Detonator loses Angry Birds theme as licensed area is retired
Thorpe Park retired Angry Birds Land after the 2023 season because the licence expired. Detonator: Bombs Away was one of three attractions set to receive a new theme as a result.
More context
Thorpe Park announced in late 2023 that Angry Birds Land would disappear after almost ten years in the park. The themed area based on the well-known game franchise had opened in May 2014, but the licence was coming to an end. The park chose not to renew the deal and instead planned to take the area forward under its own identity.
For Detonator, the news marked a clear break with its Angry Birds period. The drop tower was still operating as Detonator: Bombs Away and was named alongside King Pig's Wild Hog Dodgems and Angry Birds 4D as one of three attractions due to receive a new theme. This was not a technical change to the tower itself, but a shift in identity, presentation and how the ride fitted into its surroundings.
For visitors and fans, the announcement mattered because a recognisable IP-based area was leaving Thorpe Park. Detonator remained part of the ride line-up, but the brand that had shaped its setting for years was on the way out. The move also fitted into a busy transition year for the park: in 2024 Thorpe Park planned both a new themed area and Hyperia, promoted as England's tallest and fastest roller coaster. Detonator became part of that broader attempt to give the park a fresher, more self-owned direction.