Galaxyland facts for kids
| Previously known as Fantasyland (1983–1995) Galaxyland (1995-2020) | |
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| Location | West Edmonton Mall, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada |
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| Status | Operating |
| Opened | Initial opening: June 27, 1983 Expansion: September 1985 Grand opening: March 15, 1986 |
| Owner | West Edmonton Mall Properties Inc. |
| Operated by | West Edmonton Mall Properties Inc. |
| General manager | Adam Sikorski |
| Theme | Fantasy (1983-1995), Space (1995-2020), Hasbro (2020-present) |
| Slogan | Countless thrills await you... |
| Operating season | Year-round |
| Area | 37,161 square metres (400,000 sq ft) |
| Attractions | |
| Total | 24 |
| Roller coasters | 4 |
| Website | WEM-Hasbro land |
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Galaxyland is a super fun indoor amusement park! You can find it inside the West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. This mall is actually the biggest in North America!
Galaxyland has some amazing rides, like the Mindbender. It's the world's tallest (14 stories high!) and longest indoor roller coaster. It also has the Space Shot, which used to be the tallest indoor tower ride when it opened!
Contents
Galaxyland's History
Galaxyland was first called Fantasyland from 1983 to 1995. But guess what? The name "Fantasyland" was already used by Disney for parts of their famous theme parks like Disneyland! Because of this, the mall had to change the park's name. They picked Galaxyland, and it officially opened with that name on July 1, 1995. To celebrate, they gave the park a cool new space theme and introduced their mascot, Cosmo!
In 2019, it was announced that Galaxyland would get a big makeover. It would feature new rides based on popular Hasbro games and toys! Some rides, like Balloon Race and Cosmic Bounce, were changed for this new theme. The park was set to reopen as "Galaxyland powered by Hasbro" in late 2020.
However, Galaxyland stayed closed for most of 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Awesome Rides at Galaxyland
Galaxyland has many exciting rides for all ages. Here are some of the popular ones:
Beginner Rides
- Balloon Race: This is a Ferris wheel with cars shaped like colorful balloons. It closed in 2020 for the Hasbro makeover.
- Motojump: Ride miniature dirt bikes and ATVs that go in a circle.
- Carousel: A classic carousel with horses that move up and down as they spin around.
- Solar Spinner: This ride is like spinning teacups! You sit in a pod and spin around while the whole ride also spins.
- 35th Aero Squadron: Fly your own World War II plane! You can control if your plane goes up or down as it moves in a circle.
- Galactic Rodeo: Get ready to wrangle some space beasts in this fun, space-themed rodeo ride!
- Galaxy Kids Playpark: A huge play area with slides, caves, and a ball pit. It's for kids 12 and under, and adults must be with them. Remember to wear socks!
- Galaxy Express: Take a relaxing train ride all around Galaxyland. It's popular with everyone because it's slow and has no height limits.
Intermediate Rides
- Cosmic Spinner: This family ride spins you around in UFO-like pods. It's full of twists and turns!
- Cosmic Bounce: A bouncy ride for families that shakes you up! It's a smaller, gentler version of the Space Shot. This ride also closed in 2020 for the Hasbro makeover.
- Flying Galleon: A big boat that swings back and forth like a pirate ship! It's one of the park's original rides.
- Galaxy Quest: A 3D movie theater with seats that move! It has amazing sound and a huge screen.
- 7D Adventure: This is a dark ride with moving seats and a 3D screen. You can enjoy different movies like Gigamon and Neon Ninja.
- Autosled: A smaller roller coaster with sharp turns and good speed. It's great if you're ready for more than the Dragon Wagon but not quite the Mindbender!
- Quirks in the Works: In this dark ride, you zap "Quirks" to save the world! It's like a laser tag adventure inside a crashed spaceship.
- Ropes Quest: An area with lots of ropes and a zipline! It closed in 2020 for the Hasbro makeover.
- Swing of the Century: A giant swing ride where individual swings move in a circular motion.
Advanced Rides
- Galaxy Orbiter: This is Canada's first spinning roller coaster! It's the park's second-longest coaster and a good step up before trying the Mindbender.
- Space Shot: This ride launches 12 people nearly 120 feet (37 m) into the sky, then drops them back down!
- Zero Gravity: On this ride, you control how much you flip and spin as you rotate in a circle! It's now themed to the board game Trouble because of the Hasbro makeover.
- Cosmo's Space Derby: These are bumper cars for teens and adults. The area was updated with cool space murals, but the original bumper cars are still used!
- Mindbender: This is the "world's largest indoor triple loop roller coaster!" It's a super thrilling ride with loops and high speeds.
- Havoc: Opened in 2018 and themed to G.I. Joe, this ride is a custom version of a Space Trainer. It's the only ride with an upper age limit – riders must be under 65.
Past Rides of Galaxyland
Over the years, some rides have left Galaxyland to make way for new adventures. Here are a few of them:
- Kiddie Bumper Boat: Small battery-operated boats in a shallow pool.
- Paddle Boats: Boats you paddled yourself in a lake that used to be in the park.
- Mini-Enterprise: A smaller version of a spinning ride that tilted.
- Zipper: A ride known for its many breakdowns, which was removed.
- Orbitron: A ride with a center that lifted and spun, with two tubs on each arm.
- Disco Dynamo: A spinning ride that could go forward and backward.
- Perilous Pendulum: An upside-down boat ride that was the world's first indoor Looping Starship.
- Drop of Doom: A tall tower ride that lifted riders high up before dropping them down. It was later moved to a park in Italy!
- Rockin' Rocket: A rocket-shaped vehicle that moved back and forth while spinning.
- Sonic Storm: A fast ride that propelled passengers backward in a circular bouncing motion.
- Galaxy Twister: A fast, twisting ride with sharp drops.
- Solar Flare: A ride where you could control your flips and spins as you circled.
- Sonic Twister: A ride that spun in circles and swung back and forth.
- Cosmic Revolution: Cars connected on a bumpy circular track that traveled back and forth at high speeds. This ride was replaced by Havoc.
- Galaxy Raceway: Slow-moving electric go-karts on a racetrack.
- Space Bump: Children's bumper cars.
Images for kids
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Balloon Race and the Cosmic Bounce are not in operation currently, due to the Hasbro retheming and renovations.
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Flying Galleon's old location.
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"Space Shot"
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Mindbender and Galaxy Orbiter
