This ride is defunct.
"Mickey might be in France, but the Wild Mouse is here ..."
Opened in 1958, it was the park’s first major ride since the end of the second world war and despite its relatively unimpressive statistics, it remained a white knuckle thriller until its final season in 2017.
The Wild Mouse was built in house by the Pleasure Beach staff and originally had two ‘levels’. Originally, after climbing the swift lift hill the cars would proceed immediately into the S-bends. In the 1960s the track was extended to include a large first drop and high level turnaround. After navigating the new track the cars then proceeded through the S-bends (the original starting point).
Steel wild mouse coasters have sprung up in many parks across the UK and the world but they are unable to capture the ferocity of their wooden counterparts. The aggressive turns and compact layout of the wooden rides is somewhat neutered on a steel coaster.
❓Did You Know❓
The Wild Mouse and the Derby Racer were built in house by a team led by then park manager Frank Wright.
The two seater cars featured only a seatbelt. This restraint mechanism really emphasised all the sudden direction changes as your body was thrown around in the vehicle. The ride provided huge ‘airtime’ as you crested the double dips in the centre of the layout.
In 2017, the ride’s run came to an end as it became increasingly difficult to keep the ride operating without significant modification. The decision was made to dismantle the ride in December 2017.
It wasn’t just a Wild Mouse, it was the wildest of them all.