Anyone remember their times on the Kiddies?

I know, it was long ago for most of us on our favorite kiddie rides when we were that young, but I can still distinctly remember riding the ladybugs at SFGAm, thinking it was some type of mini American Eagle because it had those little bunny-hill things, regardless that the bugs went in a circle.  And I also remember that I would always make sure I was the only kid who actually looked like he was trying to steer the bugs, I mean, the other kids just shake the wheels back and forth, me, I had mine at the perfect turn as to make it through the entire ride. ;)

Other than that, all I remember for rides are running through the carrot thing, the roller-racers, the moon walk, the ball pit and the kid-wash thing.  I miss the days of Bugs-Bunny land!  lol

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"If two coaster trains almost hit each other, why is it called a near miss and not a near hit?"

Ah yes, my early days at Geauga Lake.....
I loved the tumble bug, tackling the kiddie bumper cars, and flying high on the kiddie swings.

Of course, this is pre 1986 (86 was the "Rainbow Island" Conversion)

Yup.... 76-82 were the years when I spent a lot of time shaking hands with Geauga Dog and the Fun Bunch Gang.
•The kiddie Ferris wheel never worked then...
•Back then, the Main Carousel and the Rocket Ships were directly across the path from Big Dipper (at the Boomtown entrance) •There wasn't a waterpark, but they had a beach and a grassy knoll.

Cedar Point was magical when I was a kid... the little kiddie rides with the notorious horns...ER ER ER ER!!!...I don't know how my parents could stand it.  I suppose those rides are a little old to entertain the kids of today, but I sure loved them.  Kid Arthur's Court was really cool, too.  I always looked forward to playing in the ball pit.  And then there were those Bernstein Bears.  I could have spent my whole day in that building and would have never gotten bored (and this was before they made the outdoors section, too). 

Surprisingly, I never rode the Jr. Gemini until after I rode some of the bigger coasters.  I just think my parents didn't know it existed.  My first roller coaster ever was the Blue Streak, and then the Iron Dragon, then the Mine Ride, then the Corkscrew, and THEN the Jr. Gemini.  I think that the reason why I became such a coaster freak is because the Blue Streak was my first coaster experience - it was just so different, so new, because I had never experienced anything like it before. 

Sometimes I miss the feeling of being a little kid at Cedar Point - the excitement of the car ride there, the great joy that came from such simple things as little cars that go around a circle and go "ER ER ER ER!", and the games of "C'mon, Just One More Ride" when my parents were exhausted and ready to leave.  Oh well, I guess I'm still sort of like a little kid when I'm at an amusement park (ask any of my friends who get a kick out of it).

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"I'm just trying to find a decent melody...A song that I can sing in my own company."
- U2 - "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of"

the comet jr. at lincoln park (same exact coaster that's at camden park in west va.) of course the tilt-a-whirl and bubble bounce at revere beach.

I was terrified of most rides as a kid (odd, becuase I have absolutely no fear as an adult).

My first coaster was the Jr. Gemini in 1979. I was 6 and petrified. I only rode it once. In fact I went with my grandmother onher company trip to CP in 1979, 1980 and 1981 and in all that time I hardly rode anything. To the best of my memory I rode Jr. Gemini that one time. I got brave enough to ride the Cedar Creek MIne Ride in 1981 and never rode another coaster until I was 13. My favorites back then were the San Francisco Earthquake and the Cedar Downs. Other than that I don't think I rode very much at all.

This is in stark contrast to my daughter who just turned 4 in November and already has 7 coasters and several big rides (Tower Of Terror, Journey To Atlantis, Splash Mountain, Spiderman, Jurassic Park River Ride, several pirate ships) under her belt. Plus she's excited to ride her first "big" coaster this summer now that we're close to Knobel's now and she meets the height requirement for Phoenix.

So times have certainly changed. As a kid I was terrified of even the tamest rides, even 6 or 7 years ago I was a "white knuckle" rider - you couldn't have paid me enough to let go. But now I don't even think twice about getting on the most insane stuff out there and I couldn't even tell you the last ride I held on while riding.

Plus with a 4 year old I get to ride all those kiddie rides I missed as a kid :)

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www.coasterimage.com

I used to love the little helicopters that allowed you to control the height (thanks to Stricker's Grove, I got a chance to ride them again this past summer).

One of the first amusement parks I went to was the now defunct Nay Aug Park in Scranton PA. I loved the kiddie whip, bumper cars, the little train, Comet Jr. Coaster (same design as the one virginiareelfan speaks of), and getting sick after one too many rides on the Tilt-A-Whirl.

The defunct Betrand Island introduced me to the ferris wheel and scrambler and wishing I was old enough to try out the evil looking boomerang ride.

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everything's better with a banjo

When I was short enough to ride the kiddie rides I was at Disneyland in California.SO got to ride most of the rides there..I loved the submarine ride.  And I was dissapointed this past November when I went there and the submarine ride wasnt.  Does anyone know when they took it out?  Must not have been to far back, I could still see the tracking.  I also went to Sea World San Diego.  I lived in San Diego until I was 8.  Now I live 10 minutes from SFGAm.  But back to Sea World, I remember net climbs.  oh I loved those, heck I still do.  Now this past summer, I worked rides at SFGAm, and on a Full-Time rides night, I kinda snuck onto the Looney Tooter.  That was fun.  It was kinda small.  And the same night, I went into the net climb area, well the little kid area called Nature Trail, and well I kinda got stuck and no one would help me.  So I was just sitting there yelling while people just sat and laughed at me.

I remember my first coaster at all... a portable steel kiddie coaster called the Jack Rabbit. I believe that the "scariest" part about it was that at one point, the thing felt like it was about to fall off the track!  I don't remember much else about it, other than I think the track was red. I don't remember how many laps of the track it did, how they got it going, how many cars in the train, etc.

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RCT hypercoaster crazy!

Heh, I remember watching the "Little Dipper" at Americana and seeing the train crest the 10-foot, steel lift hill, then seeing a train on the wooden Screechin' Eagle in the distance and thinking it was the same ride. ;)
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You can't spell "dishonorable" without "honorable."

Yes, I still remember my times on the kiddie rides even though it was long ago.  One of the things that I love about Knobels is looking at the antique kiddie rides there that are the same types that I rode as a kiddie. 

Also, the BEAUTIFUL kiddie whip at Trimpers in Ocean City MD.  As pretty as any carousel.

Those were great times, I loved them.  Sometimes when I go to the park I look there and still wish I could go ride them, too bad I can't. 

I have distinct memories of riding the Timberline Twister and Soap Box Derby Racers at Knotts Berry Farm.  My cousins and I would ride those each a minimum of ten times in a row. 

I got up enough guts to ride Montezuma's Revenge one day, and it scared the living hell out of me!  I didn't start riding "real" coasters after that until I was 12 or 13.  Ahh, those were the days.......

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Koppman said:
I got up enough guts to ride Montezuma's Revenge one day, and it scared the living hell out of me!  I didn't start riding "real" coasters after that until I was 12 or 13.  Ahh, those were the days......."

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Roflamo!

I stuck my two oldest kids on Monty when they were just barely tall enough to ride ...

Scared them so bad they would NOT go on it again. And, you call it a small coaster? I STILL love the launch and G's into the loop. Soon, perhaps there will be something better, but for now, Ole Monty still performs!

Sprig

I rarely got to go to amusement parks when i was little. Along time ago I was at CP and me and a friend rode Jr. Gemini a couple times. That was the only time I was ever on the kiddie coasters. Then a friend brought me to SFWoA toward the end of 2000 and I rode the bigger coasters.
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Millennium Force......It has its ups and downs.