Sandy

Sandy the Donkey was part of RG Mitchell's original wooden animal range, released around 1960.  As with all of Mitchell's early rides, she had a Muffin the Mule-style "string puppet" appearance, with her legs and head being made of separate flat wooden pieces which were then assembled to complete the animal.


RG Mitchell Stand, Amusement Trade Exhibition - The Coin Slot, February 1975

Sandy was one of the last Mitchell animal rides to be recreated in fibreglass, with this updated version being released in the early 1970s.  She was the only fibreglass Mitchell animal to retain some of the original string puppet shape from her earlier wooden counterpart.  The same mould was also used for the less commonly seen Candy the Zebra.


The Countryman, Ingoldmells, August 2023

Sandy II came in a variety of colours over the years. The earliest appear to have been brown but, by the 1990s, she was far more commonly seen in grey with white spots.

Splasher

RG Mitchell advert - The Coin Slot, May 1975

Splasher was one of the final additions to RG Mitchell's range of small animal rides.  He appears to have made his first appearance at the Amusement Trade Exhibition in January 1972.  I believe Splasher was the first of RG Mitchell's animal range not to have an earlier wooden counterpart.

 
Burnley Market, October 2023.  This particular Splasher has been at Burnham Market for many years and still runs on 2p per ride.  A plaque on the base says that he was refurbished by some NASEC apprentices in 2005.  While the dolphin has obviously been refurbished, they've tried to keep him in the original style, including the signwriting on the base.

Galloper

Watermouth Castle, September 2023

I came across this horse during my one and only visit to Watermouth Castle.  I had no idea she was there and so have no idea how long she may have been there prior to my visit.  In fact, I know nothing about this ride at all.  The horse itself is one commonly produced for fairground galloper sets.  I've never seen the base before and wonder if it was a one of a kind DIY project put together by somebody at Watermouth Castle.  Alas, this also means I have no idea of the age of the ride.

I have seen horses like this one used as coin operated rides before.  There were a couple on a double base in Skegness when I was a child which I believe were assembled by Robinson Partners, and I've also seen photos of three of them side by side in Cleveleys in the 1960s.

Of course, with my own "Carousel" horse ride also being an original Heyn fairground galloper, I was thrilled to see another galloper horse on a coin operated base, whatever her origins.  I just wish I could find out more about her history.

Sky Ranger

The second ride manufactured by Robinson Partners, the Sky Ranger Spaceship was released in 1954.  It was made for many years and, while the design itself didn't change much over time, the name and colours did vary.  Other names included "Trip To The Moon" and "Space Traveller".


Watermouth Castle, Ilfracombe, September 2023.  I was thrilled when I found this ride as I had no idea it was even at Watermouth Castle prior to out visit, and it's the only time I've ever seen one of these in the flesh.  Alas, the lighting in the arcade was AWFUL.  Still very pleased to have the film and to have been able to document the ride for the website, but wish it has been located somewhere that I could have got a clearer video.

Santa Claus

 Manufactured by Memo Park of Italy and distributed in the UK by SB Machines, the Santa Claus sleigh ride was released in 1995.


Barry Island Pleasure Park, October 2021

The regular version of the ride, as seen above, had Santa himself in the back of the sleigh, but there was also an alternate version with an eskimo, polar bear and seal riding in place of Santa.


St Anne's Pier, Lytham, March 2019 - Alternate version with eskimo, polar bear and seal.  Alas, one of the reindeer no longer moved on this unit.  However, this sleigh holds special childhood memories for me.  In the 1990s, it used to be at the front of the pier as a centrepiece when you first walked in.  It seemed massive to me in comparison to other rides at the time and I thought it was a very special ride.  In fact, I rode on it several times during my two childhood holidays to Blackpool...which was unusual, as I normally preferred to ride on lots of different rides, instead of going on the same one multiple times!

Pelican

Hove, August 1997

Manufactured by Falgas, I believe this pelican was released in the early 1990s.  It originally came in realistic pelican white colouration with its wings being the only brightly coloured part.  However, Falgas went on manufacturing the bird for many years and, by the turn of the 21st century, it has undergone the garish makeover that so many continental rides went through at the time.


London Zoo, April 2002


Fantasy Island, Ingoldmells, June 2017.  This particular unit clearly has the wrong sound chip and thinks it's a horse!  Unfortunately, something went wrong with my camera and slowed the original audio down (as can be heard at the start of the video before the dubbed audio cut in!)

Vienna Cogan

 Vienna Cogan was released by Cogan (just in case the name didn't make that clear!) in the mid-1990s.  Over the years, she has been made in both black and white with either moulded fibreglass or real horse hair for her tail.  She wears a beautifully ornate bridle, saddle and decorative blanket, all dripping with "jewels" (which sadly commonly fall out over time) and has an equally decorative coin post, shaped as an organ with a small monkey perched on top.


2000 Cogan Flyer

The description from a leaflet dating from 2000 (still used on the Cogan website into the 2010s) reads:

"This kiddie ride is a classic of carousels, where a richly harnessed horse follows a gentle movement accompained by the sound of the street-organ.

It keeps the counter-slot, the cash-box and the electronic card (all according to CEE laws) making easier collection and maintenance operations easier.

The tail is made of real horse hair, but upon request it can be replaced by one made of fiber-glass.  The kiddie ride is delivered together with its special tow-bar and use and maintenance handbook."


2000 Cogan Flyer

Distributed in the UK by SB Machines, Vienna Cogan was sadly never as popular as other Cogan rides such as the Pony Express and Ranch Cogan, but I do have fond memories of the two who stood on Clacton Pier.  These I lovingly nicknamed "Romeo" and "Juliet" as a child, and would ride on days out to Clacton each summer.  The poor things became more and more worn out over the years but remained there well into the 2020s.

"Juliet" - Clacton Pier, August 1996

"Romeo" - Clacton Pier, September 2017.  Unfortunately, "Juliet" was not working on this visit as I would have loved to have filmed them both.