Draft:Playcenter (Sao Paulo)

Playcenter was a 19.5 acres (79,000 m²) amusement park located in the city of São Paulo . Opened on July 27, 1973, the park was among the first of it's kind in Brazil and received around 1.6 million people annually. Playcenter closed its doors on July 29 , 2012.

Rides and Attractions

Roller Coasters

Name	Opened	Closed	Manufacturer	Type	Description
Alpen Blitz	1989	1997	Schwarzkopf	Powered	The ride was an E-powered coaster, meaning it was powered by a motor rather than gravity. It featured a single train with 10 cars, accommodating 40 riders. It was previously located at Six Flags Great Adventure.
Boomerang	1997	2012	Vekoma	Shuttle	Single train with 7 cars. Riders were arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 28 riders. It was relocated to Parque Diversiones and renamed to Búmeran.
Colossus	1981	1986	Schwarzkopf	Steel	Opened under the name of Looping Star. The attraction initially had a single vertical loop, but a second one was added after two years of operation, and the coaster was renamed Colossus. It was later located at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom where it opened on May 3, 1986 under the same name. The ride was later renamed Laser and closed in 2008. Right now, it is operating in Germany as Teststrecke.
Dragon	2003	2009	Zamperla	Powered	Single train with 5 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 20 riders.
Happy Mountain	2005	2011	Três Eixos	Family	Single train with 7 cars. Riders were arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 28 riders.
Looping Star	1996	2012	Schwarzkopf	Steel	Single train with 7 cars. In each car, riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows, for a total of 28 riders per train. It was relocated to Ita Park, then Tivoli Park.
Super Jet	1973	1996	Schwarzkopf	Steel	Opened with the park. Following it's closure, the ride traveled the Brazilian fair circuit with the "Millennium Park" fair before being relocated at Parque Mutirama.
Tornado	1982	2001	Schwarzkopf	Steel	Following it's closure, the ride was relocated to Beto Carrero World, but was never erected. It was eventually scrapped.
Windstorm	2005	2012	S&MC	Steel	Relocated to Alpen Park.

Thrill Rides

Name	Opened	Closed	Description
Turbo Drop	1997	2012	This drop tower was 60 meters high and was made in the United States. Its gondola had 12 seats attached, three on each side. These seats were raised to a height of approximately 60 meters and, from there, they descended in an accelerated fall and negative gravity (acceleration greater than that of gravity).
Cataclisma	1998	2012	Took riders upside down and upside down in 360º spins at a height of 22 meters.
Evolution	1995	2012	It had a capacity for 40 people and its base rotated around itself while the pendulum made a 360-degree movement to the right and left, reaching 20 meters in height.
Crazy Dance	1999	2004	Consists of a rotating platform with 4 arms that support 16 gondolas. When the platform moves, the arms rotate in a movement opposite to that of the platform, causing the gondolas to move in both directions (clockwise and counterclockwise), increasing the excitement for visitors.
Kamikazie	1992 1994 1996 1999	2004	The attraction operated in four versions at Playcenter, the first of which opened to the public in January 1992 and remained in operation for only one month. The second version opened to the public in May 1994 and remained in operation for a few months of the same year. The third version opened to the public in February 1996 and also remained in operation for a few months of the same year. And the fourth and last version opened to the public in 1999 and remained in operation until mid-2004.
Enterprise	1980	1999	it rotated at high speed it made an articulation movement placing the entire assembly in a vertical position, leaving its occupants upside down several times.
Mixer	2000	2003	The Mixer had 3 distinct movements: clockwise and counterclockwise rotation of the central column, rotation of the pendulums also in both directions and in each of the pendulums there was a gondola for 12 people each that performed 360º rotations, in addition to the support tower reaching a maximum inclination of 70 degrees reaching a height of 10 meters.
Rotor	1973	1992	With a capacity for up to 30 people, visitors remained standing throughout the entire cycle on the Rotor. The attraction rotated clockwise at high speed, which left its occupants practically glued to the ends due to the centripetal force that was generated. To make the ride even more exciting, the attraction had an arm that, when tilted, reached up to 8 meters in height.
Samba	1973	1995	With 12 parachute-shaped gondolas, the Samba rotated at high speed in an anticlockwise direction, leaving the gondolas tilted and the attraction had a central arm that, when tilted, reached up to 10 meters in height.
La Bamba	1988	1999	Named after a very successful song at the time, La Bamba was a huge disco with a capacity for 40 people. The attraction made upward and downward rotating movements to the right and left
Flight Commander	1996	1999	Reaching an impressive height of 21 meters, one of the most striking features of Flight Commander was the fact that passengers controlled the movements of their craft themselves using a joystick, allowing them to move up/down, right/left and even perform 360º turns around their own axis.
Double Shock	1995	2012	The Double Shock was made up of two parallel columns supporting two horizontal gondolas, each with 16 seats. These gondolas were driven by a motor that caused movements in both directions - clockwise and counterclockwise - until they reached complete 360-degree turns and at their maximum point reached a height of 12 meters.
Viking	1982	2012	The famous swinging ship model was made in Italy and consisted of two V-shaped columns, as well as a themed gondola in the shape of a boat with decorative figures in the style of old Vikings. Its movements were similar to a pendulum and had a pre-set maximum height.

Family/Dark Ride

Name	Opened	Closed	Description
Auto Track	1973	2012	One of the park's most classic attractions, on the Auto Pista, collisions, risky overtaking and high speeds were all allowed, and the only rule was to put your foot down! In addition to having fun and laughing a lot in this more than chaotic traffic.
Carrossel Cavalinhos	1973	2012	The carrossel was opened to the public at the park's inauguration on July 27, 1973 and remained in operation until the park's last day of operation on July 29, 2012.
Carrossel Fantasia	1973	1999	The Carrossel Fantasia was a rotating circular platform that had at its base horses, carts, cars, motorcycles, a fire truck, a little train, a bus and a tractor, and in its center there were ships that could move up and down.
Cyclone	1985	2000	A giant slide, the Cyclone was 25m tall and had eight fiberglass tracks, where visitors could slide inside cloth bags. The Cyclone was also equipped with a conveyor belt that transported visitors from the ground to the top.
Concorde	1973	1995	Originally, the Concorde was called Grenoble 68, and its theme was reminiscent of the Winter Olympics of that time, as the attraction resembled a bobsled tournament. However, it was in 1976 that it was renamed Concorde, in reference to the launch of the supersonic plane at the time. The attraction consisted of 11 cars, one attached to the other, that ran along a circular track that was 48 meters long. During the ride, the Concorde reached a speed of approximately 60 km/h and at its highest point it reached a height of 5 meters, in addition to the slope of the track.
Castelo Mal Assombrado	1976	1988	Castelo Mal Assombrado was a ghost train of Italian origin with big curves and many monsters along the way. Seen from the outside, the Castle itself looked like a monster: the central body of the castle would be the head and body of the monster, and the side towers its arms. The monster's eyes moved.
Enchanted Mountain	1980	2005	One of the most famous attractions at Playcenter, the Enchanted Mountain was an electro-animated attraction, where visitors sailed through a calm canal in a log-shaped boat, passing through various scenes such as: Chocolate Factory, Snow White, Seven Dwarfs, Enchanted Forest, Amusement Park, Little Band and finally the Farewells scene. Its construction required 35 thousand kilos of resin, 8 thousand kilos of styrene single-engine, 5 thousand kilos of fiberglass blanket, 1 thousand cans of cobalt accelerator, 10 thousand cans of thinner , 10 thousand gallons of ocher acrylic paint and 4 thousand kilos of asphalt emulsion.
Magic Mirrors	1992	1996	It was a huge round room with several types of mirrors that were in a vertical position and in the center there was a set of mirrors on a rotating platform.
Monster House	1973	1999	The Monster House was Playcenter's first horror attraction. It was a two-story ghost train that was completely different from the ones that existed at the time, as it was suspended. Visitors sat throughout the ride in a gondola that left their legs free, giving the sensation of taking an aerial tour of the entire attraction. During a moment on the second floor of the attraction, the chair would come out and fly over those who were waiting in line to board the ghost train. One of the most anticipated moments for everyone was the skull that was on the floor of the attraction and that would rise when the gondola passed by it, giving the impression of grabbing the foot of those who were sitting there enjoying the ride.
Gigantona	1993	1997	When it arrived at Playcenter, Gigantona was the largest Ferris wheel in Latin America. At 50 meters tall, it was much larger than the traditional Ferris wheels of the time. At night, it was a show in itself, with more than 12 thousand lights. It also consisted of 28 gondolas, each with a capacity for six people. It was installed at the entrance to the Park and became its "calling card", since its height allowed it to be seen from various points in the city.
Lunik	1993	2002	Lunik was a carousel made up of 12 helicopters that were attached to mechanical arms, which were connected to the center. The attraction rotated clockwise and the visitor had access to a control that allowed him to command the movement of the helicopter he was in to go up or down.
Love Express	1974	1990	The Love Express had a capacity for up to 60 people per cycle and its cycle lasted about three minutes on average. The attraction consisted of a train that simulated the movements of a silkworm and during the ride, visitors were covered by a tarpaulin that formed a “cocoon” that opened and closed as it turned. To the delight of the participants, the train, made up of 20 cars, moved forward and backward. And the famous tarpaulin moment of the attraction was used in a Valentine's Day advertising campaign in 1974, "The Love Express is just the way you like it: dark, no gossip and takes a long time."
Music Express	2002	2004	The Music Express had a capacity for up to 60 people per cycle and its cycle lasted on average about three minutes. The attraction consisted of a train that simulated the movements of a silkworm and during the ride, visitors were covered by a tarpaulin that formed a “cocoon” that opened and closed as it turned. To the delight of the participants, the train, made up of 20 cars, moved forward and backward.
Octopus	1991	2004	The Octopus was made up of 5 arms themed in the shape of tentacles and in each of these arms were arranged 4 gondolas, also themed, but in the shape of fish and in the center it had a huge fiberglass octopus head. What drew the most attention to the Octopus was when it was in operation, where each arm had its own movement simulating a fight between fish (Gondolas) and tentacles (Arms) and at night with all its lights turned on it was a show in itself.
Sputnik	1975	1991	The Sputnik had 12 ships that were connected to a structure in the center by arms and these had a system that the ships made movements of going up or down, in addition to this system of gondolas, the main tower also had one that could raise or lower the entire set where the arms of the ships were attached.
Skycoaster	1997	2012	A standard skycoaster model.
Panoramic Wheel	1975	2005	At 30 meters high, the equivalent of a twelve-story building, it was the largest in the Americas when it arrived at Playcenter. It consisted of 20 gondolas, each with a capacity for up to six visitors and had a unique feature: in the center of each gondola there was a steering wheel where visitors could turn the gondola they were in and thus view the landscape in any direction they wanted.
Swing	1991	1995	Reaching a maximum height of 15 meters, the Swing was an improved version of the famous Mexican hats and the attraction had capacity for up to 40 visitors divided into 20 gondolas.
Tele Combate	1973	1991	Tele Combate consisted of 14 ships attached by mechanical arms to a central axis and this axis had a system that allowed the entire system to be raised to a height of 5m and in addition, the ships had a set of buttons that allowed the visitor to raise or lower them and also had a central steering wheel that allowed them to be rotated both left and right.
Trabrant	1973	1994	The Trabant was an attraction that rotated at a low speed, but because it had a central pantograph that diagonally raised the entire set where the gondolas were attached and this rotating in the opposite direction to the rotation of the central set made the attraction have a constant up and down movement and with that, the visitor had the sensation of the famous butterflies in the stomach.
Wave Swinger	2004	2012	The Wave Swinger was made up of 48 chairs attached to chains, which rotated around a central tower. During the 2-minute ride, visitors felt like they were flying, in addition to the classic butterflies in their stomach.

Walk-through

Name	Opened	Closed	Description
Crazy House	1987	2005	The Crazy House was located in an auditorium with a 15-degree tilted floor. Visitors were invited to see amazing objects such as: water that “fell upwards”, a pool ball that never went into one side of the table, a chair that was attached to the wall, an emergency light attached to a hand that spun around non-stop, a fireplace with an upside-down fire pit and a floor that would make anyone lose their balance. The host of the Crazy House would play pranks on an audience of 50 people for 15 minutes per cycle.
Eva Doll	1984	1989	Originally called Alice Center Park, but known to the public as the Eva Doll, it was a place with an area of ​​approximately 15,000 m2, inside which there was a giant doll, made of acrylic, fiberglass and foam. She was a reproduction of the human body, with all the internal organs, simulating their movements. It had a special detail: she was pregnant. Visitors walked inside the doll and could see all the parts of her body, while a female voice - representing the voice of the doll itself - explained details of how it worked.
House of Amazement	1988	1989	Also known as Scary House. Created in reference to the highly successful film at the time, the House of Amazement was a dark walking maze. Inside it had scenes such as Freddy Krueger, Mummies, the Hanging Bridges, the Coffins with the dead, among other creepy scenes.
Castle of Horrors	1995	2012	This attraction was recommended for adults, young people and children who were brave enough. It was a castle where scenes of terror and suspense took place, through the use of mazes, mirrors, special effects, cinematic tricks, eerie sounds and the characterization of actors, specially prepared to provide "unpleasant" surprises to visitors. The tour lasted thirteen minutes and groups could be made up of up to twelve people, who would live out scary stories inside the castle.
Labirinto	1978	1997	Labirinto was a huge room completely divided internally by transparent glass, forming a maze with several corridors and different directions through which visitors walked with a single purpose: to find the exit.
Magic Shadows	1985	1999	The Magic Shadows consisted of a dark room with capacity for up to 35 people per presentation, where the walls were covered with a photosensitive material and a “flash” system in the center of the room was triggered so that the shadows of the visitors were projected and recorded on the walls for a few seconds.
Wax Museum	1976	1980	With around eighty figures and scenes from Brazilian history, the Wax Museum occupied an area of ​​800 m2 . It was inspired by the Grevin Museum (located in France) and the Tussaud Museum (located in European countries, such as England, and the United States). Its characters were created by sculptors and their assembly was supervised by technicians and specialists in works of art, pieces and collections. Visits to the museum were made in groups of approximately twenty people, accompanied by a guide, and the lighting system focused on the character being presented. Among the characters from Brazilian history, Rui Barbosa, Oswaldo Cruz, Santos Dumont, José Bonifácio, D. Pedro I, Princess Izabel, as well as typical figures from Brazilian folklore such as Bahianas, cowboys and bandits were represented there.

Water Rides

Name	Opened	Closed	Description
Mini Sled	1988	1999	The Mini Sleigh, or Splashinho as it was also known, was a smaller version of the famous Splash, but this one was designed for children. The attraction consisted of 8 boats that sailed through a canal of running water and after sailing through a suspended canal, the boat descended into a free-fall dive that provided a refreshing bath to the passengers.
Water Sled	1974	1979	The Water Sled, in addition to being an exclusive attraction at Playcenter, was entirely manufactured in Brazil by Divert, an assembly company with fifty workers who, in addition to assembling imported toys, also created attractions for Playcenter . The attraction was a type of water roller coaster, where the visitor, after navigating through a suspended canal, the boat descended into a free-fall dive that provided a refreshing bath to the passengers.
Waimea	2003	2012	Named after one of the largest waves in Hawaii, Waimea offered visitors an exciting journey: at the beginning of the tour, there was a climb of over 15 meters high and, after sailing through a canal, the tour continued towards a breathtaking waterfall. The strong impact of the boat on the water, which reached a speed of 60 km/h, caused the formation of a wave with a splash that reached about five meters high, after the boat traveled 223 meters in the water. Waimea had four boats with capacity for 20 people each.

Simulators

Name	Opened	Closed	Description
Alpha-X-100	1983	1992	A rocket-shaped simulator, the Alpha-X-100 had its elements in line with the action in the film, giving visitors the sensation of being on an interplanetary journey.
Cine 2000	1979	1995	Cine 2000, or Cine 180º as it was also known, was a completely futuristic and modern cinema for its time. In it, visitors had the sensation of being part of the film, as they watched it standing up inside an enormous geodesic structure with a screen mounted from floor to ceiling with a diameter of 180º.
Magic Motion	1996	2012	Magic Motion was a cinema made up of a geodesic structure, with seats inside that followed the film's action through a set of hydraulic cylinders that moved upwards, downwards and sideways (right and left), realistically following all the effects demonstrated. And the tour began in the Pre-show – an anteroom where users received all the information, including watching a video with the introduction of the film that was shown in the projection room.

Shows

Name	Opened	Closed	Description
Show dos Golfinhos	1983	1989	The show consisted of four dolphins and five seals. The seals, known as Salty and Xuxa, performed in demonstrations of balance and agility, and the dolphin show was characterized by a variety of jumps, including through hoops of fire, in addition to other demonstrations. One of the dolphins was the famous Flipper, from the television series. The animals were trained in one of the largest schools of its kind in the world, located in the Gulf of Mexico. A "dolphinarium" (aquarium for dolphins) was built to provide the infrastructure for the show, strictly following construction and water treatment specifications. It consisted of a pool with a capacity of 1.5 million liters of water, a support pool with 300 thousand liters of water and a pool for the seals, with 200 thousand liters of water. In total, there were 2 million liters of artificially salinated water, connected to a complex of motors and pumps operating 24 hours a day, with the capacity to filter at regular three-hour intervals. And the multicolored scenery, imitating an old port, completed the attraction and the stands had capacity for 5 thousand people.
The Bear Show	1981	1998	Show performed by electro-animated bear dolls that played music on their respective musical instruments, in addition to 3 scenes that were alternated during the show. The show lasted approximately 15 minutes and the theater had a capacity for 420 people per performance. The story was based on a family of musicians and showed the clash of generations, regarding each one's musical choice. While mother Úrsula liked softer music, her sons Murso, Tiburso, Dudu Urso and Laurso played rock, much to the despair of their mother who, in the end, heeding her children's pleas, adopted the new rhythm. Also taking part in the show were cousins ​​Nhõ Pita and Repita, a cheeky parrot and a baby bear. The show ended with lots of music and conveyed a message about animal endangerment.
Playcenter Orca Show	1984	1989	In 1984, Playcenter began negotiations to bring a pair of Orca whales from a marine zoo in Iceland , which became known here as Nandu (male) and Samoa (female). The two were transported to São Paulo by cargo plane and required a large team. The entire interior of the aircraft was prepared with a special pool, with water at a maximum temperature of 17º C, and was also monitored by veterinarians. The arrival of the whales caused a great stir in the press when they landed at Viracopos Airport. This entire structure consisted of three pools: one with a capacity of 1.5 million liters of water, a support pool with 300,000 liters of water and another with 200,000 liters of water. In total, there were 2 million liters of artificially salinated water, connected to a complex of motors and pumps operating 24 hours a day, with the capacity to filter at regular three-hour intervals. A multicolored stage was prepared to imitate an old port, along with a grandstand with capacity for up to 5,000 people. Its public debut was in June 1985, marking the beginning of the holiday program that year.
Monga	1977	1988	In this attraction, guests could see the transformation of a beautiful woman into a horrible beast, the Monga, in a show of effects and illusionism.

Transportation

Name	Opened	Closed	Description
Playcenter Railroad	1973	2005	With a 700m route, on the Maria Fumaça it was possible to take a panoramic tour of the Playcenter aboard a replica of a steam locomotive from the beginning of the 20th century, each composition had 7 carriages and could receive groups of 70 to 90 visitors at a time.
Space Cable Car	1977	2002	The cable car provided an aerospace ride with a panoramic view of the entire Playcenter. It was 350 meters long from each end, had a maximum height of 20 meters, and had 50 chairs that were fixed to a steel cable approximately 720 meters long. One of the structures that most attracted attention in the park at the time was its Geodesic station, which was located next to Marginal Tietê and was fully illuminated at night.

Noites do Terror

Noites do Terror (Nights of Horror) was the annual Halloween-themed event at the Playcenter theme parks in Sao Paulo and Pernambuco. The first edition of the Nights of Terror took place only on Fridays and Saturdays in August 1988, starting at 9 pm when the park at the time received a special ambiance, through a schedule of shows, light and sound resources, which aimed to create an atmosphere of “terror” for visitors, its main character was the great horror film star, Coffin Joe - in memoriam, and the slogans of the event at the time were: “Let the devil carry you to this devilish fun” and “Fear appears where you least expect it”.

As the event progressed, it took on larger proportions due to its success with the public and began to feature new features with each edition, including attractions in the form of mazes, cemeteries, sketches and pocket shows, in addition to the opening and closing shows that even featured special effects.

1988: “Fear appears where you least expect it”

1989: “Nights of Terror, a diversion of the Devil”

1990: “Let the devil carry you to the devil’s amusement”

1991: “You’ll lose your mind too”

1992: “A Nightmare on Elm Street Live with Freddy Kruegger”

1993: “Until today you’ve only played at being scared”

1994: “Survive if you can”

1995: “Those who are dead always appear”

1996: “Here, fear comes along for the ride”

1997: “Come celebrate 10 years of chills! You have to see it for yourself”

1998: “Incarnate in another world”

1999: “Those who are dead always appear”

2000: “Night Terror Part 13 – The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. This time you won’t escape!”

2001: “Demons Are Everywhere”

2002: “The scariest of all time”

2003: “Darkness Will Overcome You”

2004: “The Gates of Hell” and “Satanic Visions”

2005: “The valley of fear. At nightfall the curse will come from beyond”

2006: “The End of Time”

2007: “20 years”2008: “In the Pharaoh’s Sarcophagus”

2009: “The Cursed Night”

2010: “The Legion of Spirits, Terror Never Dies”

2011: “Dark Prophecy”

2012: “Last Nights of Terror – All Fears Together”