Although it is hard to pinpoint one specific year in which amusement parks all experienced a surge of growth,it is safe to say that 1950 ushered in the new era of theme park attendance.
Although big resorts like Blackpool were open during World War II and provided much needed respite for soldiers on leave and their families, theme park attendance was lower than usual during the 1940s.Though they were popular in the 1920s, amusement parks suffered during the Great Depression just like other businesses did.
Within a few years after the war was over, things began to change, and change in a big way. In addition, soldiers home from the war were marrying if they had been single, and were producing children if they were married. These were the early years of the baby boom, and it was a good time to operate a amusement park.In 1950, people were trying to move on from the horror and hardship of the Second World War.
In the early 1950s, theme parks meant a picnic area, a playground for young children, and perhaps a few rides built for small tots that were paid for on a "per-ride" basis rather than the all-in-one admissions that came along later.There wasn't the huge demand for the kind of thrill rides that came along later in the 20th century.
As the children of the baby boom grew up, theme parks grew up alongside them. As those children hit their teens, they wanted more than just a carousel or dodgem cars. And park developers took note. During the 1970s, roller coasters experienced a surge of popularity the likes of which hadn't been seen since before the war. It hadn't turned into an all-out contest for who had the biggest and fastest coaster yet, but parks knew that if they were to prosper they would have to keep up in terms of thrill rides. The baby boomers were growing up and wanting more excitement, and soon they would have the disposable income to buy it.
While it wasn't until the late 1990s that the current "arms race" in thrill rides began, the whole concept of just how big amusement parks could be in family life dates back to 1950 and the first wave of baby boomers riding their first amusement rides.
Author Resource:
Andrea Smith is a freelance writer and Theme Park enthusiast from the UK. She writes for Techy Zone about roller coasters, thrill rides and theme parks in the UK.
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