How Garfield Became Kennywood's Most Hated Ride

Garfield's Nightmare replaced a historic Kennywood attraction: The Old Mill. This is the story of how the Garfield ride became one of the most hated attraction's in the park's history. Article Version: www.storybookamusement.com/hi...
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📚 VIDEOS USED
The Old Mill
• The Old Mill POV - Ken... (Dark Ride Archive)
• OLD MILL KENNYWOOD Par... (luker_22)
• Hard Headed Harold's H... (David Hahner)
• Kennywood Old Mill POV... (The ScareHouse)
Garfield’s Nightmare
• Garfields Nightmare th... (Blacklight Attractions)
• Garfield's Nightmare M... (David Hahner)
• Garfield's Nightmare O... (RampagingRex Productions)
Kennywood
• That Kennywood Summer (WQED Pittsburgh)
• DON'T STAND UP (WQED Pittsburgh)
• Kennywood Park- May, 2003 (Adam Sandy)
• Steel Phantom's Final ... (Sean Flaharty)
• Noah’s Ark - Full POV ... (TomWasHere)
Jim Davis
• Garfield creator Jim D... (MarkSimontoons)
📚 SOURCES
www.verylocal.com/garfield-ni...
www.heraldstandard.com/entert...
www.pittsburghmagazine.com/wh...
DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide, I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! Thank you for supporting the content on this channel!
#Garfield #Kennywood #ThemePark

[@dabanjo]

Growing up in the 80s and 90s, went to Kennywood countless times. I assure you, no one ever called it "Haunted Harold's Hideaway" or whatever.. it was always "The Old Mill."

[@StorybookAmusement]

Oh that’s what I would assume! I think of “Haunted Harold…” as Kennywood’s official title for the theme/story, but the ride itself was always known as The Old Mill.

[@goldcanyon340.]

Truer words were never spoken.

[@correnlove7439]

I'm a 90's kid and the Old Mill was EVERYTHING.. I was sad to see it changed. Kennywood is my favorite place on Earth, so many memories.. 💛🖤

[@StorybookAmusement]

Oh neat 😄 Thanks so much for watching!

[@matth3w2002]

Noah’s Ark is the scariest attraction at Kennywood prove me wrong.

[@exotie928]

@@Horrorboiiand swingshot

[@rvr__]

if were saying like not in thrill then exterminator if thrill then black widow

[@jordannaser9549]

@matth3w2002 Yes. It has stuck with me since I was a little kid. The gorilla part stuck with me especially. The weird animal noises, that damn flute, the see through floor with literal skeletons, the creep factor!! I have decided to write a poem about the ride. I consider it a rite of passage in a semi-hilarious way. It’s one of the reason I still find the idea of amusement parks so whimsical and mystical. Weird places to indulge in imagination and thrills.

[@erikawilliams9558]

I love Garfield as a character, but the fact that they half-ass threw it together in an already classic ride building did nothing for anyone

[@StorybookAmusement]

That pretty much sums it up!

[@TheCoasterMeme]

The new version of old mill perfectly gives nod to all of the former themes. Your videos are great!

[@StorybookAmusement]

Why thank you!

[@emory_arts]

i kinda find the sets in the Garfield ride pretty charming and effervescent, but completely discordant with that ride system. the new sets have a similar amount of blacklight charm to them but feel significantly more in theme. i’m glad they updated the nightmare! lol

[@StorybookAmusement]

You’re absolutely right! Everything that was created was well-done. The company that did the sets said they cut into their profits to make sure the ride had everything it needed, adding extra pieces. In small bites, it looked nice. The whole context though was a miss. But thank you so much for watching!

[@bappo456]

I've watched about 6 or 7 videos about this ride's history and this is among the best and well rounded.

[@StorybookAmusement]

I appreciate that!

[@skunkman9815]

0:00 that’s me when it comes to DCA’s a bugs land, it was my childhood but disney took it away and replaced it with the avengers campus

[@StorybookAmusement]

Aw man! RIP to Bountiful Valley Farm too

[@ALifeintheParks]

Shoehorning irrelevant IP into a historic attraction wasn’t a great idea? Who knew? I really enjoyed watching this, not been to Kennywood but it’s a park with so much history.

[@StorybookAmusement]

Well thank you so much 😊 been enjoying your recent stuff too, although it's not retro these days!

[@ALifeintheParks]

@@StorybookAmusement Thanks, more retro goodness once I finish off my vacation vlogs 😜

[@StorybookAmusement]

@@ALifeintheParks can’t wait! Enjoying the new stuff in the meantime ☺️

[@martinporter4980]

Although not such a historically valued ride, I wonder if the UK's Chessington World of Adventures' former Professor Burp's Bubbleworks ride's transformation into Gruffalo River Ride will learn anything from this? I believe their former, unique attraction was well loved, and to me, the latest IP creation has a much more restricted audience.

[@ALifeintheParks]

@@martinporter4980 The funny thing about your comment is I actually worked in the construction of Professor Burps Bubbleworks all those years ago. I’ve not been on the Gruffalo River Ride but I hope to get back to CWOA this Summer.

[@constanceway45]

I also cannot express with words how vehemently i hated that damned nightmare. Gutted me more when Noah's Ark got reverted 😢 I'll never forget the rides of my childhood.

[@StorybookAmusement]

Ah, I'm sorry! Noah's Ark is still so charming. I wish more parks had something like it!

[@zparklebugz424]

I loved the Old Mill ...i remember going to Kennywood with my family the first season that they adopted that Garfield BS.... the first ride we wanted to ride was the Old Mill, and when we got to it, me & my dad looked at eachother and at the same time "WTF is this shit?!" we rode it anyway, but throughout the day we kept commenting on what garbage had become if a beloved classic ride!🤦🏼‍♀️😅

[@MonstertomAnimations]

Love to see more people talk about this ride! ive been on it twice (when i was younger), i also went on the new old mill recently. ive got to say this is an amazing video!

[@StorybookAmusement]

Why thank you! I have a feeling there's gonna be a much bigger buzz around the ride. There's another bigger channel working on this topic from what I hear.

[@MonstertomAnimations]

@@StorybookAmusement That's nice to hear! It's good Garfields "fever dream" is getting attention after all these years! Ive always brought up the ride in conversations, though not many people know about it, lol

[@seanwhatshisname1831]

When its a ride thru like this ad a really good loud sound system w good stereo effects and music ..the yelling(at eat other to hear) atmosphere it creates w add to the ride experience

[@larissazmijewski5928]

I love these videos so much! So well researched, great subtle humor and I could seriously listen to your voice all day. Keep up the great work!! 🌟🌟🌟

[@StorybookAmusement]

Why thank you so much! Means a lot that you watched. Thank you!

[@Sketch105]

I love your channel. Thank you so much for covering this because I had only read about how much Garfield was hated and the Old Mill was beloved on forums back in the day, and you seem to always find something niche that hasn’t been covered by previous channels. Bravo!

[@StorybookAmusement]

Thank you! Although this one coincidentally will be covered by a much much bigger channel soon…

[@constanceway45]

I swear if they'd bring back gold rusher I'd be the happiest person on this planet ❤

[@MrSoulauctioneer]

went to Kennywood once in 03. Garfields Nightmare was the absolute worst dark ride I have ever been on. The Exterminator, on the other hand, was AMAZING. Truly loved the old rides they have maintained.

[@StorybookAmusement]

The Exterminator caught me off guard. A pretty good experience and a nice surprise!

[@DennisTamayo]

It didn't mention that in 2019, Jim Davis sold Paws, Inc. to Viacom (now Paramount Global).

[@StorybookAmusement]

Well, you did! So thanks 😅

[@jamesslick4790]

It's since been re themed back to the Old Mill theme!

[@StorybookAmusement]

Yep! Check out the end of the video for that :)

[@msthecommentator2863]

What I love most about the Old Mill's latest iteration is all of the props and nods to other past Kennywood dark rides, such as the coyotes and train front from the God Rusher, or references to the motorcycle riding skeletons of Le Cachot. Kennywood is a park dedicated to preserving and respecting the history of its rides, and I feel the Old Mill is a good example of that.

[@StorybookAmusement]

They did a great job honoring old rides! I love how Kennywood preserves as much of its history as much as they can.

[@themeparkreconnoiter9787]

They could've got The Heathcliff characters instead of Garfield, probably could've theme their kids area based off the 70's and 80's Cartoon and Comic strip. There isn't any other theme park besides Universal Studios Hollywood that doesn't have a kids area based off the yet again 70's and 80's Animated Series and Comic Strip, and have walkarounds Characters of Heathcliff, Iggy Nutmeg, or even The Catillac Cats.

[@StorybookAmusement]

Universal could be doing a lot more with their Toon Lagoon area. I wish they would.

[@kimr8371]

I can still hear it: "Cat stew! Yum yum! Ah ha ha ha!" Garfield's Nightmare was basically the ride where you got to rest your feet and cool off for a bit

[@StorybookAmusement]

There are a lot of rides out there perfect for that. It's a nice break in between coasters!

[@AnthonyZ.]

With Garfield now owned my Paramount, I could imagine a Garfield ride (hopefully a better one) opening at one of the two Nickelodeon Universe theme parks.

[@stormwatcher1299]

Excellent video. That ride looked scarier than most horror movies.

[@StorybookAmusement]

Thanks!

[@StorybookAmusement]

Thanks everyone for watching! What's your least favorite ride you've ever been on? You can check out the article version of this story and much more on storybookamusement.com/ 😊

[@user-tf2ru7oz6w]

I have many memories of Kennywood from the community picnics I went to as a kid. I'm glad The Old Mill has returned. You should do a video on what happened to Laff In The Dark.

[@StorybookAmusement]

That’s a great suggestion!

[@AdventuresWithParker]

Another awesome video!!! It's crazy how this ride has managed to persist for over a 100 years, albeit in various themes and formats. I'm so glad that the park has chosen to revert it back to the Old Mill though! 😂

[@StorybookAmusement]

Thank you! Seems like they’ll keep that thing going for another 100 years too. 😅

[@gregorymorris8343]

Kennywood might Not be the best but it’s ours, Always had a good time at Kennywood

[@StorybookAmusement]

I had the pleasure of visiting for my first time in July. It's not Cedar Point or Magic Kingdom, but it's its own thing. I loved every corner of the park and would gladly visit there again. It might be my favorite regional park.

[@sylastv966]

Just got home from riding this bad boy twice today! Great video!

[@StorybookAmusement]

Ah I'm glad you enjoyed!

[@BobbyHealy]

Wow, whilst we have certainly seen some brave overlays / re themes of classic attractions at parks but this one seems just so off the mark. Another excellent and informative video and as someone who doesn’t have extensive knowledge of these parks, it’s really cool learning about their history.

[@StorybookAmusement]

Thank you as always for watching! Definitely interesting to learn about the background of all these great parks. 😊

[@supremetrapxex]

I haven't heard of kennywood before, butt I do remember garfield.

[@StorybookAmusement]

Hard to forget him!

[@christmaspast5550]

Ok so I was about 7,8,9 the years I went to kennywood consistently… I’m 20 now and Garfields nightmare was one of my favorites! I’m so disappointed it’s gone!

[@StorybookAmusement]

Maybe they'll bring it back if everyone starts complaining it's gone 😅

[@stevenjennings5160]

You're the only person that misses this ride

[@kennywood_fanatic]

Garfield was actually amazing, I loved it at least

[@StorybookAmusement]

That's all that matters really. I'm sorry it's not there for you anymore!

[@kennywood_fanatic]

@@StorybookAmusement I understand why it was not there, but I miss it lol

[@CECandCartoonian]

Garfield: I want to get in the theme park business and it failed.

[@StorybookAmusement]

He did alright for his first try

[@stevenjennings5160]

Garfield's nightmare was the biggest disaster Kennywood ever experienced when it came to backlash. Nobody like it and we petitioned hard to bring the Old Mill back but they had to keep the ride due to a contractual agreement or else they'd of dissolved it many years prior. Even tho the Old Mill is nowhere near as good as it used to be anything is better than Garfield

[@StorybookAmusement]

The Old Mill as it is today feels like a nod to the old attraction, from what I can tell. It's almost like how a Disney ride is based on one of their movies. Kennywood made a ride based on a former ride, more or less. At least that's my take from the outside looking in.

[@queencancerous5332]

This ride looks super cheap honestly, I completely understand why people were pissed off.

[@StorybookAmusement]

It’s not quite Disney quality, but the team behind it did what they could!

[@ParallelDiscover]

really love the upped production value. can you edit my videos?

[@StorybookAmusement]

I can edit them to be really bad if you want me to! But thank you thank you.

[@danalexander6049]

Is that Wile E. Coyote at 13:30?! How did they get away with that?

[@StorybookAmusement]

The likeness is really uncanny, huh? 😅

[@MrNoNogginisdumb]

I remember this my first Time to kennywood and I was frickin scaired

[@StorybookAmusement]

😅 Garfield's Nightmare was everyone's nightmare

[@gangstaspongbob338]

if i am honest i much rather have the Garfield ride mainly because i used to ride it alot i have not gotten to rid the new old mill yet tho so idk

[@StorybookAmusement]

It probably is a generational thing. Older fans prefer the Mill, and younger fans prefer Garfield. I get it!

[@seanwhatshisname1831]

They forgot to add smoke and live animation that startles the boats

[@StorybookAmusement]

Probably not in the budget, but it'd take more than that to save the ride

[@bisem433]

Kennywood seems to like theming with outdated icons. Did any kid even care about Garfield when they commissioned the Garfield brand to the Old Mill? Thomas the Train was already a defunct memory when they spent all the money destroying the charm of the train creating a dead end at that side of the park. I couldn't ride through the Old Mill with Garfield because it irritated me so much. The new conversion is lame too but at least it is a relaxing ride that doesn't p**s me off.

[@StorybookAmusement]

I think it typically comes down to a budget issue. Consider The Peanuts at Cedar Fair parks or Looney Tunes at Six Flags. Seasonal parks don't have the advantage of a year-round budget, so sometimes the best they can afford to license is an older intellectual property.

[@bisem433]

@@StorybookAmusement They need to be more creative. Knobels has two of the best dark rides I've ever been to that were built "in house".

[@StorybookAmusement]

@@bisem433 original rides aren’t as easy to market, but there some incredible ones out there! You’re absolutely right

[@velociwyatt9080]

But they are still recognizable.

[@Noperison]

What if it closed on *monday?*

[@StorybookAmusement]

Garfield would've been veeeery pleased to get the day off and go home to some lasagna and his little bed

[@matth3w2002]

And I thought Hagrids Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure was a mouthful.

[@StorybookAmusement]

I'm pretty sure I missed a word or two one of the times I said Hardheaded Harold's... 😆

[@coltonandjen]

As bad as this ride was, at least it helped my childhood back in the YTP days

[@StorybookAmusement]

The ride was there for so long that a lot of kids grew up with it. Definitely a connection there.

[@coasterdunesproductions]

Still one of my absolute favorite dark rides ever! Don't care what anyone says!

[@StorybookAmusement]

It feels like one of those rides that's the victim of a negative echo chamber. Some people say it's not good, then that opinion grows into a universal hatred for the ride. It has redeeming qualities, for sure. Sorry one of your favorite rides is gone 😓 but thanks for watching!

[@coasterdunesproductions]

@@StorybookAmusement No problem! Great work as always! While it is sad, we all knew with rumors over the years that it would be rethemed eventually someday. And I do agree with what you’re saying. Pittsburgh takes their classic nostalgic Kennywood very seriously and don’t take change very well! So this ride got destroyed with criticism!

[@theboyscout0156]

I didn’t mind Garfield’s nightmare

[@StorybookAmusement]

Do you like the new Old Mill?

[@theboyscout0156]

@@StorybookAmusement it’s ok, I’d much rather have Garfield back, it’s not as dark and it had funny scenes to look at

[@mrhead6856]

Imagine if they made it awesome like it could have been and not Soo lame it became horrible

[@ReptilianQueenn]

Unpopular opinion.. I also grew up with Garfields nightmare so take that as you will. Kennywood also used to have a ride called gold rush and had the scary version of Noah's ark. As a young child I loved Garfields nightmare because it really felt catered to me. Verses GR and NA that I still rode but was petrified by it. I just went to kennywood yesterday and the old mill was very charming. HOWEVER.. I felt it really lacked something.. The old bright neon paint splattered walls and neon food and product placements were gone. It was just dark hall ways.. except for a few spiders along the way. The scenes they do set up are great and fun.. but it's just lackluster till you get there. Also they were done extremely dirty to completely destroy everything. Couldn't keep anything as a little momento or nod to the ride. (There are Easter eggs in it, which is extremely fantastic. Ie a tombstone, orange cats, and even coyotes from the old gold rush) It's fun to have something different, but Garfield will still live on

[@StorybookAmusement]

Of the messages and comments I've gotten since posting this (and then Defunctland coincidentally making a better version haha), I'd say a lot of people feel this way. Having The Old Mill around feels "right" in Kennywood, almost how a Disney park needs The Haunted Mansion. But I agree that the ride is missing something. It's eerily quiet and misses the mark if you don't have a personal connection to it. It seems like anyone who grew up with Garfield's Nightmare prefers that. Those formative years matter! Thanks so much for watching and commenting.

[@crywolfe210]

Somehow I knew I was going to find a comment section full of zoomers with fond memories of a Garfield dark ride

[@StorybookAmusement]

It's something folks are passionate about

[@erikawilliams9558]

Ok boomer

[@ParkTwister]

First

[@StorybookAmusement]

🤣 You got it!

[@ParkTwister]

@@StorybookAmusement I understood the assignment. 🙏🏻

[@ParallelDiscover]

Darn

[@ParallelDiscover]

@@StorybookAmusement just hit the bell so this doesn't happen again

[@crblacklightattractions6179]

I couldn't disagree more. The ride was limited by not tearing down the original building. Its a ride built over 60 years ago. They have very limited que capacity ... they wanted to save the building. If anything you're saying is true why did the ride last 17 years? I can answer that one you're wrong. What you get are these SMALL groups who like certain things, they create groups, content and pretend to speak for everyone. DAFE for example is just a small group of people who love classic dark rides, they will always like Knobbles Haunted Mansion to stay the same. That ride is way outdated and the MASS MAJORITY would love it even more if it was changed to a MODERN TAKE! We have to be realistic here... the people who like the classics will always like the classics but new better more over the top will always appeal MORE to the mass majority of people who spend $70 to $100 bucks to enter a park. This is just fact. The minority always seems to scream the loudest but they're never speaking for the majority.

[@StorybookAmusement]

The ride lasted for 17 years because of licensing. I mentioned that the ride was built on a budget and was intended to be of limited capacity because of the existing ride system. It’s not really clear what we disagree on, but thanks for making a brand-new account just to comment on my video. 😊