Jolly Rancher Remix at Hersheypark: Height, Speed & Stats

Jolly Rancher Remix at Hersheypark is what happens when a chocolate company rebrands a roller coaster: a 1991 Vekoma Boomerang, repainted in candy colors and renamed after Hershey’s hard-candy line. But under the theming is one of the park’s most historically significant rides.

The coaster opened on May 11, 1991 as Sidewinder — Hersheypark’s first new roller coaster in fourteen years, ending a drought that stretched back to SooperDooperLooper in 1977. For the 2022 season the ride was repainted and relaunched as Jolly Rancher Remix, reopening on May 28, 2022.

Key Stats

Height	116.5 ft (35.5 m)
Speed	47 mph (76 km/h)
Length	935 ft (285 m)
Inversions	3 (traversed forward and backward)
Max g-force	5.2
Duration	1:48
Train	1 train, 7 cars, 28 riders
Manufacturer / model	Vekoma / Boomerang
Opened	May 11, 1991 (as Sidewinder)
Rethemed	Reopened as Jolly Rancher Remix, May 28, 2022
Park	Hersheypark, Hershey, Pennsylvania

Train passing through the vertical loop of the Hersheypark Boomerang coaster, photographed from directly below in its Sidewinder days — The train rounds the vertical loop, traversed forward and then backward on every cycle, in the ride’s original Sidewinder colors — Photo: Coasterman1234 via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

From Sidewinder to Candy-Coated Remix

For three decades, Sidewinder was Hersheypark’s take on the classic Vekoma Boomerang — the compact shuttle coaster Vekoma sold to parks all over the world. Ahead of the 2022 season Hershey gave the ride a full remix: new paint, new lighting and a retheme built around the Jolly Rancher candy brand, turning a stock model into a piece of in-house candy marketing that fits a park literally built by a chocolate company.

The rename made it a companion piece to the park’s other candy-branded coasters, and it introduced a new generation to a ride that many Pennsylvanians first met over 30 years ago.

Train being winched up the rear lift spike of the Hersheypark Boomerang coaster in its Sidewinder era — A trainload of riders is hauled up one of the two angled lift spikes before being released — Photo: Coasterman1234 via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

The Ride Experience

Like every Boomerang, Jolly Rancher Remix runs its course twice — once forward, once backward. The train is pulled backward out of the station up a 116.5-foot spike, released through the station at up to 47 mph, thrown into a cobra roll (two inversions) and a vertical loop, and carried up the second spike. Then the second lift lets go and the entire sequence unwinds in reverse. Riders go upside down six times in 108 seconds and pull as much as 5.2 g — a force figure worthy of the highest g-force roller coasters in the world.

The 1991 installation also marked a turning point for Hersheypark: after Sidewinder, the park returned to steady coaster investment, growing into the 15-coaster lineup it boasts today.

Train navigating half of the cobra roll on the Hersheypark Boomerang coaster, seen from below in its Sidewinder era — Halfway through the cobra roll, the element that flips riders twice in each direction — Photo: Chris Hagerman via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

FAQ

What was Jolly Rancher Remix originally called?

It opened on May 11, 1991 as Sidewinder — Hersheypark’s first new roller coaster since SooperDooperLooper in 1977. It was repainted and renamed Jolly Rancher Remix, reopening May 28, 2022.

How tall and fast is Jolly Rancher Remix?

The ride’s twin spikes stand 116.5 feet (35.5 meters) tall, and the train reaches 47 mph (76 km/h) through the station.

How many inversions does Jolly Rancher Remix have?

Three inversions — a cobra roll (counting as two) and a vertical loop — ridden both forward and backward, so riders go upside down six times per cycle.

Photo: Jrosenberry1 via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) — the ride photographed as Sidewinder, before its 2022 Jolly Rancher retheme