Coin-operated kiddie rides first began appearing outside grocery, drug, and five-and-dime stores, candy shops, and in shopping centers in the late 1940s and early 1950s. They were put into place to lure children and adults into stores.
Cowboys were heroes of the day then and Ride The Champion, the official name of the ride, was modeled and named after Champion, the Wonder Horse, the dashing companion of “singing cowboy” Gene Autry.
Autry actually owned three horses named Champion. The original horse appeared in more than 50 Autry films and was known for tricks like playing dead, nodding yes and no, and untying knots.
The last Champion, a light sorrel with four white stockings and a bleached mane and tail, was so popular, he appeared on 91 episodes of “The Gene Autry TV Show” between 1950 and 1955 and even had his own 26-episode television show, “The Adventures of Champion,” in 1955 and 1956. The lyrics to the theme song said Champion ran “like a streak of lightning flashing cross the sky.”
