The Riddler Mindbender facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Riddler Mindbender
Mindbender's second drop
Six Flags Over Georgia
Location	Six Flags Over Georgia
Park section	Gotham City
Coordinates	33°46′13″N 84°32′51″W / 33.77028°N 84.54750°W / 33.77028; -84.54750
Status	Under Construction
Opening date	March 31, 1978
Cost	$2.8 million
General statistics
Type	Steel
Manufacturer	Anton Schwarzkopf
Designer	Werner Stengel
Model	Custom design
Track layout	Terrain
Lift/launch system	Chain lift hill
Height	80 ft (24 m)
Length	3,253 ft (992 m)
Speed	50 mph (80 km/h)
Inversions	2
Duration	2:33
Max vertical angle	62°
Capacity	1200 riders per hour
Height restriction	42 in (107 cm)
Trains	2 trains with 7 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 28 riders per train.
Flash Pass Available
The Riddler Mindbender at RCDB

The Riddler Mindbender, once called Mind Bender, is an exciting steel roller coaster. You can find it at Six Flags Over Georgia theme park, near Atlanta, Georgia. When it first opened on March 31, 1978, it was famous for being "the world's first triple-loop roller coaster."

This ride has stayed popular for a long time. In 2008, when it turned 30, Amusement Today magazine ranked it as one of the best roller coasters. It was one of only two coasters built before 1980 to make the list! The other was its "twin" coaster, Shockwave, at Six Flags Over Texas.

History of the Roller Coaster

The Mindbender was designed by Werner Stengel and built by Anton Schwarzkopf. It was the last original roller coaster built at the park until the Georgia Scorcher arrived in 1999.

Since it first opened, the Mindbender has changed its look three times. It has also been part of three different areas in the park.

Early Years and Color Changes

When the Mindbender first opened, it was part of the USA section of the park. The coaster was silver in color.

In 1979, the Mindbender became part of a new area called Jolly Roger's Island. This area was a part of the USA section. In the 1980s, the coaster's structure was painted brown. For its first 20 years, the trains were silver with a colorful rainbow stripe on the sides.

Becoming The Riddler's Ride

In 1997, Jolly Roger's Island changed into Gotham City. The Mindbender was then painted green. This was to make it look like it was created by Batman's famous enemy, The Riddler. Sometimes, a waterfall under the coaster is even dyed green! The trains were painted black and covered with green question marks, which are the Riddler's special symbol.

In 2009, there were big floods in the southeastern United States. Parts of the Mindbender were covered in muddy water for a short time. But the park quickly cleaned up, and the ride was open again the next weekend.

How the Ride Works

Like many modern roller coasters, the Mindbender uses a "block system." This system has five sections, or "blocks," that help control the trains. These blocks are the station, the transfer table, the lift hill, the reduction brake, and the ready brake.

A computer program controls these blocks. This makes sure that the trains don't crash into each other. Special motors can also move the trains slowly when they need to stop or move through the station.

Trains and Maintenance

Three trains were made for the Mindbender. However, the ride system can't handle all three on the track at the same time. One train was kept as a spare. Sometimes, only one train is used during normal park hours.

In the 1990s, one train was taken apart. Its parts were used to fix the other two trains. Later, the park got more trains from another Schwarzkopf-designed coaster called Viper, which used to be at Six Flags Astroworld.

Each train has seven cars. Each car has two rows, and two riders can sit in each row. This means 28 riders can be on one train. Riders are held in place by a single lap bar that clicks into place.

Special Features of the Track

The transfer table is located between the station and the lift hill. It moves trains to and from the maintenance building. It has a brake to hold trains in place when the table turns.

The main brakes that stop the trains at the end of the ride are called reduction brakes. If it rains a lot, these brakes can sometimes slip because there's no roof over them. The ride might close if the weather is too wet.

There are also two sets of "trim brakes" on the ride. These brakes slow the train down a bit. The coaster is built on the side of a hill. Parts of the track, like the second loop and a twisting section, are in a valley next to it. This makes the ride have big changes in height.

The coaster used to be advertised as a "triple looper." It has two actual vertical loops. The third "loop" is a twisting section that goes down into the valley. It doesn't actually turn you upside down, but it feels very intense!

What It's Like to Ride

The ride begins when your train leaves the loading station. It goes over the transfer track and then starts climbing the lift hill. Once the train reaches the top, it turns right in a big U-shape, going slightly downhill.

As the train finishes the U-turn, it goes up a little, almost reaching the height it was at the top of the lift hill. Then, the train drops down the first big hill and immediately goes into the first loop! After the loop, the train climbs a hill, levels out, and goes through the first set of trim brakes.

Next, the train turns left and goes down a little before leveling out. Once it's level, it dives into a twisting section called a "diving helix" that goes into the valley. This happens because the left side of the track drops much faster than the right side as the train turns left and goes down.

The train then starts to climb and level out after reaching the bottom of the valley. This part creates strong G-forces, pushing you into your seat! After leaving the top of the helix, the train goes over a hill, then through a U-turn, and a second set of trim brakes as the track levels out.

The train then goes down another hill toward the ground and into the final loop! After exiting this loop, the train goes through a tunnel and over a hill. It then enters another U-turn that goes downhill. The train goes up slightly as it finishes the U-turn and enters the final brake section, bringing you to a stop.

Awards and Recognition

The Riddler Mindbender has been recognized many times in the annual Golden Ticket Awards. These awards are given out by Amusement Today magazine. Here's how it has ranked over the years: