Son of Beast: Kings Island’s Record-Breaking Wooden Coaster

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August 16, 2026

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by tz

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 modern wood-track coaster has matched. 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 on July 4, 2007, as a non-looping wooden coaster and ran in that configuration until its closure in June 2009.

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 modern-era wooden coaster to feature a vertical loop.

Photos

Son of Beast
Photo: WillMcC / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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, April 13, 2002, and in July 2005 and August 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 and station, 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.

Jump to: 2006 · 2005 · 2002 · 2001 · 2000

2006 · 6 photos

August 2006

Son of Beast's wooden hills and vertical loop above the trees at Kings Island, August 2006
Son of Beast’s wooden hills and vertical loop above the trees at Kings Island, August 13, 2006. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
A Son of Beast train climbing the lift hill behind Top Gun's supports at Kings Island, August 2006
A Son of Beast train climbing the lift hill behind Top Gun’s supports at Kings Island, August 13, 2006. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
Son of Beast's lift hill behind Top Gun's track at Kings Island, August 2006
Son of Beast’s lift hill behind Top Gun’s track at Kings Island, August 13, 2006. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
A Son of Beast train climbing the lift hill behind Top Gun's supports and cars at Kings Island, August 2006
A Son of Beast train climbing the lift hill behind Top Gun’s supports and cars at Kings Island, August 13, 2006. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
A Son of Beast train climbing the wooden lift hill, gray steel supports of another ride in the foreground at Paramount's Kings Island, August 2006
A Son of Beast train climbing the wooden lift hill, gray steel supports of another ride in the foreground at Paramount’s Kings Island, August 13, 2006. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
Aerial view of Son of Beast's wooden hills and vertical loop rising out of the woods at Paramount's Kings Island, August 2006
Aerial view of Son of Beast’s wooden hills and vertical loop rising out of the woods at Paramount’s Kings Island, August 2006. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
2005 · 2 photos

July 2005

A Son of Beast train on the top of the giant wooden structure above a go-kart track, a ladder-climb game sign at right at Paramount's Kings Island, July 2005
A Son of Beast train on the top of the giant wooden structure above a go-kart track, a ladder-climb game sign at right at Paramount’s Kings Island, July 0, 2005. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
A Son of Beast train running along the far end of the wooden structure under a clear blue sky, go-kart track below at Paramount's Kings Island, July 2005
A Son of Beast train running along the far end of the wooden structure under a clear blue sky, go-kart track below at Paramount’s Kings Island, July 0, 2005. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
2002 · 14 photos

April 2002

Riders aboard a Son of Beast train on the wooden track above steel supports at Kings Island, April 2002
Riders aboard a Son of Beast train on the wooden track above steel supports at Kings Island, April 13, 2002. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
A red Son of Beast train loading in the station at Kings Island, April 2002
A red Son of Beast train loading in the station at Kings Island, April 13, 2002. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
Son of Beast's huge wooden structure looming over a go-kart track behind a chain-link fence under a cloudy sky at Paramount's Kings Island, April 2002
Son of Beast’s huge wooden structure looming over a go-kart track behind a chain-link fence under a cloudy sky at Paramount’s Kings Island, April 13, 2002. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
A single yellow and red coaster car with the park logo on display atop a rooftop, a red lamp post at right at Paramount's Kings Island, April 2002
A single yellow and red coaster car with the park logo on display atop a rooftop, a red lamp post at right at Paramount’s Kings Island, April 13, 2002. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
The Son of Beast entrance sign, red lettering set in torn wooden planks inside a riveted metal frame at Paramount's Kings Island, April 2002
The Son of Beast entrance sign, red lettering set in torn wooden planks inside a riveted metal frame at Paramount’s Kings Island, April 13, 2002. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
Son of Beast's wooden lift hill rising above the station, with a Feel It? season-pass billboard showing the loop on the grass at Paramount's Kings Island, April 2002
Son of Beast’s wooden lift hill rising above the station, with a Feel It? season-pass billboard showing the loop on the grass at Paramount’s Kings Island, April 13, 2002. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
Riders on Son of Beast's station platform under the blue-framed roof, the wooden lift hill climbing behind at Paramount's Kings Island, April 2002
Riders on Son of Beast’s station platform under the blue-framed roof, the wooden lift hill climbing behind at Paramount’s Kings Island, April 13, 2002. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
A Son of Beast train climbing the wooden lift hill above a wooden walkway structure, chain-link fence in the foreground at Paramount's Kings Island, April 2002
A Son of Beast train climbing the wooden lift hill above a wooden walkway structure, chain-link fence in the foreground at Paramount’s Kings Island, April 13, 2002. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
A Son of Beast train cresting the top of the wooden lift above the station roof, guests waiting on the platform below at Paramount's Kings Island, April 2002
A Son of Beast train cresting the top of the wooden lift above the station roof, guests waiting on the platform below at Paramount’s Kings Island, April 13, 2002. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
Guests waiting under Son of Beast's station roof with red lamps, the yellow front car of a train parked at the platform at Paramount's Kings Island, April 2002
Guests waiting under Son of Beast’s station roof with red lamps, the yellow front car of a train parked at the platform at Paramount’s Kings Island, April 13, 2002. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
Looking through Son of Beast's wooden supports toward the loop and curving track, a yellow safety sign and fence in front at Paramount's Kings Island, April 2002
Looking through Son of Beast’s wooden supports toward the loop and curving track, a yellow safety sign and fence in front at Paramount’s Kings Island, April 13, 2002. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
A loaded red Son of Beast train waiting in the station as an operator stands in the booth doorway at Paramount's Kings Island, April 2002
A loaded red Son of Beast train waiting in the station as an operator stands in the booth doorway at Paramount’s Kings Island, April 13, 2002. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
A Son of Beast train full of riders cresting the top of the wooden structure against a gray sky at Paramount's Kings Island, April 2002
A Son of Beast train full of riders cresting the top of the wooden structure against a gray sky at Paramount’s Kings Island, April 13, 2002. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
A loaded Son of Beast train with its logo-marked yellow front car pulling out of the station as an attendant looks on at Paramount's Kings Island, April 2002
A loaded Son of Beast train with its logo-marked yellow front car pulling out of the station as an attendant looks on at Paramount’s Kings Island, April 13, 2002. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
2001 · 15 photos

April 2001

Son of Beast's wooden hill under a cloudy sky at Kings Island, April 2001
Son of Beast’s wooden hill under a cloudy sky at Kings Island, April 7, 2001. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
Son of Beast's towering wooden structure at Kings Island, April 2001
Son of Beast’s towering wooden structure at Kings Island, April 7, 2001. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
A Son of Beast train on the banked turnaround above the bare woods at Kings Island, April 2001
A Son of Beast train on the banked turnaround above the bare woods at Kings Island, April 7, 2001. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
A Son of Beast train going through the vertical loop at Kings Island, April 2001
A Son of Beast train going through the vertical loop at Kings Island, April 7, 2001. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
Son of Beast's hills and vertical loop winding through the bare woods at Kings Island, April 2001
Son of Beast’s hills and vertical loop winding through the bare woods at Kings Island, April 7, 2001. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
Son of Beast's steel loop on white supports in front of a wooden coaster structure at Paramount's Kings Island, April 2001
Son of Beast’s steel loop on white supports in front of a wooden coaster structure at Paramount’s Kings Island, April 7, 2001. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
A Son of Beast train crossing the top of the tall wooden structure, bare trees and white spring blossoms at right at Paramount's Kings Island, April 2001
A Son of Beast train crossing the top of the tall wooden structure, bare trees and white spring blossoms at right at Paramount’s Kings Island, April 7, 2001. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
Son of Beast's first drop and towering wooden structure against a blue sky, a bare tree at left and a park sign at right at Paramount's Kings Island, April 2001
Son of Beast’s first drop and towering wooden structure against a blue sky, a bare tree at left and a park sign at right at Paramount’s Kings Island, April 7, 2001. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
A Son of Beast train climbing the long wooden lift hill, with more of the wooden structure and bare trees behind and a lamp post in front at Paramount's Kings Island, April 2001
A Son of Beast train climbing the long wooden lift hill, with more of the wooden structure and bare trees behind and a lamp post in front at Paramount’s Kings Island, April 7, 2001. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
A Son of Beast train on the wooden lift, a sweeping curved hill behind it and steel tubing in the foreground at Paramount's Kings Island, April 2001
A Son of Beast train on the wooden lift, a sweeping curved hill behind it and steel tubing in the foreground at Paramount’s Kings Island, April 7, 2001. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
A Son of Beast train with riders partway up the wooden lift hill, a yellow warning sign on a pole and steel tubing in front at Paramount's Kings Island, April 2001
A Son of Beast train with riders partway up the wooden lift hill, a yellow warning sign on a pole and steel tubing in front at Paramount’s Kings Island, April 7, 2001. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
Son of Beast's wooden first drop curving down under a sky of scalloped clouds, trees and a lamp post at right at Paramount's Kings Island, April 2001
Son of Beast’s wooden first drop curving down under a sky of scalloped clouds, trees and a lamp post at right at Paramount’s Kings Island, April 7, 2001. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
High aerial view of Son of Beast's sprawling wooden structure and loop among bare woods, farmland and a steel coaster in front at Paramount's Kings Island, April 2001
High aerial view of Son of Beast’s sprawling wooden structure and loop among bare woods, farmland and a steel coaster in front at Paramount’s Kings Island, April 7, 2001. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
Aerial view of a Son of Beast train on the top of the wooden structure, with ballfields and farmland beyond at Paramount's Kings Island, April 2001
Aerial view of a Son of Beast train on the top of the wooden structure, with ballfields and farmland beyond at Paramount’s Kings Island, April 7, 2001. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
Aerial view of Son of Beast's long wooden hills curving over bare woods, a train running across the top at Paramount's Kings Island, April 2001
Aerial view of Son of Beast’s long wooden hills curving over bare woods, a train running across the top at Paramount’s Kings Island, April 7, 2001. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
2000 · 13 photos

August 2000

The Son of Beast entrance sign at Kings Island, August 2000
The Son of Beast entrance sign at Kings Island, August 15, 2000. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
A Son of Beast train climbing the lift hill at Kings Island, August 2000
A Son of Beast train climbing the lift hill at Kings Island, August 15, 2000. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
Son of Beast's wooden hill against a blue sky at Kings Island, August 2000
Son of Beast’s wooden hill against a blue sky at Kings Island, August 15, 2000. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
A Son of Beast train crossing the trestle above the trees at Kings Island, August 2000
A Son of Beast train crossing the trestle above the trees at Kings Island, August 15, 2000. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
A Son of Beast train passing the steel-and-wood supports at Kings Island, August 2000
A Son of Beast train passing the steel-and-wood supports at Kings Island, August 15, 2000. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
A Son of Beast train climbing the lift hill above the wooden lattice at Kings Island, August 2000
A Son of Beast train climbing the lift hill above the wooden lattice at Kings Island, August 15, 2000. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
The 'new' Son of Beast banner on a rooftop at Kings Island, August 2000
The ‘new’ Son of Beast banner on a rooftop at Kings Island, August 15, 2000. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
A wall of Son of Beast's tall wooden support lattice rising above a construction fence, hazy sky showing through at Paramount's Kings Island, August 2000
A wall of Son of Beast’s tall wooden support lattice rising above a construction fence, hazy sky showing through at Paramount’s Kings Island, August 15, 2000. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
Son of Beast's huge wooden hill rising above a line of green treetops in the soft evening light at Paramount's Kings Island, August 2000
Son of Beast’s huge wooden hill rising above a line of green treetops in the soft evening light at Paramount’s Kings Island, August 15, 2000. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
Two sections of Son of Beast's wooden structure poking above the treeline under a pale evening sky, a white building at right at Paramount's Kings Island, August 2000
Two sections of Son of Beast’s wooden structure poking above the treeline under a pale evening sky, a white building at right at Paramount’s Kings Island, August 15, 2000. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
A Son of Beast train running along the top of the giant wooden structure, light poles and a park sign below at Paramount's Kings Island, August 2000
A Son of Beast train running along the top of the giant wooden structure, light poles and a park sign below at Paramount’s Kings Island, August 15, 2000. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
A red Son of Beast train with a yellow front car carrying riders along the upper wooden track, some with hands raised at Paramount's Kings Island, August 2000
A red Son of Beast train with a yellow front car carrying riders along the upper wooden track, some with hands raised at Paramount’s Kings Island, August 15, 2000. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
Guests lined up under Son of Beast's station roof with red lamps, the yellow front car of a train at the platform at Paramount's Kings Island, August 2000
Guests lined up under Son of Beast’s station roof with red lamps, the yellow front car of a train at the platform at Paramount’s Kings Island, August 15, 2000. Photo: ThrillZing (CC BY 4.0)
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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 modern wooden roller coaster 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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Son of Beast: Kings Island’s Record-Breaking Wooden Coaster
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