King Arthur Carrousel (Anaheim, California)

 amusement ride, carousel

King Arthur Carrousel is a ride in Fantasyland at Disneyland park. Walt Disney felt that no park was complete without a carousel. Therefore, an 1875 Dentzel park model carousel which had operated since 1922 at Sunnyside Park in Toronto, Ontario was taken from Sunnyside and moved to Disneyland just before the park opened in 1955.

The carousel has been significantly altered since then. The original chariots were removed and used as cars on the "Casey Jr. Circus Train" attraction. A Wurlitzer #157 band organ is on the carousel, but does not operate. Motifs from The Sword in the Stone were used in 1955 to replace elements of the carousel. Original inner rounding boards were replaced with mirrors, and the jester and princess head shields on the outer rounding boards have also been extensively altered.

The carousel has seventy-two horses, carved in Germany in the late 19th century, which, according to some currently unverified claims, are repainted each night due to excessive use throughout the day. Some of the horses were taken from a Stein and Goldstein carousel and another carousel in 1955 to add a fourth row, completely made of jumpers and operated by a custom-built crankshaft. Standers on the original three rows were converted to jumpers in 1955. Because of the overwhelming popularity of the carousel's single white horse, all horses have been painted white since 1976.

King Arthur Carrousel reopened in February 2003 after extensive renovations. These renovations included a new computerized operating system that stops the carousel in the same spot every time, and the replacement of about half of the mirrors with scenes from Sleeping Beauty.