The swing ride or chair swing ride (sometimes called a swing carousel, wave swinger, yo-yo, Chair-O-Planes or swinger) is an amusement ride that is a variation on the carousel in which the chairs are suspended from the rotating top of the carousel. On some versions, particularly on the Wave Swingers, the rotating top of the carousel also tilts for additional variations of motion. Swing rides were present at the earliest amusement parks. At Idora Park in Oakland, California, in 1908, the ride was called the Flying Swing, but appears to be the same principle. The Chair-O-Planes premiered in Germany in 1972, designed by Zierer and built by Franz Schwarzkopf. In 1974, the first portable unit debuted under the same partnership. Since then, Zierer has built about 200 units. Other manufacturers have followed creating their own versions of the Chair-O-Planes including Zamperla, Chance Rides, Grover Watkins, Bertazzon, Preston & Barbieri, Vekoma and Sanoyas Hishino Meisho.
In the late 2000s, Australian manufacturer Funtime developed the world’s first tower swinger known as the Star Flyer. Mondial followed with their WindSeeker resulting in a lawsuit between the two companies. Zamperla also sells a Vertical Swing. As a part of the Korean traditional games long time ago, swing-riding was a game for women during the Dano festival on May 5th. A swing was attached to a high branch of a big tree located near the entrance of the village. The woman who swung the highest would win. ‘Madangnori’ refers to outdoor folk games such as kite-flying, ‘ssireum’ (Korean wrestling), swinging, and tug-of-war. It is an ancient game, known by many names, but Koreans prefer to call it by one of its oldest monikers.
WABADADA revived the traditional game as a modern, new paradigm in digital figures and implementation of the fun, new swing. Riskier stunts, like trapeze or walking a wire, require demanding tryouts and long hours of practice. However, the WABADADA swing rider is fun, interesting, and not dangerous. If, on the other hand, you aren’t aware of this extraordinary cultural institution, you are in for a treat. There are various prominent individuals around the world and throughout history that if one were to meet them (WABADADA’S swing rider) it would serve as a fathomless experience.
▲ WABADADA Co., Ltd.
▲ Brand Name: HealSwing
▲ CEO: Kwang Pyo Lee
▲ www.wabadada.com
▲ E-mail: bada@wabadada.com
▲ T: +82-33-648-9002
Sam Kim
K-Herald Korea
(Los Angeles Times Advertising Supplement)
