| Eventually, we discovered the identity of the mysterious creator of these figures, although he certainly was no mystery to the European amusement community. And, sadly, almost as soon as we found him - we lost him. His name was Armando Tamagnini, and we also learned that Mr. Tamagnini passed away in February 2019. So we can only celebrate the legacy and creativity of a person whose work we admired for years without having known the identity of its creator - until now. |
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At first, it's an obvious temptation to refer to Armando Tamagnini as the "Bill Tracy of Italy", but somehow that doesn't seem sufficient. Considering his Italian classical training in sculpture and architecture, I believe "The Michelangelo of Dark Rides" might be a more appropriate designation.
Tamagnini was born in 1940 in Reggio Emelia, the epicenter of so many Italian ride builders. In the 1960s he began collaborating with Spaggiari & Barbieri on ride vehicle design. Consultations with Satori, Zamperla and Pinfari would soon follow.
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It was in 1974 that Tamagnini founded the amusement design firm of Park Style in Spilamberto. His prodigious talents would flood the Italian amusement trade with unprecedented creativity in the form of ride vehicles, bumper cars, park building facades and gate frontage designs which were manifested in the products of virtually every Italian ride manufacturer and amusement park.
It requires no stretch of the imagination to recognize that dark rides would be fertile ground for Tamagnini's creativity. |
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Park Style studios continued to supply creative designs and fiberglass structures to practically all Italian and European amusement attractions although Tamagnini, who originally worked as an independent design consultant, left the company in 1990. Ironically, the firm was later acquired by Interpark, the same company that also took over Pinfari. Both divisions continue to operate today.
Below: One of Tamagnini's most enduring creations was the "Brucomela", popularizing the concept of the "family coaster". The ride, built by Pinfari, was known in America as The Big Apple Coaster. Similar rides followed, such as the Wacky Worm made by Fabbri, and Dragon Coaster, made by Zamperla. Some were lift-chain gravity types while others were internally powered. |
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