Crazy Bird (Chinese name 愤怒的小鸟) is the wildest ride at Happy Valley Tianjin — and one of the steepest roller coasters anywhere on Earth. Since late 2013, this S&S El Loco in China’s Dongli district has been flipping riders over a 120-degree beyond-vertical first drop, an angle only a handful of coasters worldwide have ever exceeded.
Key Stats
| Height | 107.9 ft (32.9 m) |
| Drop angle | 120° beyond vertical |
| Length | 1,279.5 ft (390 m) |
| Inversions | 2 (dive loop and in-line twist) |
| Duration | 1:07 |
| Manufacturer / model | S&S Worldwide El Loco |
| Designer | Alan Schilke |
| Opened | December 22, 2013 |
| Trains | Single cars, 4 riders (2 rows of 2), lap bars |
One of the world’s steepest drops
Crazy Bird’s claim to fame is pure geometry. After a chain lift to just under 108 feet, the four-seat car noses over into a drop angled at 120 degrees — 30 degrees past straight down, with riders momentarily curled underneath the crest of the hill. That figure puts it fourth on the list of the steepest roller coaster drops in the world, within a degree and a half of the Guinness record holder TMNT Shellraiser (121.5°) and just behind Takabisha (121°) and Green Lantern Coaster (120.5°). In mainland China, nothing drops steeper.
It comes from the same mold as those record-chasers: the S&S El Loco, a compact coaster model designed by Alan Schilke that packs extreme moments into a tiny plot of land. Over just 1,279.5 feet of track, Crazy Bird follows its signature drop with a dive loop, an in-line twist that rolls riders through a full heartline rotation, and a sequence of sharply banked, outward-leaning turns — all in a ride lasting barely 67 seconds.
The Happy Valley Tianjin experience
Crazy Bird anchors the thrill lineup at Happy Valley Tianjin, one of the OCT Group’s chain of Happy Valley parks, which opened in Tianjin’s Dongli district in 2013. The playful angry-birds-style theming — the Chinese name literally means “angry bird” — belies how aggressive the ride is. Cars seat only four riders with individual hydraulic lap bars and carry onboard audio, a rare feature that scores the drop with sound. Because each car is so small, the ride is best hit early in the day before queues build.
FAQ
How steep is Crazy Bird at Happy Valley Tianjin?
Its first drop is angled at 120 degrees, or 30 degrees beyond vertical — among the four steepest coaster drops in the world and the steepest in mainland China. See the full steepest drops ranking.
What type of coaster is Crazy Bird?
It is an S&S Worldwide El Loco, designed by Alan Schilke — the same model family as Green Lantern Coaster in Australia, Timber Drop in France and Mumbo Jumbo in the UK. It runs single four-rider cars with lap-bar restraints.
When did Crazy Bird open?
Crazy Bird opened on December 22, 2013 at Happy Valley Tianjin in Dongli, Tianjin, China, standing 107.9 feet tall with 1,279.5 feet of track and two inversions.
About the photo: no freely licensed photo of Crazy Bird or Happy Valley Tianjin exists yet — this shows the Tianjin Eye in the same city. Photo: KangTyngrwey via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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