Hello everyone! This is one of my most research heavy videos of all time and the largest video in Flat Ride Friday (Season 1). I hope this video helps to demystify Carousel history and help to make the rides and their preservation more interesting for you, like making it did to me!
The band organ at the Merry-Go-Round Museum is absolutely the most beautiful band organ out there. The whole museum is beautiful and absolutely worth the stop! I visit there every time I go to Cedar Point!
There was a beautiful old double-deck carousel which came to our small German village every year when I was a small kid, but after some years, there were not any rides on our little fair. But some days ago, I've seen this ride on the Cannstatter Wasen at Stuttgart - many childhook memories unlocked and I'm happy that this carousel still travels around to make many riders happy ❤
Pretty much my favorite ride ever. It's the one ride at Six Flags I HAVE to ride every time. I would LOVE to try the extreme steam powered old versions mentioned here! Lol considering I've experienced the real thing many times (Equestrian).
Thank you so much for this. I grew up riding the carousel at Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles both before and after its restoration. Several years ago, I took both my daughters there to ride it. We also fell in love with the modern carousel in Kingsport, Tennessee, built by the townspeople there. Carousels always hold the magic of childhood for me.
Loved this episode. The Grand Carousel at Carowinds is from 1923 and still operates with its original wood horses. Thought it was so cool when I was younger and got to ride the double decker carousel at the St. Charles Illinois mall.
They're not my favorite rides but they are incredibly valuable and important for this industry. I Know my home park, Kennywood had a special one and I just looked it up more and they do.
Mine too. They brought it in every Christmas and one year just left it there for several months. The carousel is long gone and the mall is now an outdoor shopping center.
A friend and I visited the Herschell Carousel museum in Tonawanda when we were there in 2016. We took in quite a few cool carousels on the trip - we saw, but didn't ride, the double-decker carousels in Paris, rode Stroomcarousel at Efteling in the Netherlands, and in the US we rode the Central Park Carousel, Prospect Park Carousel, Zoo Atlanta Endangered Species Carousel, Seaglass Carousel and we ogled Jane's Carousel in Brooklyn, but unfortunately it wasn't open when we were there.
Have you looked into the German carousel at Storyland in NH? It’s one of those racing ones you mentioned. One of the few in the country that go clockwise. I remember it when I was a kid. The horses rock back and forth under your own power and they’re so heavy, it’s impossible for a kid to make them rock without a parent assisting next to them. Interesting ride.
This episode was really interesting - I enjoyed it a lot 😊 I really like those classic carousels and in parks, I sometimes take a ride - especially with horses moving up and down and a classy fairground organ playing merry tunes it is really fun!
The Carousel at Balboa Park in San Diego also has a brass ring game. They only do it when people are on the outsie horses /anamals. I rode this carousel meny times. It is so fun and dates back to l built 1910 and was built by Herschell-Spillman in North Tonawanda, New York. It also has a band organ. A cool Carousel that you sould ride if you every in San Diego. They only chage $4.00 to ride it. I love riding Carousels.
I grew up going to Knoebels, but also- The Garden State Plaza used to have a double level Coney Island style Carousel. Nothin like catching the ring on the big one at Knoebels!
They're classics. Gotta love the carousel. ❤ I heard from an episode of Charmed that Merry Go Rounds have more than just horses where carousels have just horses. 😂
this was excellent! there's some classic carosels in my area that I have fond memories of visiting, and some contemporary ones with the most random assortments of animals. one of the classic ones had a restoration project within the century iirc
I always thought all carousels were the same until I rode Cedar Downs at Cedar Point years ago and realized nope, not all are the same. Cedar Downs at the time really gave you are great ride, moving fwd and back while going up and down while going quite fast. Love to see a behind the scenes on how that one worked cause of how it operates
"Launch you half into next month" hard to reconcile that with modern carousels. Edit: prior to the viewing of this video i had already decided to take my family to the museum in Sandusky and visit the Looff carousel in St Catherines ON CAN which has a beautiful setting from what I remember (its been over 2 decades).
There's a place in Wisconsin called House on the Rock that has tons of stuff preserved including some carousel animals. I don't know tho if it counts as a private collection or not but it started as one. It's got all sorts of goodies inside
@@CoasterCollege lol for real! Can't be doing that on an 80 mph launch/take off. Great vid! Love carousels, never knew the difference between Gallopers, and the way they faced being a difference. Thanks!
If you want an idea of how fast carousels used to be, have a look at Derby Racer at Blackpool Pleasure Beach. I’d also like to point out an inaccuracy where you described the difference between the galloper and the carousel. The real difference between these two is that carousels turn anti-clockwise whilst gallopers turn clockwise. Merry Go Round is an umbrella term for both.
I would love to know where the ghost carving at 14:10 is going, that is so unique! I enjoyed my first MGRM visit a few years back. I talked with Bonnie about paranormal activity at the museum- look into the story of the haunted Muller’s Military Horse!
Knoebels Amusement Resort has a carousel museum that's free to enter. Personally, I enjoy watching carousels, but riding them doesn't really do anything for me.
Colorado has model number one of the first carousel that didn't move up and down and model number four of the fourth carousel that was built that was moving up and down and that's located at lakeside amusement park
I considered it a very sad loss when the carousel at Funtown Pier at Seaside went up with the rest of the pier during the fire that occurred a year after Superstorm Sandy. I know it's not the only carousel to be destroyed in such a fashion, but it was one I remembered. Another carousel at Seaside (near Casino Pier) recently reopened in a dedicated building towards the north end of the beach. I don't plan on getting back to Seaside in 2024 (I've actually been a couple times already), but I hope to check this out in 2025. I do love the carousel at Knoebels. So ... the name "carousel" or "merry-go-round" really has nothing to do with the direction it travels? I've been misinformed.
I visited the carousel pavilion at Seaside Heights on July 4th. Very beautiful carousel but didn’t get the chance to ride it. I will be back soon, though. I have been on Knoebels carousel…another beautiful ride and what fun it is to catch a ring as you go around. Still haven’t caught the brass ring…hopefully, one day! 🎠
@CoasterCollege The immense work you put in to this video is mind boggling! I've always loves merry go rounds and at 70 years old, I still ride them. Thank you so very much.
@CoasterCollege I havent been to the Colorado State Fair for years and years. I'm going to make it a point to go this year to ride the merry go round, inspired by you. PBS couldn't have put together a better history of carousels. What got me is that you WENT IN PERSON to shoot the video! Thank you again.
Hello everyone! This is one of my most research heavy videos of all time and the largest video in Flat Ride Friday (Season 1). I hope this video helps to demystify Carousel history and help to make the rides and their preservation more interesting for you, like making it did to me!
Do a video on the iron horse train
The band organ at the Merry-Go-Round Museum is absolutely the most beautiful band organ out there. The whole museum is beautiful and absolutely worth the stop! I visit there every time I go to Cedar Point!
There was a beautiful old double-deck carousel which came to our small German village every year when I was a small kid, but after some years, there were not any rides on our little fair. But some days ago, I've seen this ride on the Cannstatter Wasen at Stuttgart - many childhook memories unlocked and I'm happy that this carousel still travels around to make many riders happy ❤
Pretty much my favorite ride ever. It's the one ride at Six Flags I HAVE to ride every time. I would LOVE to try the extreme steam powered old versions mentioned here! Lol considering I've experienced the real thing many times (Equestrian).
I had no idea such a tame ride could have such an interesting history.
The antique carousel at Canada’s Wonderland is still amazing. Very cool to go on it as a kid and then 20+ years later take my own kids on it
Flat rides: Origins (The Prequel movie)
NO WAY A CAROUSEL EPISODE???!!! THATS MY SPECIAL INTEREST
Thank you so much for this. I grew up riding the carousel at Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles both before and after its restoration. Several years ago, I took both my daughters there to ride it. We also fell in love with the modern carousel in Kingsport, Tennessee, built by the townspeople there. Carousels always hold the magic of childhood for me.
One of my earliest memories is actually riding a double-decker carousel at Randhurst Mall :,). They always have a special place in my heart
Loved this episode. The Grand Carousel at Carowinds is from 1923 and still operates with its original wood horses. Thought it was so cool when I was younger and got to ride the double decker carousel at the St. Charles Illinois mall.
They're not my favorite rides but they are incredibly valuable and important for this industry. I Know my home park, Kennywood had a special one and I just looked it up more and they do.
Carousels are there to recover after one too many coasters in a row
A great place to cool down and relax after your head says no more coasters today.
My childhood mall had a carousel that I begged to ride every time I went, it was one of the things that first got me into rides and parks.
I feel that, for real. Mine got rid of their carousel IIRC. Give me back my youth!😂
Mine too. They brought it in every Christmas and one year just left it there for several months. The carousel is long gone and the mall is now an outdoor shopping center.
A friend and I visited the Herschell Carousel museum in Tonawanda when we were there in 2016. We took in quite a few cool carousels on the trip - we saw, but didn't ride, the double-decker carousels in Paris, rode Stroomcarousel at Efteling in the Netherlands, and in the US we rode the Central Park Carousel, Prospect Park Carousel, Zoo Atlanta Endangered Species Carousel, Seaglass Carousel and we ogled Jane's Carousel in Brooklyn, but unfortunately it wasn't open when we were there.
What a fascinating episode! So, carousels were basically the birth of the amusement industry?
@@kso808 exactly!
Thr St Louis Carousel in Faust Park is a Dentzel that was built in 1927 and is still in operation today.
Have you looked into the German carousel at Storyland in NH? It’s one of those racing ones you mentioned. One of the few in the country that go clockwise. I remember it when I was a kid. The horses rock back and forth under your own power and they’re so heavy, it’s impossible for a kid to make them rock without a parent assisting next to them. Interesting ride.
This episode was really interesting - I enjoyed it a lot 😊
I really like those classic carousels and in parks, I sometimes take a ride - especially with horses moving up and down and a classy fairground organ playing merry tunes it is really fun!
My childhood was riding Hersheypark's carousel right after the old Giant Wheel.
The Carousel at The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk has been there since 1911 and still operates with the original wooden horses.
The Carousel at Balboa Park in San Diego also has a brass ring game. They only do it when people are on the outsie horses /anamals. I rode this carousel meny times. It is so fun and dates back to l built 1910 and was built by Herschell-Spillman in North Tonawanda, New York. It also has a band organ. A cool Carousel that you sould ride if you every in San Diego. They only chage $4.00 to ride it. I love riding Carousels.
After binging all the roller coaster accident videos, I'll probably only ride carrousels for the foreseeable future 😅
I grew up going to Knoebels, but also- The Garden State Plaza used to have a double level Coney Island style Carousel. Nothin like catching the ring on the big one at Knoebels!
They're classics. Gotta love the carousel. ❤ I heard from an episode of Charmed that Merry Go Rounds have more than just horses where carousels have just horses. 😂
I am surprised the water powered Carousel in Kurpark Hanau Wilhelmsbad from 1779 isn´t menshiond. It is still operating a few days the year.
one at linnanmäki was manufactured in 1896 at Germany and arrived to LInnanmäki in 1954 and has been there ever since to today
Very neat episode!
Carousels in Europe go counter-clockwise so you can wave with your right hand at the crowd.
Kentucky Kingdom had a double decker when i was a kid
We still have an original all wooden carousel in Ocean city md. Trimpers owns it. Very fancy with jewels and portraits.
I'm a little surprised the museum at Knoebels and its Grand Carousel weren't seen in the video.
Love trying to catch the brass ring.
this was excellent!
there's some classic carosels in my area that I have fond memories of visiting, and some contemporary ones with the most random assortments of animals. one of the classic ones had a restoration project within the century iirc
I always thought all carousels were the same until I rode Cedar Downs at Cedar Point years ago and realized nope, not all are the same. Cedar Downs at the time really gave you are great ride, moving fwd and back while going up and down while going quite fast. Love to see a behind the scenes on how that one worked cause of how it operates
Never mind. The video answered my question
the carousel has always been my favorite ride! awesome video ^^
"Launch you half into next month" hard to reconcile that with modern carousels.
Edit: prior to the viewing of this video i had already decided to take my family to the museum in Sandusky and visit the Looff carousel in St Catherines ON CAN which has a beautiful setting from what I remember (its been over 2 decades).
I love carousels!
Good old merry go round
There's a place in Wisconsin called House on the Rock that has tons of stuff preserved including some carousel animals. I don't know tho if it counts as a private collection or not but it started as one. It's got all sorts of goodies inside
What about those massive double deckers carousels though?
cool seeing you ON the ride yr talking about
@@---qh9tb probably the only ride type I'll ever get to do that for
@@CoasterCollege lol for real! Can't be doing that on an 80 mph launch/take off. Great vid! Love carousels, never knew the difference between Gallopers, and the way they faced being a difference. Thanks!
There is a Mary go around in Brooklyn at King's Plaza Mall. There also was a Mary GO around here in Lynnhaven mall, Virginia Beach, Virginia
Thank you! What great information!
nice to see you in front of the camera for a change
DO A PART 2 ON STEEPLE CHASE RIDES.
Without the carousel we would have no Disney land
Or Hersheypark as a carousel (not their current one) was the first ride Mr Hershey installed.
I wonder why you did not discuss double-decker carousels like the great america ones or the chance rides version
Great video. But you didn't mention double decker carousels.
If you want an idea of how fast carousels used to be, have a look at Derby Racer at Blackpool Pleasure Beach. I’d also like to point out an inaccuracy where you described the difference between the galloper and the carousel. The real difference between these two is that carousels turn anti-clockwise whilst gallopers turn clockwise. Merry Go Round is an umbrella term for both.
The Derby Raver is one of the hidden highlights at Blackpool - surprisingly thrilling and with loads of charm 😊
A must-ride at the Pleasure Beach!
No joke, no irony, you are a very awesome man.
(P.s. i am married, and a long time viewers)
I would love to know where the ghost carving at 14:10 is going, that is so unique! I enjoyed my first MGRM visit a few years back. I talked with Bonnie about paranormal activity at the museum- look into the story of the haunted Muller’s Military Horse!
@@megantheartoonist it will be one the museums own machine later this fall!
@@CoasterCollege ooh thanks! Looking forward to seeing that in action!
You should make a what really happened on top thrill dragster
Knoebels Amusement Resort has a carousel museum that's free to enter. Personally, I enjoy watching carousels, but riding them doesn't really do anything for me.
Next time ride the one at Knoebels, completely different experience, and rather challenging.
IN UK ITS CALLED GALLOPERS
ROUNDABOUTS ANOTHER NAME FOR IT.
10:45 this is neat and cool rare
Colorado has model number one of the first carousel that didn't move up and down and model number four of the fourth carousel that was built that was moving up and down and that's located at lakeside amusement park
Awesome video about one of my low-key favorite rides to geek out about for how… beautiful they are. Kudos! Also what music is playing around 11:00?
Sorry for the late reply, its Please Mr. Postman played on the Hersheypark Wurlitzer
@@CoasterCollege lmao it’s all good, man! I thought it sounded familiar, but I couldn’t, for the life of me, put a name to the melody. Cheers!
I considered it a very sad loss when the carousel at Funtown Pier at Seaside went up with the rest of the pier during the fire that occurred a year after Superstorm Sandy. I know it's not the only carousel to be destroyed in such a fashion, but it was one I remembered.
Another carousel at Seaside (near Casino Pier) recently reopened in a dedicated building towards the north end of the beach. I don't plan on getting back to Seaside in 2024 (I've actually been a couple times already), but I hope to check this out in 2025.
I do love the carousel at Knoebels.
So ... the name "carousel" or "merry-go-round" really has nothing to do with the direction it travels? I've been misinformed.
Per all the experts I talked to, nope, the two terms mean the same thing.
I visited the carousel pavilion at Seaside Heights on July 4th. Very beautiful carousel but didn’t get the chance to ride it. I will be back soon, though. I have been on Knoebels carousel…another beautiful ride and what fun it is to catch a ring as you go around. Still haven’t caught the brass ring…hopefully, one day! 🎠
🎠🎠🎠🎠🎠I love you💕💕🥰
Could the fiberglass horses be as detailed and beautiful as wooden ones?
Definitely, but not as much craftsmanship goes into them.
@CoasterCollege The immense work you put in to this video is mind boggling!
I've always loves merry go rounds and at 70 years old, I still ride them. Thank you so very much.
@@pandarush. Thanks for the compliment, I wanted to create a video that put as much history in one place as possible!
@CoasterCollege I havent been to the Colorado State Fair for years and years. I'm going to make it a point to go this year to ride the merry go round, inspired by you. PBS couldn't have put together a better history of carousels. What got me is that you WENT IN PERSON to shoot the video! Thank you again.
Face reveal
@@johnfoltz8183 not the first