Larson International has been building an amusement rides empire out of Plainview, Texas. They offer a small set of products on their own, but also help collaborate with other big players in the industry like S&S. Larson International is probably best known currently for their 22M Giant Loop model (or as it is better known Larson Looper) and its variations.
Larson International: History
The company origins can be traced back to Sellner Manufacturing. Its founder Herbert W. Sellner had some success very early on when amusement parks were just beginning. The company hit some hard times and was eventually acquired by a parent company. That is when what we now know as Larson International began business.
The first ride under the new name was a Flying Scooter ride for California’s Great America. They are free swinging rides that you can adjust a wing on the ride to make the forces change and move your car. A ride type they have sold many of since then.
Larson International and the Larson Looper
They really made a dent in the theme park industry with the introduction of their Larson Loopers. These offer an extremely forceful ride that is like a roller coaster emulator. It is a flat ride that does the loop over and over again. At varying speeds, backward and forwards. They are a very impressive-looking ride that offers a big ride experience but costs a lot less than a new major roller coaster.
They come in varying sizes. The standard model that is at most theme parks are the 22 Meter one like Eye of the Storm pictured above. The smaller the model the more intense the ride. Because the G’s felt in a smaller circle are greater. You would be hard-pressed to find any theme park in the US that doesn’t have a Larson Looper. They have built a few of the biggest models which is the 30 meter Giga Looper. They are still very intense just not as intense. Parks like them because they look more impressive and are better at handling more riders per hour. Riders like them because they are more pleasant than the smaller models.
What comes next?
When looking at all the rides they have installed lately you will see a lot of Loopers and Flying Scooters. It is concerning to not see new concepts coming from them. It is possible they are cooking up their next big concept and it will take off. However, we just don’t see that currently. If they are going to become a major player in the industry like a competitor of theirs Zamperla, they will need to diversify what they can offer parks.
We always hope for the best for all players in the theme park space. We wish that more parks would build their very impressive Drop Tower like Kentucky Kingdom did with FearFALL. What is for sure is that there is more to them than just Loopers. Would they ever build a roller coaster? Or how about getting into building Ferris Wheels? We sure hope for big and exciting things to come from this Texas company in the future!
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