I think the websites picture has been updated as well, but the website hasn't been renamed 'Spinball Whizzer'

None of the branding has been removed from the ride itself - all the sonic logos are still on the signs around the ride and on the ride cars.

To be honest I'm surprised that's allowed! I'd expect it to be changed at some point this year though.

Here's an image from moisttv Facebook

Sonics gone -

From what Ive heard that's the only change at the moment. I'd expect for the signage to be removed over the next week.

Maybe the contract runs out part way through the season?

Ryan.B wrote:

From what Ive heard that's the only change at the moment. I'd expect for the signage to be removed over the next week.

I wouldn't imagine it would take long. Surely they will still have the old Spinball Wizzer signs etc in storage.

I was suprised at how much sonic theming was still their,

The main entrance signs, on all the cars, roof of the station, photo booth, and the announcements were still the sonic ones!

Thought they may have changed it all over the closed season!

Bye Sonic. It feels weird calling it Spinball Whizzer again. Don't know why?


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Everything Sonic has been removed. It's Spinball Whizzer again and it's still rough af!

The stickers on the car showing the car numbers still look sonic like

wolfwynd wrote:

Everything Sonic has been removed. It's Spinball Whizzer again and it's still rough af!

Rough? It jolts you around a little yes but that's to be expected with that type of ride. Definitely not rough though.

owenrita121 wrote:

wolfwynd wrote:

Everything Sonic has been removed. It's Spinball Whizzer again and it's still rough af!

Rough? It jolts you around a little yes but that's to be expected with that type of ride. Definitely not rough though.

It's rough for me but ymmv

I love this ride pre and post sonic. It's been a good laugh and it's always been a little bumpy but awesome.

Scene as they're removing the Sonic theming and reverting it back to Spinball Whizzer, I think this is a great time to give the whole area surrounding Spinball Whizzer (Adventure Land) a bit of a facelift. I've always imagined that that area would be great as a CBBC mini land connected to the nearby Cebeebies Land. I think right now that the Adventure Land area is a bit random, especially as it only has one ride now, Spinball Whizzer. How is a pinball game themed ride an adventurous ride? They could always turn the area into a gaming themed land, and go with a Pac Man theme for example!

I always thought that most of what Merlin were doing around the time Spinball was introduced to the park felt very 'temporary'. Those rides weren't very well integrated. They'd put the 'secret weapon' series on hold (likely because Wardley was sort of in retirement at that time) and each new attraction they introduced seemed to be quite standard and unimaginative. Given the financial climate of the UK at that time, I guess all this sort of made sense from a business risk POV.

It'd be relatively easy to dismantle, would leave no detriment to the landscape, and it's exciting enough of a ride that they'd be able to sell it on to a younger second-class park.

I've never really considered Adventure Land a proper area of the park in the same way as some of the others, as there's no real theme or design to it. To me, that plot of land doesn't seem the right place for a coaster. I'm not necessarily saying the coasters are eye-sores to the landscape (let's not even go there lol), but I just feel that a small show-building of sorts would blend in with the surroundings better if integrated in with vegetation and foliage etc (in a similar way to how Duel is; if you've only walked past that facade and never been in there before, you'd have no clue how HUGE that building is).

Since it's near the entrance to the park, and has a great view of the towers over the lake, I'd probably give the attraction a 'legend' sort of storyline.

The land its on, due to location, is most likely to be used to expand CBeebies.

jaybee85 wrote:

I always thought that most of what Merlin were doing around the time Spinball was introduced to the park felt very 'temporary'. Those rides weren't very well integrated.

This is how I feel about spinball I like it as a ride but it feels temporary and looks it to as well as an eyesore

I'm guessing it'll get removed within the next 5 years, for a medium sized Cbeebies Land coaster, and expansion.

jaybee85 wrote:

I always thought that most of what Merlin were doing around the time Spinball was introduced to the park felt very 'temporary'.

It was Dubai International Capital that built both spinball and rita. They got rid of all the best parts of ATR: hall of the Mountain King, Wardley and Secret Weapons

When I saw that it was listed as part of the towers, I immediately thought that spinball was definitely on the way out in the next couple of years. They seem to be phasing it out slowly.