Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Wild World 1984

How excited was little eight year old me when I discovered that Maryland was finally going to have a major amusement park to call it's own!? The answer is: very excited! Like so many other Marylanders, Wild World was a part of growing up mostly because it was just nearby. It was never a great park, it didn't have the impact of Kings Dominion or Hersheypark but it was ours and we all went there every year. Wild World stated off in 1981, mostly as a waterpark but slowly added dry rides. In 1994, the park was renamed the equally generic Adventure World. Adventure World held on for five years before the park received an even more bland name, Six Flags America. I've haven't been to the park since it became a Six Flags. During the 1993 season my college radio station did a promotion with Wild World and I went something like 4 or 5 times in one summer and that pretty much filled me up on the place!

Today on display at WWoB we have a brochure for Wild World circa 1984. This was a few years before they had any roller coasters so the brochure offers pictures of exciting attractions like the Wild Wave wave pool, a kids ball bath, and walking in front of a fence! The brochure also says, "Test your game playing skills in our challenging VIDEO ARCADE; or browse the afternoon away in one of our fine GIFT SHOPS." Sounds like their advertising the 1920 World's Fair. Also on hand in 1984 was the GREAT AMERICAN HIGH DIVE SHOW. I'm pretty sure it was a law that ever amusement park in the 80's had to have a high dive show and it had to be called "The Great American High Dive Show/Team." I would also like to mention an attraction not seen in this scan, "The Pants Corral Video Theatre." I can't imagine what that was! In 1984 a single day adult admission to Wild World was $8.50, this past season that same ticket would have set you back $49.99! Now that's Wild!

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