Mystery Park
I have a group of scans featuring a mystery park or fair from some undated slides. There's not much to go on, but I thought that they were fun enough for an Anything Goes Saturday.
We've got ourselves a classic Tilt-A-Whirl in the foreground, but check out that Flight to Mars dark ride to the left! Wow! They had something like it at the Century 21 Exposition (aka the 1962 Seattle World's Fair). Wouldn't you love to be able to ride that today?
I will be relying on the expertise of you fans of classic carnival rides when it comes to naming some of these, such as this variant of a double Ferris Wheel. Until corrected, I will call it "The Floopety Floop".
Ducks! Why did it have to be ducks? (Or are they geese?).
Just lookit alla them carnival rides! I'd shake a stick at them, but... why? Again, I will leave it to the experts to figure out what's what, but it looks like there's quite an assortment of classics.
This could be a good old-fashioned girlie show, though there is no real nudity. Just some brief one-piece costumes with fringe. Let's not forget the feathers on their heads. I wonder what that sign said? "....O N D". I can't figure that one out.
Hmmm, another mystery ride. It looks like a teacups-style spinner, except that the turntable can tilt up at an angle. Along the wall are graphics with the names of various countries. I know one of you will know it!
Here's a roller coaster with the helpful sign in the upper right that says "Zyklon". Wikipedia says: The company, commonly known as Pinfari, was established in 1926 building Dodgem cars and buildings. Its first roller coaster was a wild mouse-style ride in 1954 called "bob-slide". In 1965 the company introduced a small portable coaster called Zyklon. These coasters proved very popular with traveling fairs and carnivals as wells as permanent amusement parks. Pinfari manufactured Zyklons in several variations and sizes, building over 200 since the ride's introduction.
Here's a cute little girl on the merry-go-round, there were lots of pictures of her in this lot! You don't need to see more than one though. Notice the "Trip to Mars" in the background.
Is this one called a Sky Wheel? Not sure! It's pretty impressive, like a giant toy. And with the neon lights glowing, you can tell that it's going to make for a spectacular display at night.
Sorry this post was short on information! If anybody has any information about the rides or even where this park was (unlikely, I know), I'd love to hear it!
23 comments:
Major-
Possible twins sighting in image #6 - wearing [almost] the same outfits. I suspect those "neon lights glowing" in the final image is in reality T12 fluorescent lamps - with either a color 'coating' on each tube, or color sleeves.
Thanks, Major.
That Flight To Mars “ride” looks like an alternate design of a “1001 Arabian Knights” attraction …. The same product was probably available in different themed “skins”
Oh you just ain’t lived till you wear a feathered head band!!
A bunch of geese (duck-geese? duck-duck-goose?) just standing around. And with an empty pond. Not quite sure what the draw is. You obviously couldn't walk around, inside that enclosure.
That girlie show....Diamond? Almond?
A portable roller coaster?? NO THANK YOU.
On the last image, Major, you asked: "Is this one called a Sky Wheel?"
Answer: It's a Floopety Floop.
(I think you were just testing us to see if we read your commentary.)
Andrew will know what every ride is...let's hope he stops by today to tell us.
I'm looking forward to everyone's comments today...I'll check back later.
Thanks, Major.
"Oh you just ain’t lived till you wear a feathered head band!!"
LOL! Mike, that didn't go past me. I still chuckle when I think of that photo.
There are several versions of the Flight To Mars dark ride. The facade in today's photo is the same as the 1962 Seattle World's Fair, so I'll guess that this is the exact same ride, wherever it is.
Major, the "The Floopety Floop" is the SkyWheel, or double SkyWheel since there are two of them. A genuine thrill ride, if you ask me! Not yer run-of-the-mill typical ferris wheel.
Geese! Why did it have to be geese! Yes, they are geese. The ones with the bulbous bump on their foreheads are Chinese geese.
Assortment of rides: On the left is an original Eyerly Octopus. Above that are some cages (I don't know the name) that you stand in and, by shifting your weight from front to back, get the cage swinging. The objective is to get the cage to go all the way around. To the right of that is a Sidewinder, or maybe just a Roll-O-Plane. The Sidewinder arm would gradually tilt to the side so that the 'planes' would go around horizontally for a while. In the middle of the photo is the Meteor, which debuted at the '62 Seattle Fair. There's also a Rock-O-Plane, a Trabant, Spider, Paratrooper, Scrambler, Mad Mouse coaster, I forget the name of the ride with the red & white striped arms, and a Round-Up. It looks like there are a couple more tucked in there somewhere.
The "girlies" look positively thrilled to be displayed like that. :-\
The horse that the cute little girl is riding looks kinda goofy.
Nice set of carnival ride photos, Major. Sorry, but I don't know where this was. I would guess the year to be 1963 or '64; somewhere around there. That's when a lot of these rides first started making their rounds (haha) at local fairs after appearing at the '62 World's Fair.
There was a version of the Flight to Mars ride at the Los Angeles County Fair, back in the 1970s. I always wanted to go on it, but for some reason I never did. I did get to finally experience a double Ferris wheel at that fair.....scary, but fun. And talk about scary....I did go on a portable roller coaster that looked similar to the Zyklon, at the Orange County Fair in CA. That thing was pretty rickety. I would not go on something like that today, but when you are in your twenties, you can feel a little immortal at times.
I believe that "OND" was the second half of the name, "Osmond." Marie Osmond was probably "performing" inside. Either that, or she was in there trying to force Nutrisystem down everyone's throats. Literally.
In the fourth image, there is a ride on the far left, behind the Octopus. At least, I'm assuming that is a variation of an Octopus ride. Anyway, behind that, there are some cages that look like they are hanging from some kind of apparatus. It looks like there is a guy standing inside one of the cages. I hope Andrew or Ken can tell us more about that. I'm assuming the cages rotated around 360 degrees? Or maybe they just had a 180 degree movement, like a giant swing of some sort? Either way, it seems like it would be dangerous just to be standing "loose" inside something like that.
Thanks for the fun "ride" pics, Major!
On second glance, that "cage thing" in the fourth image looks like it could have possibly been "powered" by the riders inside the cages. I wonder if it could have been some kind of game, where the person rocks/swings the cage and tries to get to get it to loop all the way around, for a prize?
“OND” is the acronym for “Operation New Dawn,” although I must confess this doesn’t track with any of my memories of Iraq.
How'd that broom get there in the first photo? They don't really clean these places, do they?
Carnival rides usually make me puke so I don't go on 'em. Where's my manners. It's a little early to be talking like that.
Thanks for the interesting photos today,
Zach
Some of these images hurt my eyes, but I am pushing through the wall. I think the double ferris wheel is "The Zipper" (?) Maybe, perhaps. I didn't take many notes at these Carnies, and as kids were weren't really allowed to go. If I went...it was because a friend absconded me. With all the safety things that Disney does for their rides...these aren't a problem?!!? All of these rides pretty much look the same today, except for the girly show. I am pretty sure that would be "verboten". I concur: It was Osmondmaina! With an exclamation point of course. The Osmonds did have a mania...a "fever" if you will. I still have my purple socks. Since Sid and Marty Kroft did the art direction on the shows: hence....the feathers and sequins on these lovely ladies. Perhaps Jack Wild was around too? He was also a "mania" in his day...quite the sad ending. Strangely connected, he did a TV series with my God Mother...someone I never met ever in my adult life...another story...back to the CARNIES! Small hands, smell like cabbage. As a kid I PINED to go to any carnival ever...alas...not the thing that proper children do, I suppose (?) Not sure my back could take any of those rides today. Kind of like the Matterhorn: that ride is fun but it hurts! Thanks Major for the trip to the Carnival...someone knows where it is...
Wow, this looks like the Fresno Fair midway. It isn’t, but the crowded rides all crammed together have the same feel, especially the one taken from the floop-floop.
Thanks for all the ride identifications everyone! That Mars ride sure seems different than Disney’s concept. And the “OND”! Must be more (or less) to that, they change programs daily, after all. Those ladies look excited about that.
Photo 2, Father & son with (almost) matching shirts, the vendor stand is selling something “old fashioned” and we had an umbrella much like that, complete with fringe and flowered lining. Popcorn, the universal snack.
Sue, who would want to walk through that goose enclosure, you’d ruin your shoes.
Zach, these pics demonstrate the importance of Disney’s focus on trash cans. Can’t see a single one here.
Thanks Major, haven’t seen scenes like these for years, the local fairs here are too small.
JG
"Zyklon?" Is that a roller coaster or a gas chamber simulator?
Looks like the Flight to Mars owes more toA Trip to the Moon than 2001: A Space Odyssey.
They had a tilted teacup ride like that at Canada's Wonderland. I remember it being next to the funnel cake stand, which was probably a bad idea.
Good eye on the pseudotwins, Nanook!
The OND Show is observing the One Blonde, One Brunette, and One Redhead Rule. probably an OSHA thing.
Oh, I almost forgot" HOOOOOOOOOONK!
Okay, here we go.
Pic 1:
In the foreground is a Sellner Tilt-A-Whirl.
In the background is a Flight to Mars dark ride. https://www.laffinthedark.com/articles/flight2mars/flight.htm
Pic 2:
This one is known as Space Wheel when it has two sets of double-wheels otherwise it could be Sky Wheel by Chance which usually has one set of double-wheels.
Pic 4:
There's a lot here.
Manufactured by Eyerly Aircraft Company are Octopus (lower left), Roll-O-Plane (just above Octopus) and Rock-O-Plane (just to right of Roll-O-Plane).
Manufactured by Frank Hrubetz & Co., Inc are Meteor (lower center), Paratrooper (just right of Meteor), Hurricane (Just right of Paratrooper) and Round Up (just right of Hurricane).
Manufactured by Chance is the Trabant (in the back behind Meteor).
To the left just above the Octopus are the Swinging Cages which are self-powered (manufacturer unknown). They used to have a set of these cages at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk when I was a youngster.
There are two other flat rides in this same pic when I can not make out because they are so hidden, and I don't know the roller coaster model either. It could be the Zyklon, but I'm not 100% sure. I suspect there is an Eli Bridge Scrambler in-between the Paratrooper and Hurricane.
Pic 6:
I have no idea which flat ride this is. I'd have to do research for that one.
Pic 9:
I'd say your guess is good. Either a Sky Wheel or Space Wheel.
Maybe Andrew could chime in with additional info or corrections.
Fun pics today. Thanks, Major!
@ Ken-
Thanks-!
Sorry I’m late today, there’s so much to do!
Nanook, hey, I have colored sleeves, maybe I’m a T12 fluorescent lamp??
Mike Cozart, I’m unfamiliar with any “1001 Arabian Nights” attraction, I guess I need to look that one up. And yes, there’s nothing like a feathered headband, as I’ve learned here on GDB!
Lou and Sue, I guess people just like to look at geese (or ducks). I sure wouldn’t go there for the sound (or the smell). “Diamond” sounds like a great guess! Though I like “Almond” too. Ha ha, you’ve read too many Stephen King books about carnivals. “He rode that Wild Mouse coaster and got his head cut off!”. I’m glad you were paying attention re: the Floopety Floop, and you get a gold star AND a smiley face.
Lou and Sue, ٩(˘◡˘)۶
JB, I saw that Palisades Park in New Jersey also had a Flight to Mars dark ride, but I’m pretty sure that these photos do not show Palisades Park. I wonder if I’ve ever been on a SkyWheel?? Not sure. Chinese geese, who knew? You did! Thank you for IDing many of those rides, many of the names are familiar, but I just can’t seem to hold on to the names, or at least align them with the way they look. Yes, those “girlies” look bored as hell. Glad you liked these!
TokyoMagic!, I totally get being scared to go on the Flight to Mars ride at the LA County Fair, but I wish you’d done it so you could tell us what it was like! I still remember the first Ferris Wheel I ever went on, at a small carnival in Virginia, I’m sure the Wheel was small, but as a kid it seemed like we were a mile up! It was scary but thrilling. Marie Osmond! Oh man, maybe we can buy one her wretched dolls!! I see the guy inside that cage, but can’t quite figure out what else it going on with that ride. Your description sounds like some form of torture. Like all the best carnival rides!!
TokyoMagic!, oy vey, I’m avoiding the cage ride!
Chuck, you have probably just blocked it out.
zach, the broom is there to carefully escort rats into a nearby safe hole. Rats are like pets to the carnies. I’m glad I don’t suffer from motion sickness, but man, some of those carnival style rides are more intense than people think.
Bu, oh man, I remember The Zipper, they had one at the local carnival, I rode it, and just about broke my teeth on the metal bar in front of me. My sister rode it with some guy she barely knew, and afterwards she told my older brother that the guy tried to kiss her. The whole rest of the night, my older brother tried to hunt that guy down so that he could kick his butt. I assume that carnival rides have to undergo safety inspections, but have no idea. The same local carnival that I mentioned earlier is still done once a year, but so many of the rides are crappy, TINY little things. They still have a good Ferris Wheel and a few other things, but the scary ones like The Zipper are long gone. “Jack Wild”, my spy name.
JG, I think one of the problems with IDing this carnival is that it looks so much like every local carnival! I’ll bet that Mars ride was awesome, I’ll have to look into it and see if I can find a website with a detailed description. I don’t ever remember dressing like my dad, but it might have happened by accident. You are kidding about ruining your shoes in a goose enclosure, those birds can really “produce”. Glad you enjoyed these pix!
Melissa, yeah, it’s hard to see the word “Zyklon” and not think of WWII. Sadly. Hey, what’s wrong with a ride being more like “A Trip to the Moon”?? Sounds awesome to me! I’d happily ride something like that today. Food stands next to spinning rides is just a fact of life at carnivals, you can’t avoid it. Just don’t eat the giant pickles!
K. Martinez, YOU DID IT! As always I am impressed. Nanook knows old cars, you know old amusement park rides. Thank you for the link to the article about Flight to Mars, I’ve glanced at it, but will go back and read it fully after I’m done with comments. Ken, could photo 6 be a ride called “Matterhorn” (not to be confused with Disneyland’s ride of course)? Thanks also for the info about he self-powered Swinging Cages, I swear I don’t ever remember seeing those or even reading about them before. Again, thanks so much!
Nanook, ditto!
OH MAN, I missed the ball on this one, but thanks, Ken, for taking care of all the ride IDs. JB, you did a good job too!
Wow, a traveling Flight to Mars!! I really live in the wrong era.
I'm guessing that the coaster in pic #4 is a Herschell Mad Mouse, like JB said. There's also a Herschell Twister hiding in there. That picture is like a seven-layer cake to me!
Pic #6 shows an amped-up Bubble Bounce/Tip Top. I actually found a video about it.
Andrew, Wow, I didn't recognize photo #6 as the Bubble Bounce. I rode the "Tip Top" version several times at our county fair, back in the mid to late 1960s. I loved that ride! Really fun to watch, too. And of course, that sound of escaping air! A few short [pshh, pshh..... pshh] and then a loud [PSSHHHHHH] as the platform reached its upper limit of tilt. I think the unique thing about the Tip Top is that the bobbing up and down was random; controlled by the operator. It didn't follow a fixed 'program' like most other rides. Thanks for the link!
And yeah, I'm pretty sure that rollercoaster in pic #4 is a Mad Mouse. Probably the exact same one that was at the '62 World's Fair. Several of these rides look like they were the same ones at that fair: The Mad Mouse, the Bubble Bounce, the Sky Wheel, Flight To Mars; maybe a couple of others.
I AM impressed with our group! Every ride was identified. Even the geese, too.
And Major, I AM impressed with your face-making skills.
Did I hear "funnel cake"? I want one now. Extra powered-sugar, please.
^
Extra powdered-sugar, please.
;oP
Andrew, I thought about the Bubble Bounce/Tip Top, but it looked so different from the ride models I've seen. Thanks for filling in the gaps and the video.
I'll take some of that extra-powered sugar!
Thanks everyone for the ride ID’s. Just amazing.
JG
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