UPDATE: 8/1/19: A petition on Change.org is demanding that Kings Island reveal what is going on behind the fence blocking the top secret construction where Firehawk used to stand.
Almost 2,000 people have signed it as of August 1st.
Fans believe construction is already underway on a giant 300-foot "giga" coaster, based on blueprints submitted to the City of Mason, Ohio.
In the past 2 weeks, the park has put up a series of posters of current and former roller coasters on the fence.
Put together, the posters now appear to spell out T.E.O.T.W.A.W.K.I.... the first letters of the REM song The End of the World as we Know it.
Kings Island spokesman Chad Showalter has finally put out a statement about the mysterious posters.
T.E.O.T.W.A.W.K.I.
"While park officials have not commented publicly on the fence posters, the references to former coasters and flat rides seems to be hinting at a new addition to the park. Letters in the background of each poster combine to suggest the acronym, TEOTWAWKI or “The End of the World as We Know It.” While some Kings Island fans are referencing the REM song of the same name, others think the letters have a deeper meaning. One thing’s for sure, this area of Kings Island is far from “The End.” In fact, some have suggested it’s only the beginning."
- Chad Showalter, Kings Island Media Spokesman
We hope to learn more on August 15th or 16th, which is National Roller Coaster Day, when park owner Cedar Fair typically makes major announcements of new rides.
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Original report July 15,2019:
Weeks after starting construction on its top secret "Project X", Kings Island is finally starting to tease what may be coming in 2020.
Park goers report seeing posters on the temporary fence blocking off the construction zone where Firehawk used to stand, and where crews have been pouring concrete footers for more than a month.
One KI Central Forum member posted the photo above, showing a poster for Invertigo and another for Firehawk tacked up on the fence next to Flight of Fear.
They appear to have gone up Sunday night after the park closed.
As WCPO was first to publicly report, park owner Cedar Fair filed construction blueprints with the City of Mason this spring for "Project X," which appears to be a 300 foot tall "giga" coaster behind The Racer.
It would be only the 7th giga coaster in the world, with the nearest being Millenium Force at sister park Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio.
Crews then began clearing land in the former Dinosaurs Alive exhibit, and pouring concrete footings for what will be the loading areas for the ride, according to the blueprints.
What do the teasers mean?
As Cedar Fair often does with its teasers, the posters are intended more to confuse fans than bring clarity. What is certain is that they will lead to hours, if not days, of speculation...until the next teasers go up.
The two posters are for Invertigo, the coaster near the park's entrance, and for Firehawk, the ride that was removed last year to make way for Project X.
They have all sorts of "testing" information on them as well.
Why Invertigo and Firehawk, and not, say, Diamondback?
That's part of the fun of teasers. However, one of the posters clearly says Project X on the top, so it is obvious they are connected to the not-so-top-secret project underway behind the fence.
Also,the poster on the left has a giant "K" on it, while the poster on the right has an "I." That would imply we have at least 9 or 10 more posters coming, to complete the words Kings Island. Could the final poster show the new giga coaster? Perhaps.
So when we will know more? No one in the general public knows, but forums are talking about an announcement around August 15th or 16th.
Why? Because that is when the company typically announces its projects for the next year (such as the return of Antique Cars), and August 16th is National Roller Coaster Day.
Of course.
We reached out to Kings Island spokesman Chad Showalter for comment, who confirmed the posters went up overnight, but would only say "stay tuned."
As always, don't waste your money.
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