Worlds of Fun turns 53 — historical past and possession adjustments

Kansas City’s Worlds of Fun theme park grew out of a family trip to Disneyland by Chiefs General Manager Jack Steadman, who pitched the idea to team owner Lamar Hunt. More than five decades later, the 235-acre park has changed ownership twice and swapped out most of its original rides.

FULL STORY: How has Worlds of Fun changed over the years? Explore the KC theme park’s history

Here are key takeaways:

• Hunt and Steadman’s company, Mid-America Enterprises, built the $20.5 million park on a site in Clay County. Groundbreaking was Nov. 8, 1971, with representatives from the design firm behind Six Flags and Magic Mountain in attendance.

• Worlds of Fun opened on May 26, 1973, with fireworks, balloons and marching bands. “Passports” cost $6.50 for adults and $5.50 for kids.

• The park was themed around the film “Around the World in 80 Days,” with five geographic zones: Americana, Africa, Scandinavia, Europa and the Orient. Within a year it offered more than 60 rides, shows and attractions.

• Most original rides are gone. The Safari shut down in 1978 after passengers kept abandoning their Jeeps mid-trip. Schussboomer was reportedly scrapped after the 1984 season, and dolphin shows ended after 1996 following animal rights campaigns.

• Fan-favorite Zambezi Zinger was bought by Parque del Café in Colombia in 1999 and renamed Montaña Rusa. Worlds of Fun launched a modern version of the ride in 2023.

• Ownership shifted to Ohio-based Cedar Fair in 1995, then to Six Flags Entertainment Corporation in 2024 after Cedar Fair and the former Six Flags company merged.

• Earlier this year, the park changed hands once again. Six Flags announced that Worlds of Fun and six of its other properties were to be sold to EPR Properties, a Kansas City company that invests in amusement parks and other entertainment properties across the U.S.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.