Harry Potter theme park magically swallows big visitors

You are a terrorist...

...for posting that!

You're killing me!

or a Fat Head tax

Then YOU can pay.

Not always

Depends how they enlarge the seat. if it's just a secondary restraint (that seat belt bit) that's lengthened it's no big deal unless they make it too long (ie it comes up too much if the primary restraint fails and allows an minimum size occupant to fall out). They can also reshape the harness bars so that a larger guest will fit again at no loss of safety to a smaller guest.

Colossus at Thorpe Park had a "fat seat" as does Nemesis which basically was a longer belt and slightly less padding on the bars IIRC.

Also it's not always fat, broad shoulders people will struggle with some rides as they won't fit in the gap and so the bars can't come down far enough with out crushing their shoulders, also I remember a friend telling Jordan to get off as her breasts were to big and the bar wouldn't lock closed.

That said I have dealt with "larger" parents taking kids on lap bar type rides, who got a s**t on when I suggested that over a foot of free air between the kid and the bar wasn't safe so I wanted them to move to separate bars.

The riding of mobility scooters

They could make the riding of mobility scooters an attraction in and of itself like the family fun-day episode of Phoenix Nights!

Would be a great excuse too for an officially licensed version of "Potters Big Pink Paradise"!

on the subject of countries

I'd like to point out that Britain's "The Biggest Loser" first aired within a few months of its American version. I don't watch much OTT TV here, and my only exposure to TBL is the Brit version on in-flight entertainment, along with other gems like "How Clean is Your House."

I can't speak to the availability of mobility scooters as I haven't been to a Disney or Six Flags park in over 15 years. (I did however ride The Anaconda at Gold Reef City not too long ago and I think I nearly collapsed a few vertebrae pulling the retaining bar down. I'm 6' tall -- I pity taller people on these sorts of rides.)

I've seen plenty of plus-size Brits on my travels -- so pot, kettle; black.

Viva Las Vegas

Best I ever saw was in Las Vegas, where not only were the fatties riding around on the scooters, but they took them on the moving walkways!

And it wasn't even for a speed rush - they didn't drive them on the walkways, they just sat there.

@Andrew Moore

And what makes you think that the mobility scooters are only (or even mostly) for the overweight? I have a pair of friends who'd be unable to visit that park without them, because they're both in their 80s and couldn't walk long or far enough without one. I suppose it makes you feel good, somehow, to know that you're preventing my friends from visiting the park with their grandchildren. Personally, I'd suggest that you be a little less judgmental, lest you too be judged.

There's an old saying that you might give a little thought to: Mene mene teckel uparshin!

Chill

If it makes you feel any better, you're annoyed for all the wrong reasons. That's exactly what the expression means: you would have your cake and eaten it. Ordinarily the two things are mutually exclusive - the expression means you wish have it in your hands and have eaten it simultaneously.

It's been bastardised over recent years admittedly.

I still have my cake

I just ate someone else's. It seems that the cake was not a lie!

Like @ airports

Hand baggage gauges labelled "if it won't go in, it doesn't go on". It's soooo much fun watching when they try to enforce that :)

re: Parks I've been to

It's a solution, but once you've paid your entrance fee to a park, it's going to be gut-wrenching (ha) to find out you can't get on anything, whether you queue or not. A better solution would be either the "Every body's Happy" option that has been adopted of adjusting seats to suit the larger frame, or the more harsh (but twistedly amusing and not necessarily business-wise) option of making sure all media advertising the theme parks states "Most rides unsuitable for chubbers, but we have plenty of restaurants and fairground food for you to console yourself with".

Prepare for boarding? I think not, Lardbucket.