Whirlgig

[that_guy]

I am wondering about the Wirlgig, I never knew that MGA had a swing carousel until I saw a picture of it in the Avatars. So does any one have any information about it, I would be so delighted, lol, like usual. Also, I was wondering if the Whirlgig operates in Hometown Square (SC) as Celebration Swings? If you have any information please post . Thank you

[Shockwavegirl]

Yes, Whirligig was an original ride in the parks, opened 1976. I don't know about the one in the SC park, but I know that the one in Gurnee still operates under the name Whirligig, although it has been moved, it can currently be found in front of Batman: The Ride.

That's all I've got on info, maybe someone else has more for you.

[jonrev]

When it first went over by B:TR it was called Gotham City Swinger. But later changed back to Whirligig.

[that_guy]

Thanks for the info on the Gurnee ride, Also, thank you Steve for adding Whirlgig to the rides section

[RLAiello]

When it first went over by B:TR it was called Gotham City Swinger. But later changed back to Whirligig.

I'll never forget when they announced the name change for Whirligig to Gotham City Swinger. I mean really.... all the employees couldn't stop snickering.

I think Whirligig is probably the most-often moved ride in the Gurnee park. It moved from County Fair to Yankee Harbor in front of Tidal Wave/Batman, then moved in front of Yankee Clipper, then back where it was just before that in front of Batman. So that makes three moves total. (Right?)

I can't think of any other rides that have moved around that much...

[steven]

Also, thank you Steve for adding Whirlgig to the rides section

You're welcome!

Here are PGA's Celebration Swings:



In this photo, you can see where Celebration Swings are located in the park. They are on the center right of the photo:



As mentioned on the page in the rides section, Marriott did not include a Whirligig in Santa Clara. Celebration Swings were a Paramount addition,
reportedly relocated to Santa Clara from Paramount's Carowinds park on the North Carolina and South Carolina border.

Steven

[redfishpaw]

I think Whirligig is probably the most-often moved ride in the Gurnee park. It moved from County Fair to Yankee Harbor in front of Tidal Wave/Batman, then moved in front of Yankee Clipper, then back where it was just before that in front of Batman. So that makes three moves total. (Right?)

Correct, in 1992 Whirligig was moved (2nd time) in front of clipper. The area in front of batman was landscaped with a brick patio. A batmobile sat in the middle of the patio. Later the brick patio was removed and Whirligig returned to this location. Im not sure if this happened when V2 was installed, or earlier.

[coasterfan71555]

My friends and I used to call Whirligig our "Nomadic Swing Ride" because of how often it has been moved. At least we still have it, and it is still a ton of fun to ride. It was moved from its original County Fair location in 1985 for the installation of Z-Force. It was placed in front of Tidal Wave, in the spot it occupies today. But in 1992, when Batman-The Ride was installed, it was moved to its interim location in front of Yankee Clipper. My memory is that the name "Gotham City Swinger" appeared only in park brochures, which in 1992 showed it still in front of Batman. The actual sign on the ride never showed anything but Whirligig as the name. We also heard in 1992 from a reliable source that the reason Whirligig was moved was because the Time Warner honcho who was in charge of Six Flags at the time said it had to be moved because it blocked the view of "his ride". The Batmobile was then planted there, and remained on that patio until 2001 when V2 was installed, and Whirligig was moved back to its current, and, in my opinion, BEST location.

[that_guy]

Thanks for all the feedback and info everyone, I really appreciate it.