My planned entry idea about TV families took a very sharp and swift detour after I started thinking about just how cool it was that the Brady Bunch had almost an entire episode filmed at and around Kings Island.

But, before we go any further, let me please straighten something out for those of you that did not grow up in Cincinnati.  It is NOT an island for an extraordinary king or a place named after some amusement park tycoon with the last name King.  There is NO apostrophe – Kings Island (correct), King’s Island (not correct).  We all have those little pet peeves that vex us to the core and this is one of mind.

Now that that is out of the way…and, by the by, don’t you love the word “vex”?

Though the Partridge’s trip to Kings Island in 1972 beat the Brady’s by one year, it seems people more clearly remember the exhausting Mike Brady’s blueprint family relay run over the motion sick Keith (David Cassidy), Johnny Bench waiter cameo, and Partridge family dance with the Banana Splits.  Perhaps it is that the Bradys were just shown in syndication a whole lot more than The Partridge Family or other family shows; but, whatever the reason may be, The Brady Bunch episodes really just seem to stand out.  And, of course, as a nice bonus, there was always a very suitable lesson to be learned in each episode.  For example, we should never play ball in the house.  That is still a good rule to follow even in 2017.  And, by quick thought, I’m sure many of us can rattle off our favorite overall episode (Hawaii bad luck) as well as various favorites for each of the Brady kids:  Marsha (“Oh my nose!”), Greg (Johnny Bravo), Jan (George Glass), Bobby (Jesse James), Cindy (stage fright), and Peter (time to change).

Hey, when it’s time to change, it’s time to rearrange.  And that is the segue I will use to start talking about Kings Island.  I figure if I point it out, it won’t seem as abrupt as the way it played out among the fast-tracked data connections in my brain as I drove to work this morning.  In between the shift of thoughts between my Starbuck’s mobile order, the recap of my Amazon Prime Day purchases and the reminder that the new season of “Suits” starts tonight, the confusing fact that Peter was the only Brady kid with brown eyes popped in my head.  And, before I knew it (or as Elaine would classify it, “yadda, yadda, yadda”), I was suddenly consumed in the excitement of Winterfest coming back to Kings Island this year.  If only they would bring back Enchanted Voyage.

The Enchanted Voyage was a ride that took you into the magic world inside your television set where you could visit all your happy animated TV friends.  As a kid, there really wasn’t anything cooler!  It was Saturday morning cartoons coming to life; even though I think it was the adults that really loved that ride – an air conditioned, out of the sun escape that provided a nice, relaxing break from the hubbub of the Happy Land of Hanna-Barbera outside.  Later, the characters were replaced by the Smurfs and then it became a new attraction all together, The Phantom Theater.  After that, it went back to its Hanna-Barbera roots and became Scooby-Doo and the Haunted Castle; and, now, I think it’s a ghost blasting interactive ride.  More change.

In fact, for any Cincinnati kid that is close to the age of Kings Island, there is certainly a lot that we have watched transform at our treasured local amusement park.

Some quick (and now what seems very logical) history:  Kings Island opened in 1972 and was owned by Taft Broadcasting Company (their first theme park).  The Taft Broadcasting Company was based here in Cincinnati; so of course, they had a large hand in how Kings Island was branded.  Taft Broadcasting also owned Hanna-Barbera Productions – hence the reason we had Fred Flintstone, Yogi Bear, Scooby-Doo and all the other fun character tie-ins.  In addition, Paramount Television was a large shareholder of Taft Broadcasting and that is how The Brady Bunch (produced by Paramount Television) came to do their park episode.  There were some other business transactions up until 1992 when Paramount Communications (the owners of Paramount Pictures) decided they wanted to join other entertainment companies as a theme park owner and they acquired Kings Island.  That brought about the movie themed attractions and tie-ins (Top Gun, Face/Off, The Italian Job, Tomb Raider, Days of Thunder).  And, the park even played movie soundtracks throughout the park which, and I might have been the only one that appreciated it, was a very cool thing indeed.  It was the only other place I ever heard the score from “Heaven Can Wait” outside of my own collection.

The character/theme of the children’s area changed slightly in 1994, when Viacom (parent company of MTV Networks) bought Paramount, bringing the Nickelodeon characters into the park.  In 1999, Viacom merged with its former parent, CBS Corporation which seemed to lead to another television highlight (at least in my world).  In an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (aired on the CBS network, obviously), Gil Grissom had a roller coaster conversation which mentions The Beast and how he presented a paper at an entomology convention in Cincinnati just so he could ride the Son of Beast.

Sadly, I am doubtful that our beloved theme park will end up on any other television shows in the future, as their current owner is outside of the media/entertainment world.  Cedar Fair purchased Kings Island in 2006, bringing the latest change to Hanna-Barbera Land…Planet Snoopy.

That’s a lot of change to the kiddie land, in what doesn’t really seem like a lot of years (that’s how old people feel kids – 20 years ago can really seem like yesterday sometimes).  My first roller coaster ride was with my Uncle Mike on The Scooby-Doo coaster; and, I can still recollect both the absolute fear and magnificent delight.  And, that Scooby-Doo coaster also changed names through the years.  From the Beastie (when the Beast opened up) to The Fairly Odd Coaster (after The Fairly OddParents/Nickelodeon) to the Woodstock Express.  At least the ride is still there, I guess.  It survived a better fate than many other Kings Island rides that were demolished to bring along newer, faster, more exciting attractions.  How sad to say goodbye to the Screamin’ Demon, The Bat (1981), The King Cobra, The Lion Country Safari Monorail, the Ferris Wheel (Lora & Kelly, that’s for you), the Keelboat Canal, Les Taxis, and the Sky Ride (or sky buckets as I think people called them).  And, here’s one to really take you back…remember those pioneers and Indians that were live actors out on the Kings Island/Miami Valley Railroad route?

I guess the Millennials will one day grieve over the loss of Flight Commander, Son of Beast, Thunder Alley, Lazer Maze, The Crypt and all the other attractions that will change in the coming decades.  Change is the only constant; and, I am sure Kings Island will keep serving up the thrills for years to come.  In fact, in 2016, Kings Island was the 2^nd most visited seasonal amusement park in the country (just under Cedar Point), so they aren’t going anywhere.

How lucky we Cincinnati kids got to grow up with a theme park as part of our city’s playground; and, how cool it will live eternally in classic television.

Now, back to the original quandary:  I mean I know we never saw Mike’s first wife (so don’t know what color eyes she had), but isn’t it funny that Peter Brady was the only Brady with brown eyes?

#50WeeksTo50