Dream Tropes Wiki/The Kiddie Ride

Ah, kiddie rides. Those things that practically suck the spare change out of your pockets (particularly if you're a parent) and are largely found in or near shopping malls. The things that attract little kids (and Periphery Demographic crowds like bored or drunken teenagers) like magnets.

Originally invented as a Christmas present by an engineer for his kids, and then commercialized as a portable alternative of the carousel (and additional income earner for grocers), these have since crossed into Merchandise-Driven (and occasionally, Misaimed Marketing) subtrope territory with the introduction of the licensed kiddie ride. Now kids will be able to rent up to one and a half minutes of their favorite characters' time for a dollar or two.

Subset of The Merch.

If a TV show targeted at children gets very popular, it's bound to spawn at least one kiddie ride. If it has an Earworm theme tune, the ride will play a snippet of it every five minutes to attract attention, and on repeat while in operation.

## Anime

* *Samurai Pizza Cats* spawned one in 1995 of the Supreme Catatonic in Sphinx mode by PlayTech. The ride is interactive with a CRT video screen and features the original character voices, plus it features figures of Speedy, Polly, and Guido hanging onto the nose of the Catatonic. One was found at a Chuck E. Cheese's in Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S. in mint condition.
* The DiC dub of *Sailor Moon* spawned two, the blimp from the first Japanese OP and a modified version of the Japanese one, both from PlayTech. The titular character exists on the blimp as a figure on the side of the ride. Around Christmas times in the late 90's, some of the Sailor Moon figures on the blimps would be replaced with a Santa Claus one. Both play the DiC dub's theme song while in motion. Some of the PlayTech blimps have been spotted out in the open, one was spotted outside a Cumberland Farms in Clinton, Massachusetts. Some of the PlayTech blimps were exported to German-speaking regions, the German versions play the German theme "Sag das Zauberwort" when in motion.

## Films - Animation

* *The Brave Little Toaster*: Kirby the Vacuum, from PlayTech. The rider rides in a wagon he's pulling along.

## Live-Action TV

* *Rescue 911*: Around 1994, 4 rides were made by Videotronics Rides to promote the MTM syndie version. You get to drive either an ambulance, fire truck, police car, or Coast Guard boat with cardboard cutouts of William Shatner and emergency personnel in the backseat. The rides feature ride start messages recorded by Shatner himself, and they play an extended version of the MTM syndie theme song when in motion. The Coast Guard boat is pretty rare, according to former Videotronics employees only 60 were made in Videotronics' Barry kiddie ride factory, though there is one Coast Guard boat at a Ocean State Job Lot in Gardner, Massachusetts, United States.
* *Zoboomafoo*: With Zoboo in the back seat of a green jeep, produced by PlayTech.
* *Power Rangers*: PlayTech have held the license since the *Mighty Morphin Power Rangers* era. They started off with rides based off the *Dinozord Ultrazord*, *Red Ranger's Battle Bike*, *Dinozord Megazord*, *Tigerzord*, and *Red Dragon Thunderzord*. The rides were so popular that PlayTech made more at Saban and operators' respective demands, and thus PlayTech are one of the longest-running licensees for the franchise.
* *The Red Green Show* (!) had a kiddie ride based off the Possum Van made by PlayTech in 2002.
* *Doctor Who* gave rise to a coin-operated Dalek ride back in The '60s and two different TARDIS kiddie rides - one in the 1980s and one by PlayTech in the late 2000s.

## Toys

* *The Transformers*:
	+ The G1 era had four rides in 1986, all from PlayTech. They follow the generic "ride on a superhero's back" concept and are styled after Optimus Prime, Megatron, and Bumblebee, with a Soundwave ride sold in limited numbers. In 2003, Latikuu Leisure Inc. issued two new G1-styled rides - being Optimus Prime in truck mode and Bumblebee in Beetle mode.
	+ Beast Wars had a Optimus Primal ride also from PlayTech.
* *Jem*: Jem's Rockin' Roadster, from PlayTech. The ride plays "Truly Outrageous" while in motion.

## Theater

* *Cats* spawned one of Grizabella and Mr. Mistoffelees in a rusty old shopping cart and of which plays "Memory" when in motion, made by PlayTech. It was usually only brought along with touring versions of the musical and placed in theaters showing the tours would stop it, however some were sold to shopping centers and stores: one was found in a Target in Leominster, Massachusetts, U.S. of all places.

## Music

* Devo got a energy dome ride in the mid-2000's courtesy of PlayTech. In 2013, it was reissued recolored blue. The ride (predictably) plays "Whip It" when in motion, and has a ride start message read out by Robert Mothersbaugh, Sr. as General Boy.
* KISS has several, most of them from Videotronics Rides.
* The Baha Men have a dog catcher's van kiddie ride which plays "Who Let The Dogs Out" while in motion.

## Literature

* *Seven Little Monsters*: PlayTech produced a kiddie ride based off the TV adaptation, which is a bus with the rider sitting next to One and Two. The other monsters and Mama exist as stickers on the ride.
* *Redwall*: Latikuu Leisure Inc. has produced multiple kiddie rides based off the franchise, including two versions of a one-seater with Matthias and one where you ride on Warbeak Sparra's back.
* *Silverwing*: From Latikuu Leisure Inc., wherein you ride on Shade Silverwing's back. A second version styled after Marina Brightwing exists.
* *The Magic School Bus*: The titular bus from PlayTech. Mrs. Frizzle and Liz sit next to the rider, while the students are simply stickers on the bus.
* *Harry Potter*: PlayTech produced a ride based off the magical flying Ford Anglia from *Chamber of Secrets*.

## Video Games

* *Mega Man*: Around 1992, PlayTech made a ride where you get to ride in a car modeled after the *Rush Jet* with a figure of *Mega Man* standing next to the seat. PlayTech also made a ride modeled after the *Rush Marine*, but the Rush Marine ride is a pretty rare ride as opposed to the Rush Jet ride. Later issues of both rides play the 1994 cartoon's theme song when in motion.

## Western Animation

* *Care Bears* spawned one of Love-A-Lot Bear and Grumpy Bear in a cloud shaped car, produced by PlayTech in 1985. The ride plays "I Wanna Be A Care Bear" from the DiC series when in motion.
* *The Get Along Gang*: The Clubhouse Caboose, from PlayTech.
* *Wayside* spawned one of Todd and Maurecia in a school bus, produced by Latikuu Leisure Inc.. One was found at the Pheasant Lane Mall in Nashua, New Hampshire, U.S. in a slightly damaged condition.
* *Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat* spawned several kiddie rides by Latikuu Leisure Inc., including Sagwa, Dongwa, Sheegwa and Fu-Fu variants of the base model.
* *The Sweet Treets* has several: many were made by R.G. Mitchell in the 90's, the rest in the 2000's and 2010's by PlayTech.
* *PB&J Otter*: A boat with the titular otter siblings riding with the rider, from Latikuu Leisure Inc., which includes a radio with buttons that play "Oodelay-Oh", "Noodle Dance", "Put on Your Best Face", "Bubble-O Popple-O", and "Friends" respectively.
* *Theodore Tugboat*: The titular character from Videotronics Rides.
* *SWAT Kats*: The TurboKat, from PlayTech.
* *Danny Phantom*: With Danny stopping the "ghost car" you're riding in, from PlayTech.