What Is The Oldest Ride At Disney World?
When building regions of Disney parks and resorts, Disney Imagineers frequently use antiques to create the most immersive possible surroundings. Occasionally, these relics are presented as full attractions! The oldest attraction at Walt Disney World is the Prince Charming Regal Carrousel, which is located in Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom.
- Archives of the Philadelphia Toboggan Company The Magic Kingdom’s carrousel was initially created in 1917, six years prior to the founding of the Walt Disney Company.
- The Philadelphia Toboggan Company, one of the oldest producers of amusement rides, constructed the attraction for the Detroit Palace Garden Park in Detroit, Michigan.
Throughout its history, the park has been known to as Electric Park, Riverview Park, Luna Park, and Granada Park, among others. As you may have guessed, the carousel was not initially based on the story of Cinderella. Even while the original fable existed, Disney’s animated adaptation would not be released until February 15, 1950, 33 years later.
When the carrousel was initially built, it featured a mostly red, white, and blue color scheme, which matched its moniker at the time, “Miss Liberty” or “The Liberty Carousel.” This is Electric Park, Detroit Historical Society deserves credit. Midway through the 1920s, the Detroit Palace Garden Park had a series of financial challenges that led to its eventual bankruptcy and 1928 closure.
Miss Liberty was sold to the proprietors of an East Coast amusement park, and after a quick repair, the carousel opened to guests at the Olympic Park in Maplewood, New Jersey. Olympic Park was already a well-known amusement park when the carousel was brought there in 1929, having opened in 1887.
In addition to its rides, the park was noted for having the largest public swimming pool in the region, as well as areas for live music, dance, horse racing, and other activities. Similar to the Detroit Palace Garden Park and other pre-Disneyland amusement parks, establishing such a business was a dangerous endeavor.
In 1912, a fire destroyed the dance hall and a few other buildings at Olympic Park, and where operating margins were already so thin due to the purchase of new attractions and the enticement of visitors to return to the park (and where in New Jersey, it was only a seasonal operation), the owners racked up a substantial amount of debt.
- The summer after the fire was one of the worst in recent memory, causing the park to lose valuable operational time required to make up for the fire’s financial losses.
- Workshop of the Philadelphia Toboggan Company, courtesy of the Philadelphia Toboggan Company Archives.
- Over the following decade, the park changed ownership many times, with each new owner seeking to improve the park’s financial condition.
Unfortunately, troubles continued to slip between the cracks each time the park changed hands, and the legacy of debt persisted. During the era of prohibition, Olympic Park became dry, causing another financial setback. By the end of the 1920s, the park had only begun to gain popularity by emphasizing family-friendly activities.
During that time, the opera house was transformed into a funhouse, and admission costs were reduced to lure families to the parks. The swimming pool was under construction, but the ice cream palace, which was especially family-friendly, was ready to welcome guests back to the park. In 1928, in line with its family-friendly features, the park acquired a carrousel.
Within the same year, a more substantial renovation was performed on the attraction, resulting in the installation of an imported Italian organ embellished with dancing figures, drums, and a sign. Then, just as things were beginning to improve for Olympic Park, the Great Depression struck, resulting in a precipitous drop in attendance.
Late in the 1930s, the park had a brief period of financial stability, but as World War II broke out, the park’s financial woes intensified. Due to the rationing of food supplies, which made restaurant purchases difficult, and the frequent unavailability of manufacturing components as a result of the war effort, a number of restaurants and attractions were forced to close.
In 1948-49, attendance began to stabilize at a decent level following the war. At this point, the park began to develop with the idea that the addition of attractions would further increase attendance. The area surrounding the carousel, which was to be transformed into the full Kiddieland, was the main point of the attraction.
- Unfortunately, the park’s financial woes resumed in 1950, this time leading to its ultimate closure.
- Multiple hurricanes in 1950 wreaked havoc on the New Jersey region and entirely wrecked the park’s two rollercoasters.
- The hurricanes caused $225,000 in damages to Olympic Park, with $100,000 coming from the destruction of the rollercoasters alone.
Credit: Philadelphia Toboggan Company Archives Carousel in storage It took years to restore and prepare the park for a new season, and several ownership changes before the facility was ready for the 1964 season. In a bizarre turn of events, hundreds of youths overran the park on its opening day and destroyed everything in their way.
- They stole items, smashed carnival games, and ruined anything they could.
- Locals associated the group with the park, resulting in another year of poor attendance and obligations to pay for damages.
- At the conclusion of the 1964 season, the park’s owners declared that it would not reopen.
- The aim was to sell the area to a real estate corporation, but the agreement fell through, and the park stood abandoned for 13 years before being renovated.
The Walt Disney Company acquired the carrousel in 1967, as the park’s still-usable assets were being auctioned off. The 60-foot-diameter carousel that finally found a permanent home in the Magic Kingdom is one of the biggest ever produced by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company.
Credit: Disney The business manufactured 89 merry-go-rounds proper to the Great Depression (Disney’s is number 46), and it is claimed that less than 12 still survive now, so when you ride Prince Charming Regal Carrousel in the Magic Kingdom, you are definitely witnessing a unique piece of amusement park history! To match the theme of the Magic Kingdom, the carousel underwent an extensive refurbishment, which included the addition of Cinderella (1950)-themed elements and the individual refurbishment of each horse with unique details such as 23-karat gold leaf paint, silver, and bronze to create the ultimate royal color scheme.
While the majority of the carousel is no longer recognized as “The Liberty Carousel,” if you glance up and toward the center of the attraction while you are riding, you will see some of the original gold eagles and patriotic motifs carved and drawn on the ride’s central frame.
The maidens carved into the awning of the carousel now blend in with the Cinderella motif, although it is easy to envisage them with a red, white, and blue façade. Some of the horses also include artwork depicting eagles, Native Americans, and other references to the ride’s previous theme. Thanks to Disney In 2010, the ride’s name was changed from “Cinderella’s Golden Carousel” when the Magic Kingdom first opened to “Prince Charming Regal Carousel.” In addition to switching to the French spelling of “carrousel” with the extra R, the name change implies the ride’s backstory as a training device for jousting of carved horses that belonged to the Prince and later captured the attention of the townspeople causing Prince Charming to construct a second carrousel near the castle for all to enjoy.
The Oldest Built Attraction at Walt Disney World! – WOM 228
Walt Disney World is now celebrating its 50th anniversary, but the oldest attraction in the resort is more than 100 years old!
What is Disneyworld’s scariest ride?
- Tower of Terror in the Twilight Zone. If playing does not immediately commence, consider restarting your device.
- Rock N Roller Coaster. This rollercoaster is Walt Disney World’s most extreme roller coaster.
- Exploration of Everest. If playing does not immediately commence, consider restarting your device.
- Mount Space Mountain.
- Haunted House.