The Jester (roller coaster) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Jester |
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| Previously known as The Joker's Revenge at Six Flags Fiesta Texas | |
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| Six Flags New Orleans | |
| Park section | Mardi Gras |
| Coordinates | 30°03′16″N 89°56′12″W / 30.054485°N 89.936552°W |
| Status | Closed |
| Opening date | April 13, 2003 |
| Closing date | August 21, 2005 |
| at at RCDB | |
| Six Flags Fiesta Texas | |
| Name | The Joker's Revenge |
| Park section | Fiesta Bay Boardwalk |
| Coordinates | 29°35′58″N 98°36′34″W / 29.5995°N 98.6094°W |
| Status | Relocated |
| Opening date | May 10, 1996 |
| Closing date | 2001 |
| Cost | $4,300,000 USD |
| Replaced by | Pandemonium |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel |
| Manufacturer | Vekoma |
| Model | Hurricane |
| Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
| Height | 79 ft (24 m) |
| Drop | 69 ft (21 m) |
| Length | 1,936 ft (590 m) |
| Speed | 40 mph (64 km/h) |
| Inversions | 3 |
| Duration | 1:24 |
| Max vertical angle | 40° |
| Capacity | 1200 riders per hour |
| G-force | 3.5 |
| Height restriction | 48 in (122 cm) |
| Trains | 2 trains with 7 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 28 riders per train. |
The Jester is a steel roller coaster that used to be at the Six Flags New Orleans amusement park. This park in New Orleans is now closed. The ride was built by a company called Vekoma. It first opened in 1996 at Six Flags Fiesta Texas as The Joker's Revenge.
After closing in 2001, the coaster moved to Six Flags New Orleans. There, it was renamed The Jester. It opened to riders on April 13, 2003. In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina caused a lot of damage to the park. Because of this, the roller coaster stopped working when the park closed. The Jester still stands there today, even though the park is abandoned.
Contents
The Jester's Journey
First Stop: Six Flags Fiesta Texas
This roller coaster was first planned for 1992. But its opening was delayed until 1996. It was going to be called "The Wacky Twister." In 1996, Time Warner bought Fiesta Texas in San Antonio, Texas. Time Warner also owned Six Flags. They changed the park's name to Six Flags Fiesta Texas.
Time Warner wanted to promote their movies. So, they added The Joker's Revenge. This was the first Vekoma Hurricane roller coaster in the United States. It was also the first Vekoma coaster to go backwards for the whole ride! It was placed in the Fiesta Bay Boardwalk area, near a quarry wall.
Building The Joker's Revenge started in late 1995. It was finished in April 1996. The ride officially opened on May 10, 1996. It was the first roller coaster at the park based on a DC Comics character. It also had upside-down sections called inversions. When it opened, park workers wore yellow jackets and green hair.
A cool part of the ride was its funhouse waiting line. It had flashing lights and furniture that looked upside down. The track was magenta, and the supports were also magenta. The trains were light yellow and made by Arrow Dynamics.
When it first opened, The Joker's Revenge was one of the best rides. But by the early 2000s, riders started to complain. They said the ride had become very rough. The coaster also had mechanical problems. It closed in 2001 and did not open at all in 2002. Later in 2002, it was taken apart. Then it was moved to Six Flags New Orleans. The funhouse waiting line was later used for a haunted house during Fright Fest.
Second Stop: Six Flags New Orleans
Six Flags took over the Jazzland park in 2002. They ran it as "Jazzland" for that year. In 2003, they changed the park's name to Six Flags New Orleans. Before the 2003 season, the park added many new rides. This included moving The Joker's Revenge from Fiesta Texas. It was renamed The Jester and placed in the Mardi Gras section. The coaster still went backwards. It was given new colors: green and blue.
On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit the park. The park was badly flooded. This caused Six Flags New Orleans to close forever. The city of New Orleans now owns the park land.
In 2007, Six Flags started moving rides from the park. They sent them to their other parks. Rides like Batman: The Ride, Bayou Blaster, Sonic Slam, and Road Runner Express were all moved by 2009. But The Jester is still abandoned at the New Orleans park. Other coasters like Mega Zeph are also still there. Some of The Jester's green and blue paint is peeling off. This shows the old purple paint from when it was The Joker's Revenge.
How The Jester Rode
When riders got on one of The Jester's two trains, the train would go up a 79-foot (24 m) tall lift hill. After reaching the top, the train would loop around. Then it would drop at speeds up to 40 miles per hour (64 km/h). It went through a 58-foot (18 m) vertical loop.
After that, the train looped over the station. Then it went through a 24-foot (7.3 m) double corkscrew. Once past the corkscrews, riders went through a double helix. Finally, the train entered the brake run and returned to the station.
There are only two Vekoma Hurricane coasters in the world. The Jester was the only one that took riders backwards for the whole ride. The other Vekoma Hurricane is at Walygator Parc. It is called The Comet and only travels forwards.
