Krofft Indoor Amusement Park - What Happened?

[@socialsocial3812]

True story... My family took a vacation to Atlanta when I was a little kid and we went to The Omni. It was a ghost town with only like two or three people ice skating. The Krofft park had already closed but was still there in darkness. My older brother was an explorer and told me in secret to follow him (this was the late 70s when parents would let kids out of their sight with no fear). He found a door someone had forgot to lock and it led to one of the amusement park floors. I'm not sure what level we were on but it looked like Living Island. I still to this day remember how cool (and creepy) that place looked in the dark. That is one of my favorite childhood memories.

[@raypierce5818]

Thanks for these great memories! I was working the previous 2 years doing a Krofft show at Six Flags Over Texas. I got the call to move to Atlanta to work on this new project. SO many stories of being their from the beginning and helping to develop everything from scratch. I worked in the main show downstairs and also did my own magic & illusion show upstairs at the Storybook Theater. It was such a joy to be a part of this once in a lifetime project!

[@LetsGoThere]

Please tell me you have pictures!!!

[@raypierce5818]

@@LetsGoThere I have a very few but we all thought we would be there for many years, so I didn’t document everything as much as I should have. In fact, we heard the news on the television when we were about to go into work for that final day. It was a shock to everyone!

[@LetsGoThere]

@@raypierce5818 would love to see. I'm so fascinated with the place

[@raypierce5818]

@@LetsGoThere This article from our Light Board Operator Bob Foreman has the most collected history on our show and the park. Hope it will yield some insights! vintagetheatrecatalogs.blogspot.com/2020/09/atlanta-world-of-sid-marty-krofft.html

[@LetsGoThere]

@@raypierce5818 Ever see this video? kaltura.uga.edu/media/t/1_cttqtlkf?fbclid=IwAR1N-bLRtIRvtmN7JSwDYRX9JZZ6vSv-4LnSSlsDSQJe-yD85x9T2wGMe7k

[@timebong8366]

Grew up in 70s thanks for the memories

[@quitos713]

My parents took us when I was a little kid. I still have my H. R. Pufnstufw pennant and my ticket stub. Going there with my family as one of my favorite memories.

[@crackeranimalsgo]

Very lucky

[@rebeccav4659]

Call me when you have the time machine ready….🙋🏼‍♀️ I LOVED THIS PLACE!

[@LetsGoThere]

You went there? Lucky!

[@jackiedaytona7681]

3:43 was also the iconic shot from The Walking Dead

[@everyyxy8425]

Shit, that pinball ride looks fun. Now i'm sad.

[@billyray5232]

It's so Sad to think about all the wonderful places and attractions that have been tore down for modern day garbage, I know I've seen a fair share in my Lifetime.

[@LetsGoThere]

This park was ahead of its time for sure and I agree, tearing down the Krofft park for CNN is sickening

[@jeffb3487]

I was lucky enough to get to go to this as a kid......

[@LetsGoThere]

Lucky

[@andrewtaylor940]

One weird fact I only recently found out. Those weird boxy hanging mobiles over the central food court. They aren’t just inoffensive office building art. They were actually installed as sound dampeners. To help mask the sound of the amusement park from the hotel and office tenants. That was the biggest problem with the park. Not just lower attendance then expected. It was making it almost impossible for building owners and management to lease out the office space above and around it.

[@LetsGoThere]

It is noisy now so I can't imagine what it was like before the boxes were hung. They were doing something no one had ever done so they got a lot of things wrong. Like location. Downtown Atlanta was a horrible choice.

[@sixxdrumr8766]

Glad I found this vid! I went there with my family as a kid and it's always been a great memory for me. Riding in the giant pinball is the thing I remember most, and the escalator. From what I hear this park wasn't that great, but I was too young to know. Although, I have more memories of going to Six Flags over Georgia and riding the Scream Machine and the Great Gasp.

[@LetsGoThere]

Disneyland had so many problems when they first opened. I wish these guys found more investors to fix the issues. From images and videos I have found, it looked like a dream instead of an amusement park. Thanks for watching!

[@socialsocial3812]

Scream Machine is still my favorite coaster. Nothing beats that first drop!

[@sarmajere2866]

I've been dying to see the carousel in action since I found out about it and you're the first to have footage! That's amazing!

[@klandersen42]

I remember that. Sadly I never got to go to the park. My family went to Atlanta in 1978 when my sister was working in Atlanta. We did visit the Omni Center/Mall where it had been located and saw the long escalator entrance to the park. Yes the ice-skating rink was on the ground floor. At the time I thought (I might be wrong though) the Atlanta Flames Hockey team had their arena in the Omni complex.

[@LetsGoThere]

You are not alone. So many people missed out on this amazing place. I wish time machines were real because I would use mine to visit here. Ha Ha! (But for serious)

[@skunkman9815]

That pinball ride looks really fun they should make something like that for modern theme parks like Disneyland

[@marcuskole]

That or Willy Wonka boat ride

[@krnelson65]

It was fun!! I went once or twice.

[@scottdavis0801]

I remember as a kid going to Opryland in Nashville, but the buzz going around that time was the new Six flags over Georgia! Didn't hear anything about Sid & Marty Krofft World until many, many years later!

[@danielrhoden2973]

I too got to go and fondly remember the pinball ride. The carousel was closed that day though. What I really remember though was the incredible puppet show with a near life size Elton John playing a plexiglass grand piano!

[@Havito80]

I love the h.r. pufnstuff bobble head you have where did you bought it from?

[@LetsGoThere]

eBay - Funko

[@andrewtaylor940]

I really wish they had saved that trippy translucent merry go round. That was such a unique piece.

[@LetsGoThere]

Sad thing is CNN trashed everything into dumpsters. Can you imagine going through that trash?

[@SevenWhitfield65]

I went there in 1976 and thought it was fantastic. I LOVED the life sized pinball machine ride. We were just passing through Atlanta, and stopped in for some fun. I was 11 and totally loved Sid and Marty krofft shows, so it was a really special place to visit. I had no idea that it closed after only being there for 6 months.

[@LetsGoThere]

You are very lucky! Have any pictures? I am amazed at the thought of this park. Was so ahead of its time!

[@rinaticson390]

I never knew about the park.

[@LetsGoThere]

It was way ahead of its time. You can see amazing footage of the park here. kaltura.uga.edu/media/t/1_cttqtlkf?fbclid=IwAR1NyQAjae7f5cs9eKUBr2bwJiWV6A39iwXQEhcSGUw6J2qHJd4B9KUy30U

[@R4FFLEZ]

I still wanna know what it looked like when it was abandoned

[@LetsGoThere]

I'm sure whoever gutted it for CNN has images

[@timebong8366]

Too bad we can go back to that era

[@LetsGoThere]

I would go in a second

[@timebong8366]

@@LetsGoThere yes me too... born in 1969 grew up during these times remember watching these shows on a 13" black n white tv🤗

[@ThemeParkCrazy]

Incredible job documenting the history of this park! I do want to ask where you found the footage at 1:04. It is truly amazing looking and the ride is ahead of its time!

[@LetsGoThere]

Thanks. I found that footage from an old movie that was made in the park after it had already closed. Don't remember the name.

[@karabrice]

I was there that summer. My parents said it was the most expensive day out ever...more than WDW. That escalator gave me a fear of heights and I was disappointed that there was no LOTL ride or merchandise really.

[@LetsGoThere]

Lucky!

[@TheNedH]

FYI: when you're in the Food Court and your camera points up and you say, "That's the hotel..." that is incorrect. The camera is showing one of the office towers (including my former office). The hotel (still called The Omni International) is at one end of the complex and the North and South towers flank the complex on either side. At the other end of the complex is Phillips Arena, but before that stood the Omni Arena. GREAT footage of the park, though. I went in the summer of '76, during the few months that the park was operational. It was pretty cool. There wasn't a whole lot to it, though. You could see the whole park in a couple of hours (as opposed to Six Flags where you could spend a full day and evening and still not do everything). But I'm glad I can say I was there.

[@crackeranimalsgo]

Was the park open when you worked in that office? I bet that was a great view. Thanks for sharing your info. I love the stories connected to this place.

[@GrimyGhost]

Whoa! Where'd you get the footage of that pinball ride?

[@LetsGoThere]

I know Pufnstuf

[@63Malda]

@@LetsGoThere I so badly want to go on that pinball ride! Maybe, someone will try making another.

[@Kookah]

It’s from the movie “Love’s Dark Ride” which you can find on KZbin.

[@tennysontableau]

@@LetsGoThere Congrats for finding a video of the pinball machine ride. I read about it when I was a kid, and it captured my imagination. It looks pretty groovy and futuristic.

[@johnf5245]

That pinball ride looked awesome!

[@crackeranimalsgo]

It does but everyone keeps posting how it would breakdown. They had a great vision but I think rushed into opening the park.

[@socialsocial3812]

Way ahead of its time

[@bbcmediatvxtras9995]

The Amusement Park doesn't exist anymore, but the Television Company still exists

[@cherrypotion27]

The giant pinball machine ride looks like fun!

[@icebear188]

who's here following the upload of the FBE kids react video

[@madisonrichie8950]

Ice Bear me lol

[@PaddyMesser06]

Me

[@R4FFLEZ]

Me

[@robjames9625]

What film was the pinball footage from? I've seen it on youtube before but can't remember the name

[@toddmartin6572]

Where all the props and displays go??

[@LetsGoThere]

I heard it was all thrown into dumpsters when CNN took over. Can you imagine finding all that stuff in the trash?

[@sawilliams]

Well at least cnn is still an amusement park

[@shannonpelley3217]

It was the Omni International Hotel. The Omni was an events arena next door, where Philips Arena is today

[@TheNedH]

You are correct about the hotel and The Omni arena, but whole complex was called The Omni Complex originally. Later it became CNN Center, even though the Omni and the Omni International didn't change their names. The hotel has kept its name and a companion hotel by the same name has opened up next door.

[@landerstyle100]

this was amazing. I would have loved to have gone there.

[@crackeranimalsgo]

Me too! Can you imagine?

[@socialsocial3812]

Me too!

[@bbcmediatvxtras9995]

The Amusement Park Opened in 1976 but the Television Company was founded in 1969

[@bbcmediatvxtras9995]

The Amusement Park opened when The Television Company retired the Pscycadellic Rainbow Logo and Introduced the Golden Shining Glass Logo

[@LetsGoThere]

I have learned a lot about the Kroffts after doing this video. They had history in Atlanta before this park at Six Flags. Might be why they picked Atlanta to open their own park.

[@BabbleOn777]

@@LetsGoThere Yeah, considering they were actually from Quebec, Canada (makes sense, I lived in Montreal...very progressive city for the times), strange that they chose the Southern states for commerce, as many of their merchandise was made in Tennessee. Cheers for the vid.

[@savannahgrove]

0:10

[@savannahgrove]

XD😂

[@LetsGoThere]

Nailed it

[@savannahgrove]

You do not sound like Puff N Stuff. :(

[@LetsGoThere]

@@savannahgrove Don't crush my dreams 🤣

[@savannahgrove]

I'm not because I hear his voice a lot of times every day, I still love the way he looks and what he sounds like.

[@DavidNavarre]

Wow, a huge building complex dedicated to crazy make believe stories and cartoonish clown characters, and before that it was used for The World of Sid and Marty Kroft.

[@wendyokoopa7048]

You win the net. Freak man that was screen capture worthy

[@gigijerrie322]

Is that puff and stuff.....🙂

[@BabbleOn777]

We went on our way to DisneyWorld from Ohio...I still have my metal, 3d H.R.Pufnstuf lunchbox I got there. Not for the unimaginative, or jaded. Too being a kid, I was never able to enjoy it like I have with friends, tripping balls in Disneyworld on cool Summer nights. Poor Kroft Bros...McDonalds fucked them hard, without even a complimentary reach-around. There would be a market for it today...it was not safe, and geared towards Adults fun, as well as kiddliwinks. Too bad. Cheers man, brought back memories not many have gone after, especially when it isn't Disney or Star Wars these days. But man, those rides were out-of-this-world. Literally.

[@LetsGoThere]

I think it was like the Wonka Factory. Maybe too weird for everyone. Wish I could have seen it.

[@BabbleOn777]

@@LetsGoThere Well? Wish I had seen all of this footage, and Bam! Never know...They are both still alive, and the interest is there...As Wonka says: "We are the musicmakers, and the dreamers of dream..." Or? As FrankNFurtur also said "Don't dream it...Be it.." N'est pas?

[@thomasraven]

My brother and I went there when we were kids and, to tell you the truth, it was pretty lame. It only took a couple of hours to see and do everything. It just wasn't big enough. The rides they had were cool, but there weren't enough of them. Even as a kid, I was disappointed. It seemed like a ripoff to me even then. Sorry, but it's true. A better story is that I met Wayne Gretsky ice skating there. Now THAT was cool.

[@LetsGoThere]

Was Wayne famous yet?

[@LinHolcomb]

Towards the end they let you just start over again with out buying another ticket. Your right it was limited, but fun.

[@BabbleOn777]

@@LetsGoThere Yeah...kind of intersted in knowing that too, considering when it shut down, and all. Good catch.

[@wendyokoopa7048]

My sister works in his birth place. No she hasn't met him yet. With Walter gone probably no incentive for Wayne to come back north.

[@davidr1050]

One thing I always wonder about is what happened to the cars they used for Wonderbug? Did they remain on site when the show closed, were they sold off, or are they sitting in a dusty warehouse somewhere?

[@dakotanorth1640]

But... you still didn't say what happened.

[@LetsGoThere]

Ha Ha! The park closed after only 6 months of operation. Sat there empty until they gutted it for CNN center. Everything was thrown in a dumpster. Can you imagine going through that and all the coolness inside?

[@wendyokoopa7048]

Let's say what happened is a polarizing topic

[@rckcfan]

My parents took me here in the summer of '76, and I was completely fascinated with the park. (Also sick as a dog that particular day, but I was still determined to have a good time.) I wish I had kept all the souvenirs we bought; that stuff is worth a lot on ebay now.

[@LetsGoThere]

It sickens me to know they gutted that place and trashed everything. Can you imagine going through those dumpsters? Ahhhhhhh

[@socialsocial3812]

I wish I was around when the gutted the park. All that stuff was put in a dumpster. Can you imagine finding that stuff and bringing it home?

[@brandonzech649]

I love all things Sid and Marty Kraft I would have loved to habe experienced this ....HR pufnstuf he's my friend when things get rough lol😍😀😁

[@Chippy3]

Not an escUlator

[@daveygivens735]

They should re-make that pinball ride but with real giant rubber balls you get in - it would be built at a 45 degree angle with monstrous paddles that whacked you back to the top of the ride.

[@crackeranimalsgo]

I think that would make people sick but I agree there should be a pinball ride. Disney is our only hope!

[@micheletaggart3274]

Everything was better in the 70s.

[@JasonKavetis]

Going to the dentist wasn't. And gas-guzzling, unreliable cars weren't

[@Oddyellano]

The way the park looks now? There is no park there now!

[@snarkus63]

Great footage....but you didn't really tell us "what happened".

[@klandersen42]

I found another video that fills in the gaps some kzbin.info/www/bejne/mKnQlIapbtV9m5I

[@peyton7904]

3:31 rip Anthony Boursin

[@socialsocial3812]

I noticed that the other day too

[@tomsimpson5317]

Weird place

[@LetsGoThere]

But amazing

[@Pantechnicon]

I always figured Flatbush was killed by Sid & Marty and buried somewhere in the building, which explains why he was no longer with with the Kongs in Season 2 of the Supershow. #findflatbush.

[@LetsGoThere]

No idea what that means but its funny

[@gthompson5353]

i guess they kept the clown college for the CNN reporters

[@BenjaminGessel]

This is SO 70's... 😁 Love it... (Sorry, couldn't find any 70's icons (sorry, emojis) in my free icon list on my phone...) Maybe this will suffice: (no, I can't post stickers or GIF's...) Sooooory!!! (Uh HUH! Uh HUH! Uh HUH!) Prob. can't post Chevy punching Marty Moose either... :-/

[@spock_elvis]

Who's here from the4 Atlanta riots?

[@joekrim6557]

Soy

[@davidtodd3435]

It’s called Clown News Network

[@MrAhg123]

SO CREEPYYYY im sorry but i just hate that monster ur holding

[@marcuskole]

How can you hate Pufnstuf?

[@savannahgrove]

Well, I love Puff N Stuff.❤

[@wendyokoopa7048]

It became CNN. Not an improvement