Skunk

 The history of this ride is a little unclear.  I believe MK Chester Engineering were the first to release this model, with "Sammy the Skunk" making his debut at the Amusement Trades Exhibition in January 1973, although I think the fibreglass skunks themselves were manufactured for Mike Chester by Modern Products.

The ride was also exhibited at the Blackpool Exhibition later that year.  A Coin Slot report from the exhibition mentions that a large number of the skunks had been ordered by a "nationwide supermarket chain".  However, the report also describes Sammy as being battery operated, indicating this version was more along the lines of a go-kart than a stationary coin operated ride.  However, I find it hard to imagine a supermarket large enough for a track filled with skunk go-karts!  So maybe two versions of the ride were made by MK Chester.

A later version of the skunk was manufactured (refurbished?) by RG Mitchell, probably in the late 1980s or early 1990s.  While the base on this version looks remarkably like those used on Diamond Electronics' rides, I understand that was manufactured by Fibrecast...whose rides were sold by Edward Brooks...who was later bought out by BAFCO...hence the footplates being identical to those used on BAFCO's range of Futuristic Rides.  Confused yet?  I certainly am!

RG Mitchell took over MK Chester Engineering in 1975, and bought the sales division of Edward Brooks' company in the 1980s, which could explain how they had both the mould for the skunk and spare parts from Fibrecast.  There is also a very rare "RG Mitchell" cow which was sold on the same base and had originally been part of Mike Chester's range under the name of Daisy.


The Arkade, Minehead, September 2020

So, to cut a long story short, the ride seen in the video above is basically a Mike Chester/Modern Products/Fibrecast/RG Mitchell hybrid!  It was always much rarer than Mitchell's other animal rides, although I do remember riding one on Margate seafront in the 1990s.