The Mindbender was the signature ride of Galaxyland, the indoor amusement park inside West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton, Alberta — and for decades it was the tallest roller coaster ever built under one roof, hurling riders through three vertical loops entirely inside a shopping mall.
Built by Anton Schwarzkopf and designed by Werner Stengel, the Mindbender opened in December 1985 as a $6 million centerpiece attraction and became one of Canada’s most recognized thrill rides. It closed permanently in January 2023, but its story — a fatal 1986 accident, a second life for its trains at another park, who actually holds the world-record title today, and what’s now rising in its place — is still worth telling in full.
Quick Answer
The Mindbender was a triple-loop indoor steel roller coaster at Galaxyland in West Edmonton Mall, built by Anton Schwarzkopf and opened December 20, 1985. At 145 feet (44.2 m) tall, it was long billed as the world’s tallest indoor roller coaster, reaching 60 mph and about 5.2 Gs across three vertical loops — though that record actually passed to a Qatari coaster in 2021, two years before Mindbender closed.
It shut down for good on January 30, 2023, was demolished in 2024–2025, and Galaxyland is now finishing a NERF-themed Vekoma coaster in its footprint, expected to open soon.
What Was the Mindbender?
The Mindbender was a Schwarzkopf-built steel looping coaster housed entirely inside Galaxyland, the amusement park on the upper level of West Edmonton Mall. Its 4,198-foot layout climbed 145 feet inside the mall’s atrium before dropping into three consecutive vertical loops and a double upward helix — a track plan longer and more intense than many outdoor coasters of its era.
Park: Galaxyland, West Edmonton Mall, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Manufacturer: Anton Schwarzkopf. Designer: Werner Stengel. Opened: December 20, 1985. Closed: January 30, 2023. Height: 145 ft (44.2 m). Top speed: 60 mph (96.5 km/h). Length: 4,198 ft (1,279.5 m). Inversions: 3 vertical loops. Max G-force: approximately 5.2 G.
The Ride Experience
Riders boarded one of four trains, each carrying 12 passengers across three cars, before climbing into the darkness of the mall’s vast interior. The coaster’s 145-foot lift led straight into three back-to-back vertical loops — a sequence very few indoor rides anywhere have matched — followed by a twisting helix finale.
Because it ran entirely enclosed within the mall, the Mindbender had none of the visual cues outdoor coasters give riders: no horizon, no daylight, just the echo of steel trains thundering through a shopping center. Combined with G-forces in the same range as some of the world’s most extreme outdoor steel coasters, that made it feel far more intense than its indoor, family-mall setting suggested.
The 1986 Accident and Its Aftermath
On June 14, 1986 — about six months after opening — a wheel assembly on the rear car failed as the train entered its third loop. The car derailed at roughly 100 km/h, ejecting all four occupants onto the concrete floor below. Three riders died and a fourth was left with permanent, critical injuries.
A provincial investigation found that four cap screws holding a wheel assembly had worked loose, a failure traced to design and manufacturing flaws in the car’s German-built running gear. The Mindbender was closed for roughly seven months while its trains were rebuilt with reinforced wheel assemblies and reduced from four cars to three per train. It reopened in January 1987 and operated for the following 33-plus years without another major structural incident.
Is the Mindbender Still the World’s Tallest Indoor Roller Coaster?
No — and it actually lost that title while it was still running. Guinness World Records now credits the EpiQ Coaster at Doha Quest, inside the Doha Oasis complex in Qatar, as the world’s tallest indoor roller coaster: a Premier Rides-built ride standing about 56.7 meters (186 feet), which set the record on October 18, 2021.
That means the Mindbender’s 145-foot height was surpassed more than a year before Galaxyland’s own COVID-era closure in 2020, and roughly 16 months before the ride was officially retired in January 2023. For most of its life — from 1985 until 2021 — the Mindbender genuinely was the world’s tallest fully enclosed coaster, but any current search for ‘world’s tallest indoor roller coaster’ should point to EpiQ in Doha, not the Mindbender.
Closure, Demolition, and the New Coaster Replacing It
The Mindbender’s final years were shaped as much by the pandemic as by age: Galaxyland shut down in 2020 due to COVID-19, and the ride never reopened to the public afterward. Despite fan campaigns urging West Edmonton Mall to preserve or relocate it, the mall confirmed on January 30, 2023 that the Mindbender was permanently decommissioned to free up space for new Galaxyland attractions. Demolition crews began dismantling the structure in 2024, with removal — along with the adjacent Galaxy Quest theatre — finishing by early 2025.
In its place, Galaxyland is building a NERF-branded multi-launch coaster manufactured by Vekoma, tying into the park’s ‘Galaxyland Powered by Hasbro’ theming. Reported specs put it at about 32 meters (105 feet) tall with roughly 579 meters (1,900 feet) of track and a top speed near 74 km/h (46 mph) in its more intense mode. Unusually, the ride is designed with two distinct programs — a gentler Family Mode and a faster, more aggressive Thrill Mode — using different launch profiles rather than a single fixed layout. As of August 2026, construction appears nearly complete, but West Edmonton Mall has not yet announced the coaster’s official name or opening date.
Where the Mindbender’s Trains Are Now
The Mindbender’s original trains didn’t disappear with the ride. They were shipped to Indiana Beach in Monticello, Indiana, refurbished, and now run as the All-American Triple Loop — meaning the same cars that carried millions of riders through Galaxyland’s loops are still in daily operation, just under a different name and a different sky. The refreshed ride opened to the public on May 11, 2024.
At Indiana Beach, the trains run on a new supporting structure roughly 108 feet tall and about 3,379 feet long, with a 100-foot first drop and G-forces reported up to 6.1 G — noticeably sharper than the Mindbender’s original stats, since the layout and drop were reengineered for the new site even though the trains themselves are original.
Records and Recognition
From 1985 until 2021, the Mindbender was legitimately the world’s tallest indoor roller coaster, a record tied directly to its 145-foot height inside the mall’s structure. Throughout the 1990s it was regularly cited by coaster enthusiasts and industry press as one of the most intense steel coasters in North America, indoor or outdoor, largely on the strength of its triple-loop layout and sustained G-forces.
Even after losing the height record to EpiQ in Doha, the Mindbender retained a distinct claim: it was one of the very few coasters anywhere to combine three consecutive vertical loops with a fully enclosed, mall-based setting, a combination no other indoor coaster has replicated.
Planning a Visit to Galaxyland Today
Galaxyland remains open and operating inside West Edmonton Mall even without the Mindbender, with dozens of other rides and attractions under its ‘Powered by Hasbro’ branding. Admission typically works through general park entry combined with ride-specific or wristband pass tiers, and — like most indoor mall attractions — hours generally track the mall’s own operating schedule rather than a separate seasonal calendar.
Because the new coaster’s opening date, ticket structure, and any ride-specific pricing haven’t been finalized publicly as of this writing, the most reliable source for current hours, admission options, and updates on the new coaster is the official Galaxyland page at West Edmonton Mall.
Mindbender roller coaster FAQs
What was the Mindbender roller coaster?
The Mindbender was a triple-looping steel roller coaster built by Anton Schwarzkopf at Galaxyland, the indoor amusement park inside West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It opened in December 1985 and stood 145 feet tall, running entirely under the mall’s roof.
Is the Mindbender still the world’s tallest indoor roller coaster?
No. That record now belongs to the EpiQ Coaster at Doha Quest in Qatar, which reached about 186 feet and was certified by Guinness World Records in October 2021 — two years before the Mindbender’s 2023 closure.
Is the Mindbender still at Galaxyland?
No. The Mindbender closed permanently on January 30, 2023, and its structure was demolished in 2024–2025. Galaxyland is now finishing a NERF-themed Vekoma multi-launch coaster on the same site.
What happened in the 1986 Mindbender accident?
On June 14, 1986, a wheel assembly on the rear car failed as the train entered its third loop, causing a derailment that ejected all four riders in that car. Three died and one suffered permanent critical injuries. The ride was closed for about seven months for a redesign of the wheel assemblies before reopening in January 1987.
What is replacing the Mindbender at Galaxyland?
A NERF-branded, Vekoma-built multi-launch roller coaster is under construction in the Mindbender’s former footprint, reportedly around 105 feet tall with about 1,900 feet of track and two ride modes — a gentler Family Mode and a faster Thrill Mode. As of August 2026, an official name and opening date haven’t been announced.
Where are the original Mindbender trains now?
They were refurbished and shipped to Indiana Beach in Monticello, Indiana, where they now operate as the All-American Triple Loop, which opened to the public on May 11, 2024.
How fast and intense was the Mindbender?
The Mindbender reached about 60 mph and pulled roughly 5.2 Gs across its three vertical loops and helix — intense figures for an indoor, family-mall setting, comparable to some of the era’s more extreme outdoor steel coasters.
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