In the late 1970s, engineers didn't have the benefit of computerized devices that could measure force, and they didn't use test dummies which are common in modern-day construction. Instead, crew members of The Beast's construction team had to board the ride for test runs and push the train back to the station whenever it stalled. Opening and early modifications Several months before its scheduled opening as construction was nearing completion, the attraction was still without a name. Voss often overheard construction crews referring to the project as "a monster" or calling it "a beast of a project". She pitched the idea of naming it "The Beast" to executives who unanimously agreed. To promote the new ride, an animated commercial was released, along with a number of radio contests that granted winners the opportunity to be among the first to ride. After more than three years of planning, design, and construction, The Beast opened to the public on April 14, 1979, the first day of Kings Island's 1979 operating season. At the time, The Beast was the tallest, fastest, and longest wooden roller coaster in the world. Within a few years of the ride's opening, the layout of the original trains were modified. They originally consisted of five cars with four rows each, but engineers determined early on that the longer cars weren't allowing proper navigation along the track. The configuration was changed to six cars with three rows each, reducing the length of the train and number of riders from 40 to 36. The ride also originally featured three underground tunnels, but the second and third were joined together by the second season of operation. The previously-unfinished double helix was also enclosed in time for the second season, resulting in two separate tunnels. 2000–present Kings Island unveiled Son of Beast in 2000, marketed as a "sequel" to The Beast, located in another area of the park. It became the tallest and fastest wooden roller coaster in the world, as well as the first modern-day wooden coaster to feature an inversion. Although Son of Beast set several new records, The Beast retained its wooden coaster records for length and ride duration. Son of Beast was demolished in 2012 following a series of incidents that halted operation in 2009. In 2019, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the ride, each of the three trains were restored to their original "flame-themed" paint scheme,