What is the history of the Carousel?
Carousels are one of the most iconic amusement park rides. Also known as merry-go-rounds, roundabouts and hurdy-gurdys, their most famous form involves mountable horses rotating around a central axis. But did you know that, along with rollercoasters, carousels are the oldest funfair rides still in use?
The very earliest carousel rides
The very earliest form of the carousel originated in Europe and the Middle East in the 12th century. Back then it was effectively a military training exercise, and involved soldiers practicing waving their weapons and throwing balls to each other while sat on horses. However, a very important difference between this early carousel and the ones we have today is that the horses they were riding in a circle were real!
It wasn't until the mid-19th century that the carousel in a form we would recognise emerged. By now, these were very similar to merry-go-rounds, and included the platform, the (model) horses and the rotating. However, the main difference from modern carousels is that the motion was generated by manual cranking – either by people or ponies. This carousel quickly became hugely popular at amusement fairs, which only increased in the latter half of the century when the addition of gears caused the horses to move up and down in the motion that we are all familiar with.
The increasing popularity of the carousel in the Victorian age came at the exact same time that leisure activities such as amusement parks, theme parks and funfairs became accessible by more and more people. Increases in wages, and new workers' rights giving more time off, meant that there was now a huge market for entertainment.
As the 20th century progressed, while the basic mechanism of the carousel stayed the same, there were still innovations. Carousels featuring cars, boats, trains and other forms of transport instead of horses appeared. In addition to this, aluminium and fibreglass as materials to build the carousels replaced the wood of the Victorian models.
The largest carousel in operation today is located at the House on the Rock, Wisconsin. It features a staggering 269 hand-carved animals, 182 chandeliers and more than 20,000 lights. While it remains a popular attraction, the only drawback is that visitors are no longer allowed to ride it!
We Are Tricycle: Carousel and Merry-go-Round Hire UK
Carousels remain a popular feature of funfairs today, and at We Are Tricycle we have a fantastic range to offer you. We have carousels that feature the famous and traditional Victorian look of the early merry-go-rounds, which still look just as great today as they always did. For something different, we also stock carousels where your guests can ride more modern forms of transport, such as our Monster Trucks funfair ride. All of our carousels and merry-go-rounds are of the highest quality available, and are regularly serviced.
Wherever you are in the UK, we are ready to deliver to you now. So why not add the unique look and feel of the carousel to your next event? As we have demonstrated, they've been popular for hundreds of years, and seem likely to remain popular for hundreds more!
Just contact us to get started.