Big Bad Wolf HD

I don't know if anything I post here will do this ride justice.
The ENTIRE reason why I have a youtube page dedicated to roller coasters is BECAUSE of The Big Bad Wolf.
But after 25 years of running at the Speed of Fright, Busch Gardens is taking this ride down. BBW will run it's last course on Sept 7th, 2009. :o(
This is as close to the last date as I could get, filmed on Aug 28, 2009 - 11 days before it is schedule to be shut down.
Aside from being biased, since this was my first major coaster, It was generally a fun and exciting ride.
I am sad to see this go, as I was Drachenfire, But these are things that must be done.
RIP - Big Bad Wolf 1984-2009 (Final Day was September 7th)

[@MichaelCasey1988]

I think this is probably the only HD footage of this ride. I'm happy that it exists for those who never got to ride it. I'm glad I had the chance multiple times. It seems like yesterday

[@ironwulfx]

Thank you for the awesome comment! I haven't recorded these kinds of videos in over a decade, but this is one of the few rides I would definitely go back to if I could and record it with a 4K/8K camera. It's just something different and amazing. I wish camera technology was significantly better the last time I got to ride it, which was a few days before it was shut down permanently.

[@idol_derp7113]

You are so lucky!! I wasn’t able to ride it, but someone had a piece from the original ride!!!! I got to pick it up and take a photo with it :)

[@GrayNeko]

RIP, BBW! You were a true original. Here's hoping that someone learns from the lessons you taught us all. A coaster doesn't have to be a mile high or go a jillion miles to be exciting, it just has to be laid out properly. That second drop, sweeping over the 'Rhine' still makes me grin to this day. Never saw it coming. More of this, please!

[@rexstanley5120]

That poor company Arrow Dynamics made allot of amazing rides so sad to hear they went out of business

[@Galaxia_Moon]

Atleast verbolten has given us a worthy successor for bbw! I love the hints to it with the wolf scene in the cave AND the signature drop into the rhine river!

[@GrayNeko]

@@Galaxia_Moon I hope to ride it someday! ^_^ The videos I've seen look pretty awesome!

[@NoHairMon]

Thanks for posting this video, I took my kids on it in the 90's and rode it back to back to back. just got off and kept getting back in line. This will always be my favorite coaster. Loved the way it was built into the terrain and hugged the ground. Gave the illusion of incredible speed. The way it dropped onto the river was awesome. R.I.P.-BBW

[@BarryGGould]

my parents had a trip to Williamsburg planned the yr this opened. we rode the loch Ness monster 1st and then the big bad Wolf. when we got off my dad was like let's goon again. got to ride it a few times throughout the day r.i.p. dad and the big bad wolf 😢😢

[@coasterhockygamingboy9549]

So sorry for both losses Press F to pay respects for the wolf and Barry’s dad 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

[@BarryGGould]

@@coasterhockygamingboy9549 i have a lot of great memories with dad he was a great man 👍👍

[@BrownPassport]

🙏

[@ThemeParkCrazy]

May I use this footage in a historical video I'm making about this coaster? I will give your channel full credit.

[@ironwulfx]

You are absolutely free to use this video. My gratitude in advance for the credit. Please send me a link when the video is done as I am highly interested in a historical video about this coaster! Thanks!

[@theuniverse2262]

@@ironwulfx(random user here) Here you go! kzbin.info/www/bejne/oH2Ug4GZg9GZjck

[@TheRoyalllama]

I wish I could have rode this before it shut down

[@LovepeaceAJ-cu5zq]

TheRoyalllama why did it shut down?!

[@tiffanydesireedahlia3141]

Lovepeace1067 AJ It was old.

[@Gruetzmachers]

TheRoyalllama I wish so to it would have been the best ride there

[@meadeskelton3350]

Loch Ness Monster is older than this and its still running.

[@alexcosten5900]

It wasn't the age that shut it down, it just wasn't popular enough. I wish I had ridden it more often before it closed. RIP Big bad wolf :(

[@BrownPassport]

Honestly, THIS is likely my TOP ride of ALL time. it's ridiculous, and I am crying that they took this down. wow. WHY!!!! Last time I was on it was maybe in the 80s or 90s. I used to work at Six Flags great adventure (5 years). Before that, my brother and his now wife worked there for a few years, my sister worked there the same time I did, and my niece worked there 20 years later. So, yes we are amusement park people. we went to parks EVERY YEAR ALL THE TIME. BBW is #1. now for nostalgia reasons, and truth be told, I thought it was just fabulous is a tied number 1 or 2, and that is Lightening loops. they tore it down a few years after a fatal accident (my friend was working the ride that day - we were in high school this was tragic). the ride was good, tho. One of the two tracks remains at a park somewhere in the midwest, I think, at Frontier Town, and it's called Diamondback or something like that. I think Imma fly out there just to ride it one more time at least before that disappears too.

[@michaelpryor78]

I miss it too. The reason they took it down was because the ride was at the end of its service life, having gotten there fast due to how much strain its intensity had put on the track (particularly in the section below the final drop). BBW would have needed retracking and all sorts of other stuff. Normally this can be accomplished, but the problem is that the company who manufactured BBW, Arrow Dynamics, had gone under seven years prior. Arrow was the only company that manufactured these suspended swinging coasters, and so they were the only ones with the requisite parts to do so. Alas, because they were gone, BBW had to go too. I suppose they could have contracted another manufacturer to develop their own parts, but it would have been so expensive that it wasn't worth it. There are a few other suspended swinging coasters still around such as The Bat, Ninja, and Iron Dragon. They've hung on longer because they aren't as intense as BBW was, and therefore, their tracks haven't undergone as much strain. Once they reach the end of their service lives though, I expect they'll be torn down too.

[@BrownPassport]

@@michaelpryor78 Thankyou for this info!!! my sister and I ere talking about this ride again the otehr day. I really miss it. wow. I wish smeone woudl make a modern version of it just wow

[@chrisanderson9981]

@@michaelpryor78 Great info, thank you for sharing. I wonder if that means Ninja @ SFMM is on it's last leg then too. I just read that X2 is what actually put Arrow into bankruptcy :/

[@michaelpryor78]

@@chrisanderson9981 Idk when Ninja's current service life ends, but yes, it definitely has a shelf life.

[@ThemeParkCrazy]

May I use this footage in a video I'm making about most missed defunct coasters? I will give you full credit.

[@ironwulfx]

Theme Park Crazy Sure! It's very old footage... 720P at most. But unfortunately that was the highest tech available at the time of recording.

[@orcwarts]

First roller coaster I ever rode.

[@RomanJockMCO]

well this just ruined my day. the big bad wolf was by far my FAVORITE coaster of all time. i'm deeply saddened to hear that it is forever gone. i hope it gets resurrected somewhere else. shame on busch for tearing it down. what are they gonna put up in its place, some twisted mega-looping steel giant that has absolutely zero soul? BBW didn't have to rely on loops, mega drops, and what not, it was just a great ride. RIP :o(

[@RomanJockMCO]

@Natasha McHattan You may not know this but you're quite condescending - "Don't shame them" on a comment made ten years ago. Perhaps you don't have many experiences of things that you liked being forever lost, or you're simply heartless. Either way if you really believe Busch Gardens' press release with regards to scarcity of parts and high maintenance costs then let me present some evidence. Ninja, Iron Dragon, Vortex, Vampire, and The Bat are all Arrow suspended coasters still operating nearly 20 years after Arrow went bust. While the BBW lived for 25 years all of the coasters I mentioned are between 27 and 33 years old. Interesting how those parks can keep their Arrow suspendeds operating but Busch couldn't. Yes it was just a roller coaster but it also had many terrific memories attached to it. It also offered a unique ride experience that has never been duplicated - not even by the other suspended coasters that I have ridden. The last time I was on it Alpengeist had just opened in 1997. It was bigger, faster, blah, blah, blah but the last one I rode when the park closed that night was BBW: it was a better ride.

[@RomanJockMCO]

@Natasha McHattan you are absolutely correct but obviously don't understand mechanical wear. Do you really believe that a mildly tamer rollercoaster could last eight years without routine maintenance? Vampire underwent refurbishment in 2001 and got new trains a year later. Next...

[@RomanJockMCO]

@Natasha McHattan I appreciate and accept your apology. After being on this planet for 46 years I am quite aware that nothing lasts forever - most people are. I originally wrote that during the doldrums of the great recession when I was considering a trip to BG to lighten my spirits amongst chaos. Furthermore I guess it was a vain attempt to join the chorus of BBW enthusiasts and try to convince BG to reassess its decision. The world has changed over the last decade, just as it will over the next decade. Peace ✌

[@AirtimeThrills]

Do you mind if I use some clips from this for a video I'm making about the coasters of BGW? I'll give on-screen credit and link back to the video. Please let me know- thanks! Also love seeing this great quality POV from 14 years ago.

[@jeffreypfeifer-ms9jt]

Those in the queue line for Der Autobahn (the bumper cars) can see the wolf on the track from the beginning of the video up to about 0:40.

[@lpslover109]

Me and my friends used to howel on this ride when I first rode I was 8

[@jasonrodriguez463]

I think this premiered in like 1986.I had a Big Bad Wolf hat that I wore to school. My favorite coaster ever.

[@BestBabe14]

I miss this ride! It was my very first roller coaster ever. I wish they never took this out it was such a great ride! :(

[@MichaelCasey1988]

This was my first steel coaster that got me over my fear of steel roller coasters

[@Imsosecret]

Im so glad this ride i never got to go on is returning now i will have the chance to ride

[@jbanks979]

I did love this...... But I can say verbolten is a worthy replacement-even includes several tributes to BBW including the final drop.

[@thelifeofnathan8281]

jbanks979 I still don't think the verbolton is as good maybe if I had never road both of them and then rode them on the same day it would be.. but like this ride was so iconic I remember them letting us ride it over and over again as a kid..

[@dbecks44]

I drove down from MI to ride this before they close it. I was there on Thursday, Sept 3. By a lucky fluke, I rode the last train of the day all by myself in the front row - just me and 27 empty seats. I'd like to think I was the last paying guest to have a train all by myself, but I know that's impossible to prove. This ride packed a punch for adults, but only had a 42" height restriction for kids - I doubt the park will ever be able to fully replace those aspects of this ride.

[@vlogsbydeeaannnaa]

I loved this ride so much!

[@mike10011001]

that second crank Hill was scary as hell at night

[@jbagz7956]

My first coaster! that and Loch Ness!!

[@Debcraft12365]

me to

[@rfgstl]

Not the biggest. Not the baddest. But wow, it sure was fast!

[@coasterhockygamingboy9549]

It was the biggest and the baddest when it opened and the most popular attraction. Still was when it closed and eveyrone was sooooo sad coz the old school wolf did mix in well with the newer fancier roller coasters like alpengeist and apollo

[@717fan18]

I rode this by accident when I was four. It absolutely terrified me. Now I am sad it closed because i was hoping to one day ride it again when I was older and have a different experience

[@riverdalep]

Miss this coaster 😢😢😢😢

[@aternst]

Thanks for this! I miss it very much

[@Wacoswim]

Hahaha, aw, that last drop always gave me a fright! :)

[@mcblaze1968]

I miss this coaster. At night it was legit scary.

[@ArrowThrills]

I never been to Busch gardens Williamsburg but why remove big bad wolf for a dumb veterbolten, why couldn't they relocate big bad wolf instead of scraping it

[@davidstewart1743]

they never should have torn this down!

[@1hardck33]

David Stewart right I miss it

[@MichaelCasey1988]

@David Kenney I'm your boat in regards to Drachen Fire which I was too young and scared at the time to ride. Then they closed it. The first time I road this ride it was my first steel coaster I believe 2000 or 2001 I was about thirteen and that first climb hill when I looked to my left I could see still sitting there abandoned not having yet been torn down. I remember freaking out and then seeing it drop out of sight. The Big Bad Wolf was a great coaster. I'll miss it

[@Artbyhurricanyounot]

My first coaster… I was four and my dad put me on that ride. I remembered I thought it was a “kids ride” (because my dad lied to me lol classic dad move) and when it hit that first hill I remember HATING IT. I felt so betrayed! 😭 apparently I had stopped screaming and my dad thought I had stopped breathing. I was terrified of coasters for years after that. Then I finally put on a brave face and did it again when I was around 8. It wasn’t so bad. Then I went to Loch Ness.. and now I’m a coaster junkie who wishes she had more money to be able to ride all the big coasters in the world. Long live the wolf

[@dan5660]

I command you to bring it BACK, Bush Gardens!!!!!

[@rockwithroadrunner]

Anyone else old enough to remember the howling on the first lift?

[@d.jphillips9040]

Awesome ride... Remember going on it as a kid!

[@nordlaw-lj]

I gunna miss you big bad wolf

[@vannieroxas3317]

THIS WAS LIKE I RELIVED THE TIME I RODE THIS RIDE !~

[@derickarickenbacker7420]

I love u big bad wolf

[@oppinoy]

My second coaster after Kuumba in Tampa. It's a shame they tore it down instead of rebuilding it.

[@coasterhockygamingboy9549]

Ikr but unfortunately they kinda “had to”

[@oppinoy]

Coasterhocky Gaming Boy Their reasoning for tearing it down was its builder went out of business so they couldn’t get any more parts. That’s total BS. If the company went out of business, that means the design of the ride is now open, so they could get any other coaster company to reverse engineer the needed parts and make it for them. They could also tear it down and do a total retrack, like Islands of Adventure did for Hulk.

[@coasterhockygamingboy9549]

oppinoy yeah that also but watch this video it goes VERY in depth kzbin.info/www/bejne/oH2Ug4GZg9GZjck

[@emmielester6251]

@TheShrimplover no, thats what you think. It ran out of it's 25 year warranty. Other older coasters in the park have special features, like the LM's interlocking loops. BBW is younger than LM. They replaced it with verbolten, and in another 25 years, a new one might be built.

[@67500fan]

loved this ride so fastand smooth

[@Neptune5111.1]

this was my dads favorite ride

[@pinkybedoo]

Verbolten replaced this, I love both rides but the drop on Verbolten gets me...

[@steelvenom2003]

The nice thing is that they took it down before it got old and painful. It got out when it was ahead, so to speak.

[@diamondjebgold9906]

Wish I could of ridden this when it was still around. It looks like it nearly goes upside down with the swinging sheesh. RIP big bad wolf. BGW please remove verbolten and make a exact copy of this ride

[@Toklo1997]

this was going to be my first coaster, but I moved before I got to go and ride it. I moved back in late 2009, I went back right after it closed.

[@mynameiskrysta]

I miss this ride.

[@phamlexander95]

"big bad wolf" now i cant get that song out of my head

[@biggsterboy]

Love coasters, but sadly missed this one. I'm trying to figure out - did it rock freely from side to side on the turns? Seems like it would be a lot of fun!

[@haldrogenbomb]

It did!

[@blacktheriverramps]

R.I.P for this thing it was old but it was good though

[@derisleybrittain]

Superb💕💕💕❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@CelestialMare]

RIP :(

[@NotWaterCountryUSA]

Why do I feel the ruffness?

[@DangCaoYrulookinatmywebsite]

So sad they shut this down

[@Bigdog84037]

This was the first rollercoaster i have ever rode, I will miss Is. But Verbolten is Kick ASS

[@bossgirl200]

It's gone now:( but the new rode is amazayn

[@cjones3710]

Removal of the Wolf is a BIG blow to BGW, the little waterfall area was so beautiful.too. Thwre are waly too many trees been removed at BGW. Pleaae.do.not putjunky LEDS in and ruin the park.

[@THeasianbuddy]

i just rode this and im gonna miss it :(

[@red767]

Rode this in the late 1980s

[@PR4NKxD4TxN00B63]

They should re instal it it was one of my favrit roller coasters

[@adamcorcoran7338]

BBW could have been saved. Busch Gardens wanted something new regardless I what the public felt. So they made lame excuses. Verbolten could have been built on the land where Drachenfire once was.

[@723music]

I only rode this at night, that was the only way to do it.

[@iSpeed09]

RIP big bad wolf. WHY THE HELL DID THEY TEAR IT DOWN?

[@angelaparks9345]

why did they take it down

[@kevinthompson6986]

arrow parts are Getting scarce To Find had It been a wooden it could have been fixed

[@Keybladekiller77]

I never got a chance to ride it

[@KoasterKing205]

why was this shut down?

[@RIDESareLIFE]

To make way for Verbolten

[@KoasterKing205]

Well I knew that obviously. I just asked what the reason was & several people were saying it was down to the ride being too old & costly to maintain etc.

[@FanOfVacuums2]

***** Yeah, those several people were right. Arrow Dynamics (the company that designed/made the BBW) filed for bankruptcy in 2001. This made it so that parts are not readily available. Unlike the Arrow loopers, an Arrow suspended coaster has a one of a kind track design, car design, etc.

[@kevinthompson6986]

all Arrow Dynamics's are on The chopping block including magnum XL 200 but my fav will be around longer gemini,,,,,but all The loopers and mine trains are on way out too

[@kevinthompson6986]

have you not Noticed all The arrow Log Flumes are Dying Out Too?????i heard thats Why carowinds got intimidator arrow Flume parts are Getting hard to Find:(:(:(

[@rfought_6902]

This is a fucking great 🎥

[@1onlymike]

see how close yall are to hitting something 0_0

[@benjamin5073]

#perfectlyCutScreams

[@adamlambertRULES99]

@MrTechlover100 same i was 7 when i rode this and lochness monster

[@jamesthemaniac3293]

Those trim breaks on the big drop ruined everything.

[@MustacheGirl009]

cherron143 ikr😡 this was like my first big rollercoaster

[@TheIpodkyle]

Could they not have made it into Vekoma. Like vampire

[@stellar46]

Now u gotta ride verbolten

[@Amusementnational]

This over verbolten any day

[@tatsurider]

Hahahahahaah that's completely and utterly wrong. And yes I've been to both.

[@Sharpgamingvideos]

Busch gardens tampa Is way better

[@xoblowmyspeakerzupox]

i regret not going on this when i had the chance :(

[@ilehahlg12]

I LOVED this ride. I was so sad when I found out they took it down :(

[@thegreenbastard42011]

there is a ride similar to this in canada, at canadas wonder land, not as long or as fast but still a great ride.

[@skippydmb]

this was the first coaster I had ever seen that was the hanging style. we couldn't figure out why the track was upside down. then I got to ride it!

[@david_king_music]

I'm going to tell AI to convert this to night footage and to put a candle in each of the windows of the village :)

[@tyronegibson7398]

I miss it. :(

[@NorEasterReaper]

Wish I could have ridden it before it was taken down. Out of curiosity, can any manufacturer make a suspended coaster in the Arrow style or could they not because Arrow owned the design?

[@kirblar]

The issue with this style is a maintenance issue, apparently. They're harsh on the tracks and cars and so while you can make one like this, parks don't want to invest the money into something that will last 15-20 years as opposed to 30+ for a standard invert.

[@ReverandChairmanAron]

R.I.P. Big Bad Wolf :>(