In 1949, Hersheypark created a new area of the park called Kiddieland (initially called Kiddie’s Land in 1949). Part of this new section included two new kiddie rides – Lucas Motor Boat Ride and Horse & Buggy. The purchase of these two rides were first reported in The Billboard on November 27, 1948.
Horse & Buggy was purchased from Harry Traver and was placed near the Airplane Swing. It was a fairly simple ride: a child would sit in a cart and go around in a circle. The ride remained in that area until the end of 1971 when renovations began in the park. This was one of four other rides removed.
Hersheypark ended up purchasing another version of this ride, made by W.F. Mangels Company. This ride is Pony Parade which currently operates in the Midway America section of the park.
One of the pony carts from the original ride ended up being donated to the Hershey Gardens as a gift from Neil, Barbara, and Lauren Fasnacht.
A note on The Billboard: Prior to being a magazine dedicated to the music industry, Billboard was about amusements in general, including amusement parks. When Billboard decided to focus more on music and film, they spun off part of their amusement section into a magazine called Funspot in 1957. The Billboard became Billboard Music Week in 1961 and spun any remaining amusement business content into a magazine called Amusement Business.
I remember riding this ride when I was little and we went to the park every year. I loved it. It did not take much to entertain me back then.
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