Woody Woodpecker’s Nuthouse Coaster was a family-friendly junior roller coaster at Universal Studios Florida, tucked into the Woody Woodpecker’s KidZone section of the park. Manufactured by Vekoma, it holds a special place in Universal Orlando Resort’s history as the very first roller coaster ever built at the property, opening on March 13, 1999.
Designed for young guests, the coaster wound its low, compact track around a whimsical nut factory backdrop filled with Woody Woodpecker theming, including the character’s signature laugh playing at the top of the small lift hill. The ride operated for almost 24 years before closing in 2023, later making way for a new attraction themed to DreamWorks’ Trolls.
Stats at a Glance
- Park: Universal Studios Florida
- Manufacturer: Vekoma
- Opened: March 13, 1999
- Closed: January 15, 2023
- Height: about 28 feet (8.5 m)
- Top speed: about 22 mph (34.9 km/h)
- Length: about 679 feet (207 m)
- Inversions: 0
The Ride Experience
The complete experience lasted roughly a minute, with the coaster portion itself clocking in at around 40 seconds once the single eight-car train crested the modest lift hill. True to its junior-coaster design, the layout favored gentle twists and turns low to the ground rather than drops or speed, making it approachable for riders as young as 36 inches tall when accompanied by a supervising companion.
Theming leaned into the mischief of the Woody Woodpecker cartoons, with the track looping around a fictional nut factory and surrounding trees. Guests often recalled small sight gags along the route and Woody’s trademark cackling laugh playing as the train reached its highest point, giving the short ride an outsized dose of personality for its size.
A First for Universal Orlando
Beyond its family appeal, Nuthouse Coaster carried historical weight: it was the first roller coaster constructed anywhere at Universal Orlando Resort, opening on March 13, 1999, a little over two months before Islands of Adventure debuted on May 28, 1999, with its own larger steel coasters, the Incredible Hulk Coaster and Dueling Dragons. It anchored the KidZone area, sitting near the E.T. Adventure queue and the park’s original Hard Rock Cafe location.
After nearly 24 years of operation, Universal closed the coaster on January 15, 2023, to make way for a retheme. The site reopened on June 14, 2024, as Trolls’ Trollercoaster, an attraction inspired by DreamWorks’ Trolls films that reused elements of the original layout.
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Woody Woodpecker’s Nuthouse Coaster FAQs
Is Woody Woodpecker’s Nuthouse Coaster still open?
No. The coaster closed on January 15, 2023, and was later rethemed into Trolls’ Trollercoaster, which opened on the same site in June 2024.
Who manufactured Woody Woodpecker’s Nuthouse Coaster?
It was built by Vekoma, a Dutch roller coaster manufacturer, as a compact steel junior coaster.
Why was Woody Woodpecker’s Nuthouse Coaster significant to Universal Orlando?
It was the first roller coaster ever constructed at Universal Orlando Resort, opening on March 13, 1999, about two and a half months before Islands of Adventure opened with its own larger coasters on May 28, 1999.
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