The name Six Flags is a reference to Texas history--which has been governed by six different nations in its history (the United States, Mexico, Spain, France, the Confederacy and as an independent nation itself). Its founder was Angus Wynn, a Texas oil baron who created the company's first amusement park, Six Flags Over Texas, in 1961. He intended for it to finance a number of other business projects, but it soon became a lucrative cash cow on its own. The company quickly expanded to other venues until they had numerous parks across the country. In 2009, there are 16 amusement parks under the Six Flags banner--including parks in Canada, Mexico, and overseas--as well as water parks, animal parks and other attractions.
Six Flags amusement parks developed the world's first steel roller coaster--the Runaway Mine Train at Six Flags Over Texas--as well as the first log flume ride at the same locale. Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey features the country's tallest and fastest roller coaster in 2009--Kingda Ka --while the X2 coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain (in Valencia, California) boasts the unprecedented feat of moving riders in five different dimensions. Such developments were part of Six Flags' overall policy of appealing to adults as well as children (marking another break from the Disney parks, which tend to focus more on younger children and families).
The Six Flags franchise was purchased by Time Warner in the 1990s, which entailed continued use of Warner-owned characters. Specifically, Warner cartoon stars such as Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck serve as the parks' official mascots, as well as providing a family friendly atmosphere for those with younger children. Time Warner also owns the DC Comics franchise, including superheroes such as Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. That has led to a number of rides with a superhero theme, periodic parades featuring the characters and special effects shows featuring Batman and his various adversaries.
