Smiley's Happyland

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Smiley's Happyland was an amusement park in the town of Bethpage on Long Island, New York. It is sometimes referred to as "Nunley's Happyland", and was also referred to as "Jolly Rogers", which was actually the name of the restaurant within the park (which itself was renamed to "Robin Hood's" in the 1970s). The park opened in the 1950s, the restaurant was closed in 1976, and the park closed in 1977. Today a shopping mall exists where the park formerly stood.

[edit] Amusements

The park had indoor and outdoor amusements.

[edit] Outdoor

[edit] Indoor

  • Mechanical Organ - There was a mechanical organ with musician figures that were animated. This post provides the following description: "The organ was built by A. Ruth & Sohn of Waldkirch, Germany. A color photo is on page 157 of the book, "Waldkircher Dreh- und Jahrmarkt-Orgeln," by Herbert Juettemann, Waldkircher Verlag, 1993. Juettemann describes it on page 229 (translated): "An anomaly is the Model 36X of 1910, of which, as far as is known today, only one was built (serial number 4351). On a small stage in the middle of the organ, nine musicians play and move their arms, heads and eyes. Therefore it was called an 'Organ with Nine Man Orchestra'. ... The organ stood a long time in the amusement park Nunley's Happyland, Bethpage, Long Island. It was rebuilt in 1948 and the [78-key] book music system was replaced with a Wurlitzer Style 165 double-roll system. Nunley's Happyland closed in 1970; Gavin McDonough [later] acquired the organ and restored it after several years work."
  • Boat Ride
  • Carousel
  • Skee ball
  • Pinball machines