This section is about the electro-mechanical amusement ride. For the manually operated playground equipment with spinning platforms, seeroundabout (play). For other uses, seeCarousel (disambiguation).
A double-decker carousel in FranceA carousel inTokyo Dome City in Japan
Acarousel orcarrousel (mainlyNorth American English),merry-go-round (International English), orgalloper (British English) is a type ofamusement ride consisting of arotating circular platform with seats for riders. The seats are traditionally in the form of rows of animal figures (usuallyhorses) mounted on posts, many of which move up and down to simulategalloping. Sometimeschair-like or bench-like seats are used, and occasionally mounts can take the form of non-animals, such as airplanes or cars. Carousel rides are typically accompanied byloopedcircus music.
The wordcarousel derives from the French wordcarrousel, meaninglittle battle, a reference to European tournaments of the same name starting in the 17th century. Participants in these tournaments rode live horses and competed in variouscavalry skill tests, such asring jousting. By the end of that century, simple machines were created in which wooden horses were suspended from a spinning wheel mounted on top of a central pole, allowing competitors to practice ring jousting without tiring their horses. These early contraptions soon became common with travelingfairs in Europe, and by the 19th century, their popularity spread toNorth America, where they became staple attractions intraveling carnivals and some of the first purpose-builtamusement parks. Most historic carousel animal figures, including those made during the golden age of carousels from the 1870s to the early 1930s, were made from wood, and were carved and painted by hand. Hand-carved wood was replaced with more economicaluminum castings and laterfiberglass castings in the 20th century. Many carousels operate around the world today and are often used to symbolize the entire amusement industry.
A carrousel tournament organized in the Tuileries Palace courtyard by Louis XIV in 1662 to celebrate the birth of his son and heir. This event and others like it inspired the creation of the carousel amusement ride.
In 17th-century Europe,equestrian royal tournaments known as "carrousels" (French forlittle battle) began to be held.[1] The most famous carrousel of this kind was held byLouis XIV in June 1662, in the courtyard of theTuileries Palace, to celebrate the birth of hisson andheir apparent. The site of the event, next to theLouvre, is still known as the "Place du Carrousel."[2] One of the skill tests performed during these events was ring jousting, a practice originally developed by 10th-centuryArabian andMoorish horsemen in which rings suspended from posts or trees would be speared by alance, sometimes at full gallop.[1] The noblemen participating in these tournaments often overworked their horses while practicing, so an early device was developed in the late 17th century to allow participants to practice ring jousting without the need forriding horses.[1] It consisted of wooden horses suspended from a wheel mounted on a central pole, which was spun by awork horse walking around the contraption's perimeter.[1]
Among the attractions of the [Wilhelmsbad] entertainment venue during my boyhood years was, above all, the carousel. What a delight to be driven around in a tight circle on life-size wooden horses, or in graceful open carriages, drawn by wooden white and black horses. The knight's games were fun to watch. With childlike seriousness, indeed with an almost solemn air, people played ring jousting and dart throwing, slashed Turks' heads as they drove or rode past, and hurled balls into a Moor's wide-open mouth.
—Karl Cäsar von Leonhard, recalling late-18th century childhood memories in what is now Germany, 1854[3]
Devices like these became popular among commoners by the early 18th century, and carousels (as they came to be known) were being built and operated at various fairs and gatherings inCentral Europe. Animal figures and mechanisms would be crafted during the winter months and the family and workers who made them would go touring in wagon trains, operating their carousels at various venues. These early carousels had no platforms; the animals would hang from chains and fly out from thecentrifugal force of the spinning mechanism. They were often powered by animals walking in a circle or people pulling a rope or cranking.
The usage of carousels eventually spread to other parts of the world. Primitive carousels in North America were present since at least the late 18th century; in 1784, theNew York City Common Council passed a law forbidding their use due to being unsafe.[4]
By the mid-19th century, the platform carousel was developed; rideable animal figures and chariots were fixed to a circular floor that would rotate around a central pole. These carousels were called "dobbies" and were operated manually by the operator or by ponies. Carousels in the United Kingdom, where they are also known as "gallopers," usually turnclockwise; while those in North America andmainland Europe typically turncounterclockwise.[5]
A traditional steam-powered gallopers inBlists Hill Victorian Town in the UK, built by Thomas Walker in 1911. Note its clockwise rotation.
By 1803,John Joseph Merlin had a carousel in his Mechanical Museum inLondon, where gentry and nobility liked to gather on winter evenings. The horses "floated free over a pole." It was connected to a "big musical instrument that played a fully orchestrated concerto" and from the first note, the carousel would start turning while each horse would make a galloping movement with a visitor riding on its back. Merlin did not patent his inventions and engineers were allowed to come to create their own models of his creations.[6] By the mid-19th century, the carousel became a popular fixture at Englishfairs. The first steam-powered mechanical roundabout, invented by Thomas Bradshaw, appeared at the Pot Market fair inBolton in about 1861. It was described by aHalifax Courier journalist as "a roundabout of huge proportions, driven by a steam engine which whirled around with such impetuosity, that the wonder is the daring riders are not shot off like cannonball, and driven half into the middle of next month."[7]
Soon afterwards, English engineer Frederick Savage began to branch out of agricultural machinery production into the construction of fairground machines, swiftly becoming the chief innovator in the field. Savage's fairground machinery was exported all over the world.[8] By 1870, he was manufacturing amusement rides similar to carousels withvelocipedes (an early type of bicycle), and he soon began experimenting with other possibilities, including a roundabout with boats that would pitch and roll on cranks with a circular motion, a ride he called 'Sea-on-Land'.[9] In 1880, Savage applied a similar innovation to the more traditional mount of the carousel horse; he installed gears and offset cranks on the platform carousels, thus giving the animals their well-known up-and-down motion as they traveled around the central pole – the galloping horse.[8][10][4] The platform served as a position guide for the bottom of the pole and as a place for people to walk or other stationary animals or chariots to be placed. He called this ride the 'Platform Gallopers'. He also developed the 'platform-slide' which allowed the mounts to swing out concentrically as the carousel built up speed.Fairground organs (band organs) were often present (if not built-in) when these machines operated. Eventually, electric motors and lights were installed, giving the carousel its classic look. These mechanical innovations came at a crucial time when increased prosperity meant that more people had time forleisure and had spare money to spend on entertainment. It was in this historical context that the modern fairground ride was born, with Savage supplying this new market demand. In his 1902 Catalogue for Roundabouts, he claimed to have "... patented and placed upon the market all the principal novelties that have delighted the many thousands of pleasure seekers at home and abroad."[11]
The first known individual carousel with surviving historical records in the US was opened in the 1840s by Franz Wiesenoffer inHessville, Ohio.[12] On July 25, 1871, William Schneider ofDavenport, Iowa, was issued the first American patent for a carousel.[13] To commemorate this milestone, July 25 was declaredNational Merry-Go-Round Day (a.k.a:National Carousel Day) in 2014 by the National Carousel Association (NCA), an organization focused on preserving historic carousels primarily in the United States and Canada.[12][14][15]
The American carousel industry was developed by European immigrants, notably Danish immigrantCharles I. D. Looff, German immigrantGustav Dentzel, and Scottish immigrantAllan Herschell. During the late 19th century, several carousel construction centers formed in the United States, each with their own style:
Coney Island style – characterized by elaborate and sometimes faux-jeweled saddles,[16] as well as mirrors to catch and reflect lights.[17] This style was pioneered by Looff inBrooklyn,New York City.
During theGreat Depression, the production of wooden carousel figures was phased out and were replaced by more durable, mass-produced aluminum castings.[19]: 16 These were in turn discontinued in favor of cheaper and lighter fiberglass castings later in the 20th century.[20]
Thousands of hand-painted, wood-carved carousels (possibly as many as 10,000) were built during their golden age from the 1870s to the early 1930s; less than 200 complete units exist today.[13][15][20][21]: 10 Mechanical band organs that provided music, andbrass ring dispensers that encouraged riders to sit on the outermost (often stationary) row, were common features for carousels during their golden age, but are now very rare.[22] Carousels are manufactured and operated throughout the world today and are often used as symbols for all amusement rides, and the amusement industry as a whole, exemplified by the carousel horse logo used by theInternational Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) until 2018.[23] Several notable extant carousels are recipients of the NCA's Historic Carousel Award.[24]
The oldest standing and operational carousel in the world. It was built in 1780 in Hanau and has four chariots and twelve stationary horses. The horses and coaches date from 1896. In 1970, twelve of the 16 wooden horses were stolen. It was fully restored in 2016.
The oldest operational carousel in the world prior to the 2016 restoration of the Hanau Carousel in Germany (see above). The 'Vermolen Boden Carousel' in Efteling dates back to 1865. It was originally turned by horses. At present it is turned by an electric motor. Not to be confused with theStoomcarrousel (builtc. 1895–1903), also located in Efteling.
Oldest platform carousel in the United States. Designated by aNational Historic Landmark by theUnited States Department of the Interior. One of only two Dare carousels still in existence. Originally operated at an amusement park in Coney Island, New York, it was moved to Oak Bluffs in 1884. The carousel was acquired by the Martha's Vineyard Preservation Trust in 1986 to prevent it from being dismantled and sold piecemeal to collectors of antique carved horses.
Built in 1876 and listed as aNational Historic Landmark. It is one of two Charles Dare carousels in existence. It is considered the oldest of its type "in which the horses are suspended from a center frame," as opposed to being mounted on a wooden platform, which causes the horses to "fly" as the carousel gains speed.
Built in 1878 in England and imported to Australia in the 1880s by John Briggs. The carousel traveled the show circuit until 1963, when it finally arrived at Melbourne Zoo. Restoration completed 2005.
ANew South Wales Heritage listed attraction. It is an example of an old Edwardian Carousel which are very rare nowadays. It is operated by a classic steam engine which has been retained. The Carousel dates back to the 'Golden Age' of Carousels between the 1890s to the 1920s. First imported to Australia in 1894.
The oldest galloping carousel in the world. Built in 1885 in Bressoux by Belgian craftsmen, it stayed there until 1964, when it moved to New York for their World's Fair. ForExpo 67 it came toMontreal as part of the rides featured in La Ronde. In 2003, the Carousel underwent a meticulous restoration under the current park ownership,Six Flags. More than $1 million was spent to refurbish the ride, which reopened in a new specially landscaped garden in 2007. The carousel remains intact but has been out of operation since 2019.
One of the oldest preserved carousels in Europe. Has been renovated recently (2022). The carousel is still located in the original wooden pavilion and the interior is furnished in its almost original form from 1892. It features 21 horses covered with real horse skin and four cars.
One of the few carousels still in its original location for more than 100 years. It is a "pure carousel" meaning all of the horses were provided by the same company that built the carousel. It is also one of the few with the rare combination of a working ring dispenser and outside row jumping horses. The carousel features three band organs including a rare Ruth & Sohn 96-key organ with 342 pipes. The Looff carousel was designated a national historic landmark in 1987.
A working steam driven Merry-Go-Round with 3-abreast Steam Gallopers. It has 24 horses, six cockerels and two chariots (for those who don't relish the galloping motion). It is driven by a steam center engine, also Tidman, and has revolving pillars, which are believed to be the only ones still operating. Musical accompaniment is driven by a slotted card Tidman band organ.
Stein & Goldstein Artistic Carousell Manufacturing Company
1912
Yes
Yes
Operated atNunley's Amusement Park inBaldwin, New York, until its closure in 1995. Subsequently purchased by Nassau County and placed in storage. Fully restored and opened in its current location in 2009.
A mainstay at theMinnesota State Fair from 1914 to 1988, when it was saved from the auction block by a non-profit group organized to save the landmark. The carousel is now located inComo Park inSaint Paul, Minnesota.
Only carousel in the world that rides in a waving motion, only remaining wooden track carousel built by the Herschell–Spillman Company, and one of only four track carousels still in existence
This carousel is one of six in theGreater Binghamton area donated byGeorge F. Johnson, owner of theEndicott-Johnson Company early in the 20th century. These carousels, all manufactured by the Allan Herschell Company in the "country fair" style, were donated with the express stipulation that they would never charge admission for anyone to ride them.
Double-decker carousel. Tallest carousel in the world at 101 feet (31 m). The nearly identical Columbia Carousel inSix Flags Great America inGurnee, Illinois, is 1 foot (30 cm) shorter.
In the 1963 filmCharade, there is a scene near its ending in which a carousel appears in the background with the main theme's music.
In the 1964Mary Poppins, Mary, Bert, and the two Banks children ride a carousel, whose carousel horses float off the platform and lead the riding characters to a fox hunt and horse race that Mary wins.
The children's television programThe Magic Roundabout, which aired from 1965 to 1977, uses a carousel as its central motif.
The 1973 filmThe Sting features alarge indoor carousel adjacent a brothel; the brothel'smadam allows the prostitutes to ride it on slow nights.
TheHouse on the Rock carousel nearSpring Green, Wisconsin, a rotating, display-only art piece built in 1981, has 269 carousel figures and is billed as the largest indoor carousel in the world.[65][66]
In the 1983 filmSomething Wicked This Way Comes, a carousel makes its riders younger by one year each time it completes a backwards revolution.[67]
The children's television programPlaydays had a carousel maintained by Mr. Jolly named Rosie, who was the focus of episodes broadcast from 1992 to 1997.
In the 2011 Australian children's picture bookThe Carousel byUrsula Dubosarsky, after a carousel ride, a child has a semi-mystical vision of the carousel horses breaking free from the wheel and galloping across the world.[68]
In 2014, American singer-songwriterMelanie Martinez released the song "Carousel," using the wordcarousel as a metaphor for love that goes in circles endlessly.[69]
A scene from the HBO series Euphoria, featuring one of the main characters, Cassie Howard riding a carousel, gained massive popularity, being regarded as one of the most iconic scenes.
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