Moonraker

Opened: Apr 1983
Location: Kiddieland
Manufactured By: Zamperla – Altavilla Vicentina, Italy
Ride Model: Mini Enterprise De Luxe¹
Max Height: 15 ft
Number Of Gondolas: 8 (4 robot speeders, 4 space pods)
Ride Capacity: 28 (4 per robot speeder, 3 per space pod)

Early Lagoon ads called Moonraker “a space adventure for kids”. Typically, a moonraker refers to a sail near the top of a ship. But with this ride’s space theme, the name was more likely derived from the James Bond film by that name which was released a few years before and involves a space shuttle named Moonraker. Oddly enough, newspaper ads in 1983 described them as “Star Wars space vehicles”, perhaps hoping to feed off the hype of Return Of The Jedi, which was released in theaters that spring.

Moonraker in August 1983. Photo: N. Miskin

The ride is somewhat similar in operation to Turn Of The Century. Riders spin clockwise around the extended tower in one of two different types of vehicles. Soon the spinning wheel tilts to an angle of about 30 degrees, providing a very mild sensation of rising and diving through the air. There’s a button in each vehicle that makes a “space blaster” kind of noise, but they’re not always working or used.

Moonraker with the old Swimming Pool in the background in 1984. Photo: Curtis Tuckfield

While neighboring rides have been moved to several different places in Kiddieland over the decades, Moonraker has only been in two locations. It was first installed where the Kiddie Coaster had been. When Puff The Little Fire Dragon opened there, Moonraker was moved to the spot where it still stands today. Bulgy The Whale used to be to the south of Moonraker until 2004 when Speedway, Jr.’s track layout was altered and Kontiki and The Dragonfly were shoehorned in. Sky Fighter had been on the north side of Moonraker until 2006 when Ladybug Bop and Dinosaur Drop were added. Moonraker ride was completely repainted in 2016.

GALLERY

NOTES

1. The ride model has been listed on Zamperla’s website as Mini Enterprise De Luxe, but some evidence shows that it may have also gone by the name Samba or Samba Enterprise at one point. Zamperla also has a ride called Samba Balloon, which is much like this ride, except that it features hot air balloon style carriers.

MORE LAGOON HISTORY

REFERENCES

Mini Enterprise De Luxe. ZamperlaRides.com, accessed via Internet Archive.

Samba Enterprise, ZamperlaRides.com, accessed via Internet Archive.

Lagoon newspaper ads, 1983.

Facebook message to author, Sep. 2022.

2 responses to “Moonraker”

Nathan

7 October 2022

Having operated the ride 2 years ago, I can confirm some carriers still have operating buzzers. However, they only work when the lights are on, so you can only work them at night. It seemed to me that maintenance simply isn’t fixing them once they malfunction.

Reply
1. admin
  
  7 October 2022
  
  I was wondering if maybe they just weren’t being used. Thanks for the info! I imagine they aren’t a high priority for maintenance.
  
  Reply