Classic Mindbender Schwarzkopf Coaster Has Closed for Good

© West Edmonton Mall

I am well aware that this news broke earlier this year and I'm just getting to it now, but I wanted to still throw a post up to honor Mindbender, which has permanently closed at the Galaxyland amusement park within West Edmonton Mall in Canada.  The coaster hasn't operated in the past couple years and it has been announced that instead of reopening the coaster it will be removed.

Mindbender opened in 1985 at the park, and was created by Schwarzkopf which many of us have a warm spot in our hearts for.  However, many of the designer's large rides have closed in recent years, and so sadly Mindbender is just another on the list.  It's not said yet exactly what will replace the coaster at the Galaxyland amusement park.  For now the park states:

"The iconic Mindbender has been the park’s premier thrill ride since the grand opening in 1985," said Lori Bethel of WEM in a written statement. "While the Mindbender will be missed, we are excited to announce that we are working on groundbreaking new plans for family thrills that will immerse our guests in an out-of-this-world experience."

© West Edmonton Mall

The coaster stands 145 feet tall and features a drop of 127 feet.  The highlights of the ride are the typically nutty forces found on Schwarzkopf rides, plus three vertical loops that are lined up nicely (above).  The coaster hit speeds of 60 miles per hour and had an advertised maximum g-force of 5, which is another telltale sign of a fun Schwarzkopf coaster.  Hopefully you were able to experience this attraction!

West Edmonton Mall Changing Galaxyland to New Hasbro Theme

© Galaxyland

Galaxyland amusement park, located within the West Edmonton Mall in Canada, has announced that it will embark on a year long process of retheming to Hasbro licensed intellectual properties.  The park opened in 1983 as an amenity to the largest mall in North America, and carries an outer space theme... hence the name Galaxyland.

The partnership with Hasbro will see all their properties spread out in the park through attraction renames along with food and beverage, retail and other incorporations.  Hasbro will be bringing licenses such as My Little Pony, Nerf, G.I. Joe, Mr. Potato Head, Play-Doh and a ton of board games like Monopoly, Operation and Battleship.

© Galaxyland

This is the park's current map, which shows that things are pretty heavily themed to outer space throughout the park.  It's not totally clear if the outer space theme will be totally removed, or if Hasbro properties will be incorporated into the existing theme.  So My Little Ponies in outer space, Mr. Potato Head in outer space, G.I. Joe in outer space... well you get the drift.  The completion of the retheming is scheduled for winter 2020 when the park will officially named Galaxyland Powered by Hasbro.

Galaxyland is well known for Mindbender, a classic 3 loop Schwarzkopf coaster and in more recent years has built Galaxy Orbiter, a spinning coaster from Gerstlauer.

West Edmonton Mall Debuts 3 New Slides

The mammoth West Edmonton Mall in Alberta, CA has just improved an already incredible indoor World Waterpark, at an investment of nearly $1.5 million. Three new thrill slides from WhiteWater West feature a launch system where sliders step into a glass capsule and the floor drops from beneath them.

The Cyclone slide, the first of its kind in Canada, drops riders into a near-vertical loop, and the two Sky Screamer Extreme slides both launch riders straight down with the option of an enclosed or open chute. These two vertical chutes replace the park's classic pair of speed slides, and the park now boasts 13 different slides and attractions. Read the full story here.

Courtesy of West Edmonton Local