Wild Thing's height was set by the Federal Aviation Administration due to the nearby presence of Flying Cloud Airport.

The ride's success led to the construction of Steel Force at Dorney Park in Allentown, Pennsylvania in 1997 and Mamba at Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, Missouri the next year.

However, Dorney Park could not secure the necessary permits for the ride, so Cedar Fair switched the recipient of the new coaster to Valleyfair.

The train then enters a 103 ft (31.4m) parabolic hill, resulting in one of the longest low gravity sections of any coaster in the world.

All riders were wearing their required seat belts and lap bars, preventing them from being ejected from their car.