Roller Coaster Theming is anything besides the actual coaster itself that is trying to give you a sense of story. When you are in line for Time Traveler at Silver Dollar City and you see Clocks hanging all over, that is theming. When you walk by the statues in the Gotham City Park on Batman: The Ride at any of its Clone location then that is theming.
Roller Coaster Theming is storytelling
Put another way is that theming is anything that tries to tell a story to enhance the experience of the Roller Coaster. In Time Traveler’s example, you are a citizen in the 1880s. Once you walk into the queue you are signing up to be a part of their experiment in Time Travel. You walk through his shop in the line eventually getting to the inventor’s main chamber. In the main chamber, you climb into his time machine which is the actual coaster itself. Once the ride begins you are actually traveling in time. At the end of the ride, the experiment is over and you hear over a loudspeaker that it was a success!
Roller Coaster Theming: Why does this matter
Would people enjoy Time Traveler regardless of the theming? Yes, I believe so. Though I doubt it would stick in your mind as much as it does. The human mind loves a good story. So yes, that first drop would be amazing no matter what. But sitting in a time machine allows the mind to entertain the concept of time travel in a way that wouldn’t be possible if it was just a ride without all the bells and whistles. It helps all the inversions and airtime hills feel distinct.
Thanks for Reading!
If you have any questions or comments on Roller Coaster Theming please leave them in the comments. What coaster do you think has the best theming? Check out more Coaster Slang Here. Also, you can connect with us at https://www.instagram.com/themeparkcoastercrazy/
Six Flags Over Mid-America 50th Anniversary