ORLANDO, Fla. Welcome to Krustyland, "the Krustyest place on Earth," where "fun takes a holiday" and you can take a wild ride with television's favorite cartoon family.

The Universal Orlando theme park has quietly opened The Simpsons Ride, a $30 million, state-of-the-art virtual roller-coaster ride based on the longest-running animated comedy in television history.

Visitors enter the gaping mouth of a 32-foot-high head of Krusty the Clown where they line up to join Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie Simpson on a thrill-packed romp through Krusty's cheesy theme park.

Packed with the irreverent, self-mocking humor that is the hallmark of "The Simpsons," the simulator replaces the "Back to the Future" virtual ride that closed last year.

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Two years in the making, the ride itself is a frantic six-minute adventure on "Krusty's All-New, Thrilltacular Upsy-Downsey Spins-Aroundsy Teen-Operated Thrill Ride."

Guests enter eight-person cars, which elevate to face a giant screen where the virtual roller-coaster ride begins. Riders follow the Simpson family as they plunge down a coaster, then Sideshow Bob shows up and all heck breaks loose.

The computer-generated animated 3-D adventure is projected on an 80-foot-wide screen.

Each car rocks, rolls and reels, offering a realistic roller-coaster effect. The attraction can handle 2,000 people per hour. Park officials say it's the first ride that simulates a 360-degree barrel-roll.

Universal Orlando officials are expecting the worldwide appeal of the dysfunctional Simpsons and the rest of the goofy citizens of Springfield to bring tourists to the park.

"The Simpsons is such an international pop culture phenomenon that we knew this would be a perfect fit for us," said Mike West, executive producer for Universal Studios.

The challenge, he adds, was to remain faithful to a series that lampoons everything -- including theme parks.

West says Simpsons creator Matt Groening and the show's executive producer, James L. Brooks, were involved in every step. "Matt and Jim reviewed every aspect, every piece of art, every sound and every piece of dialogue, which was written by the show's writers," he said. "It's all authentic Simpsons humor, guaranteed."

Although park officials won't discuss attendance, they expect the ride will bring in tourists from throughout the world.

Universal spokesman Tom Schroder says the park "had a great year in 2007 and so far we've had a good year in 2008, and we know that 'The Simpsons' offers a powerful experience and this is a family that is known around the world."

According to the Themed Entertainment Association, a nonprofit association that tracks the industry, attendance at Universal Studios Florida was estimated at 6.2 million in 2007, up 3.3 percent over 2006.

Even without the ever-increasing cost of gasoline and airfares, Florida theme parks are constantly updating attractions to appeal to new and returning visitors: