Woodstock Express is a wooden roller coaster in the Planet Snoopy section of Kings Island near Mason, Ohio. It holds a special distinction among the park’s rides: it’s one of the original attractions that opened with Kings Island on April 29, 1972, making it more than five decades old and a living link to the park’s earliest days.
Designed by legendary coaster architect John C. Allen and built by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters, the ride has worn several different identities over the years as its surrounding themed area changed hands. Despite the name changes, the wooden structure and figure-eight layout that thrilled guests in the early 1970s remain largely intact, giving families a gentle but genuinely historic coaster experience.
Stats at a Glance
- Park: Kings Island
- Manufacturer: Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters
- Designer: John C. Allen
- Opened: April 29, 1972
- Height: about 38.6 feet
- Top speed: about 35 mph
- Length: about 1,350 feet
- Inversions: 0
The Ride Experience
Woodstock Express is a compact wooden coaster built around a figure-eight track layout, a classic design that lets the ride pack a surprising amount of terrain into a small footprint. After a chain lift hoists riders to the top of its roughly 38-foot structure, the train dives through a 30-foot drop and winds through the tight turns and gentle bunny hops typical of family-oriented wooden coasters of its era. Two trains, each seating 20 riders in five cars, keep the line moving through Planet Snoopy, Kings Island’s dedicated kids’ area themed around the Peanuts characters.
A Coaster With Four Names
Few rides in the country have changed identities as often as this one. It debuted as Scooby Doo in 1972, was renamed The Beastie in 1980 (complete with a tunnel added to the first drop that was later removed), became the Nickelodeon-themed Fairly Odd Coaster in 2006, and finally took on its current Woodstock Express name and Peanuts theming in 2010. Through every rebrand, the underlying wooden structure and John C. Allen design have stayed the same, making it a quiet survivor of Kings Island’s opening season.
Explore more: Explore more roller coasters.
Woodstock Express Photo Archive: July 2005
These are original ThrillZing photos of the junior wooden coaster at Paramount’s Kings Island, then Scooby’s Ghoster Coaster and now Woodstock Express, taken on July 30 and 31, 2005, restored and upscaled from the original camera files. They show the Hanna-Barbera-era entrance and a train in the station. All photos are free to reuse under a CC BY 4.0 license with credit to ThrillZing and a link to this page.
Woodstock Express FAQs
How old is Woodstock Express at Kings Island?
It opened with the park on April 29, 1972, originally as Scooby Doo, making it over 50 years old.
Who manufactured Woodstock Express?
It was built by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters and designed by John C. Allen.
Is Woodstock Express a good ride for kids?
Yes, it’s located in Planet Snoopy, Kings Island’s children’s area, and is designed as a gentle, family-friendly wooden coaster with no inversions.
Get More from Woodstock Express
Log the coasters, stadiums, and venues you’ve experienced, rate Woodstock Express, and see what your friends thought. Get the ThrillZing app.
Photo: Andy B / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.