Coasters (magazine)

Coasters is a magazine about amusement parks & water parks aimed at industry professionals & enthusiasts founded in 1971. It is among the magazines of Window Lifestyle Media, headquartered in. Originally published 5 times a year, it switched to being published monthly in 2002 as a cost-cutting measure.

The magazine and it's sister magazines Amusements Unlimited (dedicated to amusement rides), State Fairs (dedicated to state & county fairs), and E-Coasters (focusing on virtual amusement park technology such as RollerCoaster Tycoon and RollerCoasterBuilder) along with Arcade Magazine and Zoos &amp; Aquariums lend their concepts and identities to Coasters &amp; Amusements, a TV channel launched in 2018 as a joint-venture of and MO Media with branding licensed from Window Lifestyle Media. Window Lifestyle Media and debuted a fourth sister magazine for Coasters, Disney Magic, in 2011.

The magazine is the main sponsor of WaterCon and AmusementCon.

History
The magazine was founded in 1971 by Andrew Brugmann-Bott as publisher & editorial director. The magazine was originally published out of a "sweatshop" facility in near, but in 1976 the magazine moved headquarters from  to. Andrew cited his brother and assistant Edward Brugmann-Bott's conversion to as one reason for the move, but it led to a more relaxed work atmosphere and better facilities in the magazine's current hometown of.

Starting with Issue 73, a "video magazine" version of each issue has been produced. The original video magazines (1985-2000) were produced by McNicoll Videotape Productions of, which later merged with Downer Productions to form McNicoll Arts & Media, who produce Window Lifestyle Media's DVD releases.

Editors

 * Andrew Brugmann-Bott (1971-1980)
 * Barnaby Taumalolo (1981-1987)
 * Ted Birindelli (1988-1994)
 * Gerd Roßkopf (1995-1998)
 * Ubaldo Pesci (1999-2004)
 * Kuno Österreicher (2005-2010)
 * Flora Ifans (2011-2014)
 * Marcus "Bozo" Bebel (2015-present)

Writers

 * Andrew Brugmann-Bott (1971-present) (First issue: Issue 1)
 * Thom Chondroyannos (1971-present) (First issue: Issue 1)
 * Don DiBella (1971-present) (First issue: Issue 5)
 * Kurtis Radosevic (1973-present) (First issue: Issue 14)
 * Barnaby Taumalolo (1977-present) (First issue: Issue 33)
 * Marcus "Bozo" Bebel (1980-present) (First issue: Issue 48)
 * Robert Joe Adamson (1982-present) (First issue: Issue 59)
 * José Villaseñor (1985-present) (First issue: Issue 72)
 * Nicholas and Martin Ulubabyan (1990-present) (First issue: Issue 99)
 * Amalie Trausch (1991-present) (First issue: Issue 102) (First female writer for the magazine)
 * Benjamin McMurrough (1992-present) (First Issue: Issue 107)
 * Ubaldo Pesci (1993-present) (First issue: Issue 111)
 * Bob Freudenberger (1993-present) (First issue: Issue 114)
 * Ahmya Takamoto (1994-present) (First issue: Issue 120) (First female Asian writer for the magazine)
 * Danny M. Bosch (1995-present) (First issue: Issue 122)
 * Nate Baudet Williams (1995-present) (First issue: Issue 125) (First male African-American writer for the magazine)
 * Nicholas "Sagi" O'Hayes (1997-present) (First issue: Issue 133)
 * Kuno Österreicher (1998-present) (First issue: Issue 137)
 * Dean West (2002-present) (First issue: Issue 158)
 * Hayley Bosch-Daniels (2004-present) (First issue: Issue 180) (Danny M. Bosch's cousin)
 * Adam B.B. Rodriguez (2005-present) (First issue: Issue 191)
 * Leonard Kinsey (2016-present) (First issue: July 2016 Issue)
 * Morgan Noguera (2018-present) (First issue: March 2018 Issue) (First female African-American writer for the magazine)

Writers

 * Neil Bethell-Codrington (1993-2005) (First issue: Issue 113; Last issue: Issue 195) (Fired for remarks deemed offensive to disabled people)
 * Taylor Bybee (2016-2018) (Fired Due to a partnership with Six Flags and his negative review on La Ronde)

Issue 1 - Walt Disney World Opens To The Public, With No Coasters (October 1971)


First issue in America

Changes from Second Reissue

 * The URL "coastersmag.com" is now on the back of the magazine, as per all issues since 1996.

First Reissue (January 1972)
First Reissue in Coasters' History

Issue 10 - The News For 1973 (October 1972)
First issue in Canada

Issue 25 - The World of French Parks (October 1975)
First issue in Europe

Issue 27 - Journey to Deseret (May 1976)

 * We've Moved to Utah!
 * Visiting the Local Park, Lagoon in Farmington

Issue 28 - Great America Is Great! (June 1976)

 * An Overview of Marriott's Great America
 * The Columbia Carousel at Great America
 * Riding Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland at Disneyland
 * A Holy Day Out

Issue 33 - California's Space Mountain (June 1977)
First issue to be translated and first issue in Spain, from then on, Mexican issues were in Spanish, not English with the Spanish translation clipped to the index.

Issue 41 - Plural Comix (January 1979)

 * Coaster Comix Now Coasters' Comix

Issue 49 - Florida's Thunder Mountain (September 1980)

 * All About Florida's Big Thunder Mountain
 * Land vs. World: How Does It Stack Up?
 * Front or Back: Where to Sit?
 * Calculating Cost: E-Tickets by Multiplication
 * Closed In Rain?: All You Need To Know
 * How To Ride During the Fireworks: A Night Owl's Guide
 * Non-Coaster Entertainment: Chuck E. Cheese and His Pizza Time Theatre

Issue 50 - A Special 50th Issue (October 1980)
First issue in Japan and most of Asia.

Issue 55 - The 10th Of Disney World (October 1981)
First issue in Australia & New Zealand, albeit imported.

Issue 62 - Tokyo Disneyland Opens to The Public (April 1983)

 * Tokyo Disneyland Opening Day
 * Before You Ask, Yes We're Wondering - Where Are The Coasters?!?

Issue 64 - Let's Talk About Sesame Place Texas and Carwardine Colony (June 1983)

 * An Overview of Sesame Place II in Irving, Texas + Interview with
 * The Sesame Place Computer Gallery
 * Indoor Attractions at Sesame Place II + The Sesame Studio
 * Climbing 'n Crawling at Sesame Place II
 * An Overview of Carwardine Colony + Interview with Christopher R. Carwardine
 * Riding The Flying Turns & Fast Forward + History of The Flying Turns at Carwardine Colony
 * Carwardine Mover at Carwardine Colony
 * Various Rides at Carwardine Colony

Issue 65 - A Visit to Six Flags Atlantis (July 1983)
First issue in Brazil, albeit imported.

Issue 72 - Videopolis Is Very Bogus! (March 1985)

 * Gateway from The Hood to Disneyland: Pessimistic Thoughts on Videopoils becoming the Next Battleground For Gang Violence

Issue 75 - One Giant Leap For Coasterkind (August 1985)

 * Centerfold photo of Monstre at La Ronde

Issue 76 - Expo 86 Will Have An Arrow Coaster (January 1986)

 * Centerfold photo of Mindbender at Fantasyland (now Galaxyland)

Issue 77 - Arrowcoma? Arrow Goes Bankrupt! (March 1986)

 * Centerfold photo of Autosled at Galaxyland

Issue 78 - Expo 86 Is Getting Ready... The People's Coaster? (April 1986)

 * Centerfold photo of Shockwave at Kings Dominion (now Six Flags Kings Dominion)

Issue 79 - Expo 86's Arrowcoma Review (May 1986)

 * Centerfold photo of Expo 86

Issue 80 - Share the Magic Moment at Kid's World! (August 1986)

 * What to Expect from Kid's World - The Neatest Kids Place in the Whole Wide World
 * Romper Room at Kid's World
 * Action Park: The Opposite of Kid's World (We Guess)
 * A Day Out at AstroWorld
 * Centerfold photo of Scorpion at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

Issue 81 - Korea's Everland (January 1987)

 * Centerfold photo of Pipeline Express at Putt 'N Pond

Issue 82 - Vortex Loops Our World (April 1987)

 * Centerfold photo of Carolina Cyclone at Carowinds

Issue 83 - The Bat's Remains (May 1987)

 * Centerfold photo of Big Bad Wolf at Busch Gardens Williamsburg

Issue 84 - Kid's World Destroyed by Fire, Sesame Place Bought by Anheuser-Busch, Another Visit to Six Flags Atlantis (June 1987)

 * The Neatest Kids Place in the Whole Wide World Just Burnt Down
 * Can You Tell Me How to Get to the Local Bar? Anheuser-Busch Buys Sesame Place
 * Six Flags Atlantis - Business as Usual
 * Centerfold photo of Vortex at Kings Island

Issue 85 - Action Park's Safety Record is Questionable (July 1987)

 * Centerfold photo of Silver Bullet at Frontier City

Issue 86 - Another Seoul Park (April 1988)

 * Centerfold photo of Bat at Canada's Wonderland

Issue 87 - Mack Makes Some Sleds (June 1988)

 * Centerfold poster of Steel Beast at Schuyler Lake

Issue 88 - What Is Up With Stand-Ups? (August 1988)

 * Wooden Roller Coasters vs. Steel Roller Coasters
 * Centerfold photo of Bandit at Yomiuriland

Issue 89 - Spooky Halloweens (October 1988)

 * Centerfold photo of Polar Coaster at Story Land

Issue 90 - When Do Theme Parks Close? (November 1988)

 * Centerfold photo of Starchaser at Kentucky Kingdom

Issue 91 - One Hades Of A Ride at Dorney! (May 1989)

 * Centerfold photo of Raging Wolf Bobs at Geauga Lake

Issue 92 - Walygator Park In France (June 1989)

 * Centerfold photo of Bayern Express at Nigloland

Issue 93 - Ride Rotation Explained (August 1989)

 * Centerfold poster of Magnum XL-200 at Cedar Point

Issue 94 - A Theme Park In Dayton? (October 1989)

 * Centerfold poster of Blue Streak at Cedar Point

Issue 95 - King Arthur At Valley's Fair (November 1989)

 * Centerfold poster of Z-Force at Six Flags Over Georgia

Issue 96 - The Successful Simpsons Show Find A Home At Carwardine's Parks (March 1990)

 * Centerfold poster of Carwardine Colony's coasters at the time of the issue's publication

Issue 98 - Coasters' Comix Is Back! (June 1990)

 * Centerfold photo of Vampire at Chessington World of Adventures

Issue 99 - How Carwardine Resurrected Kid's World (September 1990)

 * Centerfold photo of Viper at Six Flags Magic Mountain

Issue 100 - Our Big 1 Oh Oh (October 1990)
First issue in India

Issue 101 - A Visit to Whaaaaloooom Paaaark (June 1991)

 * Centerfold photo of Big New Yorker at Schuyler Lake

Issue 102 - A Very Mean Streak (July 1991)

 * Centerfold poster of Mean Streak at Cedar Point

Issue 106 - New England Theme Parks: from Whaaaaloooom to Canobie and Back + Our Visit to the Grand Opening of Euro Disneyland Park (June 1992)

 * Centerfold photo of Thunderbolt at Riverside Park (now Six Flags New England)

Issue 108 - Something Completely Different: Zoos & Aquariums in North America (August 1992)

 * Centerfold poster of the San Diego Zoo

Issue 111 - Batman's Second Ride (May 1993)

 * Centerfold photo of Batman: The Ride at Six Flags Great America and Schuyler Lake

Issue 112 - A Pleasure Island Where You Don't Get Turned To A Donkey (June 1993)

 * Centerfold photo of Drachen Fire at Busch Gardens Williamsburg

Issue 113 - York's Wild Kingdom is Wild as Usual (July 1993)

 * Centerfold poster of Kumba at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

Issue 114 - Could FOX Kids Come To Six Flags? (August 1993)
First issue in the middle east

Issue 115 - Merry Whatever to You (December 1993)

 * The Christmas Theme Parks of America full color poster

Issue 116 - Watch Out! There's a Raptor on the Loose! (May 1994)

 * Centerfold photo of Raptor at Cedar Point

Issue 119 - Clark's Trading Post - Trains, And New Englanders, And Bears, Oh My! (August 1994)

 * Centerfold photo of The Pepsi Max Big One at Blackpool Pleasure Beach

Issue 120 - Fantasia Lagoon, No Mice! (September 1994)

 * Centerfold photo of Desperado at Buffalo Bill's Hotel and Casino

Issue 123 - Walt Disney World Resort Now Has 3 Water Parks (April 1995)

 * Centerfold photo of the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World

Issue 125 - A Day in the Park with Barney Opens at Universal, Geauga Lake is Growing, Europa-Park Isn't Even Trying to Hide it's Disney Influence (July 1995)

 * Centerfold photo of Double Loop at Geauga Lake

Issue 128 - A Skull Mountain Rises + The Mighty Montu Arrives (June 1996)

 * Skull Mountain full-color preview poster
 * Centerfold poster of Montu at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

Trivia

 * First issue with two posters.

Issue 129 - The King of The Mountains (July 1996)

 * Centerfold photo of Fujiyama at Fuji-Q Highland

Issue 130 - Spooky Scary Skeletons (October 1996)

 * Centerfold photo of Titan MAX at Space World

Issue 132 - Batman Flies To Georgia (May 1997)

 * Batman: The Ride (all installations at the time of publication) full color poster

Issue 133 - What's an SLC? + Batman & Robin: The Chiller Preview (June 1997)

 * Batman & Robin: The Chiller full color preview poster

Issue 135 - A Whole Buncha New (August 1997)
Introduction of Louise.


 * Centerfold photo of Big Apple Coaster at New York-New York Hotel and Casino

Issue 137 - Mr. Freeze Is Cool (April 1998)

 * Centerfold poster of Mr. Freeze (now Mr. Freeze Reverse Blast) at Six Flags Over Texas

Issue 138 - The Idiot; Live At Coasters' Entertainment + Sesame Place's Vapor Trail is Wild! (July 1998)

 * Centerfold photo of Oblivion at Alton Towers

Issue 139 - The Ghost Is Coming (October 1998)

 * Centerfold poster of WWF: Ride the Attitude (now WWE: Ride the Attitude) at Carwardine C-Zone

Issue 141 - A Coaster Minus The Floors (April 1999)

 * Apollo's Chariot's Opening Goes Wrong - Supermodel Fabio Injured by a Bird to the Face

Issue 142 - A Grand Prix Theme Park (June 1999)

 * Centerfold photo of The Incredible Hulk Coaster at Universal's Islands of Adventure

Issue 145 - 300 Feet?!? (September 1999)

 * Centerfold photo of Dueling Dragons at Universal's Islands of Adventure

Issue 148 - Millennium Force Review (June 2000)

 * Centerfold photo of Millennium Force at Cedar Point

Issue 150 - The Spell Breaks (October 2000)
First issue in Switzerland

Issue 151 - TOGO Strikes Out: The End of an Error (March 2001)

 * Centerfold photo of Anaconda at Gold Reef City

Issue 156 - Generation X (January 2002)

 * Centerfold photo of X (now X²) at Six Flags Magic Mountain

Issue 158 - What's A Flying Coaster? (March 2002)

 * Centerfold photo of Air (now Galactica) at Alton Towers

Issue 160 - Now Year Round (June 2002)

 * An Explanation from Andrew Regarding the Year-Round Publication

Issue 165 (November 2002)

 * Coasters of Busch Gardens Williamsburg full color poster

Issue 168 - A Ranking of The Most Underrated Coasters Operating Right Now (February 2003)

 * The Rankings:
 * 10 - Apollo's Chariot at Busch Gardens Williamsburg: Sure, its best known for being the coaster Fabio got a bird to the face on, but it's a really intense and enjoyable thrill coaster.
 * 9 - Batman & Robin: The Chiller at Six Flags Great Adventure: When one or both sides are up and running, it's one heckuva ride.

Issue 169 - Brighton Lake Stays Cool + PBS Kids Comes to Carwardine Parks (March 2003)

 * Redwall: Escape from Malkariss full-color preview poster

Issue 171 - Top Thrill Dragster Opens (May 2003)

 * Centerfold poster of Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point

Issue 174 - How Carwardine Buys Used Coasters (August 2003)

 * Centerfold poster of Nemesis Inferno at Thorpe Park

Issue 175 - 175th Magaversary! Man In Mario Costume Goes Insane at Alabama's Backyard (September 2003)
First issue in Greece

Issue 183 - Storm Running At Hershey (May 2004)

 * Centerfold photo of Storm Runner at Hersheypark

Issue 185 - Bowser's Braincrusher Guide (July 2004)
First issue in Turkey

Issue 193 - How To Get Ready for the Season (March 2005)

 * Centerfold photo of Lightning at Kuwait Entertainment City

Issue 195 - Kingda Ka Preview (May 2005)

 * Kingda Ka full color preview poster

Issue 197 - Lagoon in Farmington, Utah: The Park Our Writers Call "Home" (July 2005)

 * Why Lagoon is the #1 park we unanimously love
 * The Story of Colossus the Fire Dragon
 * Turn of the Century - The Most Scenic Swing Ride in America
 * Danny M. Bosch Rides Roller Coaster
 * Ubaldo Pesci's View of Wild Mouse
 * Centerfold poster of Lagoon Amusement Park

Issue 200 - 200 ISSUES! Andrew Willy Brugmann and Danny M. Bosch Lead Our 200th Issue Celebration (October 2005)

 * The Best Coasters of the Last Decade full color poster

Issue 203 - 2006: The Year of the Coaster (January 2006)

 * The Most Popular New Coasters of the Past Three Years full color poster

Issue 204 - How To Be A Coaster Enthusiast (February 2006)

 * The Top Roller Coasters in the World full color poster

Issue 208 - Oiê from Hopi Hari (June 2006)

 * Our Trip to Brazil to Visit Hopi Hari
 * Andrew Willy Brugmann Rides Montezum
 * Brazil Has It's Own Sesame Place at Hopi Hari - Vila Sésamo in Infantasia
 * Amalie Trausch Rides Katapul
 * Centerfold photo of Montezum at Hopi Hari

Issue 209 - Chinese Superman? (July 2006)

 * Centerfold photo of Crystal Wing at Happy Valley Beijing

Issue 212 - Maverick! (October 2006)

 * Maverick full color preview poster

Issue 214 - If Intamin Had Wings (December 2006)

 * Furious Baco full color preview poster

Issue 216 - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Euro-Fighter (February 2007)

 * Centerfold poster with photos of all Euro-Fighter installations at the time of the issue's publication

Issue 219 - Griffon Preview (May 2007)

 * Griffon full color preview poster

Issue 223 - Ranking 25 of The Manufacturers (September 2007)

 * The Ranking:
 * 25 - Vekoma (Hahaha... Do you really think Vekoma would be good? Nope, son... they're a mixed bag. Most Boomerangs and SLCs are stupid, but they can make a good coaster every once in a while!)
 * 24 - TOGO (A mixed bag, some are really great, and some are freaking terrible!)
 * 23 - Pinfari (They can produce some good ol' jank machines, but hey, they're cheap!)
 * 22 - Zamperla (A manufacturer who knows how to make a great kiddie coaster, and an OK-ish thrill coaster)
 * 21 - Hopkins (It's kind of like Zamperla, but with some more intensity, still, their coasters feel like Schwarzkopf knockoffs... except for Texas Tornado, Sidewinder and Desert Storm)
 * 20 - Zierer (A manufacturer who mainly makes family-friendly Tivoli coasters, but they can make some cool thrills)
 * 19 - Chance (A manufacturer who purchased the rights to make Morgan coasters, so far, they are only doing family rides, but their concepts look cool)
 * 18 - CCI (A manufacturer we at Coasters really miss, however, some of the maintenance on the rides hasn't held up, which is why it's that low)
 * 17 - Mack Rides (They are planning to build more thrilling coasters, but for now, they are mainly just Bobsleighs and Wild Mice)
 * 16 - PTC (A long-gone coaster manufacturer that still produces trains for their older coasters and for other manufacturers)
 * 15 - Schwarzkopf (Want to combine NASA-style G-force with a coaster, well... Schwarzkopf went defunct, BETTER CHECK THE USED RIDES MARKET!)
 * 14 - Arrow (A manufacturer who fairly recently went defunct, WHEN THEY WERE STARTING TO GET GOOD!)
 * 13 - Gerstlauer (Some of their European coasters look great! And some parks are trying to get their hands on an American installation of these!)
 * 12 - Morgan (A manufacturer who's recently been sold to Chance, they have made some great coasters, especially the Carwardine ones!)
 * 11 - Maurer (A wild mouse manufacturer who's making very Schwarzkopf-looking coasters as of late)
 * 10 - Giovanola (A spin-off of Intamin that spawned B&M, and some pretty decent coasters)
 * 9 - WED Enterprises (Although it's rare, Disney makes some attractions at their parks without help, for example... The 2005 refurbishment of Space Mountain at Disneyland and some coasters at Tokyo Disneyland Resort)
 * 8 - S&S (They are ones who are making the shortest launches in the world! Dodonpa looks sick!)
 * 7 - Cyclone Unlimited (A coaster manufacturer who's trying to replicate the antiquated old-school style of wooden coasters from the 1930s compared to GCI's more modern track design)
 * 6 - B&M (One of the most beloved coaster manufacturers, they deliver pretty butter smooth rides, with a rattle!)
 * 5 - GCI (GCI makes intense woodies, and boy are they intense!)
 * 4 - Intamin (Intamin is making record breaking rides, several rides are just innovative.)
 * 3 - Premier Rides (Premier makes some cool launch coasters and is currently working on fixing older Schwarzkopfs)
 * 2 - Gravity Group (The new manufacturer on the block is already pretty high on the list thanks to Hades and Voyage!)
 * 1 - MSC Incorporated (They don't make a lot of coasters, but when they do... Oh brother, they're a doozy!)
 * Centerfold photo of Griffon at Busch Gardens Williamsburg

Issue 233 (July 2008)

 * Centerfold photo of T Express at Everland

Issue 234 (August 2008)

 * Centerfold photo of Led Zepplin: The Ride at Hard Rock Park

Issue 241 - Want To Play A Game? Saw Coaster Opens at the UK's Thorpe Park (March 2009)

 * Andrew Brugmann-Bott and Danny M. Bosch's Review of Saw – The Ride at Thorpe Park
 * Centerfold photo of Saw – The Ride at Thorpe Park

Issue 244 (June 2009)

 * Centerfold photo of iSpeed at Mirabilandia

Issue 254 - TH13TEEN at Alton Towers Declared a Disappointment (April 2010)

 * TH13TEEN Not So Scary as Advertised - The Supposed "Scariest Roller Coaster Ever" is Just a Family Coaster with One Neat Gimmick
 * Centerfold photo of Intimidator at Carowinds

Firing of Coaster Studios (2018)
In January 2018, Coasters fired YouTuber Taylor Bybee [Coaster Studios] (who wrote editorals for the magazine) after he published a negative YouTube video in December 2017 about La Ronde in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Window Lifestyle Media stated that staff determined Coaster Studios' video to be insensitive towards Quebecois people (due to his complaints in the video about poutine and guests speaking French) and openly hostile towards the park. Many of Coaster Studios' fans declared this decision to be unfair, but Six Flags, the City of Montreal, The Theme Park Crew, and Theme Park Review all supported Coasters ' decision.