Prince Charming Regal Carrousel

Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
Cinderella's Carousel at Hong Kong Disneyland
Magic Kingdom
Area	Fantasyland (Castle Courtyard)
Status	Operating
Opening date	October 1, 1971; 52 years ago (October 1, 1971)
Tokyo Disneyland
Name	Castle Carousel
Area	Fantasyland
Status	Operating
Opening date	April 15, 1983
Hong Kong Disneyland
Name	Cinderella Carousel
Area	Fantasyland
Status	Operating
Opening date	September 12, 2005
Ride statistics
Attraction type	Disney tunes
Vehicle type	Horses/chariot
Rows	5 (Magic Kingdom) 4 (Tokyo Disneyland and Hong Kong Disneyland)
Riders per row	1
Manufacturer	Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters in Magic Kingdom Chance Rides in Hong Kong Disneyland

Prince Charming Regal Carrousel (formerly Cinderella's Golden Carousel) is a

Arrow Development, in which Disney had purchased a 1/3 interest in 1960 and which had restored the King Arthur Carousel for Disneyland, produced new engineering drawings for the mechanism and horses. It was shipped to California, where the horses were stripped and each given a unique design. Molds were made of 18 horses to make fiberglass copies for a new Disney carousel being built for Tokyo Disneyland and also to serve as temporary stand-ins when original wood horses are taken down for repairs. Disney also added a 23 karat gold leaf, silver, and bronze to each of the horses and added scenes from Cinderella's story. The carousel was in place when the Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Florida, opened in 1971.^[2]

While it was extensively refurbished and repainted in 1967 to match the Cinderella theme, maidens from the original design can still be seen on the top. All ninety horses are painted white because white horses are typically associated with heroes. All of the original horses were carved from maple. One chariot that was originally installed on "The Liberty" was lost during the refurbishment, but was rediscovered and installed in 1997. ^[3]

While the carousel was being installed at the Magic Kingdom, Roy Disney noticed that the placement was off center with the Cinderella Castle breezeway, and it was moved eight inches so it would be center.^[3]

Cinderella's Horse

There are conflicting stories regarding whether one of the horses is "Cinderella's Horse". The horse in question is in the second rank, and is the only one that has a golden bow on its tail.

Cast Members have referred to it as Cinderella's as well as in various Disney publications.^[4][5] Cinderella has been depicted as riding a horse in various pieces of collectable sculpture and artwork, such as a 2001 Limited Edition lithograph.^[6]

However, in an interview with Isle Voght, a park employee responsible for restoring the carousel along with John Hench,^[7] she gives her own reasons for doubting the veracity of the Cinderella's Horse story, namely that Cinderella would not have one on an inner row, and that it would be decorated much more elaborately than the others. Also, she states that Cinderella never rode one in the film.

The Disney Imagineers did not include the story of Cinderella's horse in the 2010 rewriting of the carousel backstory.

Name change

On June 1, 2010, the name was changed from Cinderella's Golden Carousel to Prince Charming Regal Carrousel.^[8] The name change helps tell the rest of the Cinderella story that inspired the carousel. The official story as published on Disney Parks Blog is:^[9]

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.

Tokyo Disneyland version

In Tokyo, the attraction is known as the Castle Carrousel. It features 72 white horses, each uniquely adorned.^[10] The carousel plays calliope music, but it does not have a genuine band organ. The carousel's make and origins are unknown.

Hong Kong Disneyland version

In Hong Kong, the attraction is known as the Cinderella Carousel. The carousel was built by Chance Rides of Wichita, Kansas. It came with four rows of Bradley and Kaye horses and Columbia chariots.

In popular culture

• In the Mickey Mouse episode "Potatoland", Mickey and Donald build a theme park called Potatoland to fulfill Goofy's lifelong dream to go to the park, even though it never existed. One of the attractions featured was a low-budget carousel, similar to the carousels at Disney theme parks, with Mickey playing the organ, while Donald cranked the ride.

Incidents

See also

• King Arthur Carrousel
• Le Carrousel de Lancelot

References