What's the Difference Between a Merry-go-Round and a Carousel?

You might have heard that Merry-go-Rounds turn in one direction and Carousels go in another direction. You might envision Merry-go-Rounds being made for young children, such as the Toy Town Ride, and see Carousels as larger rides that are suitable for the whole family. The word 'Carousel' sounds more dramatic than the word 'Merry-go-Round', and you might think that Carousels are old-fashioned, golden-coloured, classic rides such as the Traditional Victorian Carousel.

But are you correct?

According to Merriam Webster dictionaries, the word Carousel is actually a synonym of the word Merry-go-Round, so there's officially no difference between the two funfair rides! Both mean the same thing; every carousel can be described as a merry-go-round, and vice versa.

While European Carousel rides typically turn clockwise, their American counterparts usually spin counter-clockwise. This is because European Carousels were originally intended for cavalry practice - check out the history of the Carousel for more information. Warriors would mount their Merry-go-Round horse from the left, so they could draw their sword from the left holster and hold it in their right hand, If the Carousel didn't spin clockwise, the warriors would be facing backwards!

Other Merry-go-Rounds

There are other rides that are known as Merry-go-Rounds, too, but that are never considered as Carousels. For instance, in your local children's play park, there may be a small hand-powered ride that spins around in a circle. Carousels are always mechanically-operated and require the use of a fairground ride operator.

So all Carousels are Merry-go-Rounds, but not all Merry-go-Rounds are Carousels!

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