R.G. Mitchell

Logo used since the late 1990s

**RG Mitchell Children's Rides Ltd.** was a British kiddie ride company located in Skegness, England. It was founded by Robin Guthrie Mitchell (the namesake of the company) in 1959, initially a family business, Robin worked alongside his wife, Barbara, and later his son, the late Robin Jr. Many external staff were hired as members of the business over the years. the company came under acquisition by Photo-Me PLC in 8th July 2005, trading as Jolly Roger Amusement Rides Ltd., whom made use of their Skegness manufacturing facility and continued to build their rides, releasing them under their own name. In early 2019, a rumour had spread about Photo-Me scrapping many of their older **R.G. Mitchell** rides. After direct contact with staff, this rumour was debunked and proven as false, in that Photo-Me have no intent of scrapping some of their highest-grossing machines.

**R.G. Mitchell**'s kiddie rides are often regarded as some of the most popular and most high-quality seen in the world, receiving several awards for their innovative and interactive features, such as "**rolling road**" display screens, **button-and-prompt-type interactive games**, **Plug-&-Play** timers which require minimal manual setup from an owner or operator, **soft start** and **finish** to prevent unexpected stopping and starting, and the use of **large**, **well-known licenses**, such as *Thomas The Tank Engine & Friends*, *Budgie The Little Helicopter,* and *Thunderbirds*.

However, They did have a website which is archived. The website lasted until the purchase.

Website: http://rgmitchell.com

Ride Manuals: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjKqvn5t8KDAxVQmokEHUGqANYQFnoECA0QAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theisenvending.com%2Fassets%2Fpdf%2FRGM%2520Manual%2520Suite%2520Dec.%252006.pdf&usg=AOvVaw2H-ZaQcxM1bIxMUNCU51dM&opi=89978449

## Kiddie Rides

In its time of independent operation, R.G. Mitchell designed over 50 different ride models, each with their own characteristics, personality, license and interactive features. These models were largely produced in masses and shipped worldwide both by the company themselves and through distributors' sales. R.G. Mitchell's rides were each built to their own, but using common models of **ride bases**, **primary control boards**, **headlights**, and **"rolling road" display screens**. R.G. Mitchell issued seven different types of ride bases; two types which move in a **up-and-down rocking motion**, two types which move in a **back-and-forth sliding motion**, a type which moves in a **90-degree rotating motion**, a type which moves in a **gyrating motion**, and a type which **spins**. These bases are used on different rides and are often selected as per the ride's size, weight, and subject matter. For example, the NASA Rocket features a base which moves in a **90-degree rotating motion** due to its tall stature and subject matter of a rocket ship. Most rides released after the year 1996 feature bases with a **back-and-forth sliding motion**, such as Alpha-Ted, the Hank series, and newer releases of the 4-Track series. All RGM rides run standardly with a 240V motor. R.G. Mitchell Used different coin mechs over the years. From 1959-early 1990's, they used the S1 Coin mechs. Ever since Multi-Mechs were introduced, they used the NRI Coin mech, and since 2000's-2006, they used the Mars 330 Coin mechs with a middle-sized plate.

**Also, please note that some rides may have incorrect year of releases. It will be corrected in the future.**

## Wooden Models (1959-1964)

Before RGM began production on their very first fiberglass-made rides in 1964, they have been making just wooden models, like how other rides at the time were being made with. However, some of these photos are rare, so it might take time to find many of these photos.

Rocky 1 (1959)Stripey and Pony Express (1961)Jerry 1 (1962) (unit renamed to Dandy; shown on the base)Ride-About (1962) (Stripey and Sports Car)Red Flash 1 (1963)
## Fiberglass Models (1964-2005)

Soon, RGM discontinued their rides that were being made with wood, and sold the last of these rides later on. From that year on until 2005 (when JR bought them), every of RGM’s rides would be made with fiberglass.

Please note that not all rides are presented here. The rides that are missing include: Clown Car, Cosmo Car, Super Sprint, Astro Shuttle, Power Boat, Chopper Bike, Black Lotus, Red Lotus, Tank, Submarine, Cosmo, Champion, and Dragster.

Rocky 2 (1964)Scoota Ship (renamed and revised Surf Rider) (1964)Red Flash 2 (1964)Danny Deer 2 (1965)Jerry the Giraffe 2 (1965)Candy 2 (1965)Jerry 3 (released alongside Jerry 2) (1965)Space Scout (1960s)Space Scout (different version) (1960s)Motorbike (1966)Thunder Jet (1967)E-Type (1968)Rescue Lifeboat (1968)Z-Bike (1968)Unknown Ride (1969)Puffing Billy (1969)Skunk? (1960s/1970s)Red Flash Ferrari (1960s/1970s)Moonbug (1970)Humpy 2 (1970s)Jumbo 2 (1972)Jerry 4 (1970s)Candy 3 (1972)Splasher (1972)Wagon Train (1972)Hot Rod (1972)Danny Deer 3 (1970s)Speedboat (1970s)The Scrambler (1977)RGM Sea Scooter (1970s/1980s)RGM Mini Copter (1980s)Sky Rider 2 (1980s)Super Surfer (1980s)RGM Space Walker (1985)Big Red Tractor (1980s/1990s)Fire Engine (1990s)RGM Express (1990s)Vintage Van (1990)Sports Racer (1990)Puffin' Billy (1990s)A-Train (1990s)TNT Turbo (1990s)Jimbo and the Jet-Set (1993)Unknown Car (1990s)?Toytown Playtime (1990s)Toytown Police (1990s)Toytown Fire Chief (1990s)Toytown Taxi Cab Co (1990s)Space Rocket (1993/1994)Budgie the Little Helicopter (1994)Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends (1994)Thunderbird 1 (1994)Thunderbird 2 (1994)Sky Hawk Helicopter (1994/1995)Sky Hawk Fire Fox (1994/1995)Sky Hawk Police (1994/1995)Alpha Ted (1995)Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends (Mini) (1995)4 Track Off Road Racer (1996)Mr Postie (1996)4-Track Police (1996)Musical Mushroom (1996)Open Top Forest Ranger (1996)Open Top Safari Jeep (1996)Sooty & Co (1996)American Roadster (Blue) (1997)Mr Softy's Ice Cream Van (1997)Snow White's Enchanted Castle (1997)Flounder (1998)School Bus (Yellow) (1998)Surf Skimmer (1990s)School Bus (Red) (1998)Beach Buggy (Modified Alpha Ted) (1998)Postman Pat (1998)Budgie's Lighthouse (1998)Tots TV (1998)The Story Teller (1999)Wildlife Rescue (1999)Fireman Sam (1999)Steady Eddie (From the books) (1999)Bertie's Fun Bug (1999 in the US, 2000 in the UK)Haunted Castle (Modified Snow White’s Enchanted Castle) (1999/2000)Storyteller Bus (Modified School Bus with the Storyteller audio) (2000s)The Adventures of Captain Pugwash (2000)Pelican Pete's Coastwatch Boat (2000)Space Shuttle (2000)Hank's Hot Dog Van (2000)Hank's Ice Cream Van (2001)Noddy (2001)Mitch the Dumper Truck (2001)Animal Rescue (2002)Bill & Ben (2002)Hank's Story Teller Van (2002)Percy's Police Car (2002)Engie Benjy (2002)Puppy Biker (2002)Fred's Fire Truck (2003)Fun Carousel (2003)Huggy Bear (Modified Noddy) (2003)Beach Buggy 2 (2003)Dodgem (2003)Teddy Bears Picnic (2003)Captain Nemo (2004)Brad's Pickup Truck (2004)
## Ride Re-fits with Stamars

Several R.G. Mitchell rides have been re-fitted with Stamar System 3001 timers by Jolly Roger Amusement Rides Ltd.. These use Stamar messages (usually with some BOT-1 messages aswell).

## Prompt Messages

Each control board featured its own individual voice messages, to prompt users on actions such as to when to press the START button to begin your ride, when more coins are required, and when the ride is over. Some rides use their own personalised messages, such as licensed or heavily themed rides, whereas others use standardised messages, such as generic rides. Additionally, attract sounds are often heard on R.G. Mitchell rides when inactive for 120 seconds. The most common is laughing kids.

These messages are very popular among ride fans, as they are recordable and may vary depending on a ride unit. Messages which have been sighted by fans include:

Exclusive to Hungary, the messages on the R.G. Mitchell Rides are in Hungarian and United Kingdom.

### **Generic Messages**

**More Coins**

* *"Please add more coins." (Toytown Playtime Car) (Robin Mitchell, Jr.)*
* *V1: "Please add more coins now." (Early 1990s rides; Robin Mitchell, Jr.)*
* "Please add another coin." (Voiced by Richard Pearce) (Used On Budgie, 1994)
* "Add another coin, please." (Robin Mitchell, Jr.; used on both Thunderbirds rides)
* *V2: "Please add more money." (Late 1990s rides; Barbara Mitchell)*
* *"Please add more money." (Voiced by Matthew Corbett; used on Sooty & Co.; 1996)*
* *V3: "Please add another coin." (Other late 1990s rides; Barbara Mitchell)*
* V4: *"You have to add more coins!"* (2000s Rides)
* *"Please add more coins" (Huggy Bear) (Robin Mitchell, Jr.)*
* *"Please add more coins" (Teddy Bears Picnic) (Robin Mitchell, Jr.)*

**Press START Button**

* V1: *"Press START, now." (Robin Mitchell, Jr.)*
* "Wanneer u klaar bent, drukt u op de START-knop!" (Voiced by Robin Mitchell III NL Language) (Used On V2 ANWB, 2001)
* "5, 4, 3, 2, 1! Press Start Now!" (Voiced by Peter Dayley and Robin Mitchell Jr) (Thunderbirds Rides, 1994)
* "Please push the Start Button" (Voiced by Richard Pearce) (Used On Budgie, 1994)
* V2 (old): *"Please push the START button." (Barbara Mitchell)*
* "Hello, I'm Matthew Corbett. Please push the "Start" Button." (Voiced by Matthew Corbett) (Used on Sooty and Co, 1996)
* V2: *"Please push the START button!" (Barbara Mitchell)*
* V3: *"When you're ready, press the START button!"* *(Robin Mitchell III)*
* "Hey kids, welcome to Hank's Hot Dog Van! If you're feeling hungry, press the Start Button!" (Used on Hank's Hotdog Van, 2000)
* "Hey kids, welcome to my cool Ice Cream Van. If you're feeling hungry, push the Start button!" (Used on Hank's Ice Cream Van, 2000)
* "Hey kids, push my Start Button for some wild, wet fun!" (Used on Pelican Pete's Coastwatch Boat, 2000)
* "When you're ready, push my start button!" (Used on Huggy Bear, 2002)

**End of Ride**

* V1: *"Bye for now, I hope to hear from you again soon!" (Susan Sheridan)*
* "Thank you for flying with me, come back soon!" (Voiced by Richard Pearce) (Used On Budgie, 1994)
* "Bedankt voor het rijden, kom snel terug" (Voiced by Tommy) (Used on V2 ANWB, 2001)
* V2 (old): *"Thank you for riding with us, come back soon." (Barbara Mitchell)*
* "Thank you for riding with Sooty and Co, come back soon!" (Voiced by Matthew Corbett) (Used on Sooty and Co, 1996)
* V2: *"Thank you for riding with us, come back soon!" (Barbara Mitchell)*
* V3: *"Thanks for riding with us, come back soon!" (Robin Mitchell III)*
* "Thank you for riding with us!" "Thank you very much, it's been brilliant!" "It's been really, really nice!" "Goodbye!" (voiced by Robin Stevens and Andrew Davenport; used on Tots TV; 1998)
* "So long guys, see ya later." (Used on Pelican Pete's Coastwatch Boat, 2000)
* "Oh Well, Goodbye For Now. Do Come Back Soon." (voiced by Susan Sheridan) (Used On Noddy, 2001)
* "Hey that was a cool ride, come back soon!" (Used on Huggy Bear, 2002)

**Carousels**

* "The ride is about to begin... please stand clear!" (Voiced by Michael Angelis) (Beginning message on The Funtime Carousel, 2003)
* "Please remain seated, until the ride has stopped!" (Voiced by Michael Angelis) (End of ride message on The Funtime Carousel, 2003)

**Boards**

* R.G. Mitchell used a variety of control boards over its time:
	+ The **Stamar System 2000** PCBs were the first to be used by RGM, from when the company opened until acquisition of better technology. RGM did not use prompt messages with these PCBs. These timers were often reused by Jolly Roger Amusement Rides Limited when required throughout their refurbishment and rebuilding of RGM's rides.
	+ **PCM-001** and **PCM-002** PCBs were first introduced in the early 1990s and primarily used on rides released up until 1994, such as the Sports Racer, early releases of Thomas The Tank Engine, Budgie The Little Helicopter, Jimbo & The Jet-Set, Thunderbirds 1 and 2, early releases of the NASA Rocket, and several others. These PCBs are generally characterised by their ability to hold up to eight basic-type EEPROM data chips and their obnoxious prompt messages voiced by Robin Mitchell, Sr.
	+ **PCM-Version 3** PCBs were first introduced in 1995 and primarily used on rides released up until the year 2000, such as Alpha-Ted, 4-Track, Mr. Softy's Ice Cream Van, The Story Teller, early releases of Postman Pat and Fireman Sam, and most releases of Thomas. These PCBs are generally characterised by their abilities to hold up to 16 EEPROM data chips and the capacity for interactive games, such as those featured on the Alpha-Ted ride, along with two variants of prompt messages voiced by Barbara Mitchell.
	+ **BOT-1** PCBs were first introduced in 2000 and used on all rides released up until the company's acquisition by Jolly Roger Amusement Rides. These PCBs are aesthetically similar to **PCM-Version 3** PCBs, but are able to hold more data for higher-level interactive games, such as featured on the Fred's Fire Truck ride, and external peripherals such as video screens and cameras, as featured on the Dodgem and Captain Nemo rides. The prompt messages featured on these PCBs are voiced by Robin Mitchell, Jr.
	+ **Stamar 4001** PCBs are currently now the standard timers used by R.G. Mitchell, or at least Photo-Me. After Jolly Roger, a subsidiary or Photo-Me, acquired R.G. Mitchell by 2006, they reissued some of R.G. Mitchell’s rides that they have made in the 2000s, including the Hank’s Interactive Vans series and Fred’s Fire Truck. Stamars found in these reissues play both standard Stamar announcements and announcements from the BOT-1 PCB.

## See Also

Jolly Roger Amusement Rides

Photo-Me