Lion

 I know very little about this unusual two-seater "carousel lion" ride.  As a child, I only ever saw two of them; one in Great Yarmouth and the other in Lowestoft.  I first came across them in 1998, at which point they looked relatively new so I'd estimate they date from the early-mid 1990s.

As they were both on the Suffolk and Norfolk coast, I'm inclined to guess they may have been made by JM Kiddie Rides or Glass Fibre Products.  Having said that, I don't recall ever having seen a manufacturer's name on them and those companies usually did mark all of their rides.

The ride seems to have been made in two versions with a carousel pole at the front of his saddle, or regular handlebars in front of both seats.  The latter version is probably far more practical even if it doesn't look so nice or ornate!

The ones I've seen have Stamar timers installed and play nursery rhymes when in motion, although of course I don't know if these are original.

Double handlebar version - Joyland, Great Yarmouth, September 2012

Little Funny Taxi Car

 Manufactured by Subsino of Taiwan, I believe the Little Funny Taxi Car ride was released in the mid-1990s.  It features an interactive driving game.


Folly Farm Adventure Park, June 2019

Subsino

Ride Releases

Unknown - Cool-Bi Cool-Bi, Little Funny Taxi Car

Cool-Bi Cool-Bi

Manufactured by Subsino of Taiwan, Cool-Bi Cool-Bi was released in the mid-1990s.  It features an interactive driving game.


Humber Pastimes, Cleethorpes, September 2021.  This unit has been at Humber Pastimes since I visited as a child in 1999.  Funnily enough, despite it being surrounded by vintage rides (usually my favourites), I remember liking this one almost as much as those.  The design is so cute, and it's quite unusual to see dogs featured in kiddie rides.

Baby Santa Claus

 Manufactured by Memo Park of Italy, the Baby Santa Claus Sleigh was released in 1997.


Clacton-on-Sea, August 1998

It was distributed in the UK by SB Machines.


Bells Fun Centre, Ingoldmells, June 2017

While most of these rides had Santa Claus riding inside the sleigh, an alternate version was made with a Polar Bear eating an ice cream in place of Santa.


Polar Bear Alternative Version - Barry Island Pleasure Park, October 2021

Telephone Car

 Manufactured by Cointronics, the Telephone Car was released in 1997.


Brighton, August 1998

This was a very popular ride in the late 1990s. I remember being so excited when I saw it for the first time - it seemed rather special and unusual to cross a telephone with a car.  However, as the ride grew more and more common, the novelty wore off a bit. I don't think I would be exaggerating to say that you couldn't go to a British seaside resort without seeing several of these at one point!


Hastings, August 1998

The ride takes the form of a telephone with four wheels.  The rider sat inside a cut out within the telephone where there was a steering wheel and a push button for a car horn sound effect.  The handset created a kind of headrest for the rider.


Joyland, Great Yarmouth, April 2017

There were two different versions, with the numbers on the front in a "rotary dial" circular format, or in rows like a push button telephone.


Fantasy Island Amusements, Canvey Island, May 2017

Like other Cointronics rides, the Telephone Car featured a unique soundtrack, including car engine noises and typical phone-related stock phrases like "Thank you for ringing" and "Who's speaking please?"  The attract mode was "It's for yoo-oo!"

The ride was sold in many different colours.

Noah's Ark

 Whittaker Brothers have actually made three different Noah's Ark rides over the years, but I decided to put them all under one page to simplify things.

The first version was an open-top boat released in the 1980s.  As well as having a steering wheel in front of the rider, there was a small observation window, through which could be seen a small owl.  When a push button next to the window was pressed, the owl's eyes lit up and it made a hooting sound.  The ride played "We're All Going to the Zoo Tomorrow" when in motion.


Version One - 1980s Whittaker Brothers Flyer

This version measured 63" x 26" x 50" and weighed 297lbs.

The second version was released in the early 1990s.  This ark was enclosed and absolutely covered with animals!  There was a hippo on the front, holding a "Noah's Ark" sign, a giraffe sticking his neck out of the back, and a squirrel on the top to name but a few.


Version Two - 1990s Whittaker Brothers Leaflet

This one included several push buttons for animal sounds.  I don't remember what tune it played when the ride was in motion.  It measured 53" x 26" x 57".


Version Two - Walton-on-the-Naze Pier, August 1996

The third and final version made its debut in 1997 and looked very similar to V2.  However, there were now cut-out doors in both sides of the ark (which meant less animals!), the hippo had been replaced by a kangaroo, the giraffe by a panda, and the squirrel by a blue bird.


Version Three - 1990s Whittaker Brothers Leaflet

This version had four push buttons for animal sound effects, and played "The Animals Came In Two By Two" when in motion.


Version Three - 1990s Whittaker Brothers Leaflet

It measured 57" x 27" x 67" and weighed 230lbs.


Version Three - Bells Amusements, Ingoldmells, August 2023