Prowler is a
wooden roller coaster
A wooden roller coaster is a type of roller coaster classified by its wooden track, which consists of running rails made of flat steel strips mounted on laminated wood. The support structure is also typically made of wood, but may also be ...
located at
Worlds of Fun
Worlds of Fun is a theme park located in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. Owned and operated by Six Flags Entertainment Corporation, it was founded by American businessmen Lamar Hunt and Jack Steadman under the ownership of Hunt's com ...
in
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...
. Manufactured by
Great Coasters International
Great Coasters International, Inc. (GCI or GCII) is a Sunbury, Pennsylvania-based roller coaster manufacturer which has created several award-winning rides since its formation in 1994. Starting in 2006 with Thunderbird (PowerPark), Thunderbird at ...
, the $8-million ride opened to the public on May 2, 2009.
[Worlds of Fun Announces a new king of the jungle for 2009: Prowler Roller Coaster]
RCDB September 1, 2008
The ride is located in the Africa section of the park behind Zulu.
History
Before the announcement of the new ride, there were teasers put out by the park. These teasers included placing a mysterious large storage crate at the front of the park, which was 'delivered' by the "International Wildlife Organization" or the "IWO".
[Confidential Delivery]
Hot Air Blog with Brandon Stanley July 6, 2008 More details of the package kept coming out through the blog and videos came out
[Worlds of Fun Delivery IWO]
YouTube.com[Worlds of Fun IWO Press Conference]
YouTube.com[Worlds of Fun IWO Beast Footage]
YouTube.com as the IWO storyline continued until September 1, 2008. That day, Worlds of Fun announced that Prowler would be coming to the park.
[
Prowler opened to the general public on May 2, 2009.
For the 2019 season, both Prowler and Timber Wolf were retracked. Some sections had their wood replaced, including the first drop. The wood on the outside section of the hill was being replaced with IPE wood, which was the highest quality timber available and eight times harder than ]California Redwood
''Sequoia sempervirens'' ()''Sunset Western Garden Book,'' 1995: 606–607 is the sole living species of the genus '' Sequoia'' in the cypress family Cupressaceae (formerly treated in Taxodiaceae). Common names include coast redwood, coast ...
. This would add some softness to the turn and reduce the stress on the track. Plus, the ride received a new chain for the lift hill.
Ride Experience
Prowler is the second wooden roller coaster to be built at Worlds of Fun with the first one being Timber Wolf. The ride reaches an unspecified height of , into a spiral drop which swoops into a ravine and through the woods at the top speed of per hour.[
]
Trains
Two " Millennium Flyer trains" with 12 cars per train. Riders are arranged two across in a single row for a total of 24 riders per train.
Rankings
Prowler was voted Best New Ride of 2009 - Amusement Park in Amusement Today
''Amusement Today'' is a monthly periodical that features articles, news, pictures and reviews about all things relating to the amusement park industry, including parks, rides, and ride manufacturers. The trade newspaper, which is based in Arl ...
's Golden Ticket Awards.2009 Golden Ticket Awards
/ref>
Gallery
Image:WOF-Prowler1.JPG, Prowler's first drop
Image:WOF-ProwlerQue.JPG, Prowler's line queue
Image:WOF-Prowler2.JPG, Prowler with car ascending
Image:Prowler roller coaster ride station (2015).jpg, Prowler's ride station and queue
Image:Prowler (Worlds of Fun) 1.jpg, Prowler's ride sign
References
External links
Prowler
at Worlds of Fun's website
{{Golden Ticket Award for Best New Ride
Roller coasters in Missouri
Roller coasters introduced in 2009
Worlds of Fun
Roller coasters operated by Six Flags
Best New Ride winners