The Whip was a ride originally designed and built by W.F. Mangels Company of

Coney Island Coney Island is a peninsular neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn, Manhattan Beach to its east, L ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, United States.Video: "The Whip Amusement Park Ride" Than & Now
, Technorati.

William F. Mangels William F. Mangels (1866–1958) was an amusement manufacturer and inventor. He worked at Coney Island and was a major player in the development of American amusement parks at the start of the 20th century. In addition to manufacturing carousels an ...

patented the ride in 1914 and it soon became extremely popular. The ride consists of two circular wheel-like turn-table platforms on opposing sides of a rectangular base. Motors turn a cable that leads a number of 2–3 person seater cars that are attached, around a laminated wooden track. The ride follows the track while the cable turns. When the car reaches one of the turn-table platforms, the speed picks up forcing riders to one side as the car whips around the corner. Whips with 8, 10, or 12 cars were available. At least two 16-car models exist, one operating at Kennywood and the other in storage at Knoebels. The Whip is commonly found at older, historic parks. A children's version was also built that looked exactly like the full size version. A children's roto-whip was also produced and is in a circular motion that whips the cars as it goes around. The children's roto-whips are more common today than the full-scale versions. The Whip's name could lead many to believe it is an aggressive thrill ride but most are actually very tame. The normal minimum rider height requirement is 46 inches tall unless with an adult at most parks, even though most whips are rarely aggressive rides. The version at Knoebel's has non-lockable restraints, and riders can easily get out during the ride's rotation, which may add reason to these restrictions. The Whip spread to other countries such as

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. During the 1930s, the English poet

John Betjeman Sir John Betjeman (; 28 August 190619 May 1984) was an English poet, writer, and broadcaster. He was Poet Laureate from 1972 until his death. He was a founding member of The Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture ...

described St Giles' Fair in

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

as follows:

Today

Two of the oldest Whips operating today are at

Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom is an American amusement and water park located between Allentown and Emmaus, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. The park features 64 rides, including six roller coasters, other ad ...

Allentown, Pennsylvania Allentown ( Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Allenschteddel'', ''Allenschtadt'', or ''Ellsdaun'') is a city in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The city has a population of 125,845 as of the 2020 census. It is the fastest-growing major city in Pennsylvania ...

, manufactured in 1918, and Kennywood Park in

West Mifflin, Pennsylvania West Mifflin is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, located southeast of downtown Pittsburgh. The population was 20,313 at the 2010 census. It is named after Thomas Mifflin, 1st Governor of Pennsylvania, signer of the Un ...

, manufactured in 1926. The Whip at Playland in

Rye, New York Rye is a coastal suburb of New York City in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is separate from the Town of Rye, which has more land area than the city. The City of Rye, formerly the Village of Rye, was part of the Town until it r ...

was made in 1928, and is one of the park's oldest rides. Another installation of a classic Whip is at Knoebels Grove in Elysburg, PA. This whip, called the "Whipper" was originally installed at a park in Hunlock Creek, PA called Croops Glen moved to Knoebels in the 1940s after that park closed. These rides have become increasingly rare. There are a small handful located in the North-Eastern United States. There is still an original "The Whip" in Camden Park Huntington, West Virginia, as well as "The Whip Jr." Another Whip is in Operation at Heritage Park Historical Village in

Calgary, Canada Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, making ...

A modern version Whip is currently manufactured by Sellner Manufacturing, which also makes a modern version of the Tilt-a-Whirl ride. Throughout urban areas in America, Mobile Whip Rides were once prevalent on the streets of many cities. These are considered truck mounted portable amusement devices. Mobile Whip Rides such as this still exist in the New York City area and are rented out for block parties, street fairs and birthday parties.cities.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Whip, The Amusement rides introduced in 1914 Amusement rides Coney Island