{"id":7145,"date":"2019-10-15T16:14:04","date_gmt":"2019-10-15T22:14:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lagoonhistory.com\/project\/?page_id=7145"},"modified":"2026-02-20T18:28:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-21T01:28:14","slug":"kiddie-coaster","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/lagoonhistory.com\/project\/attractions\/kiddie-coaster\/","title":{"rendered":"Kiddie Coaster"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Opened: 1956
Closed: Pre-1983
Location: Mother Gooseland<\/a>
Manufactured By: Allan Herschell Company, Inc. \u2013 Buffalo, New York
Ride Model: Little Dipper (2nd generation)
Ride Duration: 1 min, 30 sec (2 trips around track)
Number Of Trains: 1
Cars Per Train: 3
Ride Capacity: 12 (4 per car)
Hourly Capacity: 640<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first Little Dipper coaster was designed by David Bradley in 1946. Two years later he sold the rights to Allan Herschell Company which already manufactured a wide variety of kiddie rides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Early Little Dipper model on display at the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum in New York. Photo: B. Miskin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Lagoon’s Mother Gooseland had several Allan Herschell kiddie rides when it opened in 1956. These included Baby Boats, Sky Fighter and a late model Little Dipper they named Kiddie Coaster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kiddie Coaster in June 1956. Photo: Salt Lake Tribune<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The original factory paint job had a two-tone color scheme. Later the train was painted solid red. By the late 1970s, a yellow stripe was added around each car with the Lagoon logo painted on the front car under the Allan Herschell grille emblem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A visitor to this website shared this memory of the ride:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cYou went up the hill slowly like a regular roller coaster and then there were several hills around the track. You got to go around twice.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Kiddie Coaster in the station, 1973. Photo: Eugene Price<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Herschell advertised the ability to fit three smaller kiddie rides within the coaster\u2019s oval-shaped track. Lagoon originally placed a Little Boy Blue display in the center with a barn and live goats, but it would’ve been removed by 1964 when the Hi-Land Playland was installed there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kiddie Coaster and Playland in 1977. Photo: Joe Tordiff<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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In the background of this 1977 photo, you can see the pumpkin (left), playground equipment in the middle of the Kiddie Coaster and the station. Photo courtesy of Deseret News<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Just before reaching the 30-year mark, Kiddie Coaster was taken down and replaced by Puff The Little Fire Dragon, which still operates there today. Puff is also a mild ride with an oval-shaped track, but the station is on the east side instead of the west like Kiddie Coaster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More recently, Lagoon has added a couple of larger, “family coasters” – The Bat and Bombora – which provide a bit of a stepping stone for older kids easing into the bigger roller coasters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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GALLERY<\/h5>\n\n\n