When Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabillard formed Bolliger & Mabillard Consulting Engineers back in 1988, designing any amusement ride was the furthest thing on their minds. Having recently departed from Giavanola, and with a non-competition agreement in place, they thought their ride days were a closed chapter, until Six Flags Great America asked them to help with the design of Rolling Thunder, the Intamin Bobsled ran in the park from 1989 through the 1995 season. After getting the proper legal hurdles removed, their first coaster, Iron Wolf opened in 1990.
They stuck with the stand-up design for their first three coasters, but then the introduced their new inverted design in 1992, Batman The Ride. Twelve of their next fifteen coasters featured the inverted design, and the remainder were a new sit-down design.
2002 saw the introduction of the flying coaster, with the first one, Superman: Ultimate Flight stateside being installed at Six Flags Over Georgia.
The first dive coaster with a true 90-degree drop was SheiKra, with the even wider and taller Griffon to follow. They were preceded by other dive coasters that did not have a true vertical drop.
1990 Iron Wolf Six Flags Great America
1991 Patriot California’s Great America
1992 Vortex Carowinds
1992 Batman The Ride Six Flags Great America
1993 Flight Deck California’s Great America
1993 Kumba Busch Gardens Tampa
1994 Batman The Ride Six Flags Great Adventure
1994 Nemesis Alton Towers
1994 Batman The Ride Six Flags Magic Mountain
1994 Raptor Cedar Point
1994 Diavlo Himeji Central Park
1995 Gambit Thrill Valley
1995 Batman The Ride Six Flags Saint Louis
1995 Dragon Khan Port Adventura
1996 Orochi Expoland
1996 Mantis Cedar Point
1996 Montu Busch Gardens Tampa
1997 Pyrenees Parque Espana
1997 Great White SeaWorld San Antonio
1997 Alpengeist Busch Gardens Williamsburg
1997 Chang Kentucky Kingdom
1997 Batman The Ride Six Flags Over Georgia
1998 Oblivion Alton Towers
1998 Riddler’s Revenge Six Flags Magic Mountain
1998 Great Bear Hersheypark
1999 Afterburn Carowinds
1999 Apollo’s Chariot Busch Gardens Williamsburg
1999 Medusa Six Flags Great Adventure
1999 Raging Bull Six Flags Great Adventure
1999 Georgia Scorcher Six Flags Over Georgia
1999 Batman The Ride Six Flags Over Texas
1999 Incredible Hulk Island Of Adventure
1999 Dragon Challenge Islands of Adventure
2000 Superman Krypton Coaster Six Flags Fiesta Texas
2000 Medusa Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
2000 Diving Machine G5 Janfusun Fancyworld
2000 Katun Mirabilandia
2000 Batman Knight Flight Six Flags Ohio
2000 Kraken SeaWorld Orlando
2001 Insane Speed Janfusun Fancyworld
2001 Wildfire Silver Dollar City
2001 Nitro Six Flags Great Adventure
2001 Talon Dorney Park
2002 Galactia Alton Towers
2002 Silver Star Europa Park
2002 Batman la Fuga Parque Warner Madrid
2002 Superman la Atraccion Parque Warner Madrid
2002 Superman Ultimate Flight Six Flags Over Georgia
2002 Batman The Dark Knight Six Flags New England
2002 Vampire La Ronde
2003 Nemesis Inferno Thorpe Park
2003 Batman The Ride Six Flags New Orleans
2003 Scream Six Flags Magic Mountain
2003 Superman Ultimate Flight Six Flags Great Adventure
2003 Superman Ultimate Flight Six Flags Great America
2004 Lightning Kuwait Entertainment City
2004 Daemonen Tivoli Gardens
2004 Silver Bullet Knott’s Berry Farm
2005 Hydra The Revenge Dorney Park
2005 SheiKra Busch Gardens Tampa
2006 Goliath Six Flags Over Georgia
2006 Patriot Worlds of Fun
2006 Tatsu Six Flags Magic Mountain
2006 Goliath La Ronde
2006 Black Mamba Phantasialand
2006 Crystal Wing Happy Valley
2007 Hollywood Dream The Ride Universal Studios Japan
2007 Phaethon Gyeongju World
2007 Griffon Busch Gardens Williamsburg
2008 Dive Coaster Chimelong Paradise
2008 Led Zepplin The Ride Hard Rock Park
2008 Goliath Six Flags Fiesta Texas
2008 Behemoth Canada’s Wonderland
2009 Diamondback Kings Island
2009 Manta SeaWorld Orlando
2009 Diving Coaster Happy Valley
2010 Intimidator Carowinds
2010 Monster Walygator Parc
2011 Raptor Gardaland
2011 Krake Heide Park
2011 Starry Sky Ripper Joyland
2011 Hair Raiser Ocean Park
2012 Swarm Thorpe Park
2012 Wild Eagle Dollywood
2012 Oziris Parc Asterix
2012 Leviathan Canada’s Wonderland
2012 Shambhala Port Adventura
2012 X-Flight Six Flags Great America
2013 Gatekeeper Cedar Point
2013 Nitro Adlabs Imagica
2014 Parrott Coaster Chimelong Ocean Kingdom
2014 Flug der Damonen Heide Park
2014 Banshee Kings Island
2014 Family Inverted Coaster Happy Valley
2015 Oblivion The Black Hole Gardaland
2015 Fury 325 Carowinds
2015 Thunderbird Holiday World
2015 Baron 1898 Efteling
2015 Acrobat Nagashima Spa Land
2015 Harpy Xishuangbanna Theme Park
2016 Flying Dinosaur Universal Studios Japan
2016 Valravn Cedar Point
2016 Mako SeaWorld Orlando
With seven relocations, and one completely rebuilt, as designed, from the ground up, the quality of Bolliger & Mabillard designs has stood the test of time.
However you celebrate the holiday season, may you and those you love be abundantly blessed this year. Best wishes from all of us here at NewsPlusNotes, and may all your seasonal dreams come true.