Coin Operated Rides

Bull and Boat

Two of the coin operated rides in the AW collection, a mechanical bull and boat.

 

     A timeless arcade machine produced for younger kids, was the mechanical ride on machine.  Coming in a wide variety of styles from horse or bull, to boat or carousel.  This style of  coin operated ride attracted both kids and mothers.   "Post-war shopping dispersion, moved out of the city centers to the sprawl of suburban shopping malls reached by automobile, created new locations for amusement machines.  The 'Kiddy Ride' gave shopping mothers a brief break while the kids rocked" (Bueschel, 1995).

     Riding machines are classified under the arcade machine category, since their function is to amuse and entertain, while they are not gambling machines.  There are a wide variety of machines classified under the arcade category; some of these include "games, athletic tests, mechanical automations, exhibits of real things or events, shockers, memorabilia stampers, fortune tellers and phrenological head tests, diggers, bowlers and shuffleboards, picture takers and voice recording booths, peep shows and early movies, postcard or picture card and risqué card vendors, shooting and target and dart throwing and ball bouncing and balloon bursting tests of skill, rides for kids, foot vibrators and many others" (Bueschel, 1995).

     While many of these arcade machines have gone by the wayside, the mechanical ride is, "one of the few mechanical arcade machine types that have survived the video era" (Bueschel, 1995).  Today there are a variety of different mechanical ride on arcade machines.  These machines can be found in a number of different locations including: arcades, malls and outside of a variety of different shopping locations. 

Bueschel, Richard M.  Collector's Guide to Vintage Coin Machines.  Schiffer Publishing, 1995.

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