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[2026] CBeebies Land Junior Coaster

Mmm, might a Junior duelling coaster be an idea to have as in Minifigure Speedway? Could easily fit in with limited space, a good capacity eater compared to say Spinball and a duelling coaster would offer something different in general for the coaster line-up on the park and quite eye catching for the GP at large.

Giving Merlin liking to copy and paste some things around as in what seems to be a Project Horizon like ride for Chessington and the many B&M wing coasters they've installed then maybe we could see a shuttle coaster here too? Quite plausible the more I think about it now...
 
This seems an odd choice, unless it’s replacing spinball. With eventually PH possibly being a 1.2m attraction anyway, longer term hopefully not too bad. Spinball has always been a contentious attraction for the park given its noise and location.

Nevertheless this seems like an odd choice given how many other things the park currently lacks.

Flat rides in x sector, FV and Dark Forest
Indoor Cinema
Indoor show/event space
Indoor boat ride
Flying theatre
Indoor Coaster
Trackless dark ride/shooter ride

I would argue all missing in the line up over a children’s coaster…
 
IanB said:
. Let’s be honest, by the time children are turning 5 and 6, most of the rides in CBeebies are hardly the most exciting rides to go on. If your family has a 5 and 9 year old, the 9 year old does not want to spend several hours in CBeebies land.

And outside of CBeebies land, there is nothing for the 5 year old to do.
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A quick search on Google suggests that the average height for an 5 year old in the UK is 112.5cm for boys and 111.7cm for girls. Looking at the ride height restrictions at Towers there are definitely a few rides outside of CBeebies Land that a 5 year old might enjoy. It’s not a massive list though granted.

Runaway Mine Train - 110cm
Congo River Rapids - 110cm
Marauders Mayhem - 110cm
Battle Galleons - 0.9m
Gangster Granny - 0.9m
Royal Carousel
Raj’s Bouncy Bottom Burp - 0.9m
Driving School - 1.0m

RMT and CRR are definitely the pick of the bunch there and are two solid family rides. Interestingly Hex would also be suitable at a minimum height of 0.9m (though anyone under 1.2m must be accompanied) though I think it’s tone would be a little too dark for some 5 years olds to enjoy. It’s definitely true though that the park could do with a couple more attractions like CRR and RMT in that very classic family ride vein, it’s certainly an area that Towers lacks in compared to many European Parks or even parks here 20 years ago.
 
My prediction for a while has been that Horizon is a replacement for Spinball, and CBBL expansion onto that site inevitable.
 
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owenstreet7 said:
Just looked up the average age of someone who's 1.1m and it seems that is about 5. It does vary and some would reach it earlier or later.

From what I understand, it's between 5 and 7 that kids do tend to gradually outgrow Cbeebies programmes and onto content for slightly older ones.

There is a huge lack of rides that steps up between the thrill rides and Cbeebies Land and at Alton Towers, it is a struggle where one part of a family can go to Cbeebies Land and the other ends up at the other areas of the park. It's just two extremes and no transition really. It's been made worse with Flavios and Blade going.

It's hard to think 10 years ago, Alton Towers had The Flume, Wave Swinger, 4D Cinema, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Blade and Enterprise were at the park.

There was a time that Runaway Mine Train and Marauders Mayhem both had a 0.9m height requirement.

I find it odd that the park would do a 2nd Cbeebies Land coaster when the park need something appealing for a wider audience and theme like Gold Rush.
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Oh it's still 100% a problem at the park that anyone too old for CBeebies but under 1.4m is very much drawing the short draw. Mrs wants to take one of her nieces at some point but given she's (the niece) not much for anything creepy even then it rules out a number of "suitable" attractions.

Even if Flume was scarier than most dedicated scary rides.

Given the current flaws with the park, the obsession with getting new coasters (including Horizon, whatever is happening there) bemuses me too. Even if there's somewhat a sensible reasoning for expanding on CBeebies at the same time. Whether it's down to park management or Merlin is very much up for debate.
 
Yay new kiddie cred that I won't have to feel awkward about getting.

Even if it seems that Towers will continue to ignore all the other problems with the park.
 
Shaggy_Dog_ said:
A quick search on Google suggests that the average height for an 5 year old in the UK is 112.5cm for boys and 111.7cm for girls. Looking at the ride height restrictions at Towers there are definitely a few rides outside of CBeebies Land that a 5 year old might enjoy. It’s not a massive list though granted.

Runaway Mine Train - 110cm
Congo River Rapids - 110cm
Marauders Mayhem - 110cm
Battle Galleons - 0.9m
Gangster Granny - 0.9m
Royal Carousel
Raj’s Bouncy Bottom Burp - 0.9m
Driving School - 1.0m

RMT and CRR are definitely the pick of the bunch there and are two solid family rides. Interestingly Hex would also be suitable at a minimum height of 0.9m (though anyone under 1.2m must be accompanied) though I think it’s tone would be a little too dark for some 5 years olds to enjoy. It’s definitely true though that the park could do with a couple more attractions like CRR and RMT in that very classic family ride vein, it’s certainly an area that Towers lacks in compared to many European Parks or even parks here 20 years ago.
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You missed The Curse too (which would fall into the same category as Hex due to tone).

There’s such a gap for the approximately 7-12 age range, highlighted by the popularity of Wickerman and Thirteen imo.

Losing The Blade and hypothetically Spinball would essentially halve that range in the space of a year. Yes there are technically other rides available but I don’t think many of those listed are strong enough (I agree with your top two though Congo is very much seasonal as it is).

So if this plays out like people are suggesting they’re strengthening their under 6 range and teen range in the coming years whilst diminishing for those in between, it’s very odd.

“Bring your young children to the park then don’t come back for 5 years! Have you tried Drayton Manor?”
 
Ash said:
This seems an odd choice, unless it’s replacing spinball. With eventually PH possibly being a 1.2m attraction anyway, longer term hopefully not too bad. Spinball has always been a contentious attraction for the park given its noise and location.

Nevertheless this seems like an odd choice given how many other things the park currently lacks.

Flat rides in x sector, FV and Dark Forest
Indoor Cinema
Indoor show/event space
Indoor boat ride
Flying theatre
Indoor Coaster
Trackless dark ride/shooter ride

I would argue all missing in the line up over a children’s coaster…
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Shaggy_Dog_ said:
A quick search on Google suggests that the average height for an 5 year old in the UK is 112.5cm for boys and 111.7cm for girls. Looking at the ride height restrictions at Towers there are definitely a few rides outside of CBeebies Land that a 5 year old might enjoy. It’s not a massive list though granted.

Runaway Mine Train - 110cm
Congo River Rapids - 110cm
Marauders Mayhem - 110cm
Battle Galleons - 0.9m
Gangster Granny - 0.9m
Royal Carousel
Raj’s Bouncy Bottom Burp - 0.9m
Driving School - 1.0m

RMT and CRR are definitely the pick of the bunch there and are two solid family rides. Interestingly Hex would also be suitable at a minimum height of 0.9m (though anyone under 1.2m must be accompanied) though I think it’s tone would be a little too dark for some 5 years olds to enjoy. It’s definitely true though that the park could do with a couple more attractions like CRR and RMT in that very classic family ride vein, it’s certainly an area that Towers lacks in compared to many European Parks or even parks here 20 years ago.
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Personally, I completely agree. I feel that Alton Towers latest investments tended to be very scattergun and not necessarily focusing on the priorities that I feel it has.

Examples include:

2019. Adding Peter Rabbit Hippity Hop without removing Raj's Bouncy Bottom Burp.
2020/21. The World of David Walliams - missed opportunity by not adding rides for the whole family similar to Flavios.
2021. Retrosquad - right move, wrong execution. Bad timing of removal.
2023. The Curse at Alton Manor - Good Refresh however I feel the park had other priorities
2023. Reopening Nemesis Sub Terra - right move however should've happened in 2017
2024. Nemesis Reborn - Good move on a nostalgia point
2025. Ripsaw II - Works for Nostalgia - bad timing with removal of Blade and Flavios.

I personally feel my priorities for the park are along the lines of this before another Cbeebies rollercoaster.
  • A Flume or Shoot the Chute
  • Flat Rides across the park - 2 in X Sector, 2 in Dark Forest and 2 in Forbidden Valley excluding Ripsaw II
  • A Pirates in Batavia style dark ride in Munity Bay
  • A couple of family flat rides in Munity Bay
  • A flat ride in Katanga Canyon
  • Expansion in the area next to Sharkbait Reef, Galactica Car Park and Coaster Corner (Project Horizon)
  • An indoor attraction in Coaster Corner (Project Horizon)
  • Indoor Flat Rides in Coaster Corner to support Project Horizon
  • Repurpose the Dungeons into two indoor rides - one for the boat ride with full circuit use and one for the simulators.
  • A dark ride in Cbeebies Land
  • Reopen or Repurpose the 4D cinema - there's potential for a Mack Gameplay Theatre in there.
  • An outdoor play area outside of Cbeebies Land
  • A funhouse where Nickelodeon used to be.
I personally think there is so much potential for Alton Towers to sort out their gaps in the ride line up however they seem to be keen to be "Alton Coasters featuring Cbeebies Land" 🤣
 
Benzin said:
Oh it's still 100% a problem at the park that anyone too old for CBeebies but under 1.4m is very much drawing the short draw. Mrs wants to take one of her nieces at some point but given she's (the niece) not much for anything creepy even then it rules out a number of "suitable" attractions.

Even if Flume was scarier than most dedicated scary rides.

Given the current flaws with the park, the obsession with getting new coasters (including Horizon, whatever is happening there) bemuses me too. Even if there's somewhat a sensible reasoning for expanding on CBeebies at the same time. Whether it's down to park management or Merlin is very much up for debate.
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I am in that boat with my two now, both have just tipped 1.3m so they are stuck in the no man’s land of being able to go on the tallest rollercoaster in the country and yet none of the “big hitter” AT ones. Far better for us to do a combined Chessington and Thorpe Park trip now even though it’s at the wrong end of the country.
 
Steve74 said:
Sorry for my obsession with TPWW today (coincidence I promise) but he seems pretty convinced after hearing from his sources and seeing markings around the ride that Postman Pat is indeed being removed for this coaster. From his latest video (@ 3:31):


From: https://youtu.be/TEtxO1_9bJk?si=-sSz9erLrisSTTui
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If I remember rightly, he mentioned something about Postman Pat not being long for this world (or something along those lines) in one of the recent AT vlogs, maybe his Xmas one?

We riot if this is true.
 
Steve74 said:
Sorry for my obsession with TPWW today (coincidence I promise) but he seems pretty convinced after hearing from his sources and seeing markings around the ride that Postman Pat is indeed being removed for this coaster. From his latest video (@ 3:31):


From: https://youtu.be/TEtxO1_9bJk?si=-sSz9erLrisSTTui
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I guess Postman Pat fell off and Towers want nothing to do with him after it came out that he was behind the Horizon Scandal, causing all those Sub-Postmasters to lose loads of money!

That was the true Project Horizon...
 
Bert2theSpark said:
I guess Postman Pat fell off and Towers want nothing to do with him after it came out that he was behind the Horizon Scandal, causing all those Sub-Postmasters to lose loads of money!

That was the true Project Horizon...
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Then of course there's all the videos of him on YouTube being rude... (the Rude Guy channel is the best of them)
 
I actually think there’s a logic to this that starts with AT saying we need to get a good Bluey attraction in - I’m not exactly au fait with what kids are watching these days but Bluey is probably the biggest IP within their disposal and so deserves to be the headline attraction of the land. They could easily do a small Bluey flat ride like Get Set Go Jetters but nothing will generate excitement and interest like a coaster, and sadly there’s limited space so Pat has to go.

From a personal point of view I’d agree there’s other areas that are in more pressing need of investment. Having just watched the TPW video on this he says he’s doing a video on Project Horizon for tomorrow and that’s very much back on, so maybe the fears that Alton Towers were going to be the poor neglected cousin to the other Merlin parks might be unfounded.
 
Postman Pat actually occupies a deceptively large area, from having looked at Google Earth.

According to my rough Google Earth scour, it’s around 87m long and 26m wide at its longest point in each dimension.

For comparison, Octonauts, the other coaster in the area, is around 34m long and 15m wide.

With this in mind, I think a coaster replacing Postman Pat could potentially usurp Octonauts in size. Admittedly, there is Get Set Go to contend with, but if they’re clever in how they design it, that shouldn’t be an issue. And even if Get Set Go is an issue, the area they have that doesn’t encroach upon it is still probably at least Octonauts-sized.
 
Bert2theSpark said:
I guess Postman Pat fell off and Towers want nothing to do with him after it came out that he was behind the Horizon Scandal, causing all those Sub-Postmasters to lose loads of money!

That was the true Project Horizon...
Click to expand...

And I guess Mrs Goggins doesn’t need the money these days either - I see her new venture out on the road every day..

IMG_1757.jpeg
 
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