Cinderella’s Carousel, also known as the Disney carousel, is a Magic Kingdom staple at Disney World. At one time or another, everyone has excitedly sat atop one of the decorated carousel horses as they spun around Fantasyland. Here are some little known facts about the beloved ride.
Is the Carousel Really Cinderella’s?
Even though we all still refer to the carousel as Cinderella’s Carousel, that is incorrect. In June 2010, as part of the Walt Disney World Fantasyland expansion, the carousel was renamed to “Prince Charming’s Regal Carrousel.” To go with the name change, the carousel was also given an official backstory.
According to the backstory, after Cinderella married her prince, peace reigned in the kingdom. With no need to practice jousting, the prince created a carousel to practice ring spearing instead. The village people loved it so much, he had one created for them.
Cinderella’s Carousel and Cinderella’s Story
On the wooden canopy of the carousel, there are 18 scenes painted. These scenes depict the story of Cinderella as described in the Disney movie. The scenes are gloriously hand painted, and fun to look at as you await the spinning of the carousel.
Cinderella’s Carousel Is the Oldest Attraction in Fantasyland
Prince Charming’s Regal Carrousel was originally created by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company for the Belle Isle Park in Detroit, Michigan in 1917. The carousel is number 46 of the 89 created by this company.
There’s Gold in Them Thar Horses
Many of the horses contain real gold- gold leaf anyway. Silver and bronze leaf is also used on all the horses.
You May Be Sitting on as Much as $100k!
The horses on the carousel are not only old, they’re priceless. Well, almost priceless. The horses are valued between twenty thousand and one hundred thousand each, depending on the horse.
All Disney Carousel Horses Are Unique
During the carousel restoration, each original horse was stripped and repainted so no two horses were alike. Each noble steed was also painted white, because white equines are considered the horse of the hero.
How Many Horses Are on Cinderella’s Carousel?
The carousel was originally built with 72 horses. Today, Prince Charming’s carousel has 90 horses. The additional horses were purchased from the well-known carousel manufacturers Dentzel Carousel Company and CW Parker Company. Occasionally, fiberglass horse replicas are used as stand-ins during the restoration of original wooden horses.
How a Carousel Led to Disneyland’s Creation
Walt Disney was a true inspiration. He was the founding father of animation and theme parks. He changed parks with rides into true experiences, and put the word “theme” in theme park.
The idea for Disneyland snuck up on Walt Disney one quiet day while he was happily watching his daughters enjoy a merry-go-round at Griffith Park in Los Angelos, California.
With the carousel being the humble beginnings of the Disney theme park legacy, it is only fitting that a Carousel be prominently featured in each Disney park.
Keeping the Horses in Tip-Top Shape
50-60 horses are refurbished every year. All horses are redone at least every two years.
Disney Carousels or Carrousels?
You may notice that Prince Charming’s Regal Carrousel is spelled with two R’s. This spelling comes from the French language and is used because Disney’s adaption of Cinderella is based off the French version.
Cinderella’s Carousel Horse Names
Only two horses on the carousel have names. Their names are “King” and “Cindy.” Their location on the carousel is rather secret, but we’re going to look into it during our upcoming trip. More to follow.
There are rumors that Cinderella’s personal horse is in the ranks among the carousel horses. Her horse is reportedly in the line of horses that are one in from the outside and contains a golden tail bow. Due to the refurbishment of horses as needed, there are times when her horse may not be able to be seen.
Disney’s Carousel Alignment
During the construction of Magic Kingdom, Walt’s brother Roy, realized the carousel was not centered perfectly on the breezeway through the castle. This threw off the view as you made your way into Fantasyland. The carousel was moved 8 inches into precise alignment, and it remains there today.
1 thought on “Ten Things You Probably Don’t Know About Disney’s Cinderella’s Carousel”
Comments are closed.