Wild Mouse Rides: Early History in North America

This page attempts to track the earlier generation of wild mouse rides popular in North America in the 1950s and 1960s. It is limited by its reliance on U.S. sources, particularly the Outdoor and Show News sections of Billboard magazine from 1954-1960. This is very much a work in progress. I have not yet had access to early issues of Amusement Business, which succeeded Funspot and the Show News section of Billboard in 1961. I welcome additions and corrections, and am particularly interested in any information that sheds light on the European side of the business.

The European history of the wild mouse is confusing and somewhat unclear. The first ride of this sort was built by the German Showman Heinrich and was called Teufelskutsche (Devil's Coach). Some sources date this ride to 1934, but the ride appears to have achieved its greatest popularity in the 1950s. Pinfari's first roller coaster, dating from 1954, was a wild mouse-type ride. Mack also claims to have developed the wild mouse. One of their brochures states:

However, since a Wild Mouse ride had already appeared at the Oktoberfest by 1955, this claim cannot be completely accurate.

In any case, the German ride seems to have captured the imagination of North American ride importers and manufacturers. By the end of 1956, Patty Conklin had purchased a German Wild Mouse ride, and Ben Schiff had built a version. Eric Wedemeyer was arranging to import the German ride, and Joe McKee was designing a stationary version of the ride. For the next few years, wild mouse rides seem to have been among the hottest items (aside from permanent coasters) at parks and fairs in North America.

WILD MOUSE MAKERS AND IMPORTERS

German Manufacturers

The biggest problem here is that the U.S. trade magazines do not identify the manufacturers of imported rides. The information presented here is from a variety of sometimes contradictory sources.

Heinrich developed the ride and produced a number of units for sale or export. Some of the North American rides have been attributed to Heinrich. However, being primarily a showman, Heinrich had limited production capacity.

Clones of the Heinrich ride were produced by Zierer, under agreement from Heinrich. All but the first of the Conklin-imported rides were obtained from this source. Reports about Zierer's previous involvement in roller coaster manufacture are somewhat contradictory.

Heinrich Mack's brochures and web site indicate that they produced their first wild mouse in 1957, and that it was installed in Canada. It is possible that their earliest wild mouse rides were produced solely for export.

The cars for the Conklin-imported rides came from Jhle (Ihle) of Bruchsal. The cars used on the Wild Mouse at Santa Cruz Beach and Boardwalk were purchased from Buchwald Gebrüder.

It is possible that there may have been additional German manufacturers that were manufacturing or exporting wild mouse rides. Anton Schwarzkopf built a roller coaster as early as 1957, but no evidence for construction of wild mouse rides has been found.

Importers

Eric Wedemeyer, Inc.

Amusement rides formed only a small part of Eric Wedemeyer's business, which included import and export of novelties and specialty gifts, as well as manufacturing (Simplex Tool and Die, Hamilton Art Metal, Hamilton Diecasting). In the amusement field, Wedemeyer was prominent in the mid to late 1950s as the importer of Roto-Jets, Strato-Jets, and Satellite Jets, manufactured in Germany by the firm of Kaspar Klaus. Wedemeyer claimed at the end of 1956 to have sold three German wild mouse rides to Palisades, Pontchartrain, and Whitney's Playland. However, he also mentioned that the German manufacturer had limited production capacity, and stated that an arrangement had been made with the German maker to have Joseph McKee of Palisades duplicate the ride. The rides erected at Palisades and Pontchartrain were constructed domestically, while Whitney's Playland later obtained a German ride from Export Sales. The first Wedemeyer-imported Wild Mouse ride appears to have opened at Boblo Island during the 1957 season. It appears likely that this ride was the first Mack Wild Mouse. Wedemeyer advertised Wild Mouse rides from 1956 until at least the end of 1957, and reported two additional sales in 1958. However, it is not clear what parks bought these rides, and installation has not yet been confirmed. By 1959, Wedemeyer's advertisements no longer mentioned Wild Mouse rides. Wedemeyer stopped importing rides by early 1962.

The Wedemeyer ads in the spring of 1957 are for

By fall of 1957, the ads distinguish the

from the

Hot Rods Inc.

Morgan C. (Mickey) Hughes and John Christopher were partners in this firm from its founding in 1952 until Christopher's death in 1958. The mainstay of this business in the 1950s consisted of Hot Rods cars imported from Germany. The relationship of Hughes to the Conklin operation is unclear. Many Hughes rides were showcased at the CNE, but since Conklin also imported rides, they may have simultaneously been competitors.

In late 1955, Hughes observed a Wild Mouse ride in operation at the Oktoberfest. He described it for his American audience as having similarities to both Coasters and Virginia Reels, and noted that the German name for the ride (Wilde Maus) came from the skittish movement of the cars. Hughes claimed that he would have the ride on the Conklin midway at the CNE in 1956. However, it appears that he was unable to obtain one this year.

Hughes advertised one or more Wild Mouse rides at least from mid 1958 to early 1960. At the end of 1958, the ads were for

while in spring 1960, the ads indicated

All examples of Wild Mouse installations cited by the Hot Rods ads during this period were rides imported by Conklin.

J. W. (Patty) Conklin

Conklin first announced the purchase of a German Wild Mouse ride in 1956. This ride was made by Heinrich and was purchased at the Oktoberfest from the showman Willenberg. It was claimed that this was one of only four such rides in existence at that time. The ride first ran on the Conklin midway at the 1957 Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) in Toronto, and was moved to Belmont Park in Montreal the following year.

Conklin purchased two more rides in early 1958, and at least five more in late 1958 or early 1959. These were manufactured by Zierer. Several were sold, several were used on Conklin midways at various locations, and two appear to have remained unsold at least until the end of 1959. It seems likely that the two advertised for sale by Conklin (under the name Fun Cars Ltd.) were the same as the two rides being offered by Hughes/Hot Rods. In late 1958, Conklin advertised

Conklin has been credited with providing plans that were used by Wright to build the Wild Mouse at Blackpool Pleasure Beach in the United Kingdom. Conklin also provided plans used for the Santa Cruz ride. Both rides opened in 1958, and both exhibit significant differences from the original German rides. The wooden track used on the UK rides has a slightly different construction from the original. The Santa Cruz ride used a conventional German-style wooden track, but this was produced by Timber Structures in California. The support structure was modified to meet local building codes. Some photographs of the Santa Cruz ride show a support structure which is partly steel, apparently a later modification.

In late 1959, Conklin advertised

At the end of 1960, Conklin indicated in a letter to Kennywood Park that two of the rides would be available for 1961.

Export Sales Corporation, Dallas, Texas & Frankfurt, Germany

This firm, headed by Mack Duce, began advertising wild mouse rides beginning in 1959:

Export Sales imported the Alpine Racer installed at Whitney's Playland in 1959.

At the end of 1961, this firm was still advertising a "German Wilde Maus." One of these rides was installed at LeSourdsville Lake in 1961. This ride was built by Heinrich.

North American Manufacturers

Joseph McKee

Superintendent of Palisades Park, McKee built the first permanent wooden-structured wild mouse there in 1957. McKee may be responsible for the design of similar wooden wild mouse rides at a number of other locations, but details have been difficult to find. The Palisades and Pontchartrain rides used German-made cars. At the beginning of its opening season, the Palisades mouse used cars borrowed from the Conklin ride.

B. A. Schiff & Associates

Ben Schiff of Miami, Florida, listed a Wild Mouse ride in Billboard's Spring 1956 ride survey and placed a ride in Roseland Park (NY) in mid-1956. This ride would have been the first Wild Mouse of any sort to operate in North America. It may have been removed after an ejection accident in September, 1956. Advertisements at the end of 1956 mentioned rides at Funland Park, Miami, Florida and Havana, Cuba. An estimated 20-30 rides were installed by 1960. Some of these may have been sold through a subsidiary called Amusement Industries Supply Corporation. The earliest rides were not designed to be portable, and the installation for the 1957 Kentucky State Fair required two weeks.

In early 1959, Schiff introduced a smaller portable version of the Wild Mouse. Schiff may have stopped producing the larger version in the United States, but sold the manufacturing rights to Butlin in the UK.

Carll & Ramagosa

In addition to their other business interests, the operators of Casino Arcade Park in Wildwood built rides, showcased them at their parks, and then sold them. A wild mouse was installed at their new Sportland Pier in 1957. This ride was initially themed as Up-'n-Atom. The ride was relocated when the pier was expanded, and was later renamed Flying Tiger. A second ride was sold to Pacific Ocean Park, where it was named Flying Fish. The POP Flying Fish had a track structure that appears identical to that of the Schiff rides, although the Flying Fish-themed cars appear to be quite different.

Miler Manufacturing

Carl Miler (often mis-spelled as Miller, potentially causing confusion with a more famous roller coaster designer) appears to have built a few rides each year, booked them into fairs, and then sold them--three portable roller coasters were on the U. S. fair circuit in 1957. Miler first offered a Wild Mouse ride at the end of 1957. The first of these all-steel coasters was delivered to Royal American Shows in 1958. It was designed, in collaboration with Carl Sedlmayr, Jr., to be easier erect than previous wild mouse rides. Although an erection time of 6 hours was planned, the first set-up (in Saskatoon) required twice that. This was reduced to 8-10 hours (in Regina, Saskatchewan) using a crew of 21. To improve portability, Royal American modified the ride at the start of the 1959 season. Miler produced at least three additional units.

Allan Herschell Company

The Herschell firm billed itself as the world's largest ride manufacturer. The Mad Mouse appeared in 1958 (at the Alabama State Fair, with Olson Shows), and a scaled-down version lacking the initial hairpin turns, the Mite Mouse, appeared in mid-1959. The Mite Mouse appears to have been targeted to kiddielands. The Monster Mouse, an enlarged ride with large initial drops, was introduced in 1963. This was sold both as a complete ride and as a modification package for the Mad Mouse. The Mad Mouse appears to have displaced the Schiff rides on travelling fairs, probably because it was much easier to set up and tear down. In 1960, Strates traveled with their own (Schiff) Wild Mouse, the Tinsley Mad Mouse, and the Dowis (Miler) Wild Mouse. The Mad Mouse was set up at every location, while the other two rides alternated. Herschell probably also had higher production capacity than Schiff or Miler, with a delivery schedule of about one ride every two weeks during the first half of 1959, later increased to one a week. More than 30 Mad Mouse rides were sold by 1960, with about half placed in parks.

Velare Brothers

The originators of Sky Wheels and Space Wheels have been mentioned in connection with the alterations to the Wild Mouse at Blackpool Pleasure Beach that were made in the 1960s. The top circuit preceding the switchbacks, containing a big drop and a shallower dip, was added at that time. Apparently this change was inspired by a similar alteration of the Velare's wild mouse at Nu-Pike in Long Beach, CA (shown below). There is no evidence that the Velare Brothers were involved in the initial construction of the Wild Mouse at Blackpool, which predated the arrival of a Wild Mouse ride at Nu-Pike.

Princeton Machine

Conklin contracted with Princeton Machine of Princeton, Ontario, to build a steel copy of the imported German rides. The track for this ride was imported from Europe (probably the Netherlands or Belgium). Only one unit was produced, as this design appears not to have been particularly successful. The ride was built around 1967. This may have been the ride later installed at Playland in Vancouver.

Tom Hughes

No information except for an ad in 1958 offering complete plans for anybody wishing to build their own wild mouse. The home address was in Hollywood, CA.

unknown

There are pictures of one or more units of a portable steel wild mouse differing from all others described. The best documented example ended its working life at Old Indiana Park. Although the ride used the decorative entrance and exit gates of a Schiff ride, support structure differed considerably from that of the Schiff rides. The track resembled that of the Schiff rides, but lacked the central pair of guide rails. The cars somewhat resembled those of the portable Miler rides, using a tire as a rear bumper.

A possibly similar ride first appeared on Royal American Shows around 1970.

SOME MECHANICAL DETAILS OF WILD MOUSE RIDES

The structure of the track on the 1954 Pinfari ride is not clear in the photo on their web site.

The earliest German wild mouse rides had laminated wooden rails. In addition to the road rails, a central pair of metal guide rails was attached to the straight cross-ties. This arrangement is shown in panel 1 below. This structure was also used on the permanently installed wooden wild mouse rides. The wild mouse rides in the UK use a similar track structure, except that the ends of the cross-ties are visible below the laminations of the wooden rails.

The Schiff and Ramagosa rides have a steel track with a distinctly different structure. The road rails and the paired central guide rails are attached to U-shaped cross ties. Compared to more modern track structures, the track appears impossibly flimsy. This structure is shown in panel 2.

The Herschell Mad Mouse coasters have a more conventional style of non-tubular steel coaster track, with straight cross-ties and no separate guide rails. The track structure is identical to that used on the Herschell kiddie coasters. In fact, the Herschell ads for their 1960 portable roller coasters claim that they have Mad Mouse-style undercarriages. This track structure is shown in panel 3.

Miler Wild Mouse rides have a distinctive four-rail track with diagonal bracing and H-shaped cross-ties (panel 4). This is almost entirely unlike the structure of track used on most Miler kiddie coasters. Like the Herschell Mad Mouse, there are no central guide rails.

Some of the later rides may have had steel rails. The Wild Mouse at Playland in Vancouver had steel rails that were very similar to those shown in panel 1.

Another variation in steel track structure was found on the Wild Mouse at Boblo Island in 1974 (panel 5). This retains the central guide rails, but replaces the rectangular running rails with rails formed from I-shaped stock. A similar structure was used on portions of the Devil's Coach in Guerneville, CA. In both cases, these appear to be later modifications to rides which originally had laminated wooden rails, as only portions of the track were steel.

Although not a wild mouse, but an enclosed coaster, the Wizard's Cavern ride located at Casino Pier, Seaside Heights, NJ utilizes a similar car and track structure. The ride was originally built by Mack in 1959 (as Broadway Trip) and utilized the standard wooden wild mouse track. When this was rebuilt and rethemed by Mack in 1968 (as Love Bugs), the original track was replaced with a steel track having central guide rails.

Wild Mouse track structures

LAYOUTS OF WILD MOUSE RIDES

NORTH-AMERICAN INSTALLATIONS OF WILD MOUSE RIDES

These are grouped by type or manufacturer and ordered approximately by date of installation. The distinction between portable and permanent wooden rides may not be meaningful. The earliest German rides were both wooden-structured and designed to be portable, but when imported were generally set up as permanent installations. The division of the wooden wild mouse rides into three lists largely reflects the incomplete state of the information about these rides. The lists are extremely incomplete for any installations after 1960. Modern Wild Mouse rides (those manufactured after 1980) are omitted entirely.

Dates in parentheses are from advance reports of sales or commitments and are unverified. Note that these announced installations were sometimes delayed or cancelled.

Please send corrections and comments to Victor Canfield

Domestically-Built Wooden Wild Mouse Rides

location [name]	builder	installation date	comments
Palisades Park	McKee	1957	operated until 1971
Santa Cruz Beach & Boardwalk, CA	Norris House	1958	built in-house using plans supplied by Conklin; operated until 1976
Pontchartrain Beach [Wild Maus]		1959	new Westinghouse air brakes installed 1960

German Wooden Wild Mouse Rides

location or operator [name]	importer	installation date	comments
Conklin midway, Canadian National Exhibition (CNE)	Conklin	1957	moved to Belmont Park (Montreal) in 1958 and replaced by a new unit
Boblo Island, Ontario, Canada	Wedemeyer	1957
Rye Playland, NY	Conklin	1958	park originally announced plans to acquire ride from Wedemeyer; one of the rides replacing Aeroplane Coaster
Belmont Park, Montreal, Canada	Conklin	1958	Conklin concession 1958-1959, then sold to park; ex CNE 1957
State Fair of Texas, TX		1958
Gwynn Oak Park, Baltimore, MD	Wedemeyer	1959 (?)	destroyed in 1972 by Hurricane Agnes
Rainbow Gardens, PA Wilde Maus	Wedemeyer	1958	[Meteor Monorail sale by Wedemeyer reported by Billboard, but wild mouse is confirmed by 1958 rider reports]
Crystal Beach, Ontario, Canada	Conklin	1959
Frolic Land, Western Fairgrounds, London, Ontario, Canada	Conklin	1959	park operated only one season
Whitney's Playland, San Francisco, CA [Alpine Racer]	Export Sales	1959	relocated within park; demolished 1972
Belmont Park, San Diego, CA	Conklin	1960	also mentioned in 1960 Hughes ad
CNE	Conklin	1960	second unit at 1960 CNE
LeSourdsville Lake, OH	Export Sales	1961	attributed to Adolph Heinrich; operated until c1964; possibly sold to Cedar Point
Nu-Pike, Long Beach, CA [Wild Maus]	Hughes or Conklin	c1961 (?)	modified in 1960s; operated until closing of park
Idora Park, OH [Wilde Maus]		1962
Venice Amusements, Seaside Heights, NJ	probably Hughes	1964 (?)	offered for sale after 1966 season
New York World's Fair	Hughes	1965
J's Amusements [Devil's Coach]		1977	operated until 1990; ex Belmont Park (San Diego)
World Fair, Seattle	Conklin or Hughes	1962	remained at Fun Forest Park after end of Fair until 1964
Fun Forest Park, Seattle		c1965	replaced earlier Wild Mouse at park
Lagoon, UT	Conklin (?)	1965	ex Seattle World Fair/Fun Forest; rebuilt 1973 (possibly enlarged) and advertised as New Wilder Wild Mouse; survived to 1989
Casino Pier, Seaside Heights, NJ		1966
Orange County Fairgrounds, NY			ex New York World's Fair
Playland, Panama City Beach, FL		1969	ex Coney Island
Burlington Beach, Canada	prob. Conklin (?)		destroyed by storm c1978/1979

Wooden Wild Mouse Rides (unknown origin)

location [name]	installation date	comments
Cedar Point [Scamper]	1962	operated until c1975
Springlake Park, OK [Wilde Maus]	1961
Tower View Amusement Park, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada [Rapids Ride]	1965

Schiff Wild Mouse Rides

location or operator [name]	installation date	comments
Funland Park, Miami, FL	1956	operated until park closed in 1963
Funtown USA, Seaside Park, NJ	1957	removed after 1960 season
Paragon Park, MA	1957	destroyed in 1963 fire
Riverside Park, Agawam, MA	1957
Savin Rock, New Haven, CT	1957
Marine Pier, Wildwood, NJ	1957	replaced by Zyklon (Z47)
Roseland Park, NY	1956	not listed in 1957 Schiff ad
Roseland Park, NY Mighty Mouse	(1958)	removed after 1959 season
Gooding Amusements	1958
Gooding Amusements	(1958)	second unit (?)
Kennywood Park, PA	1958	operated until 1960
Willow Grove, PA	1958
Beech Bend Park, KY	1958	operated at three major fairs in 1957
Arnold's Park, IA	1958
Charles Garvin	(1958)	for fairs; replaced unit that went to Beech Bend Park
Coney Island, OH	1958
Myrtle Beach, SC	(1958)	doubtful; no park specified in 11/1957 Schiff ad; may be ride installed at Gay Dolphin Park in 1960
Geauga Lake, OH	(1958)
Venice Amusements (Casino Pier), Seaside Heights, NJ	1958	destroyed in 1965 fire
Olympic Park, NJ	(1958)
Pee Wee Valley, Cincinnati, OH	(1958)
Revere Beach, MA	(1958)
Fun Pier, Wildwood, NJ	1958?	advertised for sale 11/1959
State Fair Park, WI	1958	present until 1960, last year of permanent midway
Strates Shows	3/1959
Buckeye Lake Park, OH	1959	ride remained until park closing in 1971
Willow Mill Park, PA	(1959)
Suburban Park, Manlius, NY	1959	concession owned by Cerbini & Razzano; moved to Coney Island after one year at park
Cedar Point, OH	1959
Meyers Lake Park, Canton, OH	((1959))	listed in 11/1957 Schiff ad
Waldameer Park, PA	(1959)	listed in 11/1957 Schiff ad and in 12/1958 sales list
West Point Park, PA	1958	operated until 1976
R & C Amusements, Coney Island, NY	1960	moved from Suburban Park; SBNO many years after closing
Playland Park, Council Bluffs, IA	(1959)	possibly not installed until c1965
Riverview Park, Des Moines, IA	1959	scrapped in 1979, after park closure
Gay Dolphin Park, Myrtle Beach, SC	1960
Casino Pier, Seaside Heights, NJ	1965	borrowed from Beech Bend
Folly Beach Pier, SC	c1966	ex Gay Dolphin Park; destroyed in pier fire 1/1977
Conneaut Lake Park, PA	1961	operated until c1990
Lauda Park, New Braunfels, TX		ex PA, ex FL
Chippewa Lake Park, OH	c1972	ex Geauga Lake; operated until 1978; still SBNO 2012
Elitch Gardens, CO
Pirate's World, FL
Riverview Park, Chicago, IL	1958
Dorney Park, PA	1958	removed 1965
Chilhowee Park Funway, TN	1966
Wedgewood Village, OK	1958
Adventureland, North Webster, IN		enclosed
Lakewood Park, Barnesville, PA		ran until 1982; sold to Winter Park, FL
Keansburg, NJ
Edgewater Park, Detroit, MI	1959	until park closing in 1981
Bushkill Park, PA
Lake Quassapaug, CT
Jacksonville Beach, FL		advertised for sale in 1961
Dandilion Park, Muskego, WI
San Juan Resort/ Indian Lake Playland, Russell's Point, OH	1960	relocated within park in 1969
Doling Park, Springfield, MO
Joyland Park, St. Petersburg, FL	(1959)
Olympic Park, Rochester, NY	by 1960
Lakeview Park, Royersford, PA	by 1965
Eagle Park, OK		closed c1986; still SBNO 2013
Lake of the Ozarks Amusement Park, MO	1968
Osage Beach, MO		ex Lake of the Ozarks; closed about 1989; SBNO to c1998
Fair Park, Baton Rouge, LA	1970s
Melendez, Provo, UT	(1959)	new portable design
Fun Junction, Grand Junction, CO		smaller model
Canobie Lake Park, NH		smaller model; present c1962
Playtown Park, Morton, PA	1959	smaller portable model (50x97 feet); advertised for sale 8/1960 and again 10/1961;
Sans Souci Park, PA	1959	small model; sold in 1971 to Fun-N-Games Park, Tonawanda, NY
Fun-N-Games Park, Tonawanda, NY
Animal Forest Park, York Beach, ME	1960	portable model; advertised for sale in 1961
Fun Fair Kiddy Park, Skokie, IL	by 1961	small model
Willow Park, Butztown (Bethlehem), PA		small model
Saratoga Resort, Lehi, UT	1963	portable model
Kaydeross Park, NY	1967	small model

Carll & Ramagosa Mouse Rides

location [name]	installation date	comments
Sportland Pier, Wildwood, NJ [Up-'n'-Atom/ Flying Tiger]	1957	ran until 1966
Pacific Ocean Park, CA [Flying Fish]	1958	removed after 1963 season
Rocky Point Park, RI	1958
Crescent Park, Providence, RI [Flying Fish]	1959	closed with park c1978
Los Angeles County Fairgrounds, CA [Flying Fish]		conjectured ex POP

Herschell Mouse Rides

location or operator [name]	mouse type	installation date	comments
Olson Shows	Mad Mouse	9/1958	after initial appearance at Alabama State Fair, moved to permanent ride area at Fairgrounds
McCrary/ 20th Century Shows	Mad Mouse	1/1959
Farrow/Wallace Bros. Shows	Mad Mouse	1/1959
Collins Shows	Mad Mouse	1959
Gooding Amusements	Mad Mouse	1959	unclear if these are in addition to or replace two Schiff units
Gooding Amusements	Mad Mouse	1959	second unit
Zoo Park, Columbus, OH	Mad Mouse	1959	distinct from Gooding's travelling units
Bell's Park, OK	Mad Mouse	1959
Frontier Village, OK	Mad Mouse	1959
Marshall Hall Park, MD	Mad Mouse	1959
Oaks Park, OR	Mad Mouse	1959	may have operated at Oregon Centennial Exposition and PNE in 1959 before opening at Oaks Park in 1960; travelled annually to PNE from 1959 to early 1970s
Revere Beach, MA	Mad Mouse	1959
Peppermint Park, Houston, TX	Mad Mouse	1959
Chain of Rocks, St. Louis, MO	Mad Mouse	1959
Kissel Brothers' Amusement Park, Cincinnati, OH	Mad Mouse	1959
Crafts Shows	Mad Mouse	4/1959
Kunz/Heth Shows	Mad Mouse	8/1959
Powelson Shows	Mad Mouse	5/1959
John F. Tinsley Shows	Mad Mouse	6/1959
Meyers/Gold Coast Shows	Mad Mouse	1959
Olson Shows	Mad Mouse	6/1959	second unit
Nu-Pike, Long Beach, CA	Mad Mouse	1959
Lake Winnepesaukah, GA	Mad Mouse	1960
White Swan Park, PA	Mad Mouse	1960
Six Flags over Texas, TX [Sidewinder/La Cucaracha]	Mad Mouse	1961	operated until 1964
Enchanted Forest, IN	Mad Mouse	1961 (?)
Lakemont Park, PA	Mad Mouse	1991	ex White Swan Park; ran to 2003
Little-A-Merrick-A, WI	Mad Mouse	1992	ex Enchanted Forest; extant
Julia Davis Fun Depot, ID	Mad Mouse
J's Amusements, Guerneville, CA	Mad Mouse	c1991	closed 2003; subsequently SBNO
Playland, Vancouver, Canada	Mad Mouse	1958 (?)	until 1978 (?) [see Oaks Park entry]
Como Zoological Park, St. Paul, MN	Mad Mouse	1960	O'Neil concession
Lakeland, Memphis, TN	Mad Mouse	(1960)
Western Playland, El Paso, TX	Mad Mouse	1960	converted to Monster Mouse in 1963
West Coast Shows	Mad Mouse	1961
King Reid Shows	Mad Mouse	1961
Federal Way Shopping Center, WA	Mad Mouse	1961
Funtown USA, Seaside Park, NJ	Mad Mouse	1961
Freedomland, Bronx, NY	Mad Mouse	1962
Joyland, Lubbock, TX	Mad Mouse	1976	extant; ex Bell's Park
Cliff's, Albuquerque, NM	Mad Mouse	early 1960s	ran until 1981; sold to Magic Mesa Park, Albuquerque
Funtown, Chicago, IL	Mad Mouse
Playland, Justice, IL	Mad Mouse
Fair Park, Nashville, TN	Mad Mouse	1965	ex Freedomland; auctioned in 1987
Riverside Amusement Park, Indianapolis, IN	Mad Mouse	1958
Bertrand Island, NJ [Monster Mouse]	modified Mad Mouse (single hairpin)	1983	name and date from 1983 park brochure
McMurtrey Shows	Mite Mouse	8/1959
Nunley's, Beth Page, NY	Mite Mouse	1960
Ocean Beach Park (CNF Amusements), New London, CT	Mite Mouse	1960
Palace Playland, Old Orchard Beach, ME	Mite Mouse	1961 (?)
Coney Island, NY [Miller's Gold Mine]	Mite Mouse		operated until c1995
Silver Dollar Shows [Nascar Racing]	Mite Mouse		extant
Western Playland, El Paso, TX [Big Mouse/Big Cheese]	Monster Mouse	1963	first Monster Mouse installation; modification of earlier Mad Mouse
Fort Worth Zoo, TX	Monster Mouse		may have replaced (or been modification of) Mad Mouse ex SFoT
Oaks Park, OR	Monster Mouse		operated until 1995; may have replaced Mad Mouse
Western Washington Fairgrounds, Puyallup, WA	Monster Mouse		extant
Quassy Park, CT [Monster/Mad Mouse]	Monster Mouse	1983 (?)	extant; ex Playland, Rye
Pacific Ocean Park, CA	Monster Mouse	1964	operated until 1967
Six Gun Territory, FL	Monster Mouse		mid 1970s
Fantasy Farm, OH	Monster Mouse	1984	gone before 1991
Playland, Ocean City, MD	Monster Mouse
Dogpatch USA, AR [Frustratin' Flyer?]	Monster Mouse		present by 1972
Lakeside Park, Salem, VA	Monster Mouse
Rye Playland, NY	Monster Mouse	1967	may have replaced earlier German ride; removed around 1980
Family Funland, Farmington, NM	Monster Mouse	2001	extant; manufactured 1969
Rocky Glen, Moosic, PA	Monster Mouse	1982
Dispensa's, IL

Miler Wild Mouse Rides

location or operator [name]	installation date	comments
Royal American Shows	7/1958
Graydon Dowis	1959
Springlake Park, OK	1960	single season only; probably the Dowis unit
Funtown Amusement Center, Atlanta, GA	1961 (?)	operated to 1966 (?)
Wonderland Park, Amarillo, TX [Cyclone]	1968	extant; 1964 unit (?)
Playland, Ocean City, NJ [Mighty Mouse]		ran until 2004
Lakeside Park, CO [Wild Chipmunk]		extant
Adventure City, Stanton, CA [Tree Top Racers]	1999	extant; ex Midway Amusements, Brisbane, Australia
Funtown Pier, Seaside Park, NJ [Mighty Mouse]	2006	ex Playland; may have opened late in 2005

Other or Unidentified Wild Mouse Rides

location or operator [name]	type or source	installation date	comments
Playland, Vancouver	Princeton (?)	1979	operated until 2008; all-steel copy of German ride
unknown			traveled with Royal American Shows c1970; resembled ride later at Old Indiana
Shady Lake Park, OH		1978
Old Indiana Park, IN [Mad Mouse]		1985	used Schiff Wild Mouse entrance/exit decorations, but otherwise quite different from Schiff rides; ex Shady Lake
Rocky Springs Park, PA		1979	track structure resembled that of a typical Schiff Wild Mouse (lacking central guides?), but cars were different
Magic Valley, PA
Walled Lake, MI			Mad Mouse?
Magic Mesa, NM			Mad Mouse?
Melvin's Rides (later Trimper's Rides), Ocean City, MD			wooden?
Wasaga Beach Playland, Ontario, Canada
Seaside, OR			Miler (?)
Fun 'n Wheels, Orlando, FL
West View Park, PA		1961	possibly wooden
Suburban Park, Manlius, NY		by 1969	possibly small Schiff model; present at park closing in 1973; SBNO 1974
Fairgrounds Amusement Park (Mid-South Fair), Memphis, TN		(1961)

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