Carousel Figure Identification: Rotocast Replicas

By Elizabeth Salenius

There is some confusion around the term "rotocast" and what it means in the carousel world. It is short for rotational-mold casting, a method of casting a design in a material (usually resin, plastic, or fiberglass, though in this case it is fiberglass), but it is also the name of the company that created the following rotocast molds and sold them to various dealers. In this article, rotocast will be used in reference to both definitions, as the following figures were both produced via the rotocast method and manufactured by Rotocast.

Rotocast carousel horses are some of the most common replicas on the market, popping up on auction sites, eBay, and in antique shops frequently.

The Rotocast company (more commonly known as Americana Carousel Collection) created the molds used for these figures, though it is possible that other companies were manufacturing them. We know several of the dealers that offered these products, including the Carousel Store (a now defunct website) and craft stores such as Michael's. These figures began appearing in the late 1980s and remained in production until the early 2010s.

Rotocast horses are typically on a wooden base with a brass pole topped by a finial, though they were also available with lamp tops or on rocking bases. These horses could be ordered unpainted, with standard paint, or custom painted. They could also be ordered with foam filled bodies, allowing the horses to bear weight, horse-hair tails, leather reins, and stirrups for an additional cost. 

Rotocast horses were advertised as both decorative and replacement figures. They have been seen on operating carousels (and rarely on coin-op rides), but it is important to note that these are foam filled--the hollow rotocast replicas are not intended to bear weight. 

There were six styles available:

• Philadelphia Toboggan Company full-sized stander 

• Philadelphia Toboggan Company full-sized jumper

• Philadelphia Toboggan Company half-sized jumper

• Charles Carmel half-sized jumper

• Gustav Dentzel full-sized prancer

• Marcus C. Illions full-sized stander

The following details help identify these rotocast horses:

• Common molds and paint

• Fiberglass, painted eyes

• Made of fiberglass 

If you are still unsure about identification, I encourage you to visit and post on the Carousel Figure Identification page on FaceBook.

PTC Full-Sized Stander 

This rotocast replica was molded from a horse off of PTC #71. The original last rode the carousel at Americana Amusement Park (also known as LeSourdsville Lake Amusement Park) in Middletown, OH. The original wood horses were sold in 1985 and replaced by aluminum Illions, Herschell, and Parker style horses manufactured by Theel. This turned out to be a lucky turn of events, as the carousel was destroyed by a fire in 1988, leaving only a few of the metal horses intact. 

See a rotocast example on the left and the original on the right.

PTC Full-Sized Jumper

This rotocast replica was molded from a horse off of PTC #22, which last rode the carousel at The Casino in Asbury Park, NJ. The wood figures were replaced with fiberglass ones in the 1980s. The carousel was sold in 1990 and moved to Family Kingdom in Myrtle Beach, SC, where it still operates. 

See a rotocast example on the left and the original on the right. Note that the rotocast mold replaced the leaf patterning with flowers.

PTC Half-Sized Jumper

This half-sized rotocast replica is based off of the same jumper as the one above, scaled down with a different head, tail, and some other minor changes.

Carmel Half-Sized Jumper

This half-sized rotocast jumper was molded and scaled down from a Carmel jumper, though it is unknown which carousel it came from. The original horse was restored by Lise Liepman in 1981, and has also inspired many Asian replicas, hobby carvings, and miniatures.

See a rotocast example to the left and the original to the right.

Dentzel Full-Sized Prancer

This full-sized rotocast prancer was molded from a Dentzel horse, though we do not know which one. 

See a rotocast example on the left and an example of a similar Dentzel prancer on the right.

Illions Full-Sized Stander

This full-sized rotocast stander is based on a famous Illions horse known as "American Beauty," which was the lead horse on one of only three known "Supreme" carousels produced by Illions. The horse was featured on the covers of Painted Ponies by William Manns, Peggy Shank, and Marianne Stevens, and the Carousel News & Trader, February 2010.

See a rotocast example on the left and the original, featured on the covers, in the middle and on the right.

Common Molds & Paint Colors

Since rotocast replicas were only produced of the six molds described above, the easiest way to identify one is by comparing it to these examples. Additional photos of these horses can be found in the Americana Carousel Collection catalogue. 

Rotocast horses were also available with several stock paint options, which the majority of them still sport today. There was, however, the option to get your horse custom painted, and people could later strip and repaint them, so don't rely solely on the paintwork when identifying rootocast horses. Photos of all known color options can be found in the Americana Carousel Collection catalogue.

Fiberglass, Painted Eyes

The eyes on rotocast replicas are fiberglass and part of the mold, unlike the carousel figures from which they are based which have glass eyes (note: not all authentic carousel horses have glass eyes, but the horses that these replicas were molded from do). The actual appearance of these eyes varies based on the painter, but they tend to be human-like, showing significant white. However, as with the paint mentioned above, it is possible that some may have later been altered to have glass or marble eyes. 

Made of Fiberglass

The easiest way to tell the difference between a genuine carousel figure and a rotocast replica is checking what it is made of. If there is chipped or flaked off paint, you may be able to see the fiberglass--which can be dark or light grey, light purple, dark green, white or off-white. If the paint is in good shape, then the next best thing would be removing the horse from its pole in order to see inside the pole hole--it should be obvious if it's wood! 

Other Examples