Kiddie ride
A kiddie ride is a child-sized, themed, mildly interactive coin-operated ride that can be ridden by young children for amusement. Kiddie rides are commonly available in amusement parks, arcades, malls, hotel game rooms, outside supermarkets, and large department stores. Less commonly, they may also appear in other venues such as restaurants, food courts, grocery shops, and auto dealerships. When activated by a coin, a kiddie ride entertains the rider for a short time with a mild motion that replicates the theme of the ride. Most rides also include sounds and music. Some even feature flashing lights, pedals, and/or buttons. Commercial kiddie rides are often colorful with an animal, vehicle, or popular cartoon character theme, which appeals to young children. They are usually driven by a heavy-duty electric motor, which is usually disguised inside or underneath the metal, fiberglass, or vacuum formed plastic body of the ride.
History
The kiddie ride was first invented in 1930 by James Otto Hahs of Sikeston, Missouri. Originally called the Hahs Gaited Mechanical Horse, the ride was originally conceived as a Christmas present for his children. However, Hahs soon set about commercializing it. Initially, he used wooden horses, and commissioned carousel makers to make the horses. However, he found these horses to be too heavy and decided that aluminum would be a more suitable material. When told it couldn't be done, however, Hahs went ahead and invented a process to form horses out of metal. The rides would be manufactured at Hahs Machine Works in Sikeston, and they were recognized as the most original invention of the year in 1932. In 1933, Hahs struck a deal with Exhibit Supply Company to distribute his horses, with a 5% cut going to Hahs. When the patent on the ride eventually ran out, he retired from the wealth he had amassed from sales. In 1953, Billboard magazine called it "1953's fastest growing business". Years later, aluminum horses would be replaced by fiberglass.Developed around the same time, the Link Trainer was initially intended for use as a coin-operated entertainment device as well as a tool for training pilots.
Music
Most old rides do not feature music; also, some vehicle rides may favor engine sounds instead of music. However, on rides that feature music, early rides are equipped with simple integrated circuits that continually playback one melody or repeat a set of melodies in sequence. These have evolved in the sense that the earliest musically enabled rides played back only a single monophonic melody repetitively. In contrast, later ones played multiple polyphonic melodies, sometimes including short sound or speech samples. Later rides could also use a tape deck, while more recent rides may have a solid-state audio playback device akin to flash-based MP3 players. Usually, the music chosen is generic children's songs, while on licensed rides, the theme song for the licensed character would be used. However, in rare cases, some rides play traditional pop music, and for private rides, the owner may request a song that has personal relevance to be programmed into the ride.Many modern rides are programmed to play multiple melodies, with the music changing each time the ride is used, the logic being to prolong the interest of the child on the ride. However, some modern rides, in particular licensed character ones, are usually programmed to play a single melody or song, which is usually the theme song of the character's television show or film. There are also some exceptions where there are licensed rides playing totally unrelated pieces of music or non-licensed rides that play only one particular tune, for example, a song about cars on a car-themed ride, the Thomas theme tune on a Thomas the Tank Engine ride, the Postman Pat theme tune on a Postman Pat ride and the Fireman Sam theme tune on a Fireman Sam ride.
Certain rides play a running narration or tell a story instead.
Modern rides
Newer, more advanced rides do not usually start as soon as coins are inserted; instead they prompt the rider, parent or guardian to press a start button, so as to allow the rider to seat him/herself comfortably before starting the ride. Often, these rides will also play a message before movement begins and may also play an ending message once the ride ends, to let the rider know that it is safe to disembark.Other safety precautions commonly found in more advanced rides include:
- allowing use of the start button to pause the ride, so the rider can reposition themselves or even disembark safely if desired;
- safety sensors that detect if anything is potentially obstructing the ride's movement and stop the ride accordingly until the obstruction is removed;
- overload sensors that stop the ride from moving if the weight limit on the ride is exceeded;
- a slow start/stop action so as not to shock or frighten younger riders.
Some rides may narrate a story through sound or using a video monitor, the latter providing limited interaction with the video displayed.
Common themes
- Arthur
- Batmobile
- Brum
- Boat
- Elephant
- Fire truck
- Helicopter
- Horse or pony
- Ice cream truck
- Jumbo jet or other airplanes
- Ladybug or caterpillar
- Mickey Mouse
- Miniature carousel
- Motorcycle
- Panda
- Peacock
- Police vehicle
- Postman Pat
- Roller coaster
- School bus
- Sesame Street
- Space Shuttle
- SpongeBob SquarePants
- Sports car
- Swan
- Taxi
- Thomas & Friends
- Tractor
- Train
Types of rides
Track rides
Track rides are usually rides in the form of a train on a track; in most coin-operated train-type track rides, the coin mechanism is on the locomotive unit of the ride and it can seat two to three toddlers. In general, the ride is powered by a low-voltage current passing through the tracks, but sometimes the ride is powered by batteries. Most versions of these rides are specifically designed to carry young children due to the low-voltage used and the size of the ride, although it is possible to find bigger models designed for older children.Track rides are not necessarily restricted to train-form; animal track rides on the theme of horses or frogs have also been documented. In a similar fashion, another type of ride that would be classified as a track ride would be one with an elongated base where the figure paces the length of the base, then turns and moves in the opposite direction on reaching its limit.
Carousel rides
Another common type of kiddie ride is the miniature carousel. These rides are usually in the form of a small-sized carousel. The newer models have the coin box on the main pillar, whereas older units have the coin box on a pole sticking out of the side of the ride.Carousel rides featuring licensed characters do exist. A Thomas the Tank Engine carousel ride is known to exist, as is one from a British television show for children called Play School. Carousel rides featuring the characters from The Wiggles, Bob the Builder, Sesame Street and Hi-5 have also been documented.
Hydraulic rides
More commonly built by European kiddie ride manufacturers like Automatic Toys Modena from Italy, hydraulic rides are kiddie rides situated on a hydraulic arm that raises and lowers the ride during their activation. Usually, the rider is given limited interaction with the ride in the form of up/down buttons or levers so that the rider can instruct the ride to fly higher or lower, giving the user the impression of some control over their experience.Base rides
This kind of ride is perhaps the most common type: an animal or vehicle situated on a vacuum-formed base that moves up-and-down, side-to-side, or both, when activated; some move in a slithering-like motion. Usually, rides of this configuration have the motor hidden in the base, although some larger rides have the motor hidden in the ride-on figure instead.One of the most popular rides is a horse ride. Recent developments have included the "Pony Express" ride, first manufactured by Italian company Cogan. These feature a complicated mechanism that alternates between galloping and trotting motions during the ride, mimicking the movements of a real-life horse. This type has been adapted by both the Spanish manufacturer Falgas for their own version of the "Pony Express" and Memo Park, another Italian-based company, for their own type of Western-style horse; Falgas adds horse sounds to the soundtrack whilst on the Memo Park version is the use of rider interactivity, in where if the rider pulls back on the reins, the horse stops for a few seconds before continuing to either gallop or trot, depending on what pace it is travelling at when the reins are pulled.
Another one of the most popular rides is the Kiddie Coaster. The first edition was manufactured by Amutec and released in 2000. Another edition was manufactured by Innovative Concepts in Entertainment and released in 2002. This ride simulates one of two different roller coasters. The Innovative Concepts in Entertainment edition simulates Blue Streak and Gemini while the Amutec edition simulates two different Six Flags coasters.