Editing Six Flags AstroWorld (section)

===Six Flags===
[[Six Flags (1961–2024)|Six Flags]] purchased a 20-year operating lease for AstroWorld in mid-1975.<ref name=Advocate-76>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/25536740/victoria-advocate/ |title=Astrodomain Confirms Sales Talks |agency=AP |date=August 14, 1976 |newspaper=[[Victoria Advocate]] |access-date=July 19, 2021 |archive-date=July 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210719152422/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/25536740/victoria-advocate/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The following year, Six Flags AstroWorld introduced a new, high-speed roller coaster, the [[Texas Cyclone]].<ref name="HTO"/> A new playground named "The Magical World of Marvel McFey" was added to Children's World for the 1977 season.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/452225607/ |title=Astroworld entertainment: Shows rated for families |date=March 13, 1977 |newspaper=[[The Daily Oklahoman]] |access-date=July 15, 2021 |archive-date=July 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210715174027/https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/452225607/ |url-status=live }}</ref> That same year, Robert Cartmell named the Texas Cyclone the best [[roller coaster]] in the world.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/62970925/texas-cyclone-new-morgan-trains/ |title=The Texas Cyclone at AstroWorld rated the world's best roller coaster |author=Griffin, Bob |date=July 3, 1987 |newspaper=Shreveport Journal |access-date=July 15, 2021 |archive-date=July 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210715174030/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/62970925/texas-cyclone-new-morgan-trains/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The formal purchase of AstroWorld by Six Flags concluded in 1978.<ref name=Guenther/> In 1978, the new attraction was [[Shuttle Loop|Greezed Lightnin']], a high-acceleration loop roller coaster.<ref name="HTO"/>

McFey's tenure as the park's mascot ended in 1984 as [[Bugs Bunny]] and other ''[[Looney Tunes]]'' characters moved into the Enchanted Kingdom for the 1985 season;<ref>{{cite news |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/waco-citizen-may-07-1985-p-5/ |title=AstroWorld Coloring Contest: Bugs Bunny Finds A New Home |date=May 7, 1985 |newspaper=Waco Citizen |access-date=July 15, 2021 |archive-date=July 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210715174028/https://newspaperarchive.com/waco-citizen-may-07-1985-p-5/ |url-status=live }}</ref> AstroWorld's parent corporation, Six Flags, had acquired the license to use the ''Looney Tunes'' characters in 1984 for its theme parks from [[Marriott Corporation|Marriott]] along with [[Six Flags Great America|the Great America in Gurnee]] theme park;<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/ct-six-flags-great-america-40-years-met-20160527-story.html |title=40 years later, Six Flags Great America still thrilling crowds |author=McCoppin, Robert |date=May 28, 2016 |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] |access-date=July 15, 2021 |archive-date=July 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210715174027/https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/ct-six-flags-great-america-40-years-met-20160527-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Marriott had held the license since 1976 for its twin Great America parks.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/44593285/ |title=Great America: A Midwest version of Disneyland set in Gurnee, Ill. |date=April 24, 1976 |newspaper=[[Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, Illinois)|The Daily Herald]] |access-date=31 July 2021 |archive-date=July 31, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210731184339/https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/44593285/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Six Flags continued to change ownership, being purchased by [[Bally Manufacturing]] in 1982, then by a private equity firm, [[Wesray Corporation]], in 1987. [[Time Warner]] acquired a minority stake in 1990 and owned the company outright by September 1993.<ref name=Guenther/> During Astroworld's first twenty years, it entertained more than thirty million visitors. The amusement park persisted while new competitors in Houston emerged and failed, including [[Busch Gardens]], [[Hanna–Barbera Land]], and SeaArama Marineworld. Attendance increased during these earlier years.<ref name=wray>{{cite web | title=Closed, But Never Forgotten: AstroWorld Turns 50 | work=[[Houstonia (magazine)|Houstonia]] | date=May 29, 2018 | access-date=August 30, 2020 | last=Wray | first=Diana | url=https://www.houstoniamag.com/news-and-city-life/2018/05/astroworld | archive-date=August 28, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200828145619/https://www.houstoniamag.com/news-and-city-life/2018/05/astroworld | url-status=live }}</ref> In the early 1990s, the Six Flags parks gained access to [[DC Comics]] characters through its corporate owner, Time Warner;<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-08-23-fi-7444-story.html |title=More Studios Open Theme Park Attrractions That Tie Into Their Movies: Entertainment: MCA, Paramount, Walt Disney and Time Warner now control 13 of the top 20 most popular parks in the U.S. and Canada. |author=Woodyard, Chris |date=August 23, 1992 |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=July 15, 2021 |url-access=subscription |archive-date=July 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210715174028/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-08-23-fi-7444-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Batman: The Escape]] was installed at AstroWorld for the 1993 season.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54115683/amusement-parks-are-going-hollywood/ |title=Amusement parks are going Hollywood |author=Sloan, Gene |agency=Gannett News Service |date=April 25, 1993 |newspaper=[[Green Bay Press-Gazette]] |access-date=July 15, 2021 |archive-date=July 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210715174029/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54115683/amusement-parks-are-going-hollywood/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In February 1998, Premier Parks, led by CEO Kieran Burke, acquired Six Flags Entertainment Corporation.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/21/business/the-new-monster-of-the-midway-premier-parks-thrives-by-not-being-disney.html |title=The New Monster Of The Midway; Premier Parks Thrives by Not Being Disney |author=McDowell, Edwin |date=June 21, 1998 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=July 20, 2021 |archive-date=July 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210720170029/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/21/business/the-new-monster-of-the-midway-premier-parks-thrives-by-not-being-disney.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1984, Premier, originally Tierco, a property management group, hired Gary Story to rehabilitate one of its properties, an older park named [[Frontier City]] in Oklahoma City; Story's successful turnaround of that park started the company's theme park acquisition program.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.oklahoman.com/article/1897849/amusing-storybrtheme-park-thrills-illustrate-career-of-former-six-flags-exec |title=Amusing Story: Theme park thrills illustrate career of former Six Flags exec |author=Monies, Paul |date=April 11, 2004 |newspaper=[[The Oklahoman]] |access-date=July 20, 2021 |archive-date=July 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210720181942/https://www.oklahoman.com/article/1897849/amusing-storybrtheme-park-thrills-illustrate-career-of-former-six-flags-exec |url-status=live }}</ref>