This was a favourite of mine as a kid at traveling fairs! I’ve always been afraid of heights so it was one of the first “adult” rides I was comfortable on.
When I lived in Florida, I once operated an indoor Scrambler, named Swamp Ape at Swampy Jack's Wongo Adventure. Easily a top 5 Scrambler in the country, as it features advanced lighting, energetic music, and fog while in complete darkness. They even went the extra mile to make art around the interior walls, as well as having a big Swamp Ape statue next to the ride entrance.
LETS GO! I know these rides are simple, but it's one of my favorite flat rides. I love the one at Pacific Park in Santa Monica because one minute you see the pier and the next you see the ocean
Back in the early 90's, my wife (girlfriend at the time) and I were working at Hersheypark. She was the supervisor of the ride group that included the Scrambler. One night near the end of the evening, she was called to the Scrambler for a bad smell. The odor hit her 100 yards before she got to the ride. She summoned maintenance, who determined that a skunk had gotten wrapped around the drive shaft. The maintenance tech described it as "juicy", and left it for the morning crew to handle. That area of the park (near the front, every visitor had to walk through there) stank for days.
I’ve worked on various “Sizzler twist” rides for showman in England and they run off axel shafts on each bottom sweep arm with two tires on each end which drive the car arms as the center rotates. it only runs off a single central motor in the chassis so has always proved a very efficient system! The PWS built machines all fold up onto a single trailer using hydraulic rams to lift the floor and the older models from the 80’s with a winch cable mounted on the top of the center which also lowered the floor. Definitely overall one of the best engineered rides of all time!
It's amazing how many of the old school Perrin Stevens Sizzler Twists are still going. Those things are built like tanks. It's great that they're also bringing back the Superstar after purchasing the drawings from David Ward.
My first ever funfair _(traveling carnival)_ ride was on a Sizzler/Twister, here in the UK. And as stated, these rides were and still are very popular. At least as popular as the Waltzer.
Canobie Lake Park in New Hampshire has a super old and fast indoor scrambler called the Psychodrome. It has the strobe lights and music, it's one of the parks original rides. A true classic!
I ran an Eli Bridge version @ the now defunct AstroWorld (Houston, TX) It was there from 1968-2005 was moved to Six Flags Over Texas. It had a manual hand brake (which could snap If you "yanked it") It broke on July 4th one yr. all of the rides in that section went down EVEN Serpent (Arrow mini mine train) It was re-named 5 times & was in 3 different themed sections. Modville, Oriental Corner, Nottingham Village & back to Oriental. It ran as Orbiter, the Happening (Indoors until an incident) moved to Oriental & re-named. Joust About (Nottingham), then moved backed to Oriental. In that section it was called Runaway Rickshaws.
Knoebels Amusement Resort has a scrambler-type ride called a Merry Mixer. According to Wikipedia, it was manufactured by Garbrick Amusements, Inc. and opened in 1956.
This one's unique in that there are 4 arms instead of 3 (so 16 capsules instead of 12); otherwise, though, it still has (to me) the same feel as the Eli Bridge model. [Edited to reflect the correct difference, as all Scramblers have 4 capsules per arm.]
@@Coyotek4 , plus the Merry Mixer has four primary sweeps, for a total of 16 tubs. Also, while the Scrambler uses geared drive shafts to turn the unit poles, the Merry Mixer uses a system of wire ropes wound around the ride center and unit pole sheaves. I don’t know about all Merry Mixers, but the one at Knoebel’s uses a hydraulic drive for the center. Garbrick was based in Centre Hall, PA, oddly enough, not far from Knoebel’s.
I love this channel. It's also nice to see you introducing the video. This has always been once of my favorite rides. I always hit it up at the fair when it comes to town. There is something about watching carnival rides running and being set-up that I really like. Thanks for all of your hard work.
This was the first non-kiddy ride I ever rode. Was at the county fair with my dad. While I don’t find as much excitement with them anymore I still have those good memories.
I remember in 1976 going to Bush Gardens Williamsburg with my family riding an indoor scrambler there. It was the first one I ever encountered with the whole strobe light thing going on. As a young kid I thought it was the coolest thing ever at the time.
The amusement park at Russells Point on Indian Lake had a Scrambler set up inside the old carousel pavilion. When the park became abandoned, we as kids used to sneak in and play on that Scrambler. One person would push the ride while a few others sat in the seats and enjoyed a smooth glide as one push is actually all it took to get the whole thing going albeit much slower than if it were motorized.
Quick correction : the tubs on the Scrambler…in fact most of the ride…are made of aluminum. The tubs themselves are built like airplane wings; they consist of three structural ribs that form the front, the back, and the middle of the seat, and skins riveted to form the inner and outer surfaces of the tub. There are thousands of rivets holding those tubs together; in fact I’m pretty sure there are more rivets in a Scrambler tub than in the wing of a B-52. This was done to make the tubs strong and lightweight to improve their portability. Did you notice that Kings Island’s Scrambler, which got a new set of tubs last season, now has a new style secondary latch bar on the tub door?
The Psycho Drome at Canobie Lake in NH was my fav. Similar to the dark enclosed one you featured. Original Scrambler with all the original artwork and pin to hold the swinging gate shut.
Nothing quite like being the smallest person in your friend group and getting slammed into on one of these. I remember my local Church fair being the first one I went to. Then I went to Enchanted Forest in Old Forge and discovered that the one at my church fair was far tamer than most. Little 7 year old me was not prepared for how fast it was gonna be. To this day Scramblers are in my top five flat rides
If you’ve never rode a Super Sizzler, you are missing out. First one I ever rode was on the United Shows of America midway and then Primetime Carnival. The laterals are extreme and is neck snapping for sure. It was for sure one of the most intense flat rides I ever rode next to the Force 10.
The Scrambler was my favourite ride, I was really interested once I watched about the history of it. I've gone on both an indoor and an outdoor Scrambler. The outdoor one was at a zoo which had an amusement park there, and the indoor one was the Psychodrome at Canobie Lake Park. My close friend rode the Centrifuge at Casino Pier. The whole time I was watching this video, I was writing down notes and writing a summary about it.
I operate the one at Wild Waves in Federal Way Washington! That one has been retrofitted with an automatic control where you step on a floor pedal, release the Handbrake and press a green button and it starts up where it runs automatically for several minutes. Very fun classic indeed.
I've been on that one a few times. I noticed that it runs backwards compared to some of the other Scramblers I've been on, is there some reason for that?
As a somewhat timid child, a scrambler at Carowinds was the first ride I fell in love with. I've never wanted to feel scared by a ride; I want to enjoy the sensation of moving dynamically through space. Rides that hit that particular sweet spot of thrill without fear are few and far between for me. One of the few coasters I've liked is the Carolina Goldrusher, because of its smooth action. Thunder Road terrified me because the rattling made me feel like some terrible accident was imminent.
Centrifuge at Casino Pier is one of my favorite rides I’ve ever been on. The optical illusions in the ride cue, the ride experience happening in complete darkness, with some strobes going along to the music playing during the ride, all of it adds so much to a ride type that I already have a soft spot for.
There´s a part two waiting to be made: The evolution of the Scrambler! It could be said that the Mack Calypso is an elaborated update of the Scrambler, which debuted in the early 70´s. It´s basically the same idea done differently: There are four sattelite wheels, differnt cars and the whole ride is tilted on an angle. It was also known for its total overkill of decoration and lighting. The next step in the evolution is the Breakdance by Huss, which added free spinning cars. Mondial would update the idea with The Shake. At first the spinning cars would swing back and forth, later the cars would be able to completely flip upside down. Huss would then build The Booster, which is basically a Scrambler with sideways looping cars.
The tiny, not-so-noteworthy amusement park in my area has a scrambler! It's my dad's favorite so I basically grew up on that ride. 🤣 Love the scrambler.
I’m a huge baby when it comes rides. I don’t like heights, I don’t like speed, and I don’t like spinning, so I don’t ride most carnival rides, however this is my favorite ride by far. I always have to ride it at least three times whenever I go to any carnival.
Centrifuge reminded me so much of the scrambler ride at the local park growing up. Seabreeze Amusement Park near Rochester, NY had "The Gyrosphere" that was their scrambler under a dome with a crazy laser light show and music as the ride ran. They tore that ride out about 15 years ago though... Looks like I need to go to Jersey for Centrifuge now though!!!
The Wisdom Sizzlers use a hydraulic driven rubber tires against rims. The Eli Bridge Scramblers use gears and driveshafts. Most Twisters seem to use rubber tires rolling against the platform to make the sweeps rotate. Seems like several work arounds to the original patent used by Eli Bridge.
I don't know why, but I prefer the shaft-driven Grasscutters. I rode a Wisdom Sizzler at my hometown county fair (wasn't there for the rides, marching band did performances near the gatehouse) and I tried it just for kicks. It was kinda "meh," didn't like it as much as the Scrambler at KI.
I'm not a big thrill rideperson but I love these. The Sizzler and Cyclone are my favourites (I'm in South Australia so have only ridden at the Adelaide and Gawler Shows)
I'm glad you mentioned the gasoline engine. Seabreeze used to have one indoors with a light show. Which would have one of my favorite rides. Unfortunately the fumes from the gas would always make me sick (luckily never any long term effects). I was always amazed the ride operator could handle it for extended periods of time. Although family and friends never thought it was that big of a deal.
I loved the Gyrosphere at Seabreeze! I was a ride op there but sadly never operated the Gyrosphere, I started the year they replaced it with the Music Express from Hard Rock Park/Freestyle Music Park (IIRC)...such a downgrade!
Good video! In the 90's, for a VERY short time, Wisdom also made a similar ride called a Mean Machine. It looks identical to their Sizzler, but has a floor, backdrop and is geared different so the spinning arms and the main body spin the same direction instead of opposite directions. Rode one once back in the 90's, it was VERY different experience wise. Scramblers and Sizzlers have that nice change in lateral G's that make it fun as you fly around, Mean Machine was a solid wall of painful lateral G's LOL. Crazy thing is I have never been able to find a video of a Mean Machine on UA-cam, and Wisdom doesn't sell them anymore or even reference them on their site (but, from the build, you could tell it was a Wisdom one, it was identical to the Sizzler in all but name and gear set up), so I guess it wasn't very popular...
Great video. I have been on both a PWS and Sonacase/ARM UK twister and I found both to be very enjoyable. The PWS one was a newer model made in 2016 so it had RGB LEDs which made it look more impressive. I'm pretty sure Bates Bros still owns a Sonacase Twister similar to the ones found in the UK.
There's a similar style ride that moves like a scrambler, until it raises up a little and then tilts. One of my favorite rides at Busch Gardens Williamsburg
I've certainly been on my share of old-school 'grasscutters' (and then some). Great Adventure, Dorney Park, Keansburg (back when they actually had decent rides), and of course Casino Pier (I remember the old 'Poltergeist', before that version fell into the ocean due to Superstorm Sandy). The latter is still the one I remember most. Great Adventure had a 'sidewinder' ride that was like a Scrambler inside another Scrambler. I have hazy memories of going on it, but it was so long ago and I was so young that I cannot be certain of anything regarding that. My wife tells me stories of the version at Seabreeze in upstate NY; sadly, I never got to ride it during its 'Fire on High' days. Knoebels has 'Merry Mixer', which has 16 cars instead of 12. Weird, but still has the same feel. I love Scramblers but never cared for Sizzlers; I just never felt the 'kick' to be natural with those. All in all, a lot of memories of this one!
Eli Bridge Scramblers use pinion gears to tie the entire motion of the ride together. That being, when the center turns all the outer sweeps will turn at fixed proportion to the center column. That is why it only takes one motor to run a Scramber Conversely, a Sizzler needs four motors. One to turn the center, and then the outer sweeps are all turned by an independent motor which spin a drive tire that turns the out sweeps. This means that the center can turn but the outer sweeps can be shut off or vice versa. The downside of this method is that is can lead to inconsistent rides. Not all motors are exactly the same, so sometimes you'll notice that some outer sweeps will spin faster or slower compared to others. This also depends on the inflation of the rubber drive tires. If they underinflated the out sweep will spin slower and if overflated the outer sweep will spin faster. If the outer sweep spins too fast the ride will be uncomfortable from the excessive laterals and you will lose that "whip" feeling that a Scrambler-type ride is supposed to produce. Conversely, if the outer sweep spins too slow then ride is, well, boring. I've been on both Sizzlers that have had both problems. For this reason I prefer Scramblers and the fixed motion that really gives you that outer whip feeling.
@@angusmoffatt5745 thanks, I'll keep an eye out if I ever start travelling around Australia again :) that ride looks like heaps of fun!! Do you remember what it was called??
Although there is no mistaking it for a Scrambler, Twist, Sizzler, or Calypso, the Condor and Condor 2G by Huss are worth a mention. I remember the original version that operated in Wildwood, NJ. This ride has similar Scrambler-type movement, while rising up a tall tower.
One ride I've always been fascinated by is the Pixie Mix at Santa's Village since I rode it as a young kid and still see it there today. It seems to be a kiddie variant on the junior scramblers offered by Eli Bridge and Wisdom, but it doesn't match the appearance of those ones. Have you seen one that looks like the Pixie Mix? I'm wondering if it could have been an in-house or custom job.
I loved this at Olde Towne Kissimmee! Unfortunately I went on it a few decades later at Rodeo Houston and boy was that FAST. WAY faster than I remembered, and by the time it reached max speed I was yelling for it to stop TTnTT. Still a good childhood memry, though!
I rode one at a fair named “cyclone” where the seating pods faced inwards to the center of their rotation. It spun much faster, to give you some intense Gs against the seat back. Not sure if that’s a scrambler variation or a different ride type all together.
Yeah Bates Bros has what I believe is the only UK style Twist in the US. They've had it since at least 1996. They also were the only ones to have a Cycloid (a ride by Eli Bridge that was basically a chunkier Scrambler with inward facing seats). The real colorful Scrambler in your examples of ones still being made, Poor Jack has one of those. They bought it in 2016 I believe, and it does have the PLC just like you said. A lot of the older trailer Scramblers still have the lever, like my friend Nick's Scrambler. My favorite park Scramblers were the ones at Coney Island, Americana, and Geauga Lake. They were run ungodly fast, especially the Coney Island one. I have a lot of experience with Sizzlers too, my first one was the one Pugh Shows owned years ago. Triple Treat had one, and Reithoffer and Otterbacher bring theirs to certain fairs here. Those rides have very unique ride cycles from one another; some spin the seats real fast and the sweep arms very slowly (Belle City and Otterbacher), others spin them at the same speed (Triple Treat), and others spin the arms fast and the seats slowly (Reithoffer). I rode one Super Sizzler, which is the one PrimeTime had. It went so fast that it hurt my neck. It's interesting that the Super Sizzler had that many accidents since on paper it seems safer than a regular Sizzler. The Sizzler has what I deem a design flaw; the lapbar is attached to the pivot where the seat folds in to itself when the ride is disassembled. So if the foot rest falls off the seat, the lapbar assembly will go with it. Even newer Sizzlers have this problem. Anyway, I love this video, just wanted to share some experiences
I was wondering about the Cycloid for the longest time. Saw it on The Flat Joint when I was a kid, never thought much of it until I saw the first go around on FRotW for the Scrambler type. Can't find much about it on the web either.
@@CoasterCollege it's easy to do since these same Twists in the UK are also sometimes called Sizzlers. Bates owns a branch of the ARM Rides plant, so basically any ARM ride you can think of, they've had at some point. They got that ride at least around 1995 or 1996 because I was 8 years old the first time I saw it at the I-X Indoor Amusement Park (which is also where they debuted the Cycloid in 1997 as a "dark ride" lol, by putting black drapes around the ride and putting strobe lights on it).
@@CoasterCollege I love your videos and eagerly await if you do one about the Calypso or the Orbiter (unless you have done Orbiter already and I just forgot)
I love watching these videos of rides like the scrambler and Matterhorn that I’ve been riding since I’m a kid. Do you have a video of the bullet? I believe that’s the name originally. An arm with a bullet shaped car on each end with a seat facing both ways.
I’ve rode the Indiana beach one the 2 different traveling ones of my fair “The scrambler” and “sizzler” but most of the time it’s just sizzler with the top part of the scrambler and a sizzler and the Indiana state fair
I encountered an extremely compact scrambler type ride at a pop up carnival in Colorado. White with red, yellow, and orange lights. No idea what it was called as it had no name attatched or painted on it. I was too chicken to ride it as the trailer it was on didn't look very stable, and the operator was watering down the dry grass they parked it on. So I was just thinking, "how many sparks does this thing put off, and did you have to park it right _there?"_ Lol. (There was an unused grassless space they could have parked it quite close by.) Also my dad was with me and I was thinking it looked too low clearance for him, being as he's really tall. Never saw that ride again. Looked like it would have been pretty intense though. Everything was so compact that you'd pass very close to other gondolas. Definately a "keep all limbs inside", ride.
I Tried The Eli Bridge Scrambler At Fun Spot Orlando It Was Just Like Traveling Sizzlers At The Sacred Heart Festival From Arnolds Amusements I Tried The Twist I Think? I also Tried Wisdom's Sizzler It Was Really Cool But I Kinda Like The Twist I Love The Lights On The Carts I Also Went On Axis At The Florida State Fair! I Love Scramblers!
Next video should either be about inverted scrambler rides like the Soriani and Moser Energy Storm/Extasy and Fabbri Hard Rock. Although not related to the Scramber, maybe one about Tivoli (Orbiter, Scorpion, Force 10, Remix, Move It, and Spin Out).
The scrambler was always my favourite ride and I really miss it. They stopped bringing it to my city for whatever reason and when that happened I stopped going to the summer fair.. I did not like the sizzler they tried to replace it with because it was too intense and I always felt like i was going to fly sideways out of the car, [I was a kid at the time and that scared me.]
Here's my current wishlist for future FROTW videos (unchanged from last week): Matterhorn / Flying Bobs & Trabant / Hully Gully - these were mentioned in a previous video, and I look forward to seeing them. . Round Up Rainbow / 1001 Nacht Paratrooper Flipper Orbiter Whip Miami 'Cuddle-Up' (basically an 'n'th-degree teacup ride) ... I'll never forget the in-the-dark "Iceberg" at Dorney Park
Centerville on Toronto island has a scrambler. If I recall it has an upgraded motor, and seatbelts. Would this happen to be an upgraded model? It's is also indoors.
Great Adventure had the Super Sidewinder ('76-'84) a large scrambler type prototype made by Chance Rides. Also would the Calypso technically be a Scrambler?
Another great episode & thank you for introducing me to a new electro swing artist! (Shazam'd that first background track, love it 🎵) The personal review was great again, definitely adds a little something extra to the video 👍 Can I suggest a change to the video titles to make them easier to read on mobile devices? At the moment the thumbnail titles cut off around the word 'information' so it's hard to tell it's Flat Ride of the Week episode! Maybe put the ride name in all capitals to stand out, shorten a few words, use symbols like _'&'_ or acronyms like _FRotW 35..._ e.g. _SCRAMBLER Rides: Info & History - Flat Ride of The Week 35_ OR _SCRAMBLER Rides: Info & History - FRotW #35_ OR _ROLL OVER & WINDSHEAR Rides: Info & History - FlatRideOfTheWeek #35_ This type of formatting - in tandem with the big FRotW icon you're already putting on the thumbnail - would make it super-easy to pick your videos out of the UA-cam-curated 'Recommended' list. These are awesome videos & deserve a much bigger audience.... hope this made sense & helps!
I know of 2 in canada, one in magic mountain in new brunswick and there is another one in sandspit cavendish beach which I am pretty sure is actually manual
as a rider of the sizzler model by wisdom, i can say that it is better than any eli bridge scramblers but, the reason why is the visual appeal, theyre pretty much the same without the led's and everything
I don't know if this is a controversial opinion but even though the Sizzlers run faster, something actually feels less intense compared to a Scrambler, I don't know if it's just a difference between the mechanisms but it doesn't feel like they whip you out as much. That's not to say either ride is bad since you could look at the positives and negatives of either but something just feels slightly better about Scramblers despite being slower. Although I will say this, that second picture of the Family Sizzler, the indoor one, man that just brought back memories... I don't think it was the same one but there used to be a chain of places called Jeepers which were basically Chuck E Cheese with rides, one of the ones in my area when I was a kid had one just like that and I knew I wasn't crazy picturing how it looked even though it didn't look like the family scramblers I saw online, I really don't know if that picture is the Jeepers that used to be in Rockville MD but wow that looks very similar. Although even before that location (and the company as a whole really) closed down they replaced it with a Barrel of Fun. (Side note... Those Selner spin it yourself rides like Barrel of Fun or Bear Affair or the apple version and any other shape variations they have of those might be an interesting video)
I get that. Much prefer the Kings Island Scrambler over the Sizzler they had at my local county fair. Maybe a difference in rotation speeds of the cars between Eli Bridge and Wisdom?
Ah I personally love these things and every year at fair time I make my cousin get squashed since they keep forgetting which side if the seats get squished ... I dislike the one at holiday world thou it's way to ruff
This was a favourite of mine as a kid at traveling fairs! I’ve always been afraid of heights so it was one of the first “adult” rides I was comfortable on.
I used to work on a 1959 scrambler with manual transmission at old Town. The most fun ride to operate, and most reliable as well
When I lived in Florida, I once operated an indoor Scrambler, named Swamp Ape at Swampy Jack's Wongo Adventure. Easily a top 5 Scrambler in the country, as it features advanced lighting, energetic music, and fog while in complete darkness. They even went the extra mile to make art around the interior walls, as well as having a big Swamp Ape statue next to the ride entrance.
PWS are beautiful machines. So is cyclone. Crows lift up twist
LETS GO! I know these rides are simple, but it's one of my favorite flat rides. I love the one at Pacific Park in Santa Monica because one minute you see the pier and the next you see the ocean
Sounds awesome!
Back in the early 90's, my wife (girlfriend at the time) and I were working at Hersheypark. She was the supervisor of the ride group that included the Scrambler.
One night near the end of the evening, she was called to the Scrambler for a bad smell. The odor hit her 100 yards before she got to the ride.
She summoned maintenance, who determined that a skunk had gotten wrapped around the drive shaft. The maintenance tech described it as "juicy", and left it for the morning crew to handle.
That area of the park (near the front, every visitor had to walk through there) stank for days.
That is horrific
I’ve worked on various “Sizzler twist” rides for showman in England and they run off axel shafts on each bottom sweep arm with two tires on each end which drive the car arms as the center rotates. it only runs off a single central motor in the chassis so has always proved a very efficient system! The PWS built machines all fold up onto a single trailer using hydraulic rams to lift the floor and the older models from the 80’s with a winch cable mounted on the top of the center which also lowered the floor. Definitely overall one of the best engineered rides of all time!
It's amazing how many of the old school Perrin Stevens Sizzler Twists are still going. Those things are built like tanks. It's great that they're also bringing back the Superstar after purchasing the drawings from David Ward.
My first ever funfair _(traveling carnival)_ ride was on a Sizzler/Twister, here in the UK. And as stated, these rides were and still are very popular. At least as popular as the Waltzer.
Astrosphere at Funtown is one hell of an experience. the ride combined with the lights and music make it insane
It’s certainly something, it’s great
Canobie Lake Park in New Hampshire has a super old and fast indoor scrambler called the Psychodrome. It has the strobe lights and music, it's one of the parks original rides. A true classic!
I ran an Eli Bridge version @ the now defunct AstroWorld (Houston, TX) It was there from 1968-2005 was moved to Six Flags Over Texas. It had a manual hand brake (which could snap If you "yanked it") It broke on July 4th one yr. all of the rides in that section went down EVEN Serpent (Arrow mini mine train) It was re-named 5 times & was in 3 different themed sections. Modville, Oriental Corner, Nottingham Village & back to Oriental. It ran as Orbiter, the Happening (Indoors until an incident) moved to Oriental & re-named. Joust About (Nottingham), then moved backed to Oriental. In that section it was called Runaway Rickshaws.
Back in the 80’s Knott’s Berry Farm also had an indoor Scrambler ride...it was great because it was air conditioned and very nice on a hot day!
Canobie Lake Park in Salem NH also has an indoor lights and music dark version of the scrambler.
Knoebels Amusement Resort has a scrambler-type ride called a Merry Mixer. According to Wikipedia, it was manufactured by Garbrick Amusements, Inc. and opened in 1956.
This one's unique in that there are 4 arms instead of 3 (so 16 capsules instead of 12); otherwise, though, it still has (to me) the same feel as the Eli Bridge model.
[Edited to reflect the correct difference, as all Scramblers have 4 capsules per arm.]
I rode one that Crown Amusements had in the 90s
@@Coyotek4 , plus the Merry Mixer has four primary sweeps, for a total of 16 tubs. Also, while the Scrambler uses geared drive shafts to turn the unit poles, the Merry Mixer uses a system of wire ropes wound around the ride center and unit pole sheaves. I don’t know about all Merry Mixers, but the one at Knoebel’s uses a hydraulic drive for the center.
Garbrick was based in Centre Hall, PA, oddly enough, not far from Knoebel’s.
That's actually really interesting. I saw it on The Flat Joint and was like, "Eh, nothing much, moving on."
I love this channel. It's also nice to see you introducing the video. This has always been once of my favorite rides. I always hit it up at the fair when it comes to town. There is something about watching carnival rides running and being set-up that I really like. Thanks for all of your hard work.
This was the first non-kiddy ride I ever rode. Was at the county fair with my dad. While I don’t find as much excitement with them anymore I still have those good memories.
This is in my top 3 most favorite rides ever. I’m such a baby when it comes to rides so this one is always a safe bet for me 😀
The best part of the Super Sizzler was the ability to run backwards as well as the sound when it would slow to a stop.
I remember in 1976 going to Bush Gardens Williamsburg with my family riding an indoor scrambler there. It was the first one I ever encountered with the whole strobe light thing going on. As a young kid I thought it was the coolest thing ever at the time.
The amusement park at Russells Point on Indian Lake had a Scrambler set up inside the old carousel pavilion. When the park became abandoned, we as kids used to sneak in and play on that Scrambler. One person would push the ride while a few others sat in the seats and enjoyed a smooth glide as one push is actually all it took to get the whole thing going albeit much slower than if it were motorized.
Quick correction : the tubs on the Scrambler…in fact most of the ride…are made of aluminum. The tubs themselves are built like airplane wings; they consist of three structural ribs that form the front, the back, and the middle of the seat, and skins riveted to form the inner and outer surfaces of the tub. There are thousands of rivets holding those tubs together; in fact I’m pretty sure there are more rivets in a Scrambler tub than in the wing of a B-52. This was done to make the tubs strong and lightweight to improve their portability.
Did you notice that Kings Island’s Scrambler, which got a new set of tubs last season, now has a new style secondary latch bar on the tub door?
Whoa. More than a Stratofortress.😮
The Psycho Drome at Canobie Lake in NH was my fav. Similar to the dark enclosed one you featured. Original Scrambler with all the original artwork and pin to hold the swinging gate shut.
Came here to day that!! I grew up in Salem
Nothing quite like being the smallest person in your friend group and getting slammed into on one of these. I remember my local Church fair being the first one I went to. Then I went to Enchanted Forest in Old Forge and discovered that the one at my church fair was far tamer than most. Little 7 year old me was not prepared for how fast it was gonna be. To this day Scramblers are in my top five flat rides
Haha, sounds awesome!
The astrosphere being mentioned totally caught me off guard it’s such an amazing ride
If you’ve never rode a Super Sizzler, you are missing out. First one I ever rode was on the United Shows of America midway and then Primetime Carnival. The laterals are extreme and is neck snapping for sure. It was for sure one of the most intense flat rides I ever rode next to the Force 10.
They look amazing for sure!
The Scrambler was my favourite ride, I was really interested once I watched about the history of it. I've gone on both an indoor and an outdoor Scrambler. The outdoor one was at a zoo which had an amusement park there, and the indoor one was the Psychodrome at Canobie Lake Park. My close friend rode the Centrifuge at Casino Pier. The whole time I was watching this video, I was writing down notes and writing a summary about it.
I operate the one at Wild Waves in Federal Way Washington! That one has been retrofitted with an automatic control where you step on a floor pedal, release the Handbrake and press a green button and it starts up where it runs automatically for several minutes. Very fun classic indeed.
I've been on that one a few times. I noticed that it runs backwards compared to some of the other Scramblers I've been on, is there some reason for that?
As a somewhat timid child, a scrambler at Carowinds was the first ride I fell in love with. I've never wanted to feel scared by a ride; I want to enjoy the sensation of moving dynamically through space. Rides that hit that particular sweet spot of thrill without fear are few and far between for me. One of the few coasters I've liked is the Carolina Goldrusher, because of its smooth action. Thunder Road terrified me because the rattling made me feel like some terrible accident was imminent.
Centrifuge at Casino Pier is one of my favorite rides I’ve ever been on. The optical illusions in the ride cue, the ride experience happening in complete darkness, with some strobes going along to the music playing during the ride, all of it adds so much to a ride type that I already have a soft spot for.
There´s a part two waiting to be made: The evolution of the Scrambler! It could be said that the Mack Calypso is an elaborated update of the Scrambler, which debuted in the early 70´s. It´s basically the same idea done differently: There are four sattelite wheels, differnt cars and the whole ride is tilted on an angle. It was also known for its total overkill of decoration and lighting. The next step in the evolution is the Breakdance by Huss, which added free spinning cars. Mondial would update the idea with The Shake. At first the spinning cars would swing back and forth, later the cars would be able to completely flip upside down. Huss would then build The Booster, which is basically a Scrambler with sideways looping cars.
The tiny, not-so-noteworthy amusement park in my area has a scrambler! It's my dad's favorite so I basically grew up on that ride. 🤣
Love the scrambler.
I’m a huge baby when it comes rides. I don’t like heights, I don’t like speed, and I don’t like spinning, so I don’t ride most carnival rides, however this is my favorite ride by far. I always have to ride it at least three times whenever I go to any carnival.
Centrifuge reminded me so much of the scrambler ride at the local park growing up. Seabreeze Amusement Park near Rochester, NY had "The Gyrosphere" that was their scrambler under a dome with a crazy laser light show and music as the ride ran. They tore that ride out about 15 years ago though... Looks like I need to go to Jersey for Centrifuge now though!!!
The Wisdom Sizzlers use a hydraulic driven rubber tires against rims. The Eli Bridge Scramblers use gears and driveshafts. Most Twisters seem to use rubber tires rolling against the platform to make the sweeps rotate. Seems like several work arounds to the original patent used by Eli Bridge.
I don't know why, but I prefer the shaft-driven Grasscutters. I rode a Wisdom Sizzler at my hometown county fair (wasn't there for the rides, marching band did performances near the gatehouse) and I tried it just for kicks. It was kinda "meh," didn't like it as much as the Scrambler at KI.
I'm not a big thrill rideperson but I love these. The Sizzler and Cyclone are my favourites (I'm in South Australia so have only ridden at the Adelaide and Gawler Shows)
I'm gonna pay way more attention when I go to the Ekka next haha, knowing all this stuff about flat rides now :)
I'm glad you mentioned the gasoline engine. Seabreeze used to have one indoors with a light show. Which would have one of my favorite rides. Unfortunately the fumes from the gas would always make me sick (luckily never any long term effects). I was always amazed the ride operator could handle it for extended periods of time. Although family and friends never thought it was that big of a deal.
I loved the Gyrosphere at Seabreeze! I was a ride op there but sadly never operated the Gyrosphere, I started the year they replaced it with the Music Express from Hard Rock Park/Freestyle Music Park (IIRC)...such a downgrade!
This is honestly my fave ride the rubber band effect you get is epic and I always feel like ima crash but that’s what makes it fun !
I think this was my first flat ride... been hooked ever since.
This and the tilt a whirls are one of my favourite rides 😂
One of my favorite classic rides!
I like Scrambler at Cedar Point. I rode some at county fairs. Always fun to ride.
Always liked the scrambler. I’ve mostly ride at my home park Cedar Point! Thanks!!!!
Such a simple yet great ride, keep up the quality Brendan
Favorite ride ever, that tingly feeling is instant lol it’s so much fun!
Good video! In the 90's, for a VERY short time, Wisdom also made a similar ride called a Mean Machine. It looks identical to their Sizzler, but has a floor, backdrop and is geared different so the spinning arms and the main body spin the same direction instead of opposite directions. Rode one once back in the 90's, it was VERY different experience wise. Scramblers and Sizzlers have that nice change in lateral G's that make it fun as you fly around, Mean Machine was a solid wall of painful lateral G's LOL.
Crazy thing is I have never been able to find a video of a Mean Machine on UA-cam, and Wisdom doesn't sell them anymore or even reference them on their site (but, from the build, you could tell it was a Wisdom one, it was identical to the Sizzler in all but name and gear set up), so I guess it wasn't very popular...
This one is still an old favorite of mine, it’s probably the first ride I hit up At carnivals to get me hyped for the larger attractions!
I loved the indoor scrambler they used to have at Knott’s Berry Farm in CA. Anyone else remember Whirlpool? New Age music and all!
I loved riding the sizzler at my old school's annual fair. Good times!
I love scramblers!!! My family hates them with a burning passion, but I have to ride one every time I can!!
5:39 That Song Sounds Groovy!
Also... Scramblers Are One Of My Favourite Rides!
Great video. I have been on both a PWS and Sonacase/ARM UK twister and I found both to be very enjoyable. The PWS one was a newer model made in 2016 so it had RGB LEDs which made it look more impressive. I'm pretty sure Bates Bros still owns a Sonacase Twister similar to the ones found in the UK.
My now closed local kiddie amusement park had a scrambler loved that thing along with the tilt o whirl
There's a similar style ride that moves like a scrambler, until it raises up a little and then tilts. One of my favorite rides at Busch Gardens Williamsburg
I've certainly been on my share of old-school 'grasscutters' (and then some). Great Adventure, Dorney Park, Keansburg (back when they actually had decent rides), and of course Casino Pier (I remember the old 'Poltergeist', before that version fell into the ocean due to Superstorm Sandy). The latter is still the one I remember most.
Great Adventure had a 'sidewinder' ride that was like a Scrambler inside another Scrambler. I have hazy memories of going on it, but it was so long ago and I was so young that I cannot be certain of anything regarding that.
My wife tells me stories of the version at Seabreeze in upstate NY; sadly, I never got to ride it during its 'Fire on High' days.
Knoebels has 'Merry Mixer', which has 16 cars instead of 12. Weird, but still has the same feel.
I love Scramblers but never cared for Sizzlers; I just never felt the 'kick' to be natural with those.
All in all, a lot of memories of this one!
Eli Bridge Scramblers use pinion gears to tie the entire motion of the ride together. That being, when the center turns all the outer sweeps will turn at fixed proportion to the center column. That is why it only takes one motor to run a Scramber
Conversely, a Sizzler needs four motors. One to turn the center, and then the outer sweeps are all turned by an independent motor which spin a drive tire that turns the out sweeps. This means that the center can turn but the outer sweeps can be shut off or vice versa. The downside of this method is that is can lead to inconsistent rides. Not all motors are exactly the same, so sometimes you'll notice that some outer sweeps will spin faster or slower compared to others. This also depends on the inflation of the rubber drive tires. If they underinflated the out sweep will spin slower and if overflated the outer sweep will spin faster.
If the outer sweep spins too fast the ride will be uncomfortable from the excessive laterals and you will lose that "whip" feeling that a Scrambler-type ride is supposed to produce. Conversely, if the outer sweep spins too slow then ride is, well, boring. I've been on both Sizzlers that have had both problems. For this reason I prefer Scramblers and the fixed motion that really gives you that outer whip feeling.
My favorite! Love the lateral g’s.
There are actually 2 of the arm lifting twists, the second one debuted in august 2021 in Australia
Where did you see the Australian version??
@@kiymberly1990 it made its debut at the Gold Coast show and has done a number of smaller fairs around south east qld and Apollo bays summer carnival
@@angusmoffatt5745 thanks, I'll keep an eye out if I ever start travelling around Australia again :) that ride looks like heaps of fun!! Do you remember what it was called??
@@kiymberly1990 it’s called ‘twister’ I think someone took a video of it at northlakes qld state fair
@@kiymberly1990 it also has videos from the Gold Coast show
Love hearing about the Eli Bridge company because I live in the small town their factory is located in
Although there is no mistaking it for a Scrambler, Twist, Sizzler, or Calypso, the Condor and Condor 2G by Huss are worth a mention. I remember the original version that operated in Wildwood, NJ. This ride has similar Scrambler-type movement, while rising up a tall tower.
One ride I've always been fascinated by is the Pixie Mix at Santa's Village since I rode it as a young kid and still see it there today. It seems to be a kiddie variant on the junior scramblers offered by Eli Bridge and Wisdom, but it doesn't match the appearance of those ones. Have you seen one that looks like the Pixie Mix? I'm wondering if it could have been an in-house or custom job.
Pixi Mix was built by 603 Metals.
Scrambler rides are my all time favorite ride type!
I’m so looking out for these at the show
I loved this at Olde Towne Kissimmee! Unfortunately I went on it a few decades later at Rodeo Houston and boy was that FAST. WAY faster than I remembered, and by the time it reached max speed I was yelling for it to stop TTnTT. Still a good childhood memry, though!
The lifting scamper actually had quite a few models and one of them is in Australia
My home park (Adventureland in Iowa) has one and it runs pretty fast. I love it!
I’m from the UK and we see sizzlers/twists all the time at fairs, I do prefer this design since they have bigger arms and room for more deco
My first "fast" ride was a scrambler. Still one of my favourites!
Oh my goodness! That was the night I met you Brennan!
I rode one at a fair named “cyclone” where the seating pods faced inwards to the center of their rotation. It spun much faster, to give you some intense Gs against the seat back. Not sure if that’s a scrambler variation or a different ride type all together.
Yeah Bates Bros has what I believe is the only UK style Twist in the US. They've had it since at least 1996. They also were the only ones to have a Cycloid (a ride by Eli Bridge that was basically a chunkier Scrambler with inward facing seats).
The real colorful Scrambler in your examples of ones still being made, Poor Jack has one of those. They bought it in 2016 I believe, and it does have the PLC just like you said. A lot of the older trailer Scramblers still have the lever, like my friend Nick's Scrambler.
My favorite park Scramblers were the ones at Coney Island, Americana, and Geauga Lake. They were run ungodly fast, especially the Coney Island one.
I have a lot of experience with Sizzlers too, my first one was the one Pugh Shows owned years ago. Triple Treat had one, and Reithoffer and Otterbacher bring theirs to certain fairs here. Those rides have very unique ride cycles from one another; some spin the seats real fast and the sweep arms very slowly (Belle City and Otterbacher), others spin them at the same speed (Triple Treat), and others spin the arms fast and the seats slowly (Reithoffer).
I rode one Super Sizzler, which is the one PrimeTime had. It went so fast that it hurt my neck. It's interesting that the Super Sizzler had that many accidents since on paper it seems safer than a regular Sizzler. The Sizzler has what I deem a design flaw; the lapbar is attached to the pivot where the seat folds in to itself when the ride is disassembled. So if the foot rest falls off the seat, the lapbar assembly will go with it. Even newer Sizzlers have this problem.
Anyway, I love this video, just wanted to share some experiences
I was wondering about the Cycloid for the longest time. Saw it on The Flat Joint when I was a kid, never thought much of it until I saw the first go around on FRotW for the Scrambler type. Can't find much about it on the web either.
Also, I saw the UK one in Jackson, Ohio if I'm not mistaken.
Sounds like I may have mixed up rides! I think I rode the UK style twist you mentioned being owned by Bates Bros. Thanks for the insight!
@@CoasterCollege it's easy to do since these same Twists in the UK are also sometimes called Sizzlers. Bates owns a branch of the ARM Rides plant, so basically any ARM ride you can think of, they've had at some point. They got that ride at least around 1995 or 1996 because I was 8 years old the first time I saw it at the I-X Indoor Amusement Park (which is also where they debuted the Cycloid in 1997 as a "dark ride" lol, by putting black drapes around the ride and putting strobe lights on it).
@@CoasterCollege I love your videos and eagerly await if you do one about the Calypso or the Orbiter (unless you have done Orbiter already and I just forgot)
I love watching these videos of rides like the scrambler and Matterhorn that I’ve been riding since I’m a kid. Do you have a video of the bullet? I believe that’s the name originally. An arm with a bullet shaped car on each end with a seat facing both ways.
Because of my epilepsy I don’t trust these types of spinning rides that go in a single direction anymore
Sizzler was and is my very favorite carnival or park ride
I’ve rode the Indiana beach one the 2 different traveling ones of my fair “The scrambler” and “sizzler” but most of the time it’s just sizzler with the top part of the scrambler and a sizzler and the Indiana state fair
I encountered an extremely compact scrambler type ride at a pop up carnival in Colorado. White with red, yellow, and orange lights. No idea what it was called as it had no name attatched or painted on it. I was too chicken to ride it as the trailer it was on didn't look very stable, and the operator was watering down the dry grass they parked it on. So I was just thinking, "how many sparks does this thing put off, and did you have to park it right _there?"_ Lol. (There was an unused grassless space they could have parked it quite close by.) Also my dad was with me and I was thinking it looked too low clearance for him, being as he's really tall. Never saw that ride again. Looked like it would have been pretty intense though. Everything was so compact that you'd pass very close to other gondolas. Definately a "keep all limbs inside", ride.
I love scramblers and sizzlers.
I Tried The Eli Bridge Scrambler At Fun Spot Orlando It Was Just Like Traveling Sizzlers At The Sacred Heart Festival From Arnolds Amusements I Tried The Twist I Think? I also Tried Wisdom's Sizzler It Was Really Cool But I Kinda Like The Twist I Love The Lights On The Carts I Also Went On Axis At The Florida State Fair! I Love Scramblers!
Next video should either be about inverted scrambler rides like the Soriani and Moser Energy Storm/Extasy and Fabbri Hard Rock. Although not related to the Scramber, maybe one about Tivoli (Orbiter, Scorpion, Force 10, Remix, Move It, and Spin Out).
Very nice introduction 👌
The scrambler was always my favourite ride and I really miss it. They stopped bringing it to my city for whatever reason and when that happened I stopped going to the summer fair.. I did not like the sizzler they tried to replace it with because it was too intense and I always felt like i was going to fly sideways out of the car, [I was a kid at the time and that scared me.]
Here's my current wishlist for future FROTW videos (unchanged from last week):
Matterhorn / Flying Bobs & Trabant / Hully Gully - these were mentioned in a previous video, and I look forward to seeing them.
.
Round Up
Rainbow / 1001 Nacht
Paratrooper
Flipper
Orbiter
Whip
Miami
'Cuddle-Up' (basically an 'n'th-degree teacup ride) ... I'll never forget the in-the-dark "Iceberg" at Dorney Park
Yes! Let's go! Trabant/Explorer next!
Centerville on Toronto island has a scrambler. If I recall it has an upgraded motor, and seatbelts. Would this happen to be an upgraded model? It's is also indoors.
Great Adventure had the Super Sidewinder ('76-'84) a large scrambler type prototype made by Chance Rides. Also would the Calypso technically be a Scrambler?
If ANYONE has clips of this, that would be incredible! It was like a Scrambler inside another Scrambler!
Back in the 80s my grandpa was running the sizzler he always put it on high speed
I have a fair in iowa that has a scrambler on steriods. Its like the but it goes higher up and it got 50mph
my favorite ride is the tilt a whirl!!
Another great episode & thank you for introducing me to a new electro swing artist! (Shazam'd that first background track, love it 🎵) The personal review was great again, definitely adds a little something extra to the video 👍
Can I suggest a change to the video titles to make them easier to read on mobile devices? At the moment the thumbnail titles cut off around the word 'information' so it's hard to tell it's Flat Ride of the Week episode! Maybe put the ride name in all capitals to stand out, shorten a few words, use symbols like _'&'_ or acronyms like _FRotW 35..._
e.g. _SCRAMBLER Rides: Info & History - Flat Ride of The Week 35_
OR _SCRAMBLER Rides: Info & History - FRotW #35_
OR _ROLL OVER & WINDSHEAR Rides: Info & History - FlatRideOfTheWeek #35_
This type of formatting - in tandem with the big FRotW icon you're already putting on the thumbnail - would make it super-easy to pick your videos out of the UA-cam-curated 'Recommended' list. These are awesome videos & deserve a much bigger audience.... hope this made sense & helps!
I like the idea of shortening "information" to "info" . I will start doing that.
These are super fun
What about the Merry Mixer versions? They have four instead of three arms but it is a similar concept.
Aren’t there some scramblers that use tires to spin the rotating arms?
have you done the Cobra ride?? i love that ride too thanks
A “Polyp”-ride seems more fun to me as the movements are more random unlike the monotone movements of a Scrambler.
Polyps are basically evolved scramblers, both are very fun!
@@CoasterCollege Yeah, but what would evolution do to the Polyp? Flipping gondolas a la Gerstlauer?
I know of 2 in canada, one in magic mountain in new brunswick and there is another one in sandspit cavendish beach which I am pretty sure is actually manual
There used to be an indoor one at Centreville Amusement Park in Toronto, but it’s not listed on their website anymore.
PNE/ PlayLand has a manually operated scrambler.
as a rider of the sizzler model by wisdom, i can say that it is better than any eli bridge scramblers but, the reason why is the visual appeal, theyre pretty much the same without the led's and everything
I don't know if this is a controversial opinion but even though the Sizzlers run faster, something actually feels less intense compared to a Scrambler, I don't know if it's just a difference between the mechanisms but it doesn't feel like they whip you out as much. That's not to say either ride is bad since you could look at the positives and negatives of either but something just feels slightly better about Scramblers despite being slower.
Although I will say this, that second picture of the Family Sizzler, the indoor one, man that just brought back memories... I don't think it was the same one but there used to be a chain of places called Jeepers which were basically Chuck E Cheese with rides, one of the ones in my area when I was a kid had one just like that and I knew I wasn't crazy picturing how it looked even though it didn't look like the family scramblers I saw online, I really don't know if that picture is the Jeepers that used to be in Rockville MD but wow that looks very similar. Although even before that location (and the company as a whole really) closed down they replaced it with a Barrel of Fun. (Side note... Those Selner spin it yourself rides like Barrel of Fun or Bear Affair or the apple version and any other shape variations they have of those might be an interesting video)
I get that. Much prefer the Kings Island Scrambler over the Sizzler they had at my local county fair. Maybe a difference in rotation speeds of the cars between Eli Bridge and Wisdom?
Can you make a video about the Huss Flic flac's? I got some footage of them
I miss the old music you used for this series
Scrambler rides used to make me dizzy lol
Anyone else wants to make eggs? I can only hear scrambler so many times in 8 minutes XD
Ah I personally love these things and every year at fair time I make my cousin get squashed since they keep forgetting which side if the seats get squished ... I dislike the one at holiday world thou it's way to ruff