then-upcoming Kumba, but [=B&M=] simply did not have the resources to take on two major projects at the same time, and so the park went with established manufacturers Arrow Dynamics as a Plan B. Arrow did their best to emulate [=B&M's=] stylistic hallmarks, but did so in a way that exemplified all of Arrow's most glaring design flaws; namely their janky, abrupt transitions and rough ride experience made even worse by not using their regular methods. The ride's soft opening on April 3, 1992 was a harbinger of things to come: after about six successful runs, the train stalled on the lift hill and forced an evacuation, followed by the next train doing the same thing and ending the ride's operations for the day. After the initial rush of riders when it opened to the public, the ride swiftly gained a reputation for being excruciatingly rough -- thanks to the aforementioned awkward transitions that were made much worse by Arrow's attempts to emulate a B&M layout -- to the point where the park strongly advised riders to remove clip-on earrings before riding because of the extreme and violent headbanging. The corkscrew that immediately followed the mid-course brakes was quietly removed shortly before the 1995 season to reduce the roughness, but the issues were so pervasive that it was little more than a bandaid. A 1996 theme park special on E! where Creator/AlexWinter rode it and then commented that he felt as if his vertebrae had been broken was another blow to the ride, and by the time the ride was finally closed in 1998, ridership had dwindled down to almost nothing and at least one personal injury lawsuit may or may not have been filed. Attempts to sell it were made, but no parties were interested, and the ride sat unused until it was finally demolished in 2002. Though still memorialised by the park, who sell t-shirts bearing the ride's logo to this day, Drachen Fire was an example of a good idea implemented ''very'' poorly; [[AnAesop serving as an effective cautionary tale]] regarding the dangers of trying -- but failing -- to copy the talents of others instead of focusing on your own. Get the whole story from Defunctland [[https://youtu.be/kKfSC3_LUtA here]].

* In 2000, King's Island (then owned by Paramount Parks) opened '''''Son of Beast''''', a "sequel" to the park’s classic wooden coaster ''The Beast''. As the fastest and tallest wooden coaster in the world, and the only one to feature an inversion, it was an ambitious ride. The problem was that none of that actually translated into a good ride experience. The issues started before it had even been completed, as its manufacturer, Roller Coaster Corporation of America (RCCA) was fired during construction, and when the ride opened, it closed after ''two days'' for repairs and did not open again until almost two months later. While initial reviews were fairly positive, the ride deteriorated rapidly over the course of the year, and Paramount Parks would go on to sue RCCA and some of their contractors for poor work and materials. Over the following years, the ride gained a reputation for being so horrifically violent and rough that people would step off in a great deal of pain, and ridership steadily declined, while Son of Beast in enthusiast circles became shorthand for "shit". Two incidents sealed its fate. The first was in 2006, when a damaged support section created a dip in the track that violently jolted the train and sent 27 people to the hospital, got the ride closed down for the rest of the season, and got its trains (which were notoriously large and heavy, and created much undue stress on the track) replaced with much lighter trains (which also forced the removal of the loop, as the new trains could not navigate it). Ridership did not pick up and was still almost non-existent when it reopened the following year, and after a woman reportedly had a brain aneurysm in 2009 (which was found to be unsubstantiated, but the damage was done), the ride closed for good and mouldered until 2012, when it was finally demolished and replaced with the infinitely better-received Banshee in 2014. However, King's Island has not tried to erase the coaster from history. Banshee's queue, which features a graveyard for defunct King’s Island attractions, has a memorial with the Son of Beast's logo on it, topped off with an eternal flame.

* Professor Burp's Bubbleworks was a CultClassic dark ride which opened in 1990 at Ride/ChessingtonWorldOfAdventures, taking guests on a humorous tour through a whimsical soda factory. It closed in 2005 and reopened the following year as simply '''''Bubbleworks''''', sporting a new soap factory theme with sponsorship by British toiletries company Imperial Leather. The revamped version, which was developed without the original design team's involvement, [[http://www.s104638357.websitehome.co.uk/html/bubbleworks_main.htm was derided]] for several alterations to its predecessor's theme, story, and humor to suit the Imperial Leather brand; the majority of the animatronics becoming static; the dubbing of annoying rubber duck quacks over most of the original music; and the excessive Imperial Leather branding dominating everything throughout. John Wardley, the original ride's producer, [[DisownedAdaptation refused to ride the new Bubbleworks and attend its 2016 closing ceremony]].

* Ever wonder why Disney hasn't made any OriginalGeneration characters in the American parks for a while? You can blame '''the original iteration of ''Habit Heroes''''', an attraction at ''Innoventions'' that opened in 2012 with an original cast of heroes and villains, the latter of which represented bad habits. Seems innocuous, right? Well, it would be... had the attraction not initially concentrated on ''fat-shaming'', right during a time when it was beginning to be recognized as an unacceptable way to combat obesity that either didn't work, [[GoneHorriblyRight resulted in eating disorders]], or (in severe cases) caused ''suicide''. All three main villains were obese caricatures that were so bad that they were replaced almost immediately. A tie-in online game did include a wider variety of villains representing other habits, but this only brought up more UnfortunateImplications[[invoked]], such as classifying uncontrollable mental health issues like high stress and insecurity as "bad habits." The attraction itself wasn’t very interesting either, as it was a watered-down "interactive" attraction that had been done better by ''Toy Story Mania'', starring uncharismatic Creator/DisneyChannel reject hosts that were hoping to get riders fit, alongside appallingly ugly computer-animated villains and environments that were a decade out of date when it was new and downright shameful by Disney standards. Despite being revamped in 2013 to be less insensitive (and getting much better reception from the public), the negative reaction to the original version caused the attraction to be closed down forever in 2016, with ''Innoventions'' itself [[FranchiseKiller being taken down three years later]]. Since then, every American attraction made has been tied to a pre-existing property, rather than having original characters.

* Ever wonder why Disney hasn't made any OriginalGeneration characters in the American parks for a while? You can blame '''the original iteration of ''Habit Heroes''''', an attraction at ''Innoventions'' that opened in 2012 with an original cast of heroes and villains, the latter of which represented bad habits. Seems innocuous, right? Well, it would be... had the attraction not initially concentrated on ''fat-shaming'', right during a time when it was beginning to be recognized as an unacceptable way to combat obesity that either didn't work, [[GoneHorriblyRight resulted in eating disorders]], or (in severe cases) caused ''suicide''. All three main villains were obese caricatures that were so bad that they were replaced almost immediately. A tie-in online game did include a wider variety of villains representing other habits, but this only brought up more UnfortunateImplications, such as classifying uncontrollable mental health issues like high stress and insecurity as "bad habits." The attraction itself wasn’t very interesting either, as it was a watered-down "interactive" attraction that had been done better by ''Toy Story Mania'', starring uncharismatic Creator/DisneyChannel reject hosts that were hoping to get riders fit, alongside appallingly ugly computer-animated villains and environments that were a decade out of date when it was new and downright shameful by Disney standards. Despite being revamped in 2013 to be less insensitive (and getting much better reception from the public), the negative reaction to the original version caused the attraction to be closed down forever in 2016, with ''Innoventions'' itself [[FranchiseKiller being taken down three years later]]. Since then, every American attraction made has been tied to a pre-existing property, rather than having original characters.

* When [[Ride/{{Disneyland}} Disney's California Adventure]] was in the planning stages, one of the attractions in development was a standard dark roller coaster themed around Hollywood. The plot of this ride was that the rider had to get to Grauman's Chinese Theater to meet then-CEO Michael Eisner without getting caught by the paparazzi. This would result in a high-speed chase from the vicious snappers, forming the basis of the roller coaster. Then [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfWindsor Princess Diana]] died under similar circumstances while the project was being installed, and [[DistancedFromCurrentEvents the paparazzi concept was scrapped for fear that it would be seen as being in very poor taste]]. So, without either the time or resources for a replacement, the ride was forced under a massive ReTool. The end result? '''''Ride/SuperstarLimo''''', widely considered the Black Sheep of the Disney Parks. In this version, the ride slowly inched its way to a "Superstar Premiere" where they pass through [[NoBudget scenery that wouldn't be out of place in a cheap pop-up book]], bad joke after bad joke, and most notoriously, barely-moving animatronic caricatures of B-list celebrities from contemporary ABC shows, none of which would be impressive at a rinky-dink county fair, let alone at ''the park that pioneered animatronic movement in the first place''. Suffice to say, feedback on ''Superstar Limo''--as with almost every part of California Adventure at launch--was swift and scathing. Worse yet, in spite of negative reception all around, [[CreatorsPet Eisner went on record to defend the ride, calling it one of his favorites on more than a few occasions]]... even though even the Imagineers disliked the ride. The ride was closed in January 2002, less than a year after opening the previous February. The ride building sat vacant for several years before ultimately being replaced with the current attraction ''[[WesternAnimation/MonstersInc Monsters Inc: Mike and Sulley to the Rescue]]'', a simple, yet far better received ride that reuses the ride track and vehicles, but changed everything else. ''WebVideo/{{Defunctland}}'' goes into more detail on the situation [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2L-bZiqckM here.]] Disney themselves considers the attraction an OldShame if the Creator/DisneyPlus original ''The Imagineering Story'' is anything to go by, with episode 4 briefly mentioning its shortcomings.

* Professor Burp's Bubbleworks was a CultClassic dark ride which opened in 1990 at Ride/ChessingtonWorldOfAdventures, taking guests on a humorous tour through a whimsical soda factory. It closed in 2005 and reopened the following year as simply '''''Bubbleworks''''', sporting a new soap factory theme with sponsorship by British toiletries company Imperial Leather. The revamped version, which was developed without the original design team's involvement, [[http://www.s104638357.websitehome.co.uk/html/bubbleworks_main.htm was derided]] for several alterations to its predecessor's theme, story, and humor to suit the Imperial Leather brand; the majority of the animatronics becoming static; the dubbing of annoying rubber duck quacks over most of the original music; and the excessive Imperial Leather branding dominating everything throughout. John Wardley, the original ride's producer, [[CreatorBacklash refused to ride the new Bubbleworks and attend its 2016 closing ceremony]].

* Opening in 1998 at the small M&D's Theme Park in Scotland, '''''Tornado''''' was an especially infamous ride that gave new meaning to the word "painful". One of only two ''[=RC70=]'' model coasters built by Pinfari, it was their largest model; packing in several swooping turns and three inversions -- two loops and a corkscrew -- in a compact, portable layout. However, even at its debut, it was known for being notoriously bad with its rough ride and hard, high over-the-shoulder restraints leaving painful headbanging more-or-less unavoidable regardless of your height. The corkscrew in particular[[note]]Notably, it was the only time Pinfari ever tried doing one.[[/note]] was ''infamous'' for being one of the most horrific inversions ever put to a coaster, to the point it was removed and replaced with a banked curve in 2006; the fact that [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFQfAgzXxng the only known POV of it]] outright [[CameraAbuse caused the camera to violently glitch]] should tell you everything. A major 2016 incident involving another coaster in the park (Tsunami) sealed Tornado's fate there, when a flawed inspection [[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-36635086 lead to its train derailing and crashing,]] injuring 10 people. It was [[HiddenInPlainSight not-so subtly covered up]] by [[CrappyCarnival a travelling funhouse]] and left standing but not operating for a long time, before being dismantled and sold on to a French travelling fair in 2020, where it was refurbished and eventually [[https://youtu.be/3RU1uKwHaRM reopened in 2021]] as '''''Gotham''''', complete with a new ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}''-based theme. Even so, most UK coaster enthusiasts were [[AndThereWasMuchRejoicing quite happy to see it taken off their hands]].

* In 1997, Knott’s Berry Farm opened '''''Windjammer Surf Racers'''''. Built by TOGO, this was a surfing-themed dueling coaster that was intended as a tribute to the beloved but by-then dated [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCARcjduziY Wacky Soap Box Racers]] coaster that it replaced. However, when the ride opened, everything that could have gone wrong ''did'' go wrong. Firstly, the ride would have a habit of continuous breakdowns. And ironically, it was especially prone to breaking down in winds as low as ''three miles an hour''. But even when it did operate, the ride was nowhere near a pleasant experience; despite the dueling feature being a large part of the ride’s appeal, the trains almost never raced. Not to mention, the attraction was incredibly rough with tight restraints and jittery track, the layouts were very dull beyond the loops above the water; with lots of long, slow turns and precious little airtime or forces to speak of. Riders would spend less time enjoying the ride and more wondering if the train was going to fly off the track. Upon opening, [[ReplacementScrappy the ride was immediately hated by park-goers and coaster enthusiasts]]. This all culminated in Knott’s suing TOGO for the coaster’s poor engineering. Finally, in 2000, Windjammer was closed for good -- [[AndThereWasMuchRejoicing much to the sadness of no one]] -- and after being torn apart for scrap, would soon be replaced by the Xelerator in 2002. Needless to say, the new launched coaster received a far more positive reception than its predecessor; and the park would eventually revisit the idea of a surfing-themed thrill coaster, opening the considerably more successful [=HangTime=] in 2018.

* Opening in 1998 at the small M&D's Theme Park in Scotland, '''''Tornado''''' was an especially infamous ride that gave new meaning to the word "painful". One of only two ''[=RC70=]'' model coasters built by Pinfari, it was their largest model; packing in several swooping turns and three inversions -- two loops and a corkscrew -- in a compact, portable layout. However, even at its debut, it was known for being notoriously bad with its rough ride and hard, high over-the-shoulder restraints leaving painful headbanging more-or-less unavoidable regardless of your height. The corkscrew in particular[[note]]Notably, it was the only time Pinfari ever tried doing one.[[/note]] was ''infamous'' for being one of the most horrific inversions ever put to a coaster, to the point it was removed and replaced with a banked curve in 2006; the fact that [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFQfAgzXxng the only known POV of it]] outright [[CameraAbuse caused the camera to violently glitch]] should tell you everything. A major 2016 incident involving another coaster in the park (Tsunami) sealed Tornado's fate there, when a flawed inspection [[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-36635086 lead to its train derailing and crashing,]] injuring 10 people. It was [[HiddenInPlainSight not-so subtly covered up]] by [[CrappyCarnival a travelling funhouse]] and left standing but not operating for a long time, before eventually being dismantled and sold on to a French travelling fair in 2020. Needless to say, [[AndThereWasMuchRejoicing it wasn't missed too much]].

* Six Flags Magic Mountain's [=ZacSpin=] roller coaster '''''ComicBook/GreenLantern: First Flight''''' is widely regarded as one of, if not ''the'' worst ride in Six Flags' history. The sad thing is that feedback for the ride immediately after it opened was actually fairly positive (though some riders mentioned experiencing discomfort). It was when management at the park made adjustments to the ride after a series of break-downs that the ride's flaws became apparent and absolutely killed the ride in visitors' and park enthusiasts' eyes. Extra weight was added to the ride vehicles to keep the ride from breaking down, but all this accomplished was keeping the ride vehicles from making complete revolutions during the ride and keeping riders upright. Not only did this eliminate one of the main draws of [=ZacSpin=] coasters, but this meant passengers would be thrashed forward and backwards throughout the winding ride without a break, resulting in riders leaving the ride either black-and-blue [[GreenAroundTheGills or as green as a Green Lantern Battery from nausea]]. Most infamously of all, the ride quickly gained a reputation for [[GroinAttack being absolute murder on riders' crotches]] due to the designs of the ride vehicles' restraints combined with the aforementioned thrashing. The ride quickly went down in history as a misfire of galactic proportions, and by the time it closed almost nobody was riding it. Few missed it when it was removed in 2017 to be moved to La Ronde in Montreal, Quebec and rebranded as ''Vipére''. However, its intended 2020 opening was delayed due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. And finally in 2022, it was confirmed that [[https://www.narcity.com/fr/montreal/la-ronde-donne-des-nouvelles-de-la-montagne-russe-vipere-qui-devait-ouvrir-en-2020 the plans for the relocation were canceled]], ending the ride's legacy for good. Kevin Perjurer of WebVideo/{{Defunctland}} goes over the ride's ultimate failure [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8ZVpv0Y2vI here]].

* Six Flags Magic Mountain's [=ZacSpin=] roller coaster '''''ComicBook/GreenLantern: First Flight''''' is widely regarded as one of, if not ''the'' worst ride in Six Flags' history. The sad thing is that feedback for the ride immediately after it opened was actually fairly positive (though some riders mentioned experiencing discomfort). It was when management at the park made adjustments to the ride after a series of break-downs that the ride's flaws became apparent and absolutely killed the ride in visitors' and park enthusiasts' eyes. Extra weight was added to the ride vehicles to keep the ride from breaking down, but all this accomplished was keeping the ride vehicles from making complete revolutions during the ride and keeping riders upright. Not only did this eliminate one of the main draws of [=ZacSpin=] coasters, but this meant passengers would be thrashed forward and backwards throughout the winding ride without a break, resulting in riders leaving the ride either black-and-blue [[GreenAroundTheGills or as green as a Green Lantern Battery from nausea]]. Most infamously of all, the ride quickly gained a reputation for [[GroinAttack being absolute murder on riders' crotches]] due to the designs of the ride vehicles' restraints combined with the aforementioned thrashing. The ride quickly went down in history as a misfire of galactic proportions, and by the time it closed almost nobody was riding it. Few missed it when it was removed in 2017 to be moved to La Ronde in Montreal, Quebec and rebranded as ''Vipére'' (plans that ended up falling through anyway after years of DevelopmentHell, ending the ride's legacy for good). Kevin Perjurer of WebVideo/{{Defunctland}} goes over the ride's ultimate failure [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8ZVpv0Y2vI here]].

# Rides that have {{long run|ners}}s aren't immediately good, and productions that had {{short run|ners}}s aren't immediately bad - there needs to be evidence ''beyond'' the length of the ride's run that proves it was detested by critics and audiences alike [[note]](and yes, this means that a still-operating ride can be listed here as long as there are enough reviews that prove it's widely disliked)[[/note]].

When done right, amusement park rides provide can provide up to decades of enjoyment for generations upon generations of park-goers. However, some rides can end up being so bad on either a technical or thematic level (or even both!) that they are doomed to only be remembered for all the wrong reasons.