Blackpool Pleasure Beach: General Discussion

[rob666]

Cardboard pigeon box...one point,
Pigeon box and flat cap...two points,
Pigeon box, flat cap and pint in hand...three points.
Scored over fifty last year before I stopped counting.
The patch around Walkabout gets overrun by pigeon fanciers...20% off beer on showing your members card.
Make sure the lad knows some of those boxes are worth ten grand!

 

[Spike]

I wonder how many rides have been removed with no replacement in the last 15 years?
Mouse
Space Invader
Monorail
Trauma Towers
Spin Doctor
Turtle Chase

To be fair Spin Doctor & Turtle Chase are getting a replacement this year

I can't see anything being built on those sites for a few years yet, not with Icon being new. My guess is Space Invader Esq cladding put around the place to satisfy Mandy's need to make things shiny. I.e polishing a turd.

Coaster enthusiasm is a bit strange at times (I include myself in that!).

I'm glad you did *cough* Furious Baco is in your top 3 coasters *cough*

In addition, Amanda Thompson is listed under "people" as a director.

She is a Director, not the owner nor can she make huge decisions without the consent of the board of Directors so they all would have had to agree in order to remove the Mouse. Last I heard the board of directors consisted of Amanda, Nick and Fiona Thompson along with the late Geoffrey Thompson's wife and their Mum Barbara Thompson. That was a few years ago though so it could have changed since then.

 

[rob666]

You might know through better sources Spike, but all I have heard over the last few years is that Amanda has the final say on anything related to the park as managing director, chief executive officer, and actual God.

 

[Dipper_Dave]

Regarding them not doing a wild mouse badge I'm sure they didn't have a grand national badge either last year.

No, I don't think they did. I actually wanted a Wild Mouse trivial pursuit triangle thing that fit into those medals like pizza slices. My medal is up on the fridge but I'd have liked a Mouse one !

 

[yoursilentface]

Make sure the lad knows some of those boxes are worth ten grand!

Yeah i did a bit of reading up on the event last year when i was wondering why b+b's were charging the earth on a weekend i thought would be dead....how wrong was i!!

 

[rob666]

One of the busiest weekends of the year for Blackpool apparently, a real early boost to trade, and most of the fanciers partners turn up cos they don't trust their other halves out on their own at the seaside.

 

[Dipper_Dave]

One of the busiest weekends of the year for Blackpool apparently, a real early boost to trade, and most of the fanciers partners turn up cos they don't trust their other halves out on their own at the seaside.

The amount of time you spend in Blackpool Rob, your wife is very trusting. Probably cos she knows the only thing you’re likely to pull is the plunger on the Popeye pinball machine !

 

[Dar]

The amount of time you spend in Blackpool Rob, your wife is very trusting. Probably cos she knows the only thing you’re likely to pull is the plunger on the Popeye pinball machine !

You mean the only thing he's likely to pull is a muscle in his back getting his ladder out?

I hope they do something with the wild mouse site this year, I wonder if they could be putting the stage there for the late openings? Maybe a permanent one, for some extra events during the year?

 

[John_P]

Could they launch the fireworks from that area?

 

[venny]

No. Too small. No fallout area.

 

[Spin-Ride-Lover]

The casino building roof would be Ideal as The only rides that would need to shut early would be PMBO Ice Blact.
Not sure about the flyers?

 

[Spike]

You might know through better sources Spike, but all I have heard over the last few years is that Amanda has the final say on anything related to the park as managing director, chief executive officer, and actual God.

It was my understanding that the board of directors was in place so that no totalitarianism could ensue. We've all seen the video of Mandy riding Cheetah Hunt and deeming it awful and from memory "never again" A few years on we get Icon - a more vigorous version. That's not Mandy, her input on Icon is stated on record as being "A Japanese-like Zen garden when you exit the ride" THAT is Mandy.

I feel Nick and other high level staff may have wore her down into agreeing that the park needs something to draw the crowds like PMBO did. Whilst I admire her business acumen - she's reduce the £30million+ debt by half over the last decade - she is not one to take risks like her Father. Valhalla & PMBO were the creation of someone who didn't see limitations, he only saw vision, excitement and fun no matter the cost. He took risks and they, on the whole, paid off but they were not financially viable or evidently feasible - PMBO was the brainchild of a trip to Cedarpoint and him wanting 'bigger and better' version of Magnum XL and whilst it was a HUGE success, it was terrible in its execution. It was a subcontracted nightmare - constant modifications (shame the wild mouse never got those) crashes, injuries, structural issues and massive design flaws. There's not many rollercoasters in the world that you see on the front page of a local newspaper where a women is clutching part of a wheel assembly in her hands as she returned to her car and found it embedded in her windscreen after PMBO had passed through the MCBR (one of the many reasons it’s checked twice a day for potential ‘wheel-fly-off-syndrome’)

BUT.......

I believe it went something like... (from Alton) “In 1994 we’re bringing you the best new attractions and you’ll hear nothing but Alton Towers” *paraphrasing ‘Pleasure Beach delivers a 235ft (213*) hyper coaster to p**s on Alton’s and the rest of the world’s chips. (Okay they had the last laugh as Nemesis is bae, but still)

Dare I mention Valhalla, the greatest 'fluke' in Pleasure Beach history. Placed in the space of the Fun House which was built from the imagination of a great man. Sure, it was built with pieces left over from the park and Geoffrey refused to the take the advise of Intamin in that there was not enough space for 'run offs' which is why the ride is SO wet compared to a normal log flume. The ride was built without a theme in mind and was decided at the last second. There was no market research involved, it was purely, ‘we have the space let’s go epic’ He thought adding a Tesla coil to a water ride was a great idea and it had one, it was leagues above anything seen at the time, he managed to cram a world class water ride into a space we only can conceive nowadays days by The Smiler. The risk paid off yet again. Of course it fell to pieces and was a hazardous nightmare. It also contributed to the great gas and water shortage of Blackpool South for many years but it was worth it.

I admire Mandy for the huge responsibility she took on but she doesn’t have her father’s sense of risk, or adventure. She is quite happy to rest on her laurels and transform the park into a showcase of aesthetics, all the while the main draw and attraction to the park dwindles because there’s nothing world class being built or attempted, how long can a park rest on what it used to be famous for.

I grew up and even lived right behind the Pleasure Beach as a child – I watched the Fun House burn from my bathroom window, I snuck in to the park in closed season via the Black Hole toilet entrance and released the Wild Mouse cars from the station to the lift and was chased by security, I ventured through the open door in the Watson Road tunnel because it was open and wandered through the River Caves and Gold Mine undergrowth and I built scale models in School of PMBO and Playstation. I was on park when it was open past midnight where they would be finded by the council for noise breaches but they went ahead and opened past 11pm because the money they made outweighed the fine. I rode PMBO at the age of 12 on a ‘soft opening’ before it opened to the public and I sat at the very back (forced and with the old neck snapper drop) I was paid money by my friends at the time to ride Playstation on early evening soft opening because nobody dared to ride it. The park was my playground from a very early age and was a huge part of my life, heck I even coined the phrase ‘Mandy Land’© 10 years ago and it’s stuck and is used throughout the community today and there’s not a PBE member who can top my History with Pleasure Beach. (if they think they do they’re just jelly)

(I think there was a point to all this during my drunken rambling)

Oh yes, Mandy has transformed the park for the better, I think. It has evolved with the times but I’m saddened because in doing so it’s lost the risk taking, the ‘I’m going to build the best and f**k everyone else’. Icon is a by-product of necessity (build a new coaster or you become Camelot 2.0) and the relationship with Mack. I really hope Mandy was told by the board “Stop making everything fucking pretty, we NEED a new f***ing coaster, for god’s sake Amanda, we neeeed a new machine!!!!” (Yes, I’m also the uploader of that fateful video that’s prevalent for Mandy quotes) Link at the end.

Wild Mouse you say? I’ve said my piece. You do what you like love, it’s your park but we’re your paying public and although I have the upmost respect for you in ways, in others you pale in comparison. It’s time you realised what made Pleasure Beach World class and respect how it got there.

Predictions...

Mack have done a deal for another ride to be placed in the park be it coaster or other ride and we’ll see that in the next few years. It’s a bulk Merlin-esq deal for sure.

I can’t believe this took me hours to type up on-and-off whilst doing stuff. I guess I love Mandy Land more than I thought (apologies if you read it all lol but I did say there was my video - Search on YouTube - Amanda Thompson And her Wrath - enjoy those curtains)

 

[MakoMania]

It was my understanding that the board of directors was in place so that no totalitarianism could ensue. We've all seen the video of Mandy riding Cheetah Hunt and deeming it awful and from memory "never again" A few years on we get Icon - a more vigorous version. That's not Mandy, her input on Icon is stated on record as being "A Japanese-like Zen garden when you exit the ride" THAT is Mandy.

I feel Nick and other high level staff may have wore her down into agreeing that the park needs something to draw the crowds like PMBO did. Whilst I admire her business acumen - she's reduce the £30million+ debt by half over the last decade - she is not one to take risks like her Father. Valhalla & PMBO were the creation of someone who didn't see limitations, he only saw vision, excitement and fun no matter the cost. He took risks and they, on the whole, paid off but they were not financially viable or evidently feasible - PMBO was the brainchild of a trip to Cedarpoint and him wanting 'bigger and better' version of Magnum XL and whilst it was a HUGE success, it was terrible in its execution. It was a subcontracted nightmare - constant modifications (shame the wild mouse never got those) crashes, injuries, structural issues and massive design flaws. There's not many rollercoasters in the world that you see on the front page of a local newspaper where a women is clutching part of a wheel assembly in her hands as she returned to her car and found it embedded in her windscreen after PMBO had passed through the MCBR (one of the many reasons it’s checked twice a day for potential ‘wheel-fly-off-syndrome’)

BUT.......

I believe it went something like... (from Alton) “In 1994 we’re bringing you the best new attractions and you’ll hear nothing but Alton Towers” *paraphrasing ‘Pleasure Beach delivers a 235ft (213*) hyper coaster to p**s on Alton’s and the rest of the world’s chips. (Okay they had the last laugh as Nemesis is bae, but still)

Dare I mention Valhalla, the greatest 'fluke' in Pleasure Beach history. Placed in the space of the Fun House which was built from the imagination of a great man. Sure, it was built with pieces left over from the park and Geoffrey refused to the take the advise of Intamin in that there was not enough space for 'run offs' which is why the ride is SO wet compared to a normal log flume. The ride was built without a theme in mind and was decided at the last second. There was no market research involved, it was purely, ‘we have the space let’s go epic’ He thought adding a Tesla coil to a water ride was a great idea and it had one, it was leagues above anything seen at the time, he managed to cram a world class water ride into a space we only can conceive nowadays days by The Smiler. The risk paid off yet again. Of course it fell to pieces and was a hazardous nightmare. It also contributed to the great gas and water shortage of Blackpool South for many years but it was worth it.

I admire Mandy for the huge responsibility she took on but she doesn’t have her father’s sense of risk, or adventure. She is quite happy to rest on her laurels and transform the park into a showcase of aesthetics, all the while the main draw and attraction to the park dwindles because there’s nothing world class being built or attempted, how long can a park rest on what it used to be famous for.

I grew up and even lived right behind the Pleasure Beach as a child – I watched the Fun House burn from my bathroom window, I snuck in to the park in closed season via the Black Hole toilet entrance and released the Wild Mouse cars from the station to the lift and was chased by security, I ventured through the open door in the Watson Road tunnel because it was open and wandered through the River Caves and Gold Mine undergrowth and I built scale models in School of PMBO and Playstation. I was on park when it was open past midnight where they would be finded by the council for noise breaches but they went ahead and opened past 11pm because the money they made outweighed the fine. I rode PMBO at the age of 12 on a ‘soft opening’ before it opened to the public and I sat at the very back (forced and with the old neck snapper drop) I was paid money by my friends at the time to ride Playstation on early evening soft opening because nobody dared to ride it. The park was my playground from a very early age and was a huge part of my life, heck I even coined the phrase ‘Mandy Land’© 10 years ago and it’s stuck and is used throughout the community today and there’s not a PBE member who can top my History with Pleasure Beach. (if they think they do they’re just jelly)

(I think there was a point to all this during my drunken rambling)

Oh yes, Mandy has transformed the park for the better, I think. It has evolved with the times but I’m saddened because in doing so it’s lost the risk taking, the ‘I’m going to build the best and f**k everyone else’. Icon is a by-product of necessity (build a new coaster or you become Camelot 2.0) and the relationship with Mack. I really hope Mandy was told by the board “Stop making everything ****ing pretty, we NEED a new f***ing coaster, for god’s sake Amanda, we neeeed a new machine!!!!” (Yes, I’m also the uploader of that fateful video that’s prevalent for Mandy quotes) Link at the end.

Wild Mouse you say? I’ve said my piece. You do what you like love, it’s your park but we’re your paying public and although I have the upmost respect for you in ways, in others you pale in comparison. It’s time you realised what made Pleasure Beach World class and respect how it got there.

Predictions...

Mack have done a deal for another ride to be placed in the park be it coaster or other ride and we’ll see that in the next few years. It’s a bulk Merlin-esq deal for sure.

I can’t believe this took me hours to type up on-and-off whilst doing stuff. I guess I love Mandy Land more than I thought (apologies if you read it all lol but I did say there was my video - Search on YouTube - Amanda Thompson And her Wrath - enjoy those curtains)

You are clearly a BPB expert, and I really enjoyed your post, but don't you think that Mandy did the right thing in terms of not taking many risks with a park that had so much debt and was so financially vulnerable?

 

[Spike]

You are clearly a BPB expert, and I really enjoyed your post, but don't you think that Mandy did the right thing in terms of not taking many risks with a park that had so much debt and was so financially vulnerable?

Oh yeah, don't get me wrong, she made the right decisions and she has her head screwed on but I miss the whole....

.. ethos of the park.

 

[Dar]

I've always admired Mands. Once Geoffrey died, she could have quite easily packed it in and sold the place, but she didn't. She stuck it out even when the banks lost confidence. She's cleaned the place up ("undesirables" and rubbish ), she's run the park very responsibly ( no new rides, but money was spent on making the park suitable for the 21st century), and she managed all that without hiking the prices up unreasonably.

Plus, we got the infamous soundboard

 

[Dipper_Dave]

Wild mouse was removed from their website not long after the ride was removed.

It is still on the park map though.

Park opens in a few weeks and a defunct ride is still shown on the website map. Presumably it won't be on the new season paper maps. Some of us are still getting over not seeing Log Flume on the park map, and at least one still getting over the Reel . . .

 

[Lordy]

As good as the risk taking was for us enthusiasts when it comes to BPB, ultimately, Frontierland paid for the Big One, and Pleasureland paid for Valhalla.

Both of them parks had such charm and character, I would rather they were still around today.

Ride closures and general cut backs over the years are probably what has lead to Icon being built, so I world imagine will see more of them in the years to come, given that they don't have another park to one day decide to close.

 

[rob666]

Sorry Lordy, neither was an economic proposition, it was the run to the sun by the general public that killed them both off, not the way they were run. Spanish holidays were the death knell for the traditional northern seaside resort, see also Fleetwood.
Morecambe died as a seaside resort, and it was three quarters dead before the closure of the park.
Southport didn't make any money either, and the council weren't as supportive as Blackpool.
I wish they were both still there as they were, but they were pulling the whole group down.
If it doesn't make money, it has to go in the end.

 

[Lordy]

I think the fact that Pleasureland soon reopened as basically a rubbish fair ground with lesser rides, and has still managed to make money, and even still be around today, sort of shows that what you're saying is incorrect.

Pleasureland's closure wasn't a usual one, like Camelot or American Adventure. Both were drawn out and inevitable. Pleasureland's was decided on the day (obviously the big wigs had thought about it longer than that, maybe 2 days ) and not one person saw it coming.

I don't actually know myself what happened, but I've been an enthusiast for long enough, and I've read and heard enough things with regards to BPB/Southport/Morecambe from trusted allies to get an understanding of what was going on.

It would have been interesting to have seen how things panned out if Traumatizer had of gone to Frontierland as originally planned.

And Morecambe was more certainly still thriving around the time of Frontierlands closure. It was that closure that started the decline. And now the place has nothing, all because the council wanted this retail park on the sea front. And even half of that is now being demolished. How ironic.

Numbers may well have dwindled at Frontierland, but that was only due to lack of investment, because all money was going into BPB and maintaining the Big One.

 

[rob666]

Morecambe had been in decline for two decades before Frontierland closed...swimming complex closed, the hell that was Crinkley Bottom, Wombles Burrow before that, the state of the Midland, closure of the Winter Gardens and the railway station...and all before Frontierland closed.
Both Southport and Morecambe closed because they did not make any money.
Pleasureland is now a travelling fair that doesn't travel, with about a third of the old Pleasureland staff.
Sad they both went, the pull out wasn't good at all, especially Southport, but to say PMBO and Valhalla were built by their closure, is, in my humble opinion, complete bollocks.