'Jumping' rollercoaster and other world record-breaking rides

Would you try out this 'jumping' rollercoaster?

Universal Studios in Japan is introducing one of the world's first "jumping" rollercoasters in Spring 2024.

The ride - named Donkey Kong: Mine Cart Madness - is based on levels from the Donkey Kong video games in which Donkey and Diddy Kong ride a mine cart on tracks that jump over gaps.

In order to recreate this in real life, the rollercoaster's designers have had to use some high-tech engineering in the form of a "Boom Coaster".

Universal has publicly shared the schematics - a drawing that shows how a plan might work - and filed a patent - an important legal document that protects people's ideas from being copied - for the new rollercoaster.

How does it work?

These schematics show how the rollercoaster design might work

The "Boom Coaster" design works a bit like an optical illusion. The cart looks as though it is running on rail tracks, but is really being supported by a secret hidden rail underneath.

It produces the illusion that when the tracks run out, the cart looks and feels as though it is leaping over a gap, when it is actually being supported the whole time from underneath.

If that's got you excited for more thrills, then take a look at some other epic rollercoasters below and you can even try out our quiz.

The world's fastest rollercoaster

The Formula Rossa ride at Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi is so fast you need goggles to ride it.

Riders are blasted to 150mph (240kmh) in five seconds.

It's designed to make you feel like a racing driver and the shape of the track was inspired by an Italian racetrack named Autodromo Nazionale Monza.

Formula Rossa has had many famous riders including racing legends Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen.

The world's first rollercoaster

Some of the earliest ideas for rollercoasters came from ice slides in Russia in the 1400s.

Later in 1816, came the "Montagne Russe" or "Russian Mountain" in Paris, inspired by the Russian ice slides. They were essentially a big slide that passengers would climb to the top of, and ride down in small buggies with wheels.

However, many people agree the world's first "proper" rollercoaster opened on 16 June 1884 at Coney Island in New York.

It was called the Switchback Railway and used the same technology as trains do to climb steep hills.

Today's thrill seekers might not have been satisfied with its maximum speed of just six miles per hour.

But the Switchback was an instant success in the US and by the end of the century there were theme parks full of coasters all over America.

The tallest rollercoaster

The record for the tallest rollercoaster in the world is currently held by Kingda Ka at the Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey, US.

At 456 ft (139 m) it's also the second fastest in the world.

A hydraulic launch mechanism powers riders to 128 mph (206 km/h) in three and a half seconds.

But, it might soon be knocked off the top spot by the Falcon's Flight rollercoaster, which is being built in Six Flags Qiddiya, in Saudi Arabia.

Falcon's Flight will measure about 607 feet (185 metres) tall.

The steepest drop

The TMNT Shellraiser rollercoaster is the steepest coaster in the world, with a vertical drop of 121.5 degrees.

It can be found in Nickelodeon Universe theme park in New Jersey in the US.

The ride has the same layout as the Takabisha at Fuji-Q Highland in Japan, the previous record holder for world's steepest rollercoaster.

The ride reaches its maximum speed of 62.1 mph in just two seconds.

The slowest rollercoaster

This is probably the world's slowest rollercoaster - or rather - strollercoaster.

Visitors to the Tiger and Turtle Walking Coaster at Angerpark Duisburg, in Germany, walk themselves around the ride at whatever speed they like!

The longest rollercoaster

The Steel Dragon 2000 at Nagashima Spa Land in Kuwana, Japan, is the world's longest coaster.

It spans a lengthy 2.48 km (1.54 miles) and takes four minutes to get round.

That's a quite long time to spend screaming.

However, like Kingda Ka, it might soon be beaten by Falcon's Flight, when that is finally built.

The smallest rollercoaster

The smallest coaster in the world claims to be the Dvergbanen at Tusenfryd near Oslo, in Norway.

It has a height of just two and a half metres and runs 26 metres in length.

The ideal coaster for anyone who isn't the biggest fan of heights.

If you cannot see the quiz, click here.