Ferris wheel | Amusing the Zillion

Posts Tagged ‘Ferris wheel’

Photo of the Day: Ferris Wheel in CO Bigelow Christmas Window

Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged Christmas, Christmas Window, CO Bigelow, Ferris wheel, Greenwich Village, Holiday windows, holidays on December 7, 2015| 4 Comments »

Holiday window at Bigelow Pharmacy in the Village. December 6, 2015. Photo © Tricia Vita

On Sixth Avenue in the Village is C.O. Bigelow Chemists, established 1838, where you can get not only your Rx but the most wonderful perfumes and toiletries. The Washington Square Arch is in one of its holiday windows and a Ferris Wheel is in the other. It brings to mind the last time we saw an actual Ferris Wheel in the Village. Our Lady of Pompeii Church on Carmine Street had a street fair in the 1970s and ’80s with an Eli Wheel that let riders peer into upper story windows. Those were the days! Let us know if you spot any amusement park rides or circuses in holiday windows this season.

Holiday Windows at Bigelow Pharmacy in the Village. December 6, 2015. Photo © Tricia Vita

Up for Auction: Vintage Cast-Iron & Tin Toy Ferris Wheels

Posted in Auction, video, tagged Chein, Ferris wheel, Penny Toy, tin toy, vintage toy on November 4, 2013| 4 Comments »

Hubley Ferris Wheel, Bertoia auctions, November 8, 2013

Last week, the cars were removed for the winter from Deno’s Wonder Wheel as Coney Island’s amusement parks closed for the season. Meanwhile, vintage toy Ferris wheels, which are perenially popular with collectors, are up for bid at several auction houses. These old-fashioned toys would look enchanting set up under the Christmas tree. This clockwork-driven Hubley Ferris Wheel is made of cast-iron and tin. The 17-inch tall toy has six original gondolas and a dozen riders. It will be on the auction block at Bertoia’s Christmas Wishes Auction in Vineland, NJ, on November 8, and via online bidding. The pre-sale estimate is $1,000-$1,200.

Penny Toy Ferris Wheel, Bertoia Auctions, November 9, 2013

This circa 1920 miniature Penny Toy Ferris Wheel was manufactured in Germany by Meier. The tin toy features four gondolas and is just two-and-a-half inches tall. Its pre-sale estimate is $250-$350. Along with the Chein Ferris Wheel shown below, it will be sold on November 9th at the second session of the Christmas Wishes Auction.

Chein Ferris Wheel, Bertoia Auctions, November 9

The Chein Ferris Wheel sports Mickey Mouse’s face on the hub of the wheel. Another version features a clown’s face. The 16-1/2 inch tall lithographed tin wheel is clockwork activated and has a pre-sale estimate of $200-$300. There’s also a Chein toy roller coaster, rocket ship and carousel in the sale. The Ferris Wheel whirls really fast!

Black Friday Shopping: Coney Island Kiddie Rides for Sale

Posted in Amusement ride, tagged carousel, Coney Island, Ferris wheel, kiddie ride, used rides on November 23, 2012| 2 Comments »

Black Friday is here and it’s time to shop for toys to put under the Christmas tree. If the tree is growing in your backyard, a kiddie ride would fit just fine though you’d better check zoning regulations. Generations of kids have grown up riding this little Ferris Wheel at McCullough’s Kiddie Park on the Bowery at West 12th Street in Coney Island, but now it’s for sale. As previously reported by ATZ, the family-owned park closed in September after fifty years when the owners weren’t able to come to a lease agreement with property owner Thor Equities. The park’s rides are being offered for sale by usedrides.com. The Wheel is ten grand and the much-photographed Bumblebees are $42,000. Among the other rides are a Mini-Himalaya ($17,000), Alan Herschell Carousel ($50,000) and Zamperla Rockin’ Tug ($42,000). The rides were moved to the broker’s lot in Greer, South Carolina.

Although McCullough’s Kiddie Park has operated on 12th Street since the 1960s, the family’s history in Coney Island goes back much further. Four generations of McCulloughs have owned and operated amusement rides here. They are related to the Tilyou family of Steeplechase Park as well as to the Stubbmann family, whose Coney Island carousel became part of the one in Flushing Meadows. The McCulloughs are also the former owners of the B&B Carousell, which will reopen in Coney Island’s new Steeplechase Plaza next year. It’s sad that McCullough’s is closing and that Coney is losing another indie operator. They will be missed and so will their bees. But Coney Island isn’t losing all of its kiddie rides: Deno’s Kiddie Park on the Boardwalk has 17 rides for children, including the beloved Mangels Pony Cart and Fire Engine, and will reopen in the spring.