sooperdooperLooper
G4 · American Steel
G4 · № 92/150
sooperdooperLooper
Hersheypark · US · Schwarzkopf Looping Coaster
“In Hershey’s Hollow, the East Coast first turned gracefully upside down.”
UNOFFICIAL · NOT PARK-ENDORSED
Collect this card free →Fast facts
- Opened for the 1977 season at Hersheypark, it was the first looping coaster on the East Coast and the second in the United States. stories.hersheypa.com
- The ride was designed by Anton Schwarzkopf of West Germany and purchased through Intamin AG of Switzerland. stories.hersheypa.com
- Hersheypark places sooperdooperLooper in The Hollow. hersheypark.com
- Hersheypark lists the coaster at 45 mph, about 72 km/h. hersheypark.com
- The ride course is 2,614 feet long and lasts 1 minute, 45 seconds. hersheypark.com
- It is a steel, single-loop coaster with two tight spirals. hersheypark.com
- The project cost about $3 million and was the park’s most expensive ride to that date. hersheyarchives.org
The story of sooperdooperLooper
Visitor, picture Hersheypark in the middle nineteen-seventies, newly confident after hard seasons of flood recovery, energy worries, and redevelopment. The coming of sooperdooperLooper helped carry the park from a local pleasure ground into wider national attention. hersheyarchives.org
For 1977, Hersheypark brought in a modern loop from Anton Schwarzkopf of West Germany, bought through Intamin AG, with structural engineering by R. Duell & Associates. Its train of twenty-four passengers climbed above the station, swept down at 45 mph, and entered a 57-foot loop, a proud steel circle for The Hollow. stories.hersheypa.com· hersheypark.com
The launch was eventful in the old showman’s manner. On opening day, General Manager Bruce McKinney and his wife Sally rode the first public trip; the train made the loop, then stopped on the next rise, leaving its passengers to walk down the catwalk before news cameras. The season still became a triumph, drawing great crowds to ride or simply to watch. hersheyarchives.org
The coaster has remained part of Hersheypark’s operating line-up for generations. New trains arrived over its life, including Gerstlauer rolling stock for the 2012 season, and Hersheypark now notes a planned station renewal after Labor Day 2026, with reopening intended for summer 2027. coasterpedia.net· hersheypark.com
Sources
- stories.hersheypa.com Acceptable source
- hersheypark.com Acceptable source
- hersheypark.com Acceptable source
- hersheyarchives.org Acceptable source
- coasterpedia.net Preferred source
This background is AI-drafted from public sources and human-reviewed before publishing — approved 20 August 2026.