TOGO
Encyclopedia
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese roller coaster design company, famous for inventing the stand-up roller coaster
Stand-up roller coaster
A stand-up roller coaster is a roller coaster designed to have the passengers stand through the course of the ride. These roller coasters are very intense, and generally carry taller height restrictions than other rides.-History:...
. TOGO went bankrupt in the early 2000s due to a lawsuit by Knott's Berry Farm
Knott's Berry Farm
Knott's Berry Farm is a theme park in Buena Park, California, now owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, and a line of jams, jellies, preserves, and other specialty food, now part of The J. M. Smucker Company based in Placentia, California....
for problems with their Windjammer roller coaster. TOGO is also credited with creating the first working pipeline roller coaster
Pipeline roller coaster
The Pipeline Coaster was a roller coaster developed by Japanese ride company TOGO. Pipeline roller coasters position riders between the rails, rather than above or below. TOGO was the first and only company to produce this type of roller coaster successfully...
, the Ultra Twister. TOGO has had quite the reputation among enthusiasts for rough, even painful rides. However, that was not the case in its native Japan, where the coasters were almost smooth. TOGO created several unique coasters, including its combination of a looping sit-down coaster and a hypercoaster
Hypercoaster
A hypercoaster can mean one of two things:*Any continuous-circuit roller coaster with a height or drop measuring greater than 200 feetOr, more narrowly:*A style or model of roller coaster with three features:**A height of 200–299 feet...
with its Manhattan Express (Coaster) coaster in Las Vegas (now known as "Roller Coaster"). The looping wild mouse by TOGO was a style of ride with a drop into a vertical loop, followed by the hairpin turns and drops of a wild mouse coaster. The former Windjammer coaster at Knott's berry Farm was a variation of the looping wild mouse; it didn't feature any hairpin turns.
TOGO is also renowned for inventing the Twist-and-Dive roll, an inversion maneuver that started of in a half-heartline roll, butt the ground in a half-loop, hence the name. A version of this maneuver included a half-oblique loop instead of a half-loop, so riders exited the element at an angle. This was used on the now-defunct Viper at Six Flags Great Adventure.
TOGO's first roller coaster was Roller Coaster at Hanayashiki Amusement Park
Hanayashiki Amusement Park
is an amusement park in Taitō, Tokyo that has operated since 1853. It is operated by Hanayashiki Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings. It is claimed to be the oldest amusement park in Japan.-External links:*...
in Japan.
Notable Rides
- FujiyamaFujiyama (roller coaster)Fujiyama is a steel roller coaster at Fuji-Q Highland, Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan. When Fujiyama opened in 1996 it was the world's tallest roller coaster at , and had the largest drop in the world at . Fujiyama was also the world's fastest roller coaster for a year of its operation, succeeded by...
- A hypercoaster at Fuji-Q HighlandFuji-Q HighlandFuji-Q Highland is an amusement park in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan.The theme park is near the base of Mount Fuji. It has a number of roller coasters, as well as The Haunted Hospital, the world's second largest haunted attraction, and Thomas Land, a children's area with a Thomas the Tank Engine...
, JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Until 2000, it was the tallest roller coaster in the world. - SkyRiderSkyRiderSkyRider is a roller coaster at Canada's Wonderland opened in 1985, it was the park's fifth coaster, and the first one they built since the park's opening in 1981. Built by TOGO, it is the first of two stand-up roller coasters built in Canada, and the fifth stand-up roller coaster in the world...
- A looping stand-up roller coasterStand-up roller coasterA stand-up roller coaster is a roller coaster designed to have the passengers stand through the course of the ride. These roller coasters are very intense, and generally carry taller height restrictions than other rides.-History:...
. Built at Canada's Wonderland. - Shockwave - Another stand-up TOGO looping roller coaster, Shockwave, continues to operate (as of 2010) at Kings Dominion. It features a similar layout to King Cobra and SkyRiderSkyRiderSkyRider is a roller coaster at Canada's Wonderland opened in 1985, it was the park's fifth coaster, and the first one they built since the park's opening in 1981. Built by TOGO, it is the first of two stand-up roller coasters built in Canada, and the fifth stand-up roller coaster in the world...
at Canada's Wonderland. - King CobraKing Cobra (Kings Island)The King Cobra was a TOGO Stand-up roller coaster located at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio. It was the first in the world to be designed from the ground up as a stand-up roller coaster. Other stand-up roller coasters that preceded the King Cobra were sit-down models later modified to accommodate...
at Kings IslandKings IslandKings Island is a amusement park located northeast of Cincinnati in Mason, Ohio. Opened in 1972 by Taft Broadcasting Company and now owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, Kings Island is the most visited seasonal amusement park in the U.S...
(1984–2001) World's first coaster designed specifically to be a stand-up looping coaster. It was taken down and scrapped after TOGO went out of business, making parts very expensive. - Windjammer Surf RacersWindjammer Surf RacersWindjammer Surf Racers was a racing steel roller coaster at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California...
at Knott's Berry FarmKnott's Berry FarmKnott's Berry Farm is a theme park in Buena Park, California, now owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, and a line of jams, jellies, preserves, and other specialty food, now part of The J. M. Smucker Company based in Placentia, California....
- a twin racing coaster with 65-foot vertical loops. The coaster was a massive failure, and part of the lawsuits would lead to TOGO's bankruptcy. - The Roller CoasterThe Roller CoasterThe Roller Coaster is the name of the roller coaster at the New York-New York Hotel & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. It first opened in 1997 as the "Manhattan Express". The ride's trains are themed to New York taxicabs.-Ride:...
at New York-New York Hotel & CasinoNew York-New York Hotel & CasinoNew York-New York Hotel & Casino is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip at 3790 Las Vegas Boulevard South, in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned and operated by MGM Resorts International.-Description:...
(first opened in 1997 as the "Manhattan Express"). - Ultra TwisterUltra TwisterUltra Twister was a steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Great Adventure from 1986 to 1990 and then at Six Flags AstroWorld from 1991 until that park was closed and demolished by the Six Flags Corporation in 2005...
- A pipeline roller coasterPipeline roller coasterThe Pipeline Coaster was a roller coaster developed by Japanese ride company TOGO. Pipeline roller coasters position riders between the rails, rather than above or below. TOGO was the first and only company to produce this type of roller coaster successfully...
that uses single cars that ride between the rails. Because of the design, the cars are unable to make lateral turns and require switch tracks at either end of the ride. - ViperViper (Six Flags Great Adventure)Viper was a TOGO mega heartline roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure. Viper was closed at the end of 2004 and was demolished in June 2005 for several reasons and was replaced with El Toro....
at Six Flags Great AdventureSix Flags Great AdventureSix Flags Great Adventure is a theme park in Jackson Township, New Jersey, owned by Six Flags Entertainment Corp., the world's largest amusement park corporation...
- A roller coaster that featured a unique heartline roll. The ride was scrapped in 2005, and its station was re-used for El ToroEl Toro (roller coaster)El Toro, meaning The Bull in Spanish, is a wooden roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure. It opened to the public on June 11, 2006. It was designed by Intamin of Switzerland. It had the steepest drop of any wooden roller coaster in the world, at 76 degrees, until this record was broken by T...
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