Whacky Shack
Joyland Amusement Park - Wichita, Kansas
By: Rick Davis
Toto, this doesn't look like Kansas anymore! Actually, Dorothy, this IS Kansas, Wichita, as a mater fact. But a trip though The Whacky Shack might make you think you were in Oz!
Joyland, home of the Whacky Shack was one of two amusement parks that were in Wichita during the middle of the twentieth century. The downtown area contained a kiddieland park while Joyland was located on the outskirts of the city. This family owned park marked its fiftieth anniversary of Joyland in 1999 and is still going strong today. In the early 1950's the two parks consolidated into one park at the Joyland location.
During the early 1950's, the Dodgem Car ride was THE popular ride at Joyland. When the two parks combined it seemed to be a logical decision to install the kiddieland's Dodgem Car ride at Joyland to double the ridership. If one was good, two HAD to be better! In actuality, the second ride did not increase ridership so it was removed and replaced with a new attraction.
In place of the bumper cars the park installed their first darkride. This darkride was a one-story fright house type ride common in the 50's. Stan Nelson, owner of Joyland (now retired), did not recall who built it, but thought that the Philadelphia Toboggan Company may have been involved.This ride in turn would be updated with new gags when it was converted to a safari type ride with lions, alligators, snakes, and scary things. Parts of this version of the dark ride survive in the current Wacky Shack.
Like many other parks around the country, Joyland noticed vandalism and theft in the darkride soon after it opened. The park started noticing that people were walking the midway wearing parts of the ride, like the vines!
One innovative ride operator thought that he had the answer to this problem so he hid barbed wire in the vines! Stan soon put an end to the solution and had the barbed wire removed. Like some other parks, they eventually installed fence between the riders and the scenery.
While the ride opened with standard darkride cars, they were eventually changed to rotating type Pretzel cars to add some additional surprises. As at some other parks, maintenance concerns and people with motion sickness ultimately forced the park to weld the cars to stop the rotation.
One operator relied on the heavy weight of the car and the darkness to help him add some surprises of his own. He would hide in the darkness and jump on the rear bumper of a car as it rolled by. He then would whack the young men in the head with a piece of rubber hose! Stan noted that not one of them ever said a word about it when they exited the ride.
The classic Pretzel cars would also be replaced. Bell's Amusement Park, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, built the replacements. Bells used fiberglass body shells supplied by Lake Winnepesaukah along with Bells own chassis design. (Bell's also built cars for themselves, Wonderland in Texas, and possibly for Indiana Beach, Indiana.) These same cars that are in operation today at all locations.
Years later, Joyland was in the market for a new darkride so Stan met with Bill Tracy at an IAAPA convention and took a look at the new drawings that Tracy had. Stan took a liking to Bill's new Whacky Shack concept and told him he wanted his ride front to look EXACTLY like the drawing. He placed his order right there. It was gratefully received by Tracy who was having a dismal financial year. Stan said this was the first Whacky Shack built and that Bill did some special things for the park.
He also thought that Bill Tracy never got the recognition that he deserved. He had a great imagination and a knack for scouring the local area for just the right materials for a ride. If he needed old looking wood for a ride, he would search for an old building being torn down. No sense in creating that look when the real thing could be found. While no one knows where the late Tracy may be today, Stan is confident that he may be redesigning the Pearly Gates or did he get the contract to make the other place scarier?
Believe it or not, when the two story Whacky Shack was built at Joyland they actually RAISED the old single story ride in the air and built the new first floor below it! Portions of the old safari ride were retained and new tricks were added. When construction was completed, Stan looked Bill in the eye and told him that the ride was NOT exactly like the drawings. A shocked Tracy asked what was different. Stan replied with a grin; the clock on the front says 2:00, not 12:00 like in the pictures!
As the years went on, some changes crept into the ride. Stan related- Tracy was into thrills, not maintenance. The two dips that were originally built into the ride were removed and replaced with level track. The barrel that the cars traveled through in one portion was built by the park but it never worked quite right so it was removed. Another minor problem was that of operators losing track of the cars in the ride. The first solution was a simple one, don't send in a car until you see one come out! Today, a computer prevents the cars from getting too close together, if they do the ride stops, the lights come on and the doors open. The ride will also shut down if someone gets out of the car and runs ahead.
Joyland's Whacky Shack still has that comfortable classic ride feel to it, appropriate for a small family owned park. While the park may not feature a lot of modern thrill rides, It does have one thing that is lacking at the bigger parks- old-fashioned hospitality. Darkride enthusiasts traveling in the Southwest should add Joyland to their must-visit lists. Tell the great folks at Joyland DAFE sent you! Until then, enjoy your ride!
After the headhunter, we pop outside the ride into the open on the second floor. This was formerly where the rides original dip was located. The great paintings seen earlier in this article are visible in this area.
Author - Rick Davis
Photography - Rick Davis
Source - Interview with Joyland owner Stan Nelson August 14, 1999.
This article ©2001 Rick Davis and used with permission.
Photos ©1999 Rick Davis, and used with permission.