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The 'Giant Dipper' is a famous wooden roller coaster located at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, an amusement park in Santa Cruz, California, USA. It was designed by Frank Prior and Fredrick Church with a double out and back layout and built by Arthur Looff in 1924 in just 47 days at a cost of $50,000. It opened on May 17th of that year and it cost 15 cents back then. Over the years more than 50 million people have ridden this magnificent old coaster. It has appeared in many television commercials and movies, including ''The Lost Boys'', ''Sudden Impact'' and ''Dangerous Minds''.

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Additional facts

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Additional facts

★ Arthur Looff’s father, Charles I. D. Looff, built the Boardwalk’s beloved Carousel in 1911. That ride, like the Giant Dipper, is still in use.

★ Located between walkways 3 and 4 at 400 Beach Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060

★ There is another wooden coaster by the same name in San Diego, California’s Belmont Park at Mission Beach. It was built in 1925 and is of similar dimensions.

★ In 1987 the Giant Dipper was recognized by the US National Park Service as a National Historic Landmark.

★ Looff described his plans for the coaster by describing it as a, "combination earthquake, balloon ascension, and aeroplane drop."

★ When the Giant Dipper opened, it wasn't the way it is today. Instead of having an indoor station, the station was outside, with no tunnel at the beginning. Also, the original color was green instead of red. Trains have been changed several times. For instance, in February 2007 the front of the trains have been covered with the "100 Years" sign and the sides were painted red and blue.

★ The Giant Dipper is the sixth oldest American coaster.

External links

★ Giant Dipper at Beach Boardwalk (Official site)

★ Coaster-net

★ Go for a virtual ride

★ Rollercoaster Database