My earlyest Boardwalk memory was bacl in 1981. I was 4 at the time, but can remember it like I was there last month. I remember going with my Dad, his brother and my older cousins. I remember geting a giant blue letter J on my hand and a red bracelet with a yellow peace of metel heald the tread bracelet tighter around my rist, so not to fall off. I remember riding on the little kid rides, and drove a car for the first time on the Great Auto Race ride (when they had a throttle pettle still). The Cave train was awesome (you need to put the card players back in with penutbutter and jelly on the cards), and the sky ride going over the 3 wheels at every pole was the scaryest ride of them all.
The things people remember the most about there childhood is the things they have to wait to ride or play. For me it was the Funhouse wooden spinner where neptunes kingdom is now. I remember that first visit, my cousin’s wanting to go play in the fun house. They talked how awesome it was and I would love the mirrors and wooden barrol you walk through. When we got in, I remember looking at the myself in all different shapes and sizes, then walking through the turnstyle that counts people, then playing in the spinning tunnel. After playing there for awhile, and getting a lot of ” watch out for the little guy” by the older kids playing around me. After they dragged me out of the tunnel, I descovered I was in the main room filled with laughter and the happyest kids I have ever seen. I think I crossed a shakey bridge to where my cousins ran up to a big spining wooden wheel to wait their turn. I waited with them. When the ride stopped and all the kids flew off of it in all directions, we ran to the center to get our spot. The Boardwalk employee working that ride came up to me and said “I’m sorry little guy, but you are too small. Next year you can ride on this ride”. I understood and watched for awhile thinking “next year I will get my chance to try to be last on this ride”, but the following Year when I came back, the Boardwalk was remodeled and a mini golf course with only the funhouse mirrors left to remind me of the ride I never got to ride.
I asked other friends my age and a few years older than me if they remember a funhouse where neptunes kingdom is now, but they onlt remember the mini gulf course. My parents say the funhouse was where the bumpercars are now in another building, next to the main Boardwalk sitdown food court accross from the 1911 Looff house.
I would like to know about the funhouse I talked about. I have the 100 year book, but it only says the funhouse was taken out in 1971. I know I didn’t go back in time, so it was there. Can you findout from Charles Canfield and email me back.
Side note: In 1990 my old neighbor, Mr. Tippit said he worked for Arthur Looff back in the early 1920’s. He showed me pictures of himself as a teenager and in his early 20’s working on the crew that built The Big Dipper at Playland in San Francisco, The Giant Dipper Santa Cruz and The Mission Beach Coaster in San Diago. He had photos of other coasters he had worked on in the 20’s and early 30’s, but he died 15 years ago and who knows where the photos are. I remember one of the photos had an unpainted dragon tunnel. I thought that was cool on a roller coaster.
