# Octopus (ride)

The Octopus is a type of amusement ride in the shape of an octopus. Six to eight arms attached to a central axis of rotation and move up and down in a wavelike motion via a counter rotating eccentric, while cars at the end of the arms, either attached directly to the arm or fixed on spinning crosses, spin freely or stay in place, depending on the exact type of ride. Each Octopus ride has the arms attached the middle of the ride. The middle or centric of the ride will move somehow (Octopus head, Spider cylinder object, and so on). Most octopus rides require guests to be at least 42 inches to ride without an adult; smaller children must have an adult with them. This is a regular at the annual AGS and AHS fairs in Ateneo de Manila University

## Different Types of Octopus

There are many different kinds of Octopus. They include:
* Eyerly Octopus — One of the oldest of the Octopus rides, this variant, built by the Eyerly Aircraft Company of Oregon, has eight arms, with one car attached to each arm. As the arms turn, they move up and down, and the cars can spin freely. The arms, much like the other Eyerly designs, have a fixed height at each point of the rotation, and cannot be lowered for loading. This means that the operator must load the ride one car at a time, advancing the ride to bring each arm in succession to the place where the arm is at ground level.
* Eyerly Spider — This ride is similar to the Octopus, but with only six arms each of which has two cars on a spinning crossbar.
* Eyerly Monster — This ride has six arms like the spider, but with four cars, rather than two, making it a more intricate design. The arms are attached to a spinning cross.
* Klaus (SDC) Polyp — Originally built in the 1960s by Klaus of Germany, this ride has five arms, with 4 cars attached to a spinning cross at the end of each arm. This variation of the Octopus, though similar to the Eyerly Monster design, differs in two key ways: the cars do not spin since they are attached to the side of the cross arm, and the operator can lower all the arms at once for loading, allowing all cars to be loaded simultaneously. Although the Klaus machines are not extremely common, this design became very popular in Western Europe, with the most common builders of these attractions being Bakker and CAH, both of the Netherlands.
* Schwarzkopf Monster — This popular variant built by Schwarzkopf of Germany is similar to the Klaus Polyp, but much like Eyerly Monster, the cars are allowed to spin freely on the cross, rather than being attached to the side. The ride has five arms, with either four or five cars attached to each arm. There have been three different models of Monster built by Schwarzkopf (with the most popular being the Monster III), but they all function the same. Sartori of Italy also makes a similar ride.
* Looping/ Suspended Polyp — Originally designed by Wieland Schwarzkopf (son of Anton Schwarzkopf), the Looping Polyp was similar to the Monster, but featured cars that could flip over as well as spin (similar to a Mondial Shake ride). The cars were also suspended below the crosses, rather than above. The prototype, Sound Factory, built for German showman Kinzler in 1997, was the only Looping Polyp ever built, as the ride was plagued by mechanical issues and was pulled out of service just a couple years later. Around the 2008/2009 season, Gerstlauer of Germany replaced the original looping cars with spinning cars for showman Aigner, who renamed it Parkour and currently tours various German Funfairs. As of March 2017, Gerstlauer still offers the Suspended Polyp.

## Ride locations

* Octopus (Eyerly Octopus) – Hydro Free Fair - Hydro, Oklahoma
* Octopus (Eyerly Octopus) – Funland Amusement Park- Idaho Falls, Idaho
* Monster (Eyerly Monster) – Cedar Point
* Monster (Eyerly Monster) – Kings Island (1972)
* Monster (Eyerly Monster) – Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom
* Monstruo (Schwarzkopf Monster III) – Parque de la Ciudad (1983–present), Buenos Aires, Argentina
* Octopus (Vortex) – Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival
* Sea Warrior (Klaus [SDC] Polyp) – Indiana Beach (formerly at Kiddieland Amusement Park and Lake Winnie)
* Spider (Eyerly Spider) – Bill Hames Amusements, carnival
* Spider (Eyerly Spider) – Lakeside Amusement Park
* Spider (Eyerly Spider) – Elitch Gardens
* Spider (Eyerly Spider) – North American Midway Entertainment Co.
* Spider (Eyerly Spider) – Tom Evans United Shows
* Spider (Eyerly Spider) – Evans Midland Empire Shows, Inc.
* Spider (Eyerly Spider) – Idlewild and Soak Zone
* Spider (Eyerly Spider) – Luna Park, Melbourne
* Spider (Eyerly Spider) – Camden Park
* Octopus (Eyerly Octopus) – Great American Shows.
* Spider (Eyerly Spider) – Waldameer & Water World
* El pulpo (Eyerly Spider) – Parque Nacional de Diversiones Costa Rica
* Spider (Eyerly Spider) – River City Carnival
* Spider (Eyerly Spider) – South Florida Fair
* The Lobster (Schwarzkopf Monster III) – Six Flags Great America
* Spider (Eyerly Spider) – Conneaut Lake Park
* Spider (Eyerly Spider) – Shooting Star Amusements
* Mustekala (Schwarzkopf Monster III) - Linnanmäki
* Rock & Roll (Schwarzkopf Monster III) - Six Flags México
* Piovra (Soriani & Moser Polyp) - PowerPark