The King Arthur Carrousel is a merry-go-round attraction located at the centre of Fantasyland, right behind Sleeping Beauty Castle. Some guests, particularly those without children or interest in the ride, may not pay much attention to it. Here are some interesting facts that you may not know.

1. Older than Disneyland

The carousel was built in 1922 for Sunnyside Beach Park in Toronto, making it older than Disneyland itself. Imagineers found it while developing Disneyland in 1954. Walt purchased it and had talented artisans carefully restore it. He requested that only horses be used in the ride, so all other animals were removed. This officially made the attraction a “carrousel,” instead of a “merry-go-round”. Merry-go-rounds have many kinds of creatures, while carrousels are only horses.

2. No lead horse

Most carrousels have a “lead horse.”, that is the horse that stands out, making it obvious that the horse is the lead. However, Walt did not want anybody to feel left out if they did not get to ride on the lead. Therefore King Arthur Carrousel’s lead horse is subtly set apart and decorated with bells; because of this, his name is Jingles.

3. Julie Andrews

Jingles was dedicated to Julie Andrews, who played the original Mary Poppins. She is also a Disney ambassador. To honour her, there are several references to Mary Poppins on Jingles’ saddle. He is also decked out in Julie Andrews’ favourite colours.

4. Moved Locations

Until the New Fantasyland refurbishment in 1983, King Arthur Carrousel was located where Dumbo the Flying Elephant is today.

5. Hand-carved

Each horse is hand-carved and parts of the attraction's scenery are plated with real gold leaf.

6. Broken Sword

A man recently broke the nearby “Sword in the Stone” completely by accident. Unfortunately, he is not the new King.