These are the guys that make the magic happen: on the left Robin Whincup, inventor of the original multi ride system, and on the right, Michael Whincup, Robin’s son and creator of the amazing new designs from Galaxy, including the Toxic Rampage®.
And here it’s their incredible team:
For 24 years we have manufactured the safest, most portable, innovative and entertaining mechanical rodeo bull on the market, and here’s how it all began.
The Birth of the Multi Ride System
In 1985, Robin Whincup started a rental company, hiring out bouncy castles for children and adults. As the company grew he invested in a Gillies bull from the USA. The Bull made good money as there weren’t many bulls in the UK in the 1980’s. However, it took 6 men to set up and break down as it was extremely heavy.
In 1989, whilst attending the annual IAAPA exhibition, Robin came across a Kodak Photo Booth that was themed as a giant wave with a free standing surfboard. Feeling inspired Robin returned to the UK and designed a mechanical surf board: The Surf Machine. This was a lightweight, portable hydraulic surf machine for sole use in his own rental company.
Within months, a spin motor was added so he could use it as a rodeo bull. That’s how the multi ride system was born!
Where It all Began
This innovative product solved Robin’s biggest headache, which was the portability of the rodeo bull. Now he could only send 2 operators that could set up in 10 minutes and fit in the smallest of venues, making the mechanical bull the multi purpose profit making piece of leisure equipment it is today.
This is where the Galaxy story begins, in England 1990.
In January 1990, whilst providing the bull and surf as the entertainment at a London trade show, Robin met several potential customers who wanted to buy a multi ride system. Very quickly the orders were placed and the machine went into production.
Innovation
As the product evolved, new ride attachments were developed and the motion base was upgraded from hydraulic to electric. The most infamous ride was invented in 1993: The Ride of Your Life (Man/Woman Ride). This took the Leisure Industry Week in London by storm and was a huge success. Many other rides followed with requests for individual clients or large blue chip companies, like the giant beer bottle and can for Budweiser!
In 1993 automatic pre-set programs and LED clocks were added to the control console and flashing eyes to the bull body. In 1999 the Automatic Stop Sensor (ASS) was added and more recently in 2006 the Soft Foam Safety Head was developed. The company can now boast over 54 different ride attachments, with more being made every year.
Re-inventing the Wheel
Galaxy has totally re-invented the mechanical bull, making it the safest ride in the market. Over 24 years we have sold over 4,000 machines into 45 different countries. On average, our mechanical bulls are ridden by 150,000 people every week worldwide! Or to put it another way, we have had more that 25 million riders on our mechanical bulls over the past 24 years. That is some test!
If you want the best quality at the most competitive price, that is backed up by a two year warranty, then there is only really one choice: Galaxy Multi Rides!
With factories in the UK and USA, as well as dozens of international agents, there will always be someone there to answer your questions. Feel free to contact us.
