Invented by Minnesota native Herbert Sellner, the iconic spinning ride debuted at the state fair in 1926 and remains a beloved family tradition

NEED TO KNOW

• The Tilt-A-Whirl debuted at the Minnesota State Fair in 1926 and celebrates its 100th anniversary this year
• Invented by Herbert Sellner, the ride became a beloved tradition for generations of Minnesota families
• Sellner initially intended to develop a spinning boat attraction, but that was destroyed in a storm

Much like the buckets of cookies, deep-fried cheese curds and almost anything you can imagine served on a stick, there’s an annual staple at the Minnesota State Fair that continues to delight families year after year. 

For 100 years, the Tilt-A-Whirl attraction has whipped Minnesota fairgoers around and around, prompting giggles and screams from adults and children alike. 

“It’s my favorite ride forever and ever,” Valerie Nelson, a Minnesota native, told the Associated Press on Aug. 27 after experiencing the ride for herself. She returned to the state to visit the fair, and still remembers first riding the Tilt-A-Whirl as a child in the 1970s, she told the outlet. “Whenever I see it, I try to get on. I love the spin when it pushes back into the chair.” 

“It’s the only ride I’ll go on,” fellow rider Sherri Grey of Stillwater, Minn., said. 

Seven-year-old rider Samuel Mishek of Minneapolis also said the Tilt-A-Whirl is his favorite fair ride: “I like when there’s little bumps because you can get ready and you know when it’s going to turn really fast.” 

Inside the attraction are seven individual motors arranged in a circle. While in motion, gravity makes the cars spin around the dips. As guests lean inside the cars, their body weight shifts the ride vehicles off balance, ride operator Thomas Lauthier noted, per AP. He’s been operating the Tilt-A-Whirl at the Minnesota State Fair for the last 12 years and notes Midwesterners have a particular affinity for the attraction. 

The Tilt-A-Whirl dates back to 1926, when the ride debuted at the Minnesota State Fair. The inventor, Herbert Sellner of Faribault, Minn., initially developed a water ride with spinning boats, but it was later destroyed in a storm. His brother, Martin Sellner, later convinced him to make a land-based version, and the Tilt-A-Whirl was born, Rice County Historical Society curator Jenna Nelson told the outlet. 

“It really has stood the test of time in terms of how they machined it,” the historian said, noting only about 1,000 cars were ever sold. “All of that equipment is largely the same today.” 

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For Minneapolis native Mike Pream-Anderson, the ride has become a family tradition. “As long as I can remember, when I was young my parents and my grandparents took me to the fair, we rode the Tilt-A-Whirl every time. We love to bring our kids and do the same thing… It’s definitely a family tradition,” he said. “Knowing that it’s 100 years old this year is pretty crazy, but I’m glad that we get to be a part of it.”

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