Disney World After Dark: A Carrousel

And not just any carrousel. No, this is a Golden Carrousel. Cinderella's Golden Carrousel was an opening day attraction in the Magic Kingdom. Originally built in 1917 by the Philidelphia Toboggan Company, the carrousel began operation at the Detroit Palace Garden Park. Disney found it in 1967 located at the Maplewood Olympic Park and lovingly restored the classic ride for its October 1, 1971 debut in Central Florida.

The carrousel carries 90 horses on its 2 minute journey. If you're lucky, you can ride Cinderella's horse. It is found in the second rank with a golden bow on its tail.

Looking at the carrousel, I can not help but think how important they are to the design of the Magic Kingdom, first in Disneyland and then the subsequent parks. To me they are symbolic of Disney, the man.

"The idea of Disneyland came about when my daughters were very young and Saturday was always Daddy's day with the two daughters. So we'd start out and try to go someplace, you know, different things, and I'd take them to the merry-go-round and I took them different places and as I'd sit while they rode the merry-go-round and did all these things - sit on a bench, you know, eating peanuts - I felt that there should be something built where the parents and the children could have fun together. So that's how Disneyland started. Well, it took many years...it was a period of maybe fifteen years developing. I started with many ideas, threw them away, started all over again. And eventually it evolved into what you see today at Disneyland. But it all started from a daddy with two daughters wondering where he could take them where he could have a little fun with them, too."

So, when I look at the carrousel, the merry-go-round, I think of Walt and can almost imagine him holding on to a young Sharon and Diane Disney as they went round and round.

Italized quote from The Quotable Walt Disney, compiled by Dave Smith, pg. 51