Bizarre Developments at Six Flags

After teasing park fans with a very clever viral campaign that began last fall, Six Flags finally revealed that two of its existing coasters will be re-themed and renamed Bizarro this season. Set to debut in late May, the floorless coaster, Medusa, at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey and the hypercoaster, Superman: Ride of Steel at Six Flags New England in Massachusetts, will both feature a new purple and yellow color scheme to herald their takeover by the odd purple-and-yellow-clad Superman comics character, Bizarro.

While the ride experiences themselves will remain virtually unchanged (and both coasters have always been wonderful rides), the re-purposed coasters will introduce new onboard audio, flame effects that will be synchronized to the audio track, and Bizarro-themed elements throughout the queue and along the course of the rides. The Massachusetts coaster will also get entirely new trains. Bizarro is a kind of anti-Superman who lives in a parallel universe and often poses challenges to the all-American hero.

The ride makeovers represent an emerging trend to "re-skin" existing rides. For not too much bucks, savvy parks can get a second marketing bang by repackaging popular rides as more-or-less new attractions. For the 2008 season, Six Flags Magic Mountain performed a nip and tuck on its revolutionary X coaster and made a splash with X².

Wicked bizarre fact: The Bizarro name is especially well-suited to the Massachusetts park, since folks in the Bay State are quite fond of using the word, "bizarre" as an adjective, especially when preceded by the modifier, "wicked." If you make it out to Six Flags New England to sample the new/old coaster, you could really impress the locals by loudly proclaiming as you exit the ride, "THAT WAS WICKED BIZAH!" Then, ask someone who works at the park whether any of the food stands serve chowdah.

• Six Flags Great Adventure Overview
• Six Flags Ride Guide 2009