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‘Round and ‘round the horses, deer, and giraffes go...to the sound of an organ beneath a starry sky. Every day they make children smile and laugh—and their parents too. Did you know? The Carousel at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis has created extraordinary moments for a whopping 100 years! To celebrate the beloved Carousel’s centennial mark, here are 10 fun facts you can share on your next ride:
1. The Carousel’s official name is the Broad Ripple Park Carousel
Long ago, the Carousel was part of a theme park next to the White River, but then the building housing the carousel collapsed in 1956. Oh, no! Amazingly, all the brilliant-looking animals were repairable. That’s to say, no animals were harmed in the “Great Carousel Collapse of 1956.”
2. The museum was redesigned to fit the Carousel
When the Carousel was acquired by the museum, the space for it wasn’t in the expansion plans already under way in 1975. Some redesigning had to happen...and after consulting with the architects it was decided that they could remove a support girder on the top floor in order to make room for the Carousel. A crane lifted the new platform into place, the antique Wurlitzer band organ was installed, and then the restored animals were installed!
3. There are 42 animals on the Carousel
Horses, giraffes, goats, a lion, and more make up the 42 animals of the Carousel! All of the animals, with the exception of one horse, are from the original Broad Ripple Park Carousel.
4. The Carousel animals were originally manufactured in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Mildred Compton, the museum president who so passionately worked to bring the Carousel and its animals to the museum, thought the pieces of the Carousel were of German descent, but they were all made in America. However, all the animals were made by the Dentzel Company, and Gustav A. Dentzel was a German immigrant.
5. The original plan was to sell some of the Carousel animals...
Compton planned to sell some of the original animals to finance the restoration of other favorites, and then put money toward general museum operations. But then she was convinced by carousel enthusiasts to keep and restore all the animals, and she did! Learn more about how the carousel was ultimately funded in this blog.
6. The organ in the Carousel was made only for carousels
The 1919 Wurlitzer organ model 146B is an organ type only manufactured for carousels! It’s this classic sound people associate with going ‘round and ‘round.
7. It’s a National Historic Landmark
There are over 85,000 places listed on the country's National Register of Historic Places, but under 3,000 are recognized as National Historic Landmarks—and ours is special because it's a landmark located INSIDE a museum!
8. Some donors have named the animals
In 2000, the Carousel became the spotlight of the exhibit Carousel: Wishes and Dreams, which families can visit today. It was then that the Carousel animal adoption program kicked off. There are still some available for adoption today!
9. 18 of the animals are "jumpers"
Not all kids are fans of the jumpers--the animals that move up and down--so there are stationary options, too! But it’s the kids who want to live a little on the wild side who venture to go up, down, and all around.
10. Betty Ford was among the first people to ride the Carousel
The first lady was a bit bitter about not having a jumper (the secret service requested a stable one—pun intended—due to the first lady’s bad back), but she was happy to be at the Carousel’s grand opening in 1976. Other celebrities to take a spin over time were Jane Pauley, David Letterman, and Kermit the Frog!
WOW. That was a LOT of fun facts! But did you know you can learn even more about its history on the Carousel's Wikipedia article? It is actually a Featured article in Wikipedia, meaning that it underwent a robust review process that deems it to be one of the top .1% of high-quality content on Wikipedia. The museum's curators worked with the Wikipedia community and a carousel enthusiast to write the article, which is now seen as the most comprehensive history of this extraordinary landmark.
Happy birthday to the Broad Ripple Park Carousel!
