Avatar Airbender is an Intamin Half Pipe shuttle coaster at Nickelodeon Universe inside the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. It opened on March 15, 2008, as one of the headline attractions when Nickelodeon Universe replaced the former Camp Snoopy indoor park, debuting from day one with its Avatar: The Last Airbender theming built around the ride’s name and surfboard-style train.
Unlike a traditional circuit coaster, Avatar Airbender uses a surfboard-shaped train that spins riders in two six-person circles while LSM linear motors launch it back and forth up a pair of vertical towers. Each pass up a tower brings a brief moment of weightlessness before the train drops back down and rockets toward the opposite side, repeating the launch-and-spin cycle several times per ride.
Stats at a Glance
- Park: Nickelodeon Universe (Mall of America, Bloomington, MN)
- Manufacturer: Intamin
- Model: Half Pipe (Surfrider)
- Opened: March 15, 2008
- Height: 70 feet
- Top Speed: Not publicly disclosed
- Inversions: 0
- Designer: Ing.-Büro Stengel GmbH
The Ride Experience
Riders board a single surfboard-themed train holding 12 people, arranged in two six-person circles facing outward from the center. Linear synchronous motors (LSMs) launch the train up one 70-foot tower, where it briefly goes weightless before gravity pulls it back down and sends it rocketing up the opposite tower. Throughout each launch, the circular seating pods spin independently, so riders experience both the vertical halfpipe motion and a spinning sensation at the same time.
Because it’s an indoor, all-ages thrill ride rather than a conventional looping coaster, Avatar Airbender sits near the center of Nickelodeon Universe, visible from many of the park’s walkways. Its minimum height requirement is 48 inches, making it one of the more intense rides accessible to younger thrill-seekers in the park’s lineup.
Theming and Park History
Avatar Airbender opened under its current name when Nickelodeon Universe replaced the former Camp Snoopy indoor park in March 2008, with its surfboard-style train and twin launch towers designed to evoke airbending and waterbending moves from the animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender. It has kept that name and theming continuously since opening day.
In 2024, Nickelodeon Universe expanded its Avatar theming further with the addition of Fly with Appa, a separate flying-ride attraction inspired by the same franchise, reinforcing Avatar Airbender’s place as the park’s original tribute to the series.
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Avatar Airbender Photo Archive: November 2015
These are original ThrillZing photos of Avatar Airbender taken at Nickelodeon Universe inside the Mall of America on November 18, 2015, shot on an iPhone and published as taken. They show the Intamin halfpipe’s pagoda entrance and sign and its blue arm beside the Nickelodeon Universe balloon. All photos are free to reuse under a CC BY 4.0 license with credit to ThrillZing and a link to this page.
Avatar Airbender FAQs
What type of ride is Avatar Airbender?
It’s an Intamin Half Pipe (Surfrider) shuttle coaster — riders launch up two 70-foot towers on a spinning, surfboard-shaped train rather than following a traditional looping track.
When did Avatar Airbender open, and was it ever renamed?
It opened on March 15, 2008, as part of the grand opening of Nickelodeon Universe at the Mall of America, debuting under the Avatar Airbender name with its Avatar: The Last Airbender theming — it has not been re-themed or renamed since.
Does Avatar Airbender have any loops or inversions?
No, it has zero inversions. The thrill comes from the vertical halfpipe launches and the spinning motion of the seating pods, not from loops.
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Photo: Tyler Vigen / CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.