carousel Archives

Event Planning, Fun Story, funfair events, Funfair Rides

The Carousel Works, A Manufacturer Profile

13 June 2021

The carousel was long a mainstay of funfairs and amusements parks throughout the world. As one of the first, big amusement rides, it transcended the generations and is still operating regularly today.

It was estimated that in the USA, at one point there were around 5000 carousels. Sadly when the great depression hit the number dwindled and gradually as the 70’s rolled around they kind of fell out of favour with maintenance costs making them unviable in the financial climate of the times. Numbers fell to to around 150.

Many of the carousels from the great historic manufacturers such as Dentzel and Charles Looff suddenly became more valuable for their parts than as actual rides. At auction horses from these master carvers were bringing in an average of $40,000. One example, a St Bernard went for a record $250,000.

As with many traditional skills and crafts, the art of manufacturing these works of art was in serious danger of disappearing. Fibreglass and metal carousels were still being produced for the market, and whilst still beautiful and ornate rides, weren’t the individual unique masterpieces of yesteryear.

Fortunately two friends decided that it was still possible to make a successful business with individual hand crafted rides.

Art Richie

Richie started carving in 1973. Leaving college on a Friday and opening his first business making plaques and other wooden goods the next day. One day a customer asked for a quote on carving a carousel horse, Ritchie told him around $1800 and laughed the guy couldn’t get his cheque book out quickly enough.

Dan Jones

The other founder of the company was a construction worker who had carried out repair and maintenance work on a number of historic carousels. Together their skills made a perfect complement for the initial business of restoration.

Carousel Works

In 1986 the duo formed Carousel Works. The aim was to work on existing vintage carousels, to repair and renovate them. Keeping part of the amusement industries rich history working. Their ultimate aim however was to design and build new carousels.

This dream was achieved in 1991 when their first carousel was delivered to Richland Carrousel Park in Mansfield Ohio. Becoming the first new wooden carousel to be delivered since the 1930’s. With 30 horses and 22 menagerie animals the ride was carved in the style of G.A. Dentzel,one of the all time greats in carousel history.

The lovely thing about wooden carousels carved in the traditional manner, is the variety and uniqueness of each animal. They are all individual one off carvings. Modern carousels with fibreglass horses will have used perhaps three or four different designs meaning large numbers of the horses are identical.

60 Carousels And Counting

Since then the company have delivered in excess of 60 rides around the world. They currently have 28 employees including painters and carvers. The animals are made the old fashioned way by gluing blocks of basswood together before being cut into a rough shape by machine, then hand carved into intricate works of art. Despite what people believe, the figures aren’t made from single blocks of wood, this wouldn’t be flexible enough and would crack. Instead they are anything upto 70 individual blocks glued together.

Looking at their list of clients they seemed to have cornered the market in carousels for Zoo’s!

Their designs all start the same way, with a blank sheet of paper. They are truly one of a kind, using traditional skills and craftmanship to keep alive a great tradition. Their offerings include over 160 different animals for the ride. They are happy to work with a client to create something totally new. Whether its an unusual animal for a zoo, or something specific to a corporate clients design. A couple that stand out were the chariot carved in the shape of a pile of dung being pushed by a dung beetle, and a dog food company had one cared as a bag of dog food with a puppy sticking its head out.

This customisation extends not only to the animals on the ride, but also to the decorative panels that adorn it, each ride is a work of art.

Not Everyone Is Happy

Evidently however there are some who are not happy. Their willingness to innovate and new style has drawn criticism from some of the carousel ‘purists’. Who feel that they cannot compare to the great designs from Looff, Dentzel et al. A similar reaction was encountered when car firm Bentley announced it was going to manufacture some new examples of its historic Bentley Blower model. Perhaps they feel it will devalue their investment in historic carousel horses if new ones are still being made.

The favourite quote on the subject we heard came from Bette Largent, president of the National Carousel Association. She exclaimed “We didn’t stop painting after Rembrandt died!”

With the nostalgia that’s now back in fashion, and the fact that historic carousels are fetching upwards of $1 million, the company is perfectly placed to thrive with a stunning hand crafted product at a great price.

UPDATE

Sadly since this was published, the company has sadly filed for bankruptcy. Details here…

Sources;

Mansfield News Journal

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Event Planning, Fun Story, funfair events, Funfair Rides

The Carousel, History Of An Iconic Ride

11 March 2021

Many of the rides still travelling on funfairs have been around for decades, in some cases over 100 years. Others are relatively new designs, but have still achieved iconic status. One such ride is the carousel, the first of the rides we are going to take an in depth look at.

Early History

Much of Europe and the Middle East have a long history of jousting. Knights would gallop in circles whilst tossing balls to each other, a demonstration of their skill and horsemanship. The actual word carousel takes its origins from the Italian Carosella meaning little battle, which was an exercise used by Arabian and Turkish horsemen to prepare for actual battle. essentially a training mechanism to prepare and strengthen the riders sword play.

Eventually as medieval jousting gave way to the cavelry era, this was replaced with demonstrations and spectacles that had the rides spearing suspended rings.

Eventually even the commoners began to play the game, and rudimentary carousels began to be set up at fairgrounds across Europe. An early make believe carousel with wooden horses was set up in Paris, at the Place Du Carousel for children.

The Modern Carousel

The forerunner to the modern carousel, was what in the UK is termed a dobbie set. Much like a carousel, but with one important feature lacking. The horses didn’t have an up and down motion. They were either suspended on poles, or fastened to the platform, and though they would rotate in the same manner, they lacked the galloping. They also tended to be much smaller that the rides we are used.

Then Came Steam

The first of the two breakthroughs that led to the ride we all know and love today came around 1861. Invented by a gentleman called Thomas Bradshaw, who built a ride that was powered by a steam engine. This allowed a much bigger structure, with crucially more riders. One newspaper of the time remarking that it moved with such impetuosity that the wonder was the riders not being shot off like cannonballs.

Then Came Frederick Savage

The final piece of the puzzle came from an English engineer. Frederick Savage was a builder of agricultural machinery. Who, for reasons unknown decided to branch out into the design and production of funfair rides.

By the 70’s (the 1870’s that is), he was exporting funfair attractions all over the world. He experimented with various designs, and at one point came up with the ‘Sea-On-Land’ a nautical themed attraction, that used an offset crank system to pitch and roll the boats on the roundabout.

When he took this new idea and married it to a steam powered carousel to give the horses the motion they lacked, he created what he called the platform gallopers. Steam powered organs were often installed into the centre of the ride to give it the classic carousel design, that isn’t that much changed today.

Our American Cousins

Across the pond, it was immigrants that developed the Carousel. Including Charles W.F. Dare from England and Gustav Dentzel of Germany. A number of differnent manufacturers appeared, all with differing styles, Looff had reaslitcally painted saddles, whilst the Coney Island style had elaborate jeweled saddles from the likes of Dentzel, Herschell’s and Spillman’s often having no saddles at all. Their machines tended to be large and elaborate, highly decorated affairs.

One curiosity is the direction of travel. In the U.K., a carousel, in common with most rotating rides moves in a clock wise motion. Whereas in the States and Europe it goes the opposite way.

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Event Planning, funfair events

Carousel With A Twist

12 March 2019

The longstanding and traditional carousel has been given many different face lifts since the first one was built by the Danish carver, Charles I.D Looff in 1876, but all follow a typical form of a revolving platform and wooden seats often carved in the shape of decorated carved horses. This is a standard American and Europe design however this is not the case in China. There has been news reports of how a shopping center has created a Carousel with a twist.

A carousel in China has been filmed, going round with real horses rather than the standard wooden ones and has come under fire by many organisation who have viewed this. The bizarre twist of the traditional fairground ride was found in the Shunagliu Wanda Plaza shopping center in the city of Chengdu and features four live horses harnessed to metal frames around the center pole of the carousel and made to walk around on the motor driven platform. Consumers are charged £5.60 for a four-minute ride.

The ride is advertised as “Different from traditional wooden horses, you can really experience the fun on horseback and let your child indulge. Let you and your child be brave.”

Backlash

The ride has reportedly received criticism from a number of animal cruelty organisations who have said that it is unethical to use the horses for this. However according to the Equestrian Club who owns and operates the ride they have trainers onsite at all time and the horses only ride for four hours which gives them plenty of exercise. The horses are harnessed correctly to ensure peoples safety and ensure the horses don’t run wild.

The carousel has received mixed reviews with some shoppers saying that its worth its money and the experience of riding actual horses makes the fairground ride come alive. Some however have reacted in horror stating that you shouldn’t normalise animal abuse and justify it to make money out of mistreating animals and that if you want to experience riding a horse then you can go to a professional riding stable where the animals are treated freely.

This is similar to the uses of horses back in the day when they were used to pull horses and carts and in the agricultural field. Horses are a lot stronger than we imagine and can be trained to carry out a heavy workload, so maybe allowing them to be rode for four hours a day isn’t too strenuous on the horse, as long as they are being cared for properly and given the opportunity to be free and have space to run around outside of their carousel duties. Alternatively the traditional carousel with wooden horses has always been more than popular and maybe this real makeover is not needed and due to the backlash this has received I feel that other carousel owners will not be adapting their ride to using real horses.

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