Zippin' Pippin
| Zippin Pippin | |
|---|---|
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Zippin Pippin in Green Bay, Wisconsin
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| Previously known as Pippin | |
| Bay Beach Amusement Park | |
| Coordinates | 44°32′0″N 87°59′2″W / 44.53333°N 87.98389°WCoordinates: 44°32′0″N 87°59′2″W / 44.53333°N 87.98389°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | May 21, 2011 |
| Libertyland | |
| Coordinates | 35°07′10″N 89°58′57″W / 35.119543°N 89.982630°W |
| Status | Relocated to Bay Beach Amusement Park |
| Opening date | 1912 |
| Closing date | 2005 |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Wood |
| Manufacturer | The Gravity Group |
| Designer | John A. Miller |
| Model | Wooden Coaster |
| Track layout | Martin & Vleminckx |
| Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
| Height | 70 ft (21 m) |
| Drop | 70 ft (21 m) |
| Length | 2,865 ft (873 m) |
| Speed | 40 mph (64 km/h) |
| Duration | 1:58 |
| Max vertical angle | 64° |
| Height restriction | 48 in (122 cm) |
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Zippin Pippin at RCDB Pictures of Zippin Pippin at RCDB |
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The Zippin Pippin, formerly called the Pippin, is one of the oldest existing wooden roller coasters in the United States. It was initially constructed in the former East End Park in Memphis, Tennessee, in either 1912, 1915, or 1917 by John A. Miller and Harry C. Baker of National Amusement Devices. The construction material was pine wood. As the park declined in popularity, the coaster was dismantled and relocated adjacent to the horse track in Montgomery Park, later known as the Mid-South Fairgrounds. For a time it was incorporated as an attraction in the now-closed Libertyland amusement park there, until that park closed in 2005. Purchased by the city of Green Bay, Wisconsin, in 2010, it was installed at the Bay Beach Amusement Park, where it is once again in operation.
The Pippin was built in 1912, 1915, or 1917. After severe damage from a tornado in April 1928, the Pippin was rebuilt by July of the same year at a cost of $45,000, "higher and longer" than before.
In 1976, the city of Memphis opened a theme park called Libertyland around the Pippin and the Grand Carousel, also on the grounds. Renamed the Zippin Pippin, the coaster was billed as the most prominent and historic ride at Libertyland, and was reportedly Elvis Presley's favorite roller coaster. At first, Presley would rent the entire park on occasion just to ride it without constant fan interference. Just a week before his death, Presley rented the park from 1 a.m. to 7 a.m. to entertain a small number of guests and he rode the Zippin Pippin for hours without stopping. On October 29, 2005, citing persistent loss of money, Libertyland permanently closed.
The Zippin Pippin stood without operating for four years in the Libertyland Amusement Park at the Mid-South Fairgrounds (a 125-acre (0.51 km2) tract of land purchased in 1912 and "[d]edicated to the Citizens of Memphis for recreation, athletic fields, fairs." It was taken down between January 28, 2010, and February 11, 2010.
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