{"id":634,"date":"2011-01-20T20:43:53","date_gmt":"2011-01-21T03:43:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lagoonhistory.com\/project"},"modified":"2026-02-20T20:08:17","modified_gmt":"2026-02-21T03:08:17","slug":"wild-mouse","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/lagoonhistory.com\/project\/attractions\/wild-mouse\/","title":{"rendered":"Wild Mouse (original)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Opened: 1965
Closed: 1971
Location: North Midway<\/a>
Manufactured By: Mack Rides \u2013 Waldkirch, Germany
Ride Model: Wilde Maus
Ride Capacity: 2 riders per car<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first of Lagoon\u2019s wild mice had wood supports painted white with cars that seated two riders each, tandem style. It wasn’t as tall as the steel Wild Mouse of today, but it was much<\/em> wilder. The first Wild Mouse operated at the World’ Fair in Seattle before coming to Lagoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AT THE WORLD’S FAIR<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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A few years after German designer, Franz Mack introduced the first Wild Mouse in 19571<\/a><\/sup>, a model was showcased at the 1962 World’s Fair in Seattle. Microsoft founder and Seattle native, Bill Gates, was a child at the time and considered the Wild Mouse and the monorail his favorite memories of the fair. When the fair closed, the amusement park section remained open. The Wild Mouse continued operating there until Lagoon bought it in 1964 and it was replaced with another Wild Mouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AT LAGOON<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

It had been 44 years since a new roller coaster was added to Lagoon (aside from Kiddie Coaster) when the Wild Mouse opened in 1965. As part of a major expansion on the north end of the Midway, the Wild Mouse stood just north of the new Bamberger Fountain with the Ferris Wheel on one side and Space Scrambler on the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Night time view of the Wild Mouse and Bamberger Fountain from a 1971 brochure.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In 1971, the ride reportedly had mechanical problems and was dismantled “to make room for a new ride”. In the following season, space that had been occupied by the Wild Mouse was mostly empty with a new ride, The Rotor, installed on the north end of the space. Then in 1974, The Rotor was replaced by the north station of the Sky Ride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lagoon’s North Midway in 1972 showing the Rotor on the left. Also visible are the Tilt-A-Whirl, Satellite, Ferris Wheel, Space Scrambler, Flying Swings and Sky Slide. Photo courtesy of Deseret News<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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NEW WILDER WILD MOUSE<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Opened: 31 Mar 1973
Closed: 1989
Location: South Midway<\/a>
Manufactured By: Mack Rides \u2013 Waldkirch, Germany
Ride Model: Wilde Maus
Ride Capacity: 2 riders per car<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After Lagoon’s first Wild Mouse was dismantled in 1971, an overwhelming response from comment cards given out to guests showed they wanted the ride back. Soon, in 1973, the Wild Mouse returned to the park – this time south of Speedway, Sr. The ride was rebuilt with improvements and named the New Wilder Wild Mouse. This one was 38-feet tall with a sign that reached up to about 60 feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Clip from ‘America Screams’, 1978. Footage \u00a9 Scott Campbell. Used with permission<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The $9,000 sign was placed on top of the ride at the end of March 1973. But on April 1st, the day after it opened, eighty-mile-an-hour winds blew the sign down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Damaged sign of the New Wilder Wild Mouse after a windstorm in April 1973. Photo: Deseret News<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Some visible changes to the ride included yellow cars with high-back seats, something the earlier version lacked. Later on, the cars were painted white with a picture of a mouse on the front. The metal supports were painted orange, but some time in the late ’70s or ’80s it was repainted white, except for the supports around the loading station.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s one guest’s memory of the 1973 Wild Mouse which probably sums it up best for most who remember the ride:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“I recall the old…Wild Mouse to be a bone-shaking, tooth-jarring experience. There was one turn about sixty seconds into the ride that was the most violent. The cars were so small and cramped that it was impossible to avoid banging knees, hips and elbows, but it was fun nonetheless.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

An article published in 1998 stated that this Wild Mouse closed because of “mechanical problems,” but never goes into any detail beyond that. There’s differing information concerning when the ride actually closed. One former employee informed me that they operated the ride in 1989. I’ve also been told it remained closed for a season before being removed prior to the 1990 season. It’s apparent from photographs that it was in fact standing in 1989, but its final season of operation has yet to be confirmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo: Jim Abbate, National Amusement Park Historical Association<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A common rumor, especially around the time of its closure, involved cars jumping the track. Although there were times on the ride that it definitely felt like the car was lifting up off the track, records confirm there were never any fatalities on any Wild Mouse ride at Lagoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the New Wilder Wild Mouse was removed, the area was closed off to guests, including the walkway between Wild Mouse and Speedway, Sr. A portion of the southeast corner of the former ride enclosure was used for the Water Wars game and on the northeast corner of the enclosure, behind a fence, an employee break area was created next to what is now Teriyaki Stix. The window on the south side of that building where employees could order food is still there. Several years after its closure, a completely new, steel Wild Mouse would return to the former model’s location and the walkway north of the ride was repaved and reopened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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GALLERY<\/h5>\n\n\n