Hello everyone, and welcome to another edition of our Attraction Series, as seen here on My Dreams of Disney! Today, we are going to take an in depth look at Cinderella’s Golden Carrousel (as it was known on Opening Day), which is located in Fantasyland of the Magic Kingdom.
Today, the carrousel is known as Prince Charming’s Regal Carrousel, but on October 1, 1971, when the Magic Kingdom opened and Cinderella’s Golden Carrousel started operation, it was continuing operation from when it was first made in 1917 by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company. This carrousel, which was originally known as Liberty, was purchased by Walt Disney in 1967 for inclusion in the brand new park that was being constructed in Florida.
The name of the carrousel was changed on June 1, 2010, and a new backstory was incorporated into the attraction. Here it is, according to Wikipedia:
Following their fairy-tale romance and happily-ever-after wedding, Cinderella and Prince Charming took up residence in Cinderella’s Castle. With peace throughout the kingdom, Prince Charming had time to practice for jousting tournaments. In the countryside near the castle, he built a training device of carved horses, on which he could practice the art of ring-spearing, a tournament event in which a knight rides his horse full speed, lance in hand, toward a small ring hanging from a tree limb, with the object of spearing the ring. This event was known by various names throughout the lands, but generally came to be called “carrousel.” The carrousel device drew the attention of the villagers, who wanted to take a turn on this amazing spinning contraption. So Prince Charming had a second carrousel constructed closer to the Castle, where everyone could take a spin on this wondrous invention. Instead of a working knight’s training device, however, this new carrousel is more befitting its regal location in the Castle Courtyard – its rustic training horses replaced with ornately decorated prancing steeds adorned with golden helmets and shields, flower garlands, feathers and other festoons. Prince Charming invites one and all to test their horsemanship skills and to enjoy their own happy ending.
You can also find carrousel attractions at two other Disney parks under various names. These are Tokyo Disneyland and Hong Kong Disneyland.
This concludes our examination of Cinderella’s Golden Carrousel — on Thursday, look for our final examination of an Opening Day attraction when we take an in depth look at the Grand Prix Raceway, which is now known as the Tomorrowland Speedway.
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I never heard the new backstory about Prince Charming’s Regal Carrousel. Thanks for sharing the info. My girls loved the carousel last summer (carousels are always a hit with them). Can’t wait to take them back to ride again!