The Carousel Dictionary
By Elizabeth Salenius
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What's the difference between a 'prancer,' 'stander,' and 'jumper'? And what in the world is a 'peek-a-boo mane'?
We have the answers here in the Carousel Dictionary!
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band organ
A large, mechanical organ that uses perforated paper rolls to provide music during a carousel ride.
brass ring
A small, brass ring that riders reach for and grab from a dispenser known as a ring arm. They are typically mixed in with many non-brass rings. Grabbing the brass ring usually awards the holder with a free carousel ride. Few carousels still have the brass ring game.
carousel
An amusement ride wherein ride seats, usually designed to look like horses and other animals, move on a rotating, circular platform. The seats may rock back and forth or move up and down.
synonyms: platform carousel, merry-go-round, roundabout
cart pony
A small horse, usually made of metal, that is 'pulling' a small cart on a kiddie ride.
center pole
The large, vertical pole that supports the weight of the carousel, found in the center of the ride. Often hidden by mirrors or decorative panels.
A Mangels cart pony ride (Photo: LiveAuctioneers).
chariot
A stationary bench or seat on a carousel, typically carved to resemble a chariot, wagon, or carriage. They are often wheelchair accessible and usually able to seat multiple riders. A carousel may have more than one chariot or none.
synonyms: bench, carriage, wagon
A Looff chariot side (Photo: Phillips American Carousel Art 1986 Auction Catalogue).
coin-operated
An amusement ride, typically for small children, that operates when fed coins. Ride prices typically range from $0.25 to $1.00, but can vary.
synonyms: coin-op, coin ride
derby racer
A ride similar to a carousel, with horses that move up and down and forward and back on a rotating, donut-shaped platform. Derby racers do not have center poles, rounding boards, mirrors, and the other decorative elements found on carousels.
synonyms: racing derby, derby ride
The derby racer built by Prior & Church, located at Cedar Point, Sandusky, OH (Photo: Carousel History, carouselhistory.com).
flying carousel
A carousel with no platform, where the figures are suspended in the air by poles and/or chains.
synonyms: suspended carousel, platform-less carousel
flying mane
A dynamic mane that appears to be thrown upwards by the wind, almost resembling fire.
synonyms: flame mane
An Illions jumper with a flying mane on display at the Carousel Museum (Photo: Elizabeth Salenius).
half & half
A horse made by the Allan Herschell company made of both wood and aluminum, essentially 'half' of each material. The bodies of a half & half are always wood, but the head, legs, and tail can be wood or aluminum. They were produced starting in the late 1920s through the 30s before Herschell transitioned to all-aluminum figures.
hippocampus
A creature in Greek mythology with the front half of a horse and back half of fish, essentially a mer-horse. (plural: hippocampi) Also: a portion of the brain.
synonyms: sea horse, mer-horse
An Allan Herschell half & half (Photo: LiveAuctioneers).
inside panel
A decorative panel placed around the center pole, usually with lights and/or mirrors or painted.
synonyms: mirror panel
inside row
The row of figures on a carousel that is closest to the center pole, typically the smallest and/or simplest figures. Sometimes abbreviated as ISR or IR.
synonyms: inner row
jumper
A moving carousel figure with all feet in the air, often in a jumping, leaping, or running pose.
synonyms: jumping figure
kiddie carousel
A small carousel suitable for young children. May also be used to refer to a child-sized carousel figure.
synonyms: children's carousel
lead horse
A specific horse (or sometimes menagerie figure) on the outside row of a carousel, usually the most ornate, unique, popular, or the largest, often used as the carousel's mascot. This term originates from a myth claiming that, before technology automated the number of rotations per ride, carousel operators counted the number of rotations by tracking how many times the lead horse, carved to be fancier and thus easy to spot, passed them. There is no historical evidence supporting this story or suggesting that carousel manufacturers intentionally made one special horse per carousel for this purpose.
synonyms: king horse, king's horse
Lillie Belle
A C.W. Parker horse in a jumping position with a tucked head, flying mane with three distinct sections draped over the neck, jewels, a bell and lily behind the cantle, and a bushel of grapes hanging off of the saddle.
listener
A carousel horse with one ear pointed forward and one ear pointed back. Mainly produced by the Dentzel company.
A Lillie Belle horse (Photo: Carousel Shopper Winter 92-93 Catalogue).
menagerie
A non-horse figure on a carousel OR a carousel with multiple non-horse figures.
middle row
The row of figures on a carousel that is in between an outside and inside row. Sometimes abbreviated as MR.
mirror Parker
An inside row C.W. Parker carousel horse with a more ornate non-romance side than usual, which is visible to onlookers through the mirrors surrounding the center pole.
synonyms: mirror horse
A mirror Parker horse, with a more ornate non-romance side that would have been reflected in the ride's mirrors (Photo: LiveAuctioneers).
mechanism
The mechanical portion of the carousel, including platform, center pole, gears, and sweeps, excluding decorative elements such as figures and chariots, rounding boards, panels, and shields.
synonyms: frame
non-romance side
The inward facing side of a carousel figure which is not visible to onlookers, almost always much simpler than the other (romance) side. It is typically the figure's left side on American, Mexican, and most European carousels, which turn counter-clockwise. It is the figure's right side on English carousels, which turn clockwise.
synonyms: money side, inner side
outside row
The row of figures on a carousel that is furthest from the center pole, typically the largest and/or most ornate figures. Sometimes abbreviated as OSR.
synonyms: outer row
peek-a-boo mane
An elaborately carved mane on a carousel horse with at least one intentional hole carved into it, allowing riders to 'peek' through the mane.
synonyms: cut-through mane
A Looff stander with a peek-a-boo mane (Photo: Phillips American Carousel Art 1986 Auction Catalogue).
prancer
A stationary carousel figure, typically with its two rear feet touching the platform in a rearing position.
synonyms: prancing figure
ring arm
A dispenser for rings on carousels that still operate the brass ring game.
synonyms: ring dispenser, ring machine
romance side
The outward facing side of a carousel figure which is visible to onlookers, almost always more ornate than the other (non-romance) side. It is typically the figure's right side on American, Mexican, and most European carousels, which turn counter-clockwise. It is the figure's left side on English carousels, which turn clockwise.
synonyms: fancy side, outer side
The romance (top) and non-romance (bottom) sides of a Parker jumper (Photos: LiveAuctioneers).
rounding board
A decorative panel on a carousel, typically a long piece of wood with detailed painting.
synonyms: scenery panel, cresting
The rounding boards and shields on the Carousel of Light (Photo: Elizabeth Salenius).
shield
A decorative panel on a carousel, typically an oval or rectangle shape with painting, carving, lights, and/or mirrors, placed in between rounding boards.
stander
A stationary carousel figure, typically with three or four feet touching the platform.
synonyms: stationary figure, standing figure
stargazer
A carousel horse with its head tilted back, looking up.
A Carmel stargazer (Photo: LiveAuctioneers).
track machine
A type of carousel where the horses rock forward and back instead of moving up and down. The poles only enter the underside of the horses.
synonyms: track carousel
trappings
The various blankets, jewels, straps, and other decorative carvings on a carousel figure.
traveling carousel
A carousel that can easily be taken down and set up, usually packed onto a trailer and transported to different locations. These rides are commonly seen alongside other traveling amusement rides at fairs and carnivals.
synonyms: portable carousel
A Norman & Evans track machine at Old Threshers, Mt. Pleasant, IA (Photo: Carousel History, carouselhistory.com).
Trojan
A carousel horse, typically made by Allan Herschell, with a short, roached mane.
synonyms: roached mane, roach mane
tub
A round, rotating ride vehicle on a carousel, typically seating multiple riders.
synonym: spinning tub, lover's tub
A Trojan Allan Herschell jumper (Photo: Carousel Art Auction Extravaganza 1992 Catalogue).
A tub (Photo: Christie's Carousel Art 1990 Auction Catalogue).
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