109-486: Astroworld may refer to: Six Flags AstroWorld , a former theme park in Houston, Texas, U.S. Astroworld (album) , a 2018 album by American rapper Travis Scott named after the theme park Astroworld Festival , an annual music festival organized by Scott and held adjacent to the theme park site Astroworld Festival crowd crush , a 2021 crowd crush incident, which resulted in
218-639: A small circus in Baraboo, Wisconsin . This was about the same time that Barnum & Bailey were at the peak of their popularity. Similar to dozens of small circuses that toured the Midwestern United States and the Northeastern United States at the time, the brothers moved their circus from town to town in small animal-drawn caravans. Their circus rapidly grew and they were soon able to move their circus by train , which allowed them to have
327-450: A unicycle club from The Bronx and the first ever African-American circus troupe, to perform unicycle basketball for 18 years with the circus. Performing unicyclists also included Ted Jorgensen . The company was taken public in 1969. In 1970, Feld's only son Kenneth joined the company and became a co-producer. The circus was sold to the Mattel company in 1971 for $ 40 million, with
436-495: A "multi-platform entertainment franchise". On September 29, 2023, after a six-year hiatus, the relaunched circus kicked off at Brookshire Grocery Arena in Bossier City, Louisiana. The circus maintained two circus train -based shows, one each on its Red Unit and Blue Unit trains. Each train was a mile long with roughly 60 cars: 36 passenger cars, 4 stock cars and 20 freight. Rolling stock belonging to
545-495: A 55 ft (17 m) drop over a spiral track "wrapped around a huge tree"), Magnetic House (a fun house ) and a wooden bridge were added for the 1970 season to an island (themed "Fun Island") in the lagoon between the Astroneedle and Plaza de Fiesta. The first major park expansion opened in 1972 with a new area themed Country Fair between Americana Square and Oriental Corner. Country Fair included typical midway attractions and
654-528: A 6-year-old Siberian tiger named Suzy who had previously starred in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, escaped from a convoy of trucks transporting her from Florida to Memphis International Airport and was fatally shot by police after attacking a nearby dog. In 1952, Paramount Pictures released the Cecil B. DeMille production The Greatest Show on Earth , which traced the traveling show through
763-527: A Mayan pyramid. The ride's trains had twelve cars made by the Dutch company Vekoma, with T-bars used as restraints. In 2004, Josh Harkinson of the Houston Press wrote, "the coaster resembles Indiana Jones skiing Space Mountain: It caroms in total darkness inside a faux Mayan temple. Teens are delightfully horrified." In 2019, the newspaper's Jef Rouner opined, "The line setting was fantastic, too. It wound through
872-409: A ceremony at Rome's Colosseum. Irving Feld immediately began making other changes to improve the quality and profitability of the show. Irvin got rid of the freak show so as not to capitalize on others' deformations and to become more family oriented. He got rid of the more routine acts. In 1968, with the craft of clowning seemingly neglected and with many of the clowns in their 50s, he established
981-639: A circus created by P. T. Barnum and James Anthony Bailey , was merged with the Ringling Bros. World's Greatest Shows . The Ringling brothers purchased Barnum & Bailey Ltd. in 1907 following Bailey's death in 1906, but ran the circuses separately until they were merged in 1919. After 1957, the circus no longer exhibited under its own portable " big top " tents, instead using permanent venues such as sports stadiums and arenas. In 1967, Irvin Feld and his brother Israel, along with Houston judge Roy Hofheinz , bought
1090-658: A journalist who was writing about the Feld family, and of various animal rights groups such as PETA. After three years in Baraboo, the clown college operated at the Sarasota Opera House in Sarasota until 1998 before the program was suspended. In February 1999, the circus company started previewing Barnum's Kaleidoscape , a one ring, intimate, upscale circus performed under the tent. Designed to compete with similar upscale circuses such as Cirque du Soleil , Barnum's Kaleidoscape
1199-440: A jungle past skeletons in crashed jeeps and was probably the best themed wait outside of Batman: The Escape." The ride later operated as The Hornet at Amarillo 's Wonderland Park . In 1997, AstroWorld added Dungeon Drop , an Intamin drop tower , to Nottingham Village; that ride let passengers fall, reaching approximately 60 mph (97 km/h) in three seconds, before slowing the descent via large magnets. The ride's entry
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#17330855136101308-541: A land development firm based in Conroe, Texas . By that time, Burke had been removed as CEO. In 2009, the former Astroworld site was still vacant. The land tract was reported as taking up 104 acres (42 ha). The land owners hired real estate consultants, Croswell Torian Commercial Properties, to subdivide and market the property to other developers under the "SouthPoint" brand, though no development had yet occurred. The original 110-acre (45 ha) tract purchased by Hofheinz
1417-503: A name for themselves marketing and promoting D.C. area rock and roll shows. In 1959, Ringling Bros. started wintering in Venice, Florida . In late 1967, Irvin Feld , Israel Feld , and Judge Roy Mark Hofheinz of Texas, together with backing from Richard C. Blum , the founder of Blum Capital , bought the company outright from North and the Ringling family interests for $ 8 million at
1526-572: A plaintiff in the lawsuit. The circus then sued the animal rights groups under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act in 2007, accusing the groups of conspiracy to harm its business and other illegal acts. In December 2012, the ASPCA agreed to pay the circus $ 9.2 million to settle its part of the lawsuit. The 14-year course of litigation came to an end in May 2014 when The Humane Society of
1635-975: A price of $ 4.50 for adults and $ 3.50 for children. Stan McIlvaine, who had formerly operated Six Flags Over Texas, was the first general manager of AstroWorld. Two of the park's sixteen attractions were not operational on opening day. Marvel McFey, the park's official mascot (branded the "Ambassador of Happiness"), was introduced in 1972. He was accompanied by a menagerie of "animal gypsies": Winston Wolf (the sheriff of AstroWorld); Pigs One, Two, and Three (mischievous tricksters named Quiz, Chiquito, and Harpo); Percy Penguin; Pierre Le Rat (the resident artist); Flopper Rabbit (a country bumpkin); Beethoven Bear (a checkers champion); Samantha Skunk ("a bright purple and pink flower child"); Frieda Frog (McFey's secretary); and Lester Lion (a frustrated baseball player). In addition to their in-park greeting and show duties, Marvel and his caravan of Enchanted Animals represented AstroWorld at many civic functions. Rolly Crump designed and built
1744-611: A quick thrill". AstroWorld removed the ride during the 1990s. XLR-8 was installed in 1984. Looping Starship was installed in 1986. Arrow-Huss originally manufactured Tidal Wave as " Shoot the Chute " for the 1984 World's Fair in New Orleans. Six Flags purchased the ride after the fair's bankruptcy and installed it at AstroWorld in 1988, replacing the Lost World riverboat ride. It was described as "a flume designed to plunge passengers down
1853-445: A scaled-back, single-ring version of the show designed to serve smaller markets deemed incapable of supporting the three-ring versions. Many animal rights groups have criticized the circus for their treatment of animals over the years, saying that using them to perform is cruel and unnecessary. In 2004, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey were investigated following the death of a lion who died from heat and lack of water while
1962-728: A separate $ 8.95 admission charge was required for entry; by comparison, the one-day ticket price for AstroWorld at the time was $ 12.50. The 10-acre (4.0 ha) 1.9 million-gallon water park featured a 200 ft-long (61 m) wave pool called Breaker Beach. According to the Houston Chronicle , other attractions included the Lagoon, "a lush swimming area with waterfalls and diving platforms". Water slides included Wipe-Out, Typhoon, Tidal Wave, and Hurricane, which offered twisting and turning rides as long as 400 ft (120 m) while patrons slid back down to earth. Wipe-Out, in particular, had
2071-406: A series of slides in a small boat" and "dependent upon a stream of pumped water". Ultra Twister was installed in 1990. The ride stood nine stories tall and had a vertical drop followed by a series of barrel rolls. Mayan Mindbender was installed originally as Nightmare at Boblo Island in 1995, becoming the park's first indoor roller coaster. The 1,148-foot (350 m) coaster was housed inside
2180-507: A spinning rapids ride; after the closure of AstroWorld, both rides were relocated to Six Flags New England as Catapult and Splash Water Falls, respectively. S&S Worldwide manufactured SWAT, and only two rides of this type were built; the other was installed at Thorpe Park in England. WaterWorld, Houston's first water park, opened in June 1983. Although it shared an entrance with AstroWorld,
2289-406: A vertical drop of 60 ft (18 m) over a straight 300 ft (91 m) length and claimed to accelerate riders to 40 mph (64 km/h). "Squirt's Splash was strictly for the kids and parents with water pistols and mazes. Runaway River was an attraction that saw riders float through a series of pools and thrilling drops that eventually lead back to the Lagoon." Two rides were added to
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#17330855136102398-517: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Six Flags AstroWorld Six Flags AstroWorld , also known simply as AstroWorld , was a seasonally operated amusement park in Houston, Texas . Owned and operated by Six Flags , the park was situated between Kirby Drive and Fannin Street, directly south of I-610 . The park opened on June 1, 1968, and
2507-508: The Debbie Gibson song " Staying Together " was filmed at the concert venue in 1987. The venue hosted music festivals such as Joyfest, featuring Christian groups Jars of Clay and Point of Grace (1990s). Six Flags AstroWorld originated the " Fright Nights " special event for the Halloween season in 1986, designed to help drive attendance during the otherwise light fall season. The event
2616-701: The Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa . In 1993, the clown college was moved from the Venice Arena to Baraboo, Wisconsin. In 1995, the company founded the Center for Elephant Conservation (CEC). Clair George has testified in court that he worked as a consultant in the early 1990s for Kenneth Feld and the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. He was involved in the surveillance of Janice Pottker ,
2725-575: The Looney Tunes characters in 1984 for its theme parks from Marriott along with the Great America in Gurnee theme park; Marriott had held the license since 1976 for its twin Great America parks. Six Flags continued to change ownership, being purchased by Bally Manufacturing in 1982, then by a private equity firm, Wesray Corporation , in 1987. Time Warner acquired a minority stake in 1990 and owned
2834-575: The Pacific Coast Railroad at Santa Margarita Ranch in April as Caroline . In addition, Harper Goff designed a custom railcar for Judge Hofheinz, named the Astrodoma , designed to run on the same tracks; it was stored alongside its locomotive in 1976 after the park was sold to Six Flags, and remained undisturbed before it was sold in 2018. Bamboo Shoot (a log flume later named Ozarka Splash) and
2943-524: The Ringling Bros. Circus , Ringling Bros. , the Barnum & Bailey Circus , Barnum & Bailey , or simply Ringling , is an American traveling circus company billed as The Greatest Show on Earth . It and its predecessor have run shows from 1871, with a hiatus from 2017 to 2023. They operate as Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey. The circus started in 1919 when the Barnum & Bailey's Greatest Show on Earth,
3052-567: The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College . Circus Williams, a circus in Europe was purchased for $ 2 million just to have its star animal trainer, Gunther Gebel-Williams , for the core of his revamped circus. Soon, he split the show into two touring units, Red and Blue, which could tour the country independently. The separate tours could also offer differing slates of acts and themes, enabling circus goers to view both tours where possible. . Also in 1968, Feld hired The King Charles Troupe ,
3161-596: The AstroWorld 50th Anniversary Employee Reunion. On December 28, 1968, ABC aired the children's television special The Pied Piper of Astroworld , starring Soupy Sales , Lesley Gore , and Kenny Rogers and The First Edition , featuring Patrick Swayze in a bear costume and The Muppets . Robert Altman directed Bud Cort as a reclusive inventor living in the Astrodome for the cult classic film Brewster McCloud , released in 1970, with scenes from AstroWorld including
3270-641: The Astrodome. Hofheinz continued to develop the Astrodomain, creating AstroWorld (1968), the Astrohall convention center (which hosted twice-daily stagings of the now-defunct Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in 1969; Hofheinz had acquired the circus in December 1967), and four hotels with a capacity of 5,600 guests to serve visitors: the Astroworld Motor Hotel (with a private suite for Hofheinz on
3379-611: The Barnum & Bailey Greatest Show on Earth are now combined into one record-breaking giant of all exhibitions." Charles E. Ringling died in 1926, but the circus flourished through the Roaring Twenties . John Ringling had the circus move its headquarters to Sarasota, Florida , in 1927. In 1929, the American Circus Corporation signed a contract to perform in New York City. John Ringling purchased American Circus,
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3488-457: The Feld family retained as management. After Walt Disney World opened near Orlando , Florida, in 1971, the circus attempted to cash in on the resulting tourism surge by opening Circus World theme park in nearby Haines City , which broke ground in April 1973. The theme park was expected to become the circus's winter home as well as to have the Clown College located there. Mattel placed
3597-713: The Lost World Adventure riverboat ride. The model of AstroWorld built by Ed Henderson in 1967 was displayed publicly again at the Houston Public Library Central Library's Julia Ideson Building starting in 2011. In 2016, the library announced the model would be exhibited there permanently. In 2015, the bar Moving Sidewalk launched an AstroWorld-themed cocktail menu. American rapper and singer Travis Scott , born and raised in Houston, called his third studio album Astroworld (2018) to commemorate his hometown. In an XXL interview, he said of
3706-529: The Museum on road tours, named "P.T. Barnum's Grand Traveling American Museum". The Museum burned down in July 1865. Though Barnum attempted to re-establish the Museum at another location in the city, it too burned down in 1868, and Barnum opted to retire from the museum business. In 1871, Dan Castello and William Cameron Coup persuaded Barnum to come out of retirement to lend his name, know-how, and financial backing to
3815-572: The Serpent junior coaster were installed in 1969. Bamboo Shoot took riders on a 1,500 ft (460 m) course at speeds up to 30 mph (48 km/h); each of the 25 boats carried four adults or six children. Serpent carried 24 passengers on a 722 ft (220 m) track in six cars. The Alpine Carousel (also known as the Dentzel Carousel, after its manufacturer ) in Alpine Village also
3924-469: The U.S. and featured a 92 ft (28 m) drop at 53 degrees, achieving a speed of 65 mph (105 km/h). During construction, a tropical storm damaged a portion of the ride, delaying its opening. After the park closed, the coaster's trains were relocated to La Ronde . Greezed Lightnin', installed in 1978, could accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour (97 km/h) in four seconds. Joe Bob Briggs (writing under his given name, John Bloom) covered
4033-569: The USDA by PETA, the company agreed to pay a $ 270,000 fine, the largest civil penalty ever assessed against an animal exhibitor under the Animal Welfare Act. In March 2015, Feld Entertainment announced it would stop using elephants in its shows by 2018, stating that the 13 elephants that were part of its shows would be sent to the circus's Center for Elephant Conservation , which at that time housed over 40 elephants. Feld stated that this action
4142-632: The United States and a number of other animal rights groups paid a $ 16 million settlement to the circus' parent company, Feld Entertainment . From 2007 to 2011, the United States Department of Agriculture conducted inspections of the circus's animals, facilities, and records, finding non-compliance with the agency's regulations. The allegations, as brought forth by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) included videotapes of
4251-461: The bottom. As you reach the base of the tower, several weeks ahead of your stomach, you will be swooshed along a curving track, changing your horizon and your bearings, and braked to a quick stop while lying on your back." In 2013, the newspaper's J. R. Gonzalez recalled, this "crash course in physics ... wasn't as scary as the Texas Cyclone, nor as drenching as Thunder River, but it did make for
4360-484: The bridge. Additional design work for the park was performed by I. A. Naman & Associates (air conditioning); Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam (electrical); Walter P Moore (structural); Turner, Collie & Braden (civil engineering); and Linesch & Reynolds (landscape architects). 500,000 cu yd (380,000 m ) of fill was required for the site, because of its low elevation and drainage issues. Dozier Specialty, who had previously worked on Colt Stadium ,
4469-450: The canvasmen, ushers and sideshow workers. The third section had 19 sleeping cars for the performers. On January 13, 1994, eighteen cars of the circus train derailed while traveling between St. Petersburg and Orlando . Ringling estimated that 150 employees were on board at the time of the accident; fifteen received minor injuries, and clown Ceslee Conkling and elephant trainer Ted Svertesky were killed. The animals were not injured due to
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4578-469: The character costumes. In 1970, just two years after the opening of Astroworld, Hofheinz survived a stroke that left him in a wheelchair. The enterprise announced a $ 38 million long-range financing program in 1972, with notes held by General Electric Credit Corp., Ford Motor Credit Co., and HNC Realty. Those creditors assumed control of the Astrodomain in 1974. Astrodomain sold the hotels to Servico Inc. in May 1976. Hofheinz liquidated his interest in
4687-519: The circus announced that all elephants would be retired in 2018 to the CEC, but Ringling accelerated the decision and retired the elephants in May 2016. Eight months after it retired the elephants, it was announced in January 2017, that the circus would do 30 more performances, lay off more than 462 employees between March and May 2017 and then close. The circus cited steeply declining ticket sales associated with
4796-558: The circus corporation up for sale in December 1973 despite its profit contributions, as Mattel as a whole had a $ 29.9 million loss in 1972. The park's opening was delayed until February 1974. Venture Out in America, Inc., a Gulf Oil recreational subsidiary, bought the combined shows in January 1974, and the opening was further pushed back to 1975. While the Circus Showcase for Circus World opened on February 21, 1974 , Venture Out placed
4905-414: The circus displayed the reporting mark "RBBX". The Blue and Red Tours presented a full three-ring production for two years each, taking off the month of December, visiting alternating major cities each year. Each train presented a different "edition" of the show, using a numbering scheme that dates back to circus origins in 1871 – the first year of P.T. Barnum's show. The Blue Tour presented
5014-561: The circus from the Ringling family. In 1971, the Felds and Hofheinz sold the circus to Mattel , buying it back from the toy company in 1981. Since the death of Irvin Feld in 1984, the circus has continued to be a part of Feld Entertainment , an international entertainment firm headed by his son Kenneth Feld , with its headquarters in Ellenton, Florida . In May 2017, with weakening attendance, many animal rights protests, and high operating costs ,
5123-537: The circus performed its final animal show at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum and closed indefinitely. In September 2023, after a six-year hiatus, a relaunched animal-free circus returned with its first show in Bossier City, Louisiana . Hachaliah Bailey appears to have established one of the earliest circuses in the United States after he purchased an African elephant , whom he named " Old Bet ", around 1806, just 13 years after John Bill Ricketts first brought
5232-550: The circus they had already created in Delavan, Wisconsin . The combined show was named "P.T. Barnum's Great Traveling Museum, Menagerie, Caravan, and Hippodrome". As described by Barnum, Castello and Coup "had a show that was truly immense, and combined all the elements of museum, menagerie , variety performance, concert hall, and circus", and considered it to potentially be "the Greatest Show on Earth", which subsequently became part of
5341-415: The circus to the United States from Great Britain. P. T. Barnum , who as a boy had worked as a ticket seller for Hachaliah Bailey's show, had run the Barnum's American Museum from New York City since 1841 from the former Scudder's American Museum building. Besides building up the existing exhibits, Barnum brought in animals to add zoo-like elements, and a freak show . During this time, Barnum took
5450-729: The circus train was traveling through the Mojave Desert . In 1998, the United States Department of Agriculture filed charges against Ringling Bros. for forcing a sick elephant to perform. Ringling paid a $ 20,000 fine. In 2000, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and other animal groups sued the circus, alleging that it violated the Endangered Species Act by its treatment of Asian elephants in its circus. These allegations were based primarily on
5559-473: The circus would be relaunched in 2023, without animal performances. In early 2022, the circus began auditioning artists for a retooled circus. More than 1,000 acts applied, and auditions were held in Paris , Las Vegas , Ethiopia , and Mongolia . In May 2022, Feld Entertainment announced that the circus would resume operations in the fall of 2023 with a tour of 50 cities. The circus said the new show would debut as
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#17330855136105668-609: The circus's name. Independently of Castello and Coup, James Anthony Bailey had teamed up with James E. Cooper to create the Cooper and Bailey Circus in the 1860s. The Cooper and Bailey Circus became the chief competitor to Barnum's circus. As Bailey's circus was outperforming his, Barnum sought to merge the circuses. The two groups agreed to combine their shows on March 28, 1881. Initially named "P.T. Barnum's Greatest Show On Earth, And The Great London Circus, Sanger's Royal British Menagerie and The Grand International Allied Shows United", it
5777-591: The circuses separately until 1919. By that time, Charles Edward Ringling and John Nicholas Ringling were the only remaining brothers of the five who founded the circus. They decided that it was too difficult to run the two circuses independently because of labour shortages and complications to rail travel brought about by American involvement in World War I, and on March 29, 1919, "Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Combined Shows" debuted in New York City. The posters declared, "The Ringling Bros. World's Greatest Shows and
5886-617: The combined attendance of AstroWorld and Water World was 2.27 million visitors; AstroWorld alone was ranked as the 28th most attended theme park in the United States with 1.99 million guests. AstroWorld attendance ranked 35th overall among all theme parks in 2000, 37th overall in 2002, 36th overall in 2003, and 39th overall in 2004, which was eighth among all Six Flags parks in 2004. A contractual agreement that allowed Six Flags patrons to park at Reliant Stadium expired in August 2005, and attempts to extend it failed. CFO Jim Dannhauser cited
5995-471: The company a short time later. Six Flags purchased a 20-year operating lease for AstroWorld in mid-1975. The following year, Six Flags AstroWorld introduced a new, high-speed roller coaster, the Texas Cyclone . A new playground named "The Magical World of Marvel McFey" was added to Children's World for the 1977 season. That same year, Robert Cartmell named the Texas Cyclone the best roller coaster in
6104-532: The company outright by September 1993. During Astroworld's first twenty years, it entertained more than thirty million visitors. The amusement park persisted while new competitors in Houston emerged and failed, including Busch Gardens , Hanna–Barbera Land , and SeaArama Marineworld. Attendance increased during these earlier years. In the early 1990s, the Six Flags parks gained access to DC Comics characters through its corporate owner, Time Warner; Batman: The Escape
6213-552: The deaths of 10 people See also [ edit ] All pages with titles containing Astroworld Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Astroworld . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Astroworld&oldid=1230090414 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
6322-577: The early 1980s. WaterWorld, an adjacent water park built in 1983, became part of AstroWorld in 2002. The park's outdoor concert venue, the Southern Star Amphitheatre , opened in 1980. Well-known musicians and bands performed at the amphitheater over the years, including The Beach Boys , the Grateful Dead , and Bob Dylan . At the time the park closed, the themed areas were: The Alpine Sleigh Ride , Astrowheel, and Mill Pond were among
6431-524: The even-numbered editions on a two-year tour, beginning each even-numbered year, and the Red Tour presented the odd-numbered editions on the same two-year tour, beginning each odd-numbered year. In the 1950s, there was one gigantic train system comprising three separate train loads that brought the main show to the big cities. The first train load consisted of 22 cars and had the tents and the workers to set them up. The second section comprised 28 cars and carried
6540-406: The expired parking arrangement as a "contributing factor" in the decision to close. Burke later explained in 2014 the decision was based on "[AstroWorld's] condition and location and the costs to modernize ... we had big offers pouring in for the land at the time and it just made more sense to close it." The final date of park operation was October 30, 2005. Following the closure, most of
6649-562: The first major roller coaster in the park, the Dexter Frebish Electric Roller Ride (renamed "Excalibur" in 1981 with the retheming of the expansion to Nottingham Village). The park added a second antique carousel at this time in Country Fair, originally built in 1907 by Borelli. Installed in 1976 as part of the 7-acre (2.8 ha) "Coney Island" expansion, Texas Cyclone was among the largest wooden roller coasters in
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#17330855136106758-481: The first year. To compensate for the humidity in Houston, the park included more than 2,400 tons of cooling with vents in the shaded areas of the park, which AstroWorld called "the largest outdoor air conditioning system in the world" at its opening. Additional air conditioning systems were fitted to the Alpine Sleighs, blowing gusts of refrigerated air over guests at 10 °F (−12 °C). The "610 Limited"
6867-539: The former site of the Astrowheel in 1981; it was later moved to Plaza de Fiesta in 1987 and renamed Warp 2000. Warp 2000 was operating as Crazy Legs at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington , as of 2016. The ten-story Sky Screamer debuted in 1983. Louis B. Parks of the Houston Chronicle said of the ride at the time: "After being shot to the top of the tower in a super fast elevator ride, you are now about to free fall back to
6976-481: The grounds", referring to the Duell loop that routes visitors through each part of the park. AstroWorld opened on June 1, 1968, just south of the Astrodome, creating a multi-facility entertainment complex; 50,000 guests visited the park during the first weekend. Hofheinz enlisted two of his grandchildren to launch the amusement park with the release of 2,000 balloons. An initial workforce of 1,200 collected tickets at
7085-648: The head elephant trainer and the animal superintendent backstage repeatedly hitting elephants with bullhooks just before the animals would enter the arena for performances. A tiger trainer was videotaped beating tigers during dress rehearsals. An inspection report alleged that a female Asian elephant, Banko, was forced to perform at a show in Los Angeles despite a diagnosis of sand colic and observations that she appeared to be suffering abdominal discomfort. The inspection reports also cited splintered floors and rusted cages. Following these inspections and complaints filed with
7194-409: The indebted circus twice, the first from 1937 to 1943. Special dispensation was given to the circus by President Roosevelt to use the rails to operate in 1942, in spite of travel restrictions imposed as a result of World War II . Many of the most famous images from the circus that were published in magazine and posters were captured by American Photographer Maxwell Frederic Coplan , who traveled
7303-563: The largest traveling amusement enterprise of that time. Bailey's European tour gave the Ringling brothers an opportunity to move their show from the Midwest to the eastern seaboard. Faced with the new competition, Bailey took his show west of the Rocky Mountains for the first time in 1905. He died the next year, and the circus was sold to the Ringling Brothers. The Ringlings purchased the Barnum & Bailey Greatest Show on Earth in 1907 and ran
7412-441: The looping coaster in Texas Monthly that year, noting the ride only lasts 28 seconds, adding the second half of the ride is carried out in reverse: "If there is anything more frightening than entering a 360-degree loop in a coaster car, it is entering a 360-degree loop backwards in a coaster car". Thunder River , installed in 1980, has been described as the "first commercially successful river-rapids ride". Warp 10 took over
7521-531: The loss of the elephants combined with high operating costs as reasons for the closure, along with animal cruelty concerns. On May 7, 2017, its "Circus Extreme" tour was shown for the last time at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island. The circus's last performance before the hiatus was its "Out of This World" tour at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York on May 21, 2017. In October 2021, Feld Entertainment Chairman and CEO Kenneth Feld and COO Juliette Feld Grossman announced that
7630-404: The model to the Houston Public Library . The Hofheinz family, Roy and his three children (Roy Jr., Fred, and Dene), shared ownership of the park. Hofheinz hosted a press preview in May 1968; Leonard Traube wrote the park "has a beautifully realized continuity and layout calculated to move traffic in such a way as to make practical the policy of a single gate admission for virtually everything on
7739-489: The movies and television, abandoned the circus, which gave its last performance under the big top in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania , on July 16, 1956. An article in Life magazine reported that "a magical era had passed forever". In 1956, when John Ringling North and Arthur Concello moved the circus from a tent show to an indoor operation, Irvin Feld was one of several promoters hired to work the advance for select dates. Irvin Feld and his brother, Israel Feld , had already made
7848-425: The nature of the derailment. The cars carrying the horses and elephants were at the front of the train because otherwise their weight could derail the train, and the other animals were carried at the back of the train. The NTSB's report on the accident concluded that the train derailed due to a fatigue crack in one of the train's wheels. From 2003 to 2015, the circus also operated a truck-based Gold Tour presenting
7957-419: The ninth floor), Holiday Inn-Astroworld, Howard Johnson Motor Lodge-Astroworld, and Sheraton Inn-Astroworld. In 1967, Hofheinz initially denied that preliminary work for an amusement park had been underway, but later announced on September 16 that approximately half of the remaining land, 57-acre (23 ha), was being developed for a park to be named "Astroworld". Hofheinz showed an architectural model of
8066-597: The one-ring International Circus Festival of Monte Carlo that debuted in Japan and Australia. The Felds bought the circus back in 1982 less Circus World. Irvin Feld died in 1984 and the company has since been run by Kenneth. In 1990, the Seminole Gulf Railway , who took over the rail line serving the Venice facility in 1987, could no longer support the show's train cars, which led the combined circus to move its winter base to
8175-452: The outside ring were swapped from a D. C. Muller and Bros. carousel that had previously operated at Pen Mar Park between 1907 and 1943; August Karst operated both the Pen Mar and Forest parks. The Brass Ring Carousel Company of Sun Valley, California , purchased the carousel before the 2006 auction of AstroWorld assets, and restored it for a private museum. The Swamp Buggy (a dark ride with
8284-566: The owner of five circuses, for $ 1.7 million. In 1938, the circus made a lucrative offer to Frank Buck , a well-known adventurer and animal collector, to tour as their star attraction and to enter the show astride an elephant. He refused to join the American Federation of Actors , stating that he was "a scientist, not an actor." Though there was a threat of a strike if he did not join the union, he maintained that he would not compromise his principles, saying, "Don't get me wrong. I'm with
8393-465: The park and announced that Randall Duell and Associates had designed it; Duell, a Hollywood set designer and architect, had previously designed Six Flags Over Texas . An initial $ 25 million investment paid for extensive landscaping and a long pedestrian viaduct spanning the I-610 freeway, the first privately owned, publicly accessible span over a federal highway. Lloyd, Morgan & Jones designed
8502-467: The park in 1999, including Big Kahuna. Peak attendance reached approximately 20,000 people on Saturdays. AstroWorld and WaterWorld merged in 2002. The park's Southern Star Amphitheater opened in 1980 and hosted a variety of performers, including The Beach Boys, The Cure , Destiny's Child , Bob Dylan, the Grateful Dead, Heart (1985), Billy Idol , The Monkees , and Selena . The music video for
8611-423: The park's assets, including rides and equipment, were sold during a three-day public auction held January 6–8, 2006. Company executives expected to sell the land for as much as $ 150 million, but ultimately received less than half that amount. After spending $ 20 million to demolish the park and clear the land, Six Flags sold the cleared property for $ 77 million in 2006 to Angel/McIver Interests,
8720-597: The park's closure and demolition, "They took AstroWorld away from us in Houston." Scott announced a festival taking Astroworld's name for 2018. Scott mentioned one of the motivations of the festival was to "bring back the beloved spirit and nostalgia of AstroWorld, making a childhood dream of Travis' come true". In 2019, Craig Hlavaty of the Houston Chronicle called the Astroneedle a Houston landmark. Ringling Bros. and Barnum %26 Bailey Circus The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus , also known as
8829-485: The park's model. After the park closed in 2005, the model was discovered sawed into six pieces in a warehouse, then returned to Henderson. He stored it in his garage before it was displayed in fall 2010 at the Optical Project gallery, operated by artists Bill Davenport and Francesca Fuchs. In 2011, it was sold to I. A. Naman and Associates, the same firm that had designed the park's outdoor air conditioning; they donated
8938-410: The park's original sixteen rides. The Alpine Sleigh Ride "[took] passengers in roller coasters fashion over a mountain and through snow storms and waterfalls". Its opening was delayed by three weeks after the park's opening day. The water skimmer ride Mill Pond was not operational on opening day for mechanical reasons as well as the late arrival of two "water bug" cars. The Black Dragon debuted within
9047-532: The program ran on Tuesday evenings for thirty episodes on ABC in 1963–1964. In August 2011, 20th Century Fox announced that a biographical musical drama film entitled The Greatest Showman was in development. Michael Gracey was set to direct, with Jenny Bicks and Bill Condon as writers. Hugh Jackman plays P.T. Barnum , and produced the film, with Michelle Williams portraying Barnum's wife, Charity. Principal photography began in November 2016. The film
9156-480: The purchase deal back into negotiations, and the opening of the complex was moved to early 1976. In the 1980s, Ringling sued the American Broadcasting Company for airing a Schoolhouse Rock! episode titled "The Greatest Show On Earth", later known as "The Weather Show" due to the circus' slogan being used as a title for that episode. By May 1980, the company expanded to three circuses by adding
9265-568: The remaining structures was completed by mid-2006. Judge Roy Hofheinz , who was one of the original owners of the Houston Astros baseball team and spearheaded the lobbying effort that resulted in Harris County financing the construction of the Astrodome , founded the "Astrodomain" holding company after the Astrodome's opening in 1965. It owned 116 acres (47 ha) in south Houston surrounding
9374-452: The setup and breakdown of performances during the 1951 season, the show's 81st edition since 1871. The film starred Charlton Heston , Betty Hutton , James Stewart , and Emmett Kelly . After its 1952 release, the film was awarded two Academy Awards, including one for Best Picture . A television series of the same title , was inspired by the film, with Jack Palance in the role of Charlton Heston's character. Produced by Desilu Productions,
9483-452: The testimony of a circus barn worker. After years of litigation and a six-week non-jury trial, the Court dismissed the suit in a written decision in 2009, finding that the barn worker did not have standing to file suit. (ASPCA v. Feld Entm’t, Inc., 677 F. Supp. 2d 55 (D.D.C. 2009)). Meanwhile, the circus learned during the trial that the animal rights groups had paid the barn worker $ 190,000 to be
9592-447: The tract were developed, and other parts were undeveloped; the HLSR was using some of that property for overflow parking and conveying those visitors over the long pedestrian viaduct, the last remnant of the former amusement park. Though the site includes a great field of grass, the land is stabilized and partly paved with asphalt, so it can be used for parking. There were ten themed areas by
9701-554: The working man. I worked like a dog once myself. And my heart is with the fellow who works. But I don't want some ... union delegate telling me when to get on and off an elephant." Eventually, the union gave Buck a special dispensation to introduce Gargantua the gorilla without registering as an actor. The circus suffered during the 1930s due to the Great Depression , but managed to stay in business. After John Nicholas Ringling's death, his nephew, John Ringling North , managed
9810-575: The world with the circus, capturing its beauty as well as its harsh realities. North's cousin Robert took over as president of the show in 1943 with North resuming the presidency of the circus in 1947. On July 6, 1944, in Hartford, Connecticut , during an afternoon performance attended by some 8,000 people, the Big Top tent caught fire. At least 167 people were killed and many hundreds injured. Circus management
9919-472: The world's first successful river rapids ride when it opened in 1980. WaterWorld, an adjacent water park , was acquired and added to AstroWorld in 2002. Following declining revenue, rising property value, and other issues facing Six Flags, the company closed AstroWorld permanently after its final day of operations on October 30, 2005, the final night of Fright Fest. Many rides were sold at auction or relocated to other Six Flags' properties, and demolition of
10028-470: The world. The formal purchase of AstroWorld by Six Flags concluded in 1978. In 1978, the new attraction was Greezed Lightnin' , a high-acceleration loop roller coaster. McFey's tenure as the park's mascot ended in 1984 as Bugs Bunny and other Looney Tunes characters moved into the Enchanted Kingdom for the 1985 season; AstroWorld's parent corporation, Six Flags, had acquired the license to use
10137-549: Was a prominent part of the display. To this day the Tufts athletic mascot is Jumbo and its athletic teams are referred to as the "Jumbos". Barnum died in 1891 and Bailey then purchased the circus from his widow. Bailey continued touring the Eastern United States until he took his circus to Europe. That tour started on December 27, 1897, and lasted until 1902. Separately, in 1884, five of the seven Ringling brothers had started
10246-566: Was added for the 1969 season. It was originally built in 1895 and operated from 1907 to 1967 in Forest Park (formerly Eichelberger Park) in Hanover, Pennsylvania . After Forest Park was sold to make way for a shopping center, AstroWorld purchased the carousel and moved it to Houston. It retained its original pipe organ and drums, and the menagerie of animals included lions, ostriches, pigs, camels, horses, rabbits, giraffes, and tigers. Some animals on
10355-488: Was based on a medieval torture chamber. It was repainted and operated as Superman: Tower of Power at Six Flags St. Louis . It closed at the end of the 2020 season and was demolished during the 2021 season. Serial Thriller originally operated at AstroWorld starting in 1999. The ride was placed into storage in 2005 and began operating as Ednör at La Ronde in 2010. SWAT opened in 2003 in Plaza de Fiesta, along with Diablo Falls,
10464-462: Was built as a publicity preview of the park in 1967. Architecture students at Rice University and the University of Houston sculpted many of the buildings. It was displayed in the window of Foley's , a downtown department store, then moved to Hofheinz's Astrodome suite once the park opened; as an Easter egg, a model of Hofheinz's black Cadillac is parked in a private lot in the northwest corner of
10573-510: Was developed originally and constructed as part of the Astrodomain , the brainchild of local philanthropist and former Houston mayor Roy Hofheinz , who intended it to complement the Astrodome . The Hofheinz family sold AstroWorld to Six Flags in 1978. Notable rides featured at the park included the Texas Cyclone , a wooden roller coaster built in 1976 that was modeled after the well-known Coney Island Cyclone , and Thunder River , considered
10682-400: Was eventually shortened to "Barnum and Bailey's Circus". Bailey was instrumental in acquiring Jumbo , advertised as the world's largest elephant, for the show. After Jumbo died, Barnum donated his taxidermied remains to Tufts University on whose Board of Trustees Barnum served as one of Tufts' first trustees. The Barnum Museum of Natural History opened in 1884 on the Tufts campus and Jumbo
10791-460: Was found to be negligent and several Ringling executives served sentences in jail. Ringling Brothers' management set aside all profits for the next ten years to pay the claims filed against the show by the City of Hartford and the survivors of the fire. The post-war prosperity enjoyed by the rest of the nation was not shared by the circus as crowds dwindled and costs increased. Public tastes, influenced by
10900-512: Was installed at AstroWorld for the 1993 season. In February 1998, Premier Parks, led by CEO Kieran Burke, acquired Six Flags Entertainment Corporation. In 1984, Premier, originally Tierco, a property management group, hired Gary Story to rehabilitate one of its properties, an older park named Frontier City in Oklahoma City; Story's successful turnaround of that park started the company's theme park acquisition program. The Six Flags acquisition
11009-476: Was not a result of the allegations by animal rights groups, but rather due to the patchwork of local laws regarding whether elephants could be used in entertainment shows. Some of those local laws referred to were bans against the use of bullhooks. Subsequently, the retirement was moved up to 2016. Seven tigers, six lions and one leopard were part of a convoy to temporarily move the animals out of Florida ahead of Hurricane Irma on September 5, 2017. One of them,
11118-444: Was not successful, and ceased performances after the end of 2000. Nicole Feld became the first female producer of Ringling Circus in 2004. In 2009, Nicole and Alana Feld co-produced the circus. In 2001, a group led by The Humane Society of the United States sued the circus over alleged mistreatment of elephants. The suit and a countersuit ended in 2014 with the circus winning a total of $ 25.2 million in settlements. In March 2015,
11227-493: Was part of an ambitious Premier Parks purchasing program, which bought 31 amusement parks in four years, including the 12 Six Flags parks. Burke received a $ 2 million bonus for completing the Six Flags acquisition. However, Six Flags failed to turn a profit for five straight years after the 1998 acquisition, announcing a $ 122 million loss for the first half of 2003; capital expenditures began to be scaled back because of its debt load. In August 2005, Six Flags announced it
11336-451: Was reduced by 8 acres (3.2 ha): 5 acres (2.0 ha) were acquired by Harris County Metro and another piece of the tract on the northwest corner sold to a car dealership. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (HLSR) are the owners of a record-holding 102 acres (41 ha) of cleared land bounded by West Bellfort Drive, Fannin Street, Kirby Drive, and I-610. The original amusement park site occupied 57 acres (23 ha) of that. Parts of
11445-460: Was renamed "Fright Fest" in 1993, and continued until the park closed in 2005. Holiday in the Park was held around Christmas . The park had other seasonal attractions, like Alice Cooper 's Brutal Planet. The singer also performed at AstroWorld. Dan Dunn and Jeff Martin worked as a caricaturists at the park. Daniel Johnston operated River of No Return. In 2018, former employees organized
11554-528: Was selling its chain of parks. One month later, on September 12, Burke announced AstroWorld would be closed and demolished at the end of the 2005 season. The company cited issues such as declining attendance, rising property value, and conflicts involving off-site parking at Reliant Stadium , which houses the Houston Texans football team and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (HLSR). In 1997,
11663-484: Was sold for scrap to Gary Norton in 1986 and served at Silverwood Theme Park briefly before the engine was sold to private owners and restored in Georgetown, California; the coaches remain in service at Silverwood. No. 1 remained in limited operation after diesel locomotives were relocated from Six Flags Magic Mountain ; after AstroWorld closed, No. 1 was sold in January 2006, restored, and returned to service on
11772-482: Was the general contractor. The name AstroWorld was selected following Houston's designation as the home of the Johnson Space Center in 1965, paying homage to the nation's crewed space programs. Executives commissioned Ed Henderson, a Disney animator, to build a scale replica of the park and design maps for park guests. Henderson's model of AstroWorld, measuring 8 by 10 feet (2.4 m × 3.0 m),
11881-455: Was the park's perimeter railroad, originally operating two steam locomotives, each 5 ⁄ 8 -scale 4-4-0 , which were built by Guiberson-Harpur Corp., a company owned by famed live steam builder and Walt Disney imagineer Bob Harpur. Each original train had an engine, tender, and four cars for a capacity of 250 passengers, carrying them at speeds up to 10 mph (16 km/h) over 5,002 ft (1,525 m) of track. The No. 2 train
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