This article was originally published in the Merry-Go-Roundup, Fall 2024. This version has been updated to reflect new and corrected information and to remove personal anecdotes.
The 'Mexican' Müller had three animals abreast, with the outermost figures being standers and the two inner figures being jumpers. Like most carousels, this one was predominantly horses, however it did feature several menagerie animals, including at least two goats, one giraffe, and two deer. There were several stand-out figures from this carousel, such as a spectacularly carved armored stander, a “tournament” horse with a large red blanket, multiple military style standers, a native American pony, and a butting goat, believed to be one of only five ever produced by Müller. The jumpers were also magnificent, with many featuring “peek-a-boo” style manes and the lifelike expressions that the Müller workshop was known for.
It turns out that this mysterious 'Mexican' Müller could more accurately be named “Müller #1.” The carousel was created sometime between 1903 and 1908 by D.C. Müller and Bro., costing between an estimated $5,000 to $25,000, or $168,655 to $843,277 in 2024. It is theorized that this was the first carousel produced by the Müller brothers after leaving the Dentzel company, hence the name Müller #1.
The carousel was first installed at Palisades Amusement Park in Cliffside Park-Fort Lee, New Jersey and began operating in 1908. In 1909, a roundhouse was constructed for the carousel reportedly costing $6,000 or approximately $204,610 in 2024. In 1913, the then-owners of Palisades wanted a larger carousel that could carry more riders. The owners warned that they would install a second carousel from a different manufacturer if Müller did not provide a larger carousel. In order to avoid a competitor at Palisades, Müller produced a new four-row carousel to replace Müller #1.
As an aside, the new four-row Müller carousel would later be destroyed in a fire in August of 1944. It was replaced by Philadelphia Toboggan Company (PTC) carousel #69 which operated at Palisades until the end of the 1945 season when it was moved elsewhere and replaced by PTC #84. Reports conflict regarding what happened to PTC #69 after it was removed from Palisades, but the general consensus is that it was destroyed in a fire at Old Orchard Beach in Maine in 1948, 1949, or 1969. When Palisades closed in 1971, PTC #84 was put into storage before operating at several different parks, eventually being installed at Canada’s Wonderland in Ontario in 1981, where it still operates today.
After the new four-row Müller carousel was finished and installed at Palisades Park, Daniel Müller had to find a new home for Müller #1. One of Daniel Müller’s journal entries mentions working on figures to “fill up the old Palisade machine” (transcriptions of the Müller diaries are copyrighted by Brian and Elinor Morgan), which suggests that he may have taken some of the figures from Muller #1 to be placed on the new four-row (or perhaps other carousels).
Daniel had several potential locations in mind which were listed in his journal, including Bergen Point, Atlantic Highlands, Keansburg, Point Pleasant, and Ocean Grove. The carousel was ultimately placed in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey, where it began operation in 1916 at Atlantic Beach Park (also called Joy Land Park, Bayview Park, and Mandalay Park).
Unfortunately, there are no records of when the carousel was removed from Atlantic Highlands, but at some point it was brought to Mexico and thus given its title as the 'Mexican' Müller. The carousel operated in Chapultepec Park (not to be confused with the now-closed amusement park La Feria de Chapultepec) in Mexico City until 1932, when it was sold to the Sanchez family who put it into storage.
The 'Mexican' Müller was stored for 41 years before it operated again briefly in 1973 at an unknown location in Mexico. It was then returned to storage for 14 more years until 1987, when it began operating at Juegos Manzo along with several other rides. Juegos Manzo was a pseudo-permanent carnival in the dried up riverbed of the Santa Catarina River beneath the Pope’s Bridge in Monterrey, Mexico. The river had been dry for over 50 years and was often used for festivals, sports, and other amusements. Unfortunately, Hurricane Gilbert struck Mexico in 1988, flooding the Santa Catarina River and destroying Juegos Manzo and its amusements. By a small miracle, the figures had recently been removed and safely stored in preparation for winter, sparing them from the fate suffered by the mechanism, rounding boards, and frame.
The figures, without a carousel to go on, were sold to the Higareda brothers in the early 1990s. During this time the Higareda family, who had their own carousel carving workshop, produced several metal and wood reproductions of these Müller figures. The original figures were eventually brought to the United States, where they were offered at auction in New Waterford, Ohio on September 17, 1994. The figures were initially grouped into lots consisting of three figures, one outer, one middle, and one inner. One lot, which consisted of an outer row stander with “listener” ears and ornate rose carvings along with an inner- and a middle-row jumper was offered at a starting bid of $255,000. The extremely high prices and grouped lots led to little bidding, and ultimately only six of the horses (all jumpers) sold for $5,000 each, once it was realized that the lots would not sell. It also cost $100 to attend the auction, regardless of whether or not the person was going to bid, which turned many away from going altogether and led to low attendance.
The full auction catalogue can be viewed by clicking here.
Following the initial auction, the Higareda family placed multiple advertisements in The Carousel News & Trader and probably elsewhere in order to sell the remaining figures individually. Through the mid- and late-1990s, the figures popped up in various carousel auctions across the United States somewhat regularly.
Over the years, several of the figures have been restored and featured in articles by Steve Crencsenze, Pam Hessey, and John Hughes in The Carousel News & Trader. They also occasionally appear in online auctions. The majority of the figures currently remain in private collections, but at least two of the jumpers are known to reside at museums, one has been restored and is on display at Knoebels Carousel Museum in Pennsylvania and the other is in storage at the Merry-Go-Round Museum in Ohio in old park paint.
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Atlantic Beach opening advertisement. Atlantic Highlands Journal. 29 May 1929.
Atlantic Beach Park advertisement. Red Bank Register. 1927.
Baird, Diane Less and Majestic Manufacturing. “Muller #1.” Auction Catalogue. c.1994.
Bray, Lourinda. Personal communication. December 2023.
Crescenze, Steve. “All Eyes on the “Mexican” Muller.” The Carousel News & Trader, Issue No. 2, Vol. 13. February 1997.
Crescenze, Steve. “The Eyes Have It!” The Carousel News & Trader, Issue No. 3, Vol. 18. April 2002.
Crescenze, Steve. Personal communication. July 2024.
Fraley, Tobin. Personal communication. November 2023.
Gargiulo, Vince. “A Look Back at the Carousels of Palisades Amusement Park, NJ.” The Carousel News & Trader, Issue No. 2, Vol. 27. February 2011.
Gargiulo, Vince. Palisades Amusement Park: A Century of Fond Memories. 1 November 1995.
Gargiulo, Vince. Palisades Amusement Park, Postcard History Series. 18 October 2005.
Havens, Grey. Personal communication. November, December 2023.
Hessey, Pam and John Hughes. “A Magnificent Muller.” The Carousel News & Trader, Issue No. 11, Vol. 14. November 1998.
Hessey, Pam. Personal communication. December 2023.
Higareda, Adriana. Personal communication. December 2023.
Higareda’s Antiques. Facebook.
Higareda, Daniel. “We Blew It!” The Carousel News & Trader, Issue No. 12, Vol. 10. December 1994.
Hughes, John and Lise Liepman. Wood repair and painting advertisement. The Carousel News & Trader, Issue No. 4, Vol. 13. April 1997.
Hughes, John. Personal communication. December 2023.
Jim Aten auction advertisement. The Carousel News & Trader, Issue No. 11, Vol. 10. October 1995.
Knoebels Carousel Museum. Elysburg, PA. Personal communication. November, December 2023.
Liepman, Lise. Personal communication. November 2023.
Majestic Manufacturing, Inc. Muller replica advertisements. The Carousel News & Trader. Issue No. 9, Vol. 9. September 1993.
Merry-Go-Round Museum. Sandusky, OH. Personal communication. February 2024.
“Mexican Figures a Hit at Midwest Auction.” The Carousel News & Trader, Issue No. 11, Vol. 12. December 1995.
Morgan, Brian and Elinor. “The Daniel Muller Story.” Merry-Go-Roundup, Issue No. 1, Vol. 26.
“Muller Silent Auction.” The Carousel News & Trader, Issue No. 11, Vol. 10. November 1994.
“New Carousel Started.” The Atlantic Highlander. 5 July 1916.
Silent auction advertisement. The Carousel News & Trader, Issue No. 9, Vol. 10. September 1994.
Simons, Linda S. Personal communication. November, December 2023.
Sweeney, Noreene M. and Mike. “South of the Border.” The Carousel News & Trader, Issue No. 6, Vol. 8. June 1992.
“The “Mexican” Muller Covers.” The Carousel News & Trader, Issue No. 3, Vol. 20. April 2002.
