It's not hard to understand if you've ever been thrown off one of them. But hold on to your loins and your undigested dinner, because mechanical bulls are all the rage again.
Punch Bowl Social in Deep Ellum is the latest local joint to offer a new electronic bucking bull nicknamed (wait for it) Sir Loin. It's now one of two places with a mechanical bull in Deep Ellum along with Rodeo Dallas. There are even more across the city in places such as Gilley's Dallas and, occasionally, at Double Wide.
Just like most entertainment experiences that require someone to put their dignity and bravado on the line, the attraction isn't about the ride. No matter who is sitting on it or how long a person can stay on the thing, the crowd around it gets sucked into the action. Total strangers become loud and raucous in an infectious, supportive way that's just as entertaining to watch as it is when you climb on top of one ton of simulated pot roast and use every muscle to hold on for as long as you can.
The experience starts with signing a waiver from a QR code. The bucking bull is centered on a 16-foot inflatable stage, so you don't need a Beastmaster helmet with a full face cage to keep your face in the same shape as when you climbed on it.
The operator offers every rider a free black Stetson to wear during their run, but it's not just for keeping your hairstyle intact. It sells the experience. The action starts easy, unlike a real bull.
"It rotates and goes up and down," says Punch Bowl Social general manager Ben Petko. "It's all electrically driven. It goes up and down at the same time it is rotating, and when it starts to do both at the same time, that's when it gets a little more challenging."
@dallas_observer We put our dignity on the line to write a story about Dallas’ growing mechanical bull trend. Read the full story at dallasobserver.com (link in bio) #bar#mechanicalbull#deepellum#dallas#nightlife#fyp#dallasobserver ♬ Cowboy Sunday - Amanda Rosa
The resurgence of this trend may be a bit new, but the mechanical bull has been around since the 1930s. According to the PBS series Iconic America, the first mechanical bull appeared at the Bertrand Island Amusement Park in New Jersey as something called Ride 'Em Cowboy. It caught on at fairs and parks across the country and became a standard of popular culture as a McGuffin in the story for the 1980 hit film Urban Cowboy starring John Travolta and Debra Winger
The challenge extends beyond staying on the thing. It's about using every useful part of your body to maintain the center of gravity to prepare for each new twist and spin. You'll find muscles you didn't know you could still flex.
"You do need your whole body to stay on it for sure," Petko says. "You're using your arms to keep hold of the rope and you're also trying to use your hips and torso to stay on the bull as much as possible."
Meanwhile, the blurring, panoramic view begins to morph into this blob of smiling faces and outstretched applause. People you've never met will yell "Go!" and "Whooo!" the longer you're able to stay on, and no matter what the time reads on the digital red clock when your body hits the mattress, you're always greeted to a round of cheers and applause.
Then a funny thing happens. Even a large lump of a human like me who fears doing anything too physical around other people, especially when the spectators clearly work out, cannot step off the mat feeling like the butt of a mean joke or a Chris Farley-esque pratfall that drains your dignity. You're revered and championed for taking the ride, no matter how long it lasted.
"It's very much a spectator sport," Petko says. "A lot of people who come, sometimes they want to do the bull or sometimes a group will come, but only one or two are going to ride it but everyone else in the group really enjoys the experience of watching them doing it."
