Son of Beast — a name a lot of people remember (and search for) as “Son of the Beast” — was a towering wooden roller coaster at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio, that opened on April 28, 2000, as the tallest and fastest wooden coaster in the world. Built by the Roller Coaster Corporation of America with track design by Werner Stengel’s engineering firm, it stood 218 feet tall and became the first coaster of its era to earn the label “wooden hypercoaster,” a height class reserved for rides topping 200 feet.
For its first several seasons, Son of Beast was also the only wooden coaster in the world built with a vertical loop, a feat of engineering most believed impossible on a wood-track ride. That record-setting combination made it one of the most talked-about coasters in the country before structural issues and safety concerns ultimately led to its permanent closure and removal.
Quick Answer
Son of Beast was a 218-foot wooden roller coaster at Kings Island that opened in 2000 as the world’s first and only wooden hypercoaster with a vertical loop. It closed permanently in 2009, was dismantled in 2012, and was replaced on the same spot by the steel coaster Banshee, which opened in 2014.
Is It “Son of Beast” or “Son of the Beast”?
The ride’s official name was Son of Beast, without a “the.” The mix-up is extremely common, and understandably so: the coaster was built and marketed as a sequel to Kings Island’s famous 1979 wooden coaster The Beast, which does use “The.” Riders naturally slip the article back in when they say the name out loud, and “Son of the Beast” has stuck around in casual conversation and search queries ever since, even though every park sign, press release, and ride plaque dropped the “the.”
So whether you remember it as Son of Beast or Son of the Beast, you’re thinking of the same ride: Kings Island’s record-setting wooden giant that stood near The Beast from 2000 to 2009.
Stats at a Glance
Park: Kings Island, Mason, Ohio. Manufacturer: Roller Coaster Corporation of America, with design work by Werner Stengel’s firm. Opened: April 28, 2000. Closed: June 16, 2009. Dismantled: 2012. Height: 218 feet. Drop: 214 feet. Top speed: about 78 mph. Length: about 7,032 feet. Ride time: roughly two minutes. Inversions: one vertical loop from 2000 to 2006, removed in early 2007.
The Ride Experience
Riders climbed a 218-foot lift hill before plunging down a 214-foot drop, reaching speeds of around 78 mph — remarkable numbers for an all-wood structure. The nearly 7,032-foot layout gave the ride a run time of roughly two minutes, packing in the aggressive airtime and rough, powerful pacing that wooden hypercoasters became known for.
From 2000 through 2006, the ride’s signature feature was a vertical loop built into the wooden layout, an engineering rarity that no other wood-track coaster has matched before or since. The loop was removed after the 2006 season following a structural incident, and the ride continued operating as a non-inverting wooden coaster for its final seasons with lighter replacement trains.
Theming: The Beast’s “Sequel”
Kings Island deliberately positioned Son of Beast as a follow-up to The Beast, the park’s beloved 1979 wooden coaster that still runs today and is one of the longest wooden coasters in the world. The marketing framed Son of Beast as a bigger, faster descendant built two decades later, which is exactly why so many fans default to calling it “Son of the Beast” — it reads more naturally as a title alongside “The Beast.”
The 2006 Incident and Loop Removal
On July 9, 2006, a structural failure in the ride’s wooden track created a bump that sent more than two dozen riders to area hospitals. The coaster was shut down for the rest of that season. Over the following off-season, Kings Island installed new, lighter trains (originally built for the Hurricane: Category 5 coaster) and removed the vertical loop, since the heavier trains needed to clear the loop were putting extra strain on the aging wooden structure.
Son of Beast reopened for 2007 as a non-looping wooden coaster and ran in that configuration for its final two seasons.
The 2009 Closure
A guest injury claim followed a May 31, 2009 ride, and Kings Island closed Son of Beast for the remainder of that season while the state inspected the ride. The Ohio Department of Agriculture found no mechanical irregularities, but Kings Island chose to keep the coaster closed rather than reopen it, and it never ran again after June 16, 2009.
Demolition and Legacy
After sitting idle for three years, Kings Island announced in July 2012 that Son of Beast would be permanently removed. Demolition began that fall, with the towering lift hill coming down on November 20, 2012, clearing the site for a new ride.
Kings Island replaced Son of Beast with Banshee, a steel inverted coaster that opened on the same footprint in 2014 and still runs today. Son of Beast is remembered as one of the most ambitious — and most short-lived — wooden coasters ever built, and it remains the only wooden coaster to ever feature a vertical loop.
Son of Beast Photo Archive: 2000–2006
These are original ThrillZing photos of Son of Beast taken at Paramount’s Kings Island on August 15, 2000, in its opening season, on April 7, 2001, and on August 13, 2006, restored and upscaled from the original camera files. They show the record-breaking wooden hypercoaster with its loop still in place: the entrance sign, trains climbing the 218-foot lift, the drop and lattice, the twin peaks and loop from the Eiffel Tower, and the hill towering behind Top Gun’s supports. All photos are free to reuse under a CC BY 4.0 license with credit to ThrillZing and a link to this page.
August 2006
April 2002
April 2001
August 2000
Photos
Son of Beast Photo Archive: 2000–2006
These are original ThrillZing photos of Son of Beast taken at Paramount’s Kings Island on August 15, 2000, in its opening season, on April 7, 2001, and on August 13, 2006, restored and upscaled from the original camera files. They show the record-breaking wooden hypercoaster with its loop still in place: the entrance sign, trains climbing the 218-foot lift, the drop and lattice, the twin peaks and loop from the Eiffel Tower, and the hill towering behind Top Gun’s supports. All photos are free to reuse under a CC BY 4.0 license with credit to ThrillZing and a link to this page.
August 2006
April 2002
April 2001
August 2000
A fan and a mist in one, rechargeable. Very popular in queue lines once the afternoon sun hits.
Build a working coaster on the kitchen table and learn why the first drop has to be the tallest. A good gift for young coaster fans.
Over 3,700 pieces, a real vertical loop and a working chain lift. Display it on a shelf in the coaster room.
Son of Beast roller coaster FAQs
Is it called “Son of Beast” or “Son of the Beast”?
The official name was Son of Beast, with no “the.” People commonly call it Son of the Beast because it was marketed as a sequel to The Beast, which does use “The” in its name.
Is Son of Beast still open at Kings Island?
No. Son of Beast last operated on June 16, 2009, and was permanently dismantled starting in 2012.
Why did Son of Beast close?
The coaster was shut down in 2009 after a guest filed an injury claim. State inspectors found no mechanical problems, but Kings Island opted to keep it closed rather than reopen it, and it was removed three years later.
Did Son of Beast really have a loop?
Yes. From 2000 to 2006 it was the only wooden roller coaster ever built with a vertical loop. The loop was removed after a 2006 structural incident led the park to switch to lighter trains that couldn’t clear it.
How tall and fast was Son of Beast?
Son of Beast stood 218 feet tall with a 214-foot first drop and reached speeds of about 78 mph, making it the tallest and fastest wooden roller coaster in the world when it opened in 2000.
What replaced Son of Beast at Kings Island?
Banshee, a steel inverted roller coaster, opened on Son of Beast’s former site in 2014 and is still operating at Kings Island today.
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