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 ] their Dodgem cars. They deliberately equipped their device with "novel instrumentalities to render their manipulation and control difficult and uncertain by the occupant-operator.” They asserted that “in the hands of an unskilled operator," a "plurality of independently manipulated... cars" would “follow a promiscuous, irregular, and undefined path over the floor or other area, to not only produce various sensations during the travel of the vehicle but to collide with other cars as well as with portions of the platform provided for that purpose." [7] That might not come as some surprise given how I just said they weren’t supposed to bump into each other and they had practically barely any steering.

Should You Let Your Kids Ride Amusement Park Bumper Cars?". Premium Amusement Park & Funfair Ground Rides. 2016-03-04. Archived from the original on 2020-08-08 . Retrieved 2020-09-25. The board is initially set up with n-1 blue cars along the left edge and n-1 red cars along the bottom edge, the bottom left square remaining empty. Turns alternate: player 1 ("Left")'s turn is to move any one of the blue cars one space forwards (right) or sideways (up or down). Player 2 ("Right")'s turn is to move any one of the red cars one space forwards (up) or sideways (left or right). Burton, Anthony (2000). Traction Engines Two Centuries of Steam Power. Silverdale Books. pp.105–106. ISBN 1856055337. The largest operating bumper car floor currently operating in the United States is at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois. Called the Rue Le Dodge (renamed Rue Le Morgue during Fright Fest in the fall), it is 51feet 9inches (15.77m) by 124feet 9inches (38.02m) or a total of 6,455 square feet (599.7m 2). A replica of the ride was built at California's Great America in Santa Clara; in 2005, however, a concrete island was added to the middle of the floor to promote one-way traffic, reducing the floor area. [11] Six Flags Great Adventure's Autobahn is the largest bumper car floor, but it has not operated since 2008. 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 WalesThis 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. Find sources: "Bumper cars"– news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR ( November 2019) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) The Stoehrer brothers were the first dudes to put a patent on bumper cars and they called their company the Dodgem Company. 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 ] 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.

The 3×3 game can be completely analyzed ( strongly solved) and is a win for the first player—a table showing who wins from every possible position is given in Winning Ways, and given this information it is easy to read off a winning strategy. Dolan, Maura (January 1, 2013). "Ruling over bumper-car injury supports amusement park". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 8 December 2013. However in their first season, the Stoehrer brothers reported crowds of 40 – 50 people consistently waiting for a go at the Dodgems – and that’s after they’d doubled the price per ride from 15 cents to 30 cents! But when they were first invented in 1920, the whole point of going on the bumper cars was to… well, not bump into other bumper cars – hence the name “Dodgems,” because you had to dodge ’em. 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.

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

In the early 1920s, a patent was granted to Max Stoehrer and his son Harold for an "Amusement Apparatus" which became the basis for 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.I slammed my foot down, my sister was screaming “ Get ’em!!” like we were in some Mad Max movie and then BUMP! The game can also be played in Misere, where you force your opponent to move their pieces off the board. [1] Theory [ edit ] 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 ] Dodgems are much-loved by people of all ages. Put the pedal to the metal and either bump into other players or try to avoid them. There are no winners or losers - just good fun to be had by all.