Day 102: The Oldest Ride at Disney!
January 11, 2023
Dear Disney,
When I was younger, I loved carousels. The colorful animals, the pipe music, the brass poles, the movements made me smile with joy. As time does, it marched on, and when Darling and I were old enough to go to Disneyland on our own, the carousel was no longer interesting to us. It was not as interesting as the other rides, not as fast, or shiny. Then we got older still, had children, and once again the love of carousels came back.
King Arthur’s Carousel is the oldest ride at Disneyland, and therefore, the oldest ride in all of Disney. The carousel started its life in another park, Sunnyside Beach Park in Toronto in 1922. The Disney Parks Official blog reports that some aspects of the carousel could date back to 1875, but there were no official records before 1922. After the park closed, the carousel was bought by Disney, shipped to California, and remodeled.
As one of the original opening day rides, King Arthur’s Carousel was the first ride a guest saw as they went through Cinderella’s Castle, directly in front of the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.
IN 1982, Disneyland’s Fantasyland began one of the largest remodels Disneyland had ever seen, and has ever seen. Since that remodel additional lands have been added, but individual lands have not been remodeled causeing the entire land to be closed. The remodel took over a year, and in May on 1983, the Carousel had a new home, in a more central location of Fantasyland.
In 2003, the carousel was given an paint job, a new motor, and a new canopy.
In 2022, Mickey’s Toontown closed for renovations and remodel. This remodel is the second largest Disneyland remodel, at least in time.
As Walt Disney only wanted jumping horses, the imagineers replaced every non-horse animal with a hand-carved antique horse. In all, there are 72 leaping horses, 1 chariot bench, and a wheelchair grip. (Although there are 72 horses, only 68 are currently on the carousel due to ADA compliances. The other horses can be uses as replacement horses if any get damaged.) The chief horse, Jingles, and is painted with a gold harness. In 2008, Jingles was dedicated to Julie Andrews, for her role as Mary Poppins, and her initials “JA” were added to the horse.
King Arthur’s Carousel is now, and may always have been, the central feature to Fantasyland. Sleeping Beauty’s Castle is the gate to Fantasyland, but the carousel is its heart.
When you go to Disneyland, take a moment to remember what it is like to be a child, and ride the carousel horses. You will not regret it.
Till tomorrow.
Sincerely,
Jim Dear and Darling
