Mantis was Cedar Point’s stand-up steel roller coaster that opened in 1996 and, for a few years, held the title of tallest, fastest, and steepest stand-up coaster in the world. Riders stood upright for the entire 137-foot drop and four inversions, a format that made the ride feel more intense than its stats alone suggested.
Cedar Point retired Mantis in October 2014 after 18 seasons and rebuilt its steel structure into Rougarou, the floorless coaster that still runs on the same track today. Below is everything worth knowing about Mantis: its records, specs, ride layout, and why the park chose to convert rather than demolish it.
Quick Answer
Mantis was a Bolliger & Mabillard stand-up roller coaster at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, open from May 11, 1996 to October 19, 2014. It set world records for stand-up coasters in height (145 feet), speed (60 mph), and length (3,900 feet), and its steel structure was rebuilt into the floorless coaster Rougarou, which opened in 2015.
Mantis by the Numbers
Park: Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio, in the Millennium Midway section near Power Tower and Millennium Force. Manufacturer: Bolliger & Mabillard. Designer: Werner Stengel. Opened: May 11, 1996. Closed: October 19, 2014. Cost: roughly $12 million.
Height: 145 feet. Top speed: 60 mph. Length: 3,900 feet. Inversions: 4. First drop: 52 degrees at 137 feet. Ride duration: about two and a half minutes. Minimum height to ride: 54 inches, with a 78-inch maximum. Hourly capacity: around 1,800 riders per hour with two trains of eight cars running at once.
The Ride Experience
Mantis put riders in bicycle-style standing seats secured with an over-the-shoulder harness instead of a traditional seated restraint, which intensified every drop and inversion. After the 145-foot lift hill, trains plunged at a 52-degree angle into a 119-foot vertical loop, then a 103-foot dive loop, an 83-foot inclined loop, and a corkscrew.
The inclined loop and dive loop were the first of their kind ever built on a stand-up coaster, and the standing position made the forces feel sharper and more disorienting than on a seated ride covering the same layout. That intensity earned Mantis a reputation as one of the roughest, most jarring rides in the park — a trait riders either loved or dreaded.
The Records Mantis Set — and Lost
When it opened in 1996, Mantis was simultaneously the tallest, fastest, and steepest stand-up roller coaster in the world, and the first stand-up coaster anywhere with a dive loop or an inclined loop. For a brief stretch it was the undisputed king of its niche.
Those records didn’t last. Chang at Kentucky Kingdom overtook Mantis’s height and speed numbers not long after, and Riddler’s Revenge at Six Flags Magic Mountain later topped Chang. Stand-up coasters as a category eventually fell out of favor across the industry — most parks, including Cedar Point, have since converted or removed their stand-up models — which is part of why Mantis’s records mattered more as a historical milestone than a long-term claim to fame.
Why Cedar Point Retired Mantis
Mantis delivered an estimated 22 million rides over its 18 seasons, but by the early 2010s its popularity had slipped as the standing restraints and rough ride quality aged compared to newer coaster designs. Cedar Point has long said it tracks which rides guests actually choose to ride — “guests vote with their feet,” as a park spokesperson put it when announcing the closure in September 2014 — and Mantis’s declining lines were a factor in the decision.
Rather than scrap the ride outright, Cedar Point reused Mantis’s steel track and support structure, swapped the standing trains for dangling floorless trains, repainted the layout, and reopened it as Rougarou on May 9, 2015. The height, speed, and inversion layout are essentially identical to Mantis; only the restraint style and theming changed.
Mantis vs. Rougarou Today
If you’re trying to find Mantis at Cedar Point today, it no longer exists under that name — the ride operating on its structure is Rougarou, located in the same spot in the Millennium Midway section. The track layout, drop angle, loops, and length are the same, so riding Rougarou is the closest you can get to experiencing Mantis’s record-setting course now.
For a full breakdown of Rougarou’s current stats, trains, and recent photos, see ThrillZing’s Rougarou guide. For how Mantis fits into the park’s broader coaster lineup across the decades, see the Cedar Point roller coaster history timeline.
Mantis Photo Archive: 2002–2014
These are original ThrillZing photos of Mantis taken at Cedar Point between 2002 and 2014. The 2002–2007 frames, restored and upscaled from the original camera files, show B&M’s stand-up coaster in its original yellow-and-blue Mantis colors — the entrance sign, the 145-foot lift and vertical loop, the dive loop and inclined loop over the lagoon, and trains of standing riders. The October 2014 set is from Mantis’s last season: the ride was already wearing Rougarou’s orange track and teal supports while it still ran stand-up trains, before it reopened with floorless trains as Rougarou in 2015. All photos are free to reuse under a CC BY 4.0 license with credit to ThrillZing and a link to this page.
Jump to: 2014 · 2007 · 2005 · 2003 · 2002
2014 · 12 photos
October 2014: the final season, in Rougarou colors
2007 · 1 photo
September 2007
2005 · 1 photo
May 2005
2003 · 18 photos
July 2003
2002 · 5 photos
May 2002
Rub-on sunscreen that fits in a pocket — reapply in the queue without greasy hands on the lap bar.
Folds into its own pocket. Pop it on when the storm rolls in and the rides reopen to short lines.
Keeps your phone strapped to you, not in a loose-article bin. Zip it before the lift hill and walk straight off the exit ramp.
Mantis stand-up coaster at Cedar Point FAQs
What happened to the Mantis roller coaster at Cedar Point?
Cedar Point closed Mantis on October 19, 2014, and rebuilt its steel track and structure into Rougarou, a floorless coaster that reopened on May 9, 2015. The layout is the same; only the trains and restraints changed from standing to floorless seating.
What records did Mantis hold?
At its 1996 debut, Mantis was the tallest (145 feet), fastest (60 mph), and steepest stand-up roller coaster in the world, and the first stand-up coaster with both a dive loop and an inclined loop. Those records were later broken by Chang at Kentucky Kingdom and then Riddler’s Revenge at Six Flags Magic Mountain.
Why was Mantis considered rough?
Mantis seated riders standing upright in bicycle-style seats rather than sitting, which made every drop, loop, and transition feel sharper and more jarring than on a seated coaster covering the same track. That intensity contributed to its reputation as a rough ride and factored into its eventual retirement.
How tall did you have to be to ride Mantis?
Mantis had a minimum height requirement of 54 inches and a maximum of 78 inches, a range tied to how the standing harness and bicycle-style seat secured riders.
Is Rougarou the same ride as Mantis?
Yes, structurally. Rougarou reuses Mantis’s original steel track, 145-foot lift hill, and four inversions. Cedar Point replaced the standing trains with floorless trains and repainted the ride, but the course riders travel is unchanged.
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