Disneyland maintenance crew feels sense of pride working on 1922 King Arthur Carrousel: ‘It’s part of our heritage’ - OCR/SCNG

Darkbeer1

Well-Known Member
Original Poster

>>Disneyland has its share of classic rides, but there aren’t too many attractions like King Arthur Carrousel that date back before the 1955 opening of the Anaheim theme park.


Disneyland’s maintenance crew has just started a monthslong refurbishment project that will replace the carousel’s steel canopy and freshen up the hand-carved horses on the vintage merry-go-round that was built in 1922 and moved to Disneyland for opening day.


“It’s part of our heritage,” said Jim Slagle, Disneyland’s director of facilities management. “You’re touching a part of the company’s history. It is a sense of pride for us. It’s jobs like this that really bring that out.”


Work began last week on King Arthur Carrousel and is expected to continue until May.<<



Much more at the link, or go search any Southern California News Group website.
 

SuddenStorm

Well-Known Member
How much of the current carousel is actually from 1922? Or opening day Disneyland?

I imagine there's been so many updates, rebuilds, and just routine maintenance done on it over the years that very little of the current carousel is actually from 1922.

I also wonder the same for the Disneyland Railroad, Mansion, Pirates, or Splash. How much physical components for the figures on the ride are actually from America Sings? That stuff wears out, and will typically get replaced as part of routine and preventative maintenance.
 

Darkbeer1

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
How much of the current carousel is actually from 1922? Or opening day Disneyland?

I imagine there's been so many updates, rebuilds, and just routine maintenance done on it over the years that very little of the current carousel is actually from 1922.

I also wonder the same for the Disneyland Railroad, Mansion, Pirates, or Splash. How much physical components for the figures on the ride are actually from America Sings? That stuff wears out, and will typically get replaced as part of routine and preventative maintenance.


>>
  • At this location: The carrousel has been here since the park opened in 1955, though it was moved several feet towards the back of Fantasyland during the 1984 redesign of Fantasyland.
  • This attraction's history: The carrousel platform and mechanism was built in 1921 by Dentzel Carrousels and was installed at Sunnyside Park in Toronto, Canada. Disney purchased it from that park and moved it to Disneyland during the park's construction in 1954. The original carrousel contained many creatures, not just horses, as well as train cars. The train cars were removed and used in the Casey Jr. Circus Train attraction. Walt Disney wanted the carrousel to consist entirely of horses and purchased them from various locations, mostly from a Coney Island amusement park and a fourth ring of horses was added. In the original carrousel, not all the horses were "jumpers" and their legs were removed and reattached to convert them into a jumping position.

    In the original configuration there were 72 horses of various colors. The single white horse proved very popular and in 1976 all the horses were repainted to be white as well.

    Once it got started and the full extend of deterioration was found, a 2003 refurbishment expanded to almost completely rebuild the carrousel. As part of that refurbishment, scenes from Sleeping Beauty were added to the inside ring, one row of horses was removed so that a bench and wheelchair access could be added, and a new computer control system was installed to ensure the ride would stop where in exactly the same position as it began, allowing for the addition of a wheelchair ramp.

    On April 8, 2008, the lead horse on the carrousel, "Jingles," was dedicated to Disney Legend Julie Andrews in a morning ceremony. In preparation for the dedication, Jingles was decorated with elements appropriate to Andrews' Disney career.

  • Other Trivia:
    • 50 Years: As part of Disneyland's 50th Anniversary, ride vehicles for most of the original 1955 attractions were painted gold, for King Arthur's Carrousel it was the lead horse, Jingles, that was painted.
    • Symbols of Dedication: To represent that Jingles is a horse that has been dedicated to Julie Andrews, several changes were main in the decorations and paint job. On the saddle and saddle blanket were added the letters JA, an umbrella, a 50 (representing her work as the ambassador for the park's 50th Anniversary celebration), and a silhouette of Mary Poppins. Also, Jingles hooves have been painted gold.<<
 

fradz

Well-Known Member
How much of the current carousel is actually from 1922? Or opening day Disneyland?

I imagine there's been so many updates, rebuilds, and just routine maintenance done on it over the years that very little of the current carousel is actually from 1922.

I also wonder the same for the Disneyland Railroad, Mansion, Pirates, or Splash. How much physical components for the figures on the ride are actually from America Sings? That stuff wears out, and will typically get replaced as part of routine and preventative maintenance.
This has been a great question in the metaphysics of identity, worth a read imo!
 

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