King Arthur Carrousel
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| King Arthur Carrousel | |
 | |
| King Arthur Carrousel marquee | |
| Disneyland | |
| Land | Fantasyland |
| Designer | WED Enterprises |
| Attraction type | Carousel |
| Theme | Knights of the Round Table |
| Propulsion method | Single electric motor, geared |
| Opening date | July 17, 1955 |
| Music | A central Fairground organ playing Disney themes and songs. |
| Vehicle type | 68 various horses, 1 chariot bench, wheelchair grip |
| Vehicle capacity | 72+ |
| Ride duration | 2:18 minutes |
| Required coupon | A |
| Horses on opening day | 71 + 1 mule |
| Total horses | 68 |
| Control system | Precision computer control |
King Arthur Carrousel is the carousel in Fantasyland at Disneyland which was featured in the telecast of Disneyland's 1955 opening day.
Contents |
History
Inspired by the Griffith Park carousel, Walt Disney wanted something similar for his new theme park: a carousel consisting of all jumpers. A park model Menagerie Carousel was purchased and moved to Disneyland in 1954. The carousel was built by William Dentzel in 1875 and had been operated at Sunnyside Beach Park in Toronto, Ontario, since 1922, it had three courses of horses and other animals on a platform 22 meters in diameter.
Preparation
The attraction was refurbished and significantly altered in preparation for opening day. It was widened to four courses to increase guest capacity. Of the carousel's 71 horses and one mule, most were carved in the Dentzel factory in the late 19th and early 20th century. To add the outermost course, several carved wooden horses were acquired from a Stein and Goldstein carousel, others from Coney Island's Looff carousel, and more carved horses from various other carousels from around North America. Many horses arrived with crude repairs, such as newspaper-stuffed papier-mâché legs. Standers on the original three rows were converted to jumpers by removing the legs and carving new ones. Custom-built crankshafts were installed overhead to operate each horse as a jumper in motion. The original, ornately hand-carved, wooden chariot benches were removed, and the chariot woodwork was repurposed to decorate the "calliope" tenders and passenger cars of Casey Jr. Circus Train. A Wurlitzer #157 Band Organ face decorates the carousel, but does not operate. Motifs from Sleeping Beauty were added to the carousel and the princess and the jester head motifs have been refinished in 18k gold leaf.
Refurbishment
In preparation for Disneyland's 50th anniversary celebration, the Happiest Homecoming on Earth, King Arthur Carrousel was closed for extensive renovations and reopened in February 2003. These renovations included an entirely rebuilt turntable platform, a new computerized operating console and system which halts the carousel each time at the same spot, removal of a row of four horses to accommodate a four-course-wide bench and wheelchair clamps with an access ramp for ADA compliance, which reduced the count of horses to 68. In January 2010, the stirrups of each outer-course horse were replaced to include additional lower loops, increasing accessibility.
Horses
Because of the overwhelming popularity of the carousel's single white horse, since 1975 all horses have been painted white. Each horse on the carousel has a name; a complete list is available at City Hall on Main Street, U.S.A.
Jingles is the lead horse, and Walt's favorite, named for its very ornate carvings which include beautiful straps of jingle bells hanging from her saddle and cantle. For Disneyland's 50th anniversary in 2005, Jingles was repainted gold from nose to tail, trimmed in 18k gold leaf and set apart as a photo opportunity near the Dumbo Flying Elephants queue. When Jingles was reinstalled as lead horse after the Year of a Million Dreams campaign, major portions of Jingles were painted over, except where the gold bells and trim are showing through, with exceptionally striking translucent treatment of the rosettes on Jingles' head. Decoration detail was painted on the saddle blanket representing the talking parrot-handled umbrella from Mary Poppins, and in four quarters as a crest upon the kneepad - the monogram "JA", a robin perched upon high button shoes, the silhouette of Mary in flight and a number 50 representing the 50 Magical Years anniversary of this original Disneyland attraction featured on opening day - all showing through in gold with blue outline. Jingles was then ceremoniously dedicated on April 8, 2008 to Julie Andrews.
Sword in the Stone Ceremony
Inspired by the legend of Excalibur from The Sword in the Stone, Merlin hosts a ceremony nearby to determine which guest can pull the sword from the stone to become king for a day.
Gallery
- "By proclamation of Arthur, the right and true king, and lord of all the land, it is time to select a temporary ruler of the realm... to safeguard and protect the kingdom while good King Arthur is on vacation."
External links
- Disneyland.com - King Arthur Carrousel | Fantasyland Attractions | Disneyland Park
- FindingMickey.com - Information about the King Arthur Carrousel, horse name checklist, names and photos of the King Arthur Carrousel horses
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