There is a height restriction of 1.1m (1m 10cm) for riding the dodgems. Children between 1.1m (1m 10cm) and 1.3m (1m 30cm), must be accompanied by an adult in the dodgem. The Dodgems are one of the worlds most-beloved funfair rides. You don't just see the dodgems at fairgrounds, carnivals and festivals - some large indoor leisure facilities have Dodgems as permanent fixtures, and their enduring popularity means that there's always a group of people taking them for a spin. A dodgem or dodgem car is a small electric car with a wide rubber strip all round. People drive dodgems around a special area at an amusement park and sometimes crash into each other for fun.

The invention of the Dodgems is accredited to Massachusetts brothers Max and Harold Stoehrer in 1919, who also gave this bumper car ride its distinctive name through the company Dodgem Corp. Although the Dodgems were described as "highly unmanageable" by Scientific American, this didn't stop people queueing up to try them out for themselves; people were willing to look past any driving difficulties for the chance to crash into other people! The Lusse Brothers are also credited with bringing the Dodgems to the UK. Companies including Orton and Spooner, Rytecraft, Robert Lakin and Lang Wheels presented them at funfairs and fairgrounds across the country until they became firm favourites. In the early 1920s, a patent was granted to Max Stoehrer and his son Harold for an "Amusement Apparatus" which became the basis for The potential for the Dodgems was obvious, and further improvements came from the Lusse Brothers in 1927. Their 'Auto Skooter' was significantly easier to control, with a front motor and ring-and-pinion axles to improve steering. This helped to bring the ride to a wider audience. The Dodgems Arrive in the UKDodgem is a simple abstract strategy game invented by Colin Vout in 1972 while he was a mathematics student at the University of Cambridge as described in the book Winning Ways. It is played on an n× n board with n-1 cars for each player—two cars each on a 3×3 board is enough for an interesting game, but larger sizes are also possible. This article cites Wikipedia (or sources that take information from Wikipedia), in a circular manner. Please help improve this article by repairing any insufficient attribution if necessary and adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced or poorly sourced material may be challenged and removed. Although the idea of the ride is to bump other cars, safety-conscious (or at least litigation-conscious) owners sometimes put up signs reading "This way around" and "No (head on) bumping". [4] [5] Depending on the level of enforcement by operators, these rules are often ignored by bumper car riders, especially younger children and teenagers. [6] History [ edit ] Dodgem Corp ceased manufacturing dodgems 1970, but by this point there were many companies offering both traditional-style and modern dodgems throughout the globe. The Dodgems had established itself as a fixture at family-friendly occasions, and found its way to amusement arcades, cinemas, indoor leisure centres and many other locations. I love Dodgems – a lot. However, I only just learnt why they’re called Dodgems. It’s really interesting, actually. You ready to find out? Dodgems weren’t originally supposed to crash into each other.

A third method is used on Quantum-class cruise ships, where bumper cars run on electric batteries. This avoids the conductive floor/ceiling of the traditional bumper car setup, allowing the SeaPlex venue to be convertible from a bumper-car ride to a multipurpose gym (basketball court). The disadvantage is that these ships' bumper cars take several hours to recharge. A ride in a bumper car, short video clip Bumping [ edit ] Are you planning to hire the Dodgems? We're pleased to offer this high-octane fairground ride for hire throughout England and Wales - if you want to hire Dodgems in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Cardiff, or anywhere else, we can help you out! This fairground equipment can be hired anywhere, from the major cities to the middle of the countryside. Me and my sister shot each other a guilty glance, drove away sharpish and left the kid to be fished out by the ride attendant and returned to his mother and his gigantic, hulking, angry-looking father. When you hire Dodgems from us, it's up to you what you do with them - you can use them as a fundraiser or earner by charging people for entry, or open it up as a free-for-all! Hire Dodgem and Bumper Cars in England and WalesWe have an ever growing product range and we can offer customersadult Dodgem cars, medium size ( midi ) and mini models for children. And not to mention the many customthemed cars produced over the years. Berlekamp, Elwyn R.; Conway, John Horton; Guy, Richard K. (2003), "Dodgem", Winning Ways for your Mathematical Plays, vol.3 (2nded.), A.K. Peters, pp.749–750, ISBN 978-1-56881-143-7 . It’s understandable that the kids would bump each other once a while, so there was rarely ever a penalty for kids’ collisions. Whether you call them ‘dodgems’ or ‘bumper cars’, there’s no denying just how awesome it is to get behind the wheel. Of course, the name ‘dodgems’ does show that the aim of this game was originally to AVOID the other cars rather than bump into them, but people soon realised how much more fun it was to put the ‘bump’ into bumper cars. Burton, Anthony (2000). Traction Engines Two Centuries of Steam Power. Silverdale Books. pp.105–106. ISBN 1856055337.

This poll uses a cookie which we have classified as ‘strictly necessary’ for the duration of your online session.Pursell, Carroll (2015). From Playgrounds to PlayStation: The Interaction of Technology and Play. Johns Hopkins University Press. pp.65–66. ISBN 9781421416502 . Retrieved 24 September 2023. This article is about the abstract game. For the fairground ride, see bumper cars. For the underground magazine, see Dodgem Logic. Starting position for 3×3 Dodgem

Bumper cars or dodgems are the generic names for a type of flat amusement ride consisting of multiple small electrically powered cars which draw power from the floor or ceiling, and which are turned on and off remotely by an operator. They are also known as bumping cars, dodging cars and dashing cars. The first patent for them was filed in 1921. [1] Design [ edit ]A Guide To The Rides". Santa's Village Jefferson, New Hampshire. 2013. Archived from the original on 12 December 2013 . Retrieved 8 December 2013. Amusement Park Spares Ltd are proud to be UK representatives for a number of Dodgem Car manufacturers.With over 25years cooperation we can supply customers with the latest models of Dodgem Cars including Adult, Midi and Mini ranges.