The Timeless Fun of Inkie’s Scrambler

Published on July 24, 2024

One of the most beloved rides at Pacific Park is Inkie’s Scrambler. And it’s not hard to see why.

The “Scrambler” is a type of amusement park ride that suspends riders seated in small carriages along two separate axes. The clustered vehicles spin in one direction, while the ride as a whole spins in the opposite direction, allowing riders to feel a thrilling centrifugal force. There are several slight variations to the design.

This popular ride has gone by many names over the years, including the Merry Mixer, the Sizzler, the Twist (in the United Kingdom) and the Cha Cha (in Australia). Under any name, the Scrambler has been delighting riders since its invention in 1938.

Pacific Park’s Scrambler

Our famous Scrambler debuted at Pacific Park in 2001.  Its presence at the Park was supposed to be temporary, but visitors loved the ride’s nostalgic, family-friendly thrills, and it soon became an indispensable attraction.

Named “Inkie’s Scrambler” after the Park’s friendly octopus mascot “Inkie”, the ride has found a long-time home at the park. It now spins inside the second helix of the West Coaster’s elevated steel track.

In 2013, Inkie’s Scrambler got a makeover. The restored ride sported a shiny new chrome finish, brightly colored period decals, and detailed lighting. Today, with our Scrambler located right on the bustling Santa Monica Pier, you’ll also get refreshing sea breezes, beautiful views, and the smell of freshly made funnel cakes.

Riding Inkie’s Scrambler

Inkie’s Scrambler is a family-fun ride for both parents and children. This 12-car fast-paced swirling ride takes riders on a series of roundabout moves and sidesplitting rotations at more than 11 revolutions per minute. With 3 sets of 4 cars, Inkie’s Scrambler accommodates up to three riders per car. Each set spins on its own axis, while the three sets spin on a central hub, like an old-fashion egg scrambler.

The height requirement to ride alone is 48 inches, and to ride with a chaperone is 36 inches.

History of the Scrambler

The first scrambler was said to have been invented by Richard Harris of Georgia, USA.  It was installed at Lakewood Fairgrounds in Atlanta in 1938. In 1941, Harris was granted a U.S. patent for the design, which was then acquired by an amusement ride supplier in Jacksonville, Illinois called the Eli Bridge Company. The company was founded in 1906 and still makes Scramblers and Ferris wheels to this day.

In 1955, the Eli Bridge Company revealed the Scrambler to the world in a major showing at the Florida State Fair.  This original ride had a total of 12 cars distributed among its three arms with a capacity for 24 adults or 36 children, and the entire ride rotated clockwise at 9–12 revolutions per minute. The Scrambler grossed $1,700 (at 25 cents a ride) in a single day at the Fair, and interested many new buyers. It eventually became one of the most popular flat ride attractions the world over.

By the end of 1955, 16 units had been built by the Eli Bridge Company, with over 200 orders waiting. With this kind of demand, other manufacturers latched onto the company’s success and developed their own versions, including the Gabrik Merry Mixer.

The Scrambler Across the World

Four years later the Scrambler rides appeared in the UK for the first time, having been licensed to manufacturer Edwin Hall by the Eli Bridge Company. Rides made by the Eli Bridge company itself were first imported into the UK in 1979.

In and around Europe, similar versions of the original Eli Scrambler soon popped up. There was A.R.M’s Twist (now Chance Morgan), and Wisdom’s Sizzler, of which around 190 units have been manufactured since 1973.

Many units of the Sizzler were also manufactured in Australia under licence to Ferrari Manufacturing . The Sizzler, unlike Eli Bridge’s cog-drive, uses hydraulic drives to rotate the cars.  Many ride enthusiasts prefer the Scrambler because the cog drive gives a better kick-spin than the Sizzler’s hydraulic rotation.

The Scrambler proved to be an extremely popular attraction. In the 1970s some Scramblers were even enclosed in domed structures and given soundtracks and light shows to enhance the ride.

With our Scrambler, you’ll have to make do with the stunning beauty of the Pacific Ocean, the shouts of joy from other riders, and the heart-warming fun of the West Coast’s only amusement park on a pier.