Timmy the Snail

Coughtrey's Automatic Supplies Advert - The Coin Slot, January 1st 1966

Released in late 1965, Timmy the Snail was one of BRH Fibreglass's first three rides (along with Snowy the Horse and Pandy the Panda).  The snail wore a top hat and blanket on his 'back' meaning his shell is placed somewhat further back to what would be natural for a real snail!

Skegness Pleasure Beach, June 2017

I believe that this particular unit had been at Skegness Pleasure Beach since his creation.  Derrick Selby, co-owner of BRH Fibreglass, owned a couple of arcades at the Pleasure Beach in the 1960s including, as far as I know, the one Timmy is seen standing outside in the video seen above.  From what I've been able to gather from old photos, Mr Selby seems to have had an example of most if not all of his company's rides at the Pleasure Beach at one point, but Timmy was the only one to survive into my childhood in the 1990s.  By then, he had been re-christened as Sammy the Snail and was painted in a very realistic "slimy" green and grey.  He had obviously undergone another makeover by the time of this video but had still retained the name of Sammy.  Sammy was actually the original name of BRH Fibreglass's seal ride so I wonder if the names got mixed up during refurbishment at some point.