The King Arthur Carrousel in Disneyland is a historic attraction with a unique origin story shaped by Walt Disney's specific vision for the park. It is one of the original rides from Disneyland's opening day in 1955. 

Walt Disney's inspiration

Walt Disney got the idea for the carousel while taking his daughters to ride the merry-go-round at Griffith Park in Los Angeles. He noticed that his daughters loved riding the carousel horses, which sparked the idea for a similar attraction in his theme park. He envisioned an all-horse carousel where every rider could feel like a knight from the legend of King Arthur. 

Relocated from a different park

• The purchase: In 1954, Walt Disney purchased a vintage carousel that had been in operation since 1922 at Sunnyside Beach Park in Toronto, Canada. It was built by the Dentzel Carousel Company, a prominent manufacturer during the "golden age" of carousels.

• A "menagerie" of animals: When Disney acquired the ride, it featured a variety of animals, including giraffes and deer, along with the horses.

• All horses, all jumpers: In keeping with his Knights of the Round Table theme, Disney had the non-equine animals removed. The team then sourced additional hand-carved horses from various other carousels across North America, including one from Coney Island, to fill out the attraction. The non-horse animals were eventually repurposed for the nearby Casey Jr. Circus Train attraction.

• The galloping motion: Originally, some of the horses on the carousel were "standers" that did not move up and down. To fulfill his vision of an "all jumpers" carousel, Disney's Imagineers modified every horse to have a signature galloping motion. 

Renovations and updates

• Initial overhaul (1954): The carousel was completely refurbished by Arrow Development before opening day. This included a new operating system and adapting the horses to all be jumpers.

• Sleeping Beauty theme (1983): During a major Fantasyland renovation, the carousel was moved slightly to make the castle courtyard more prominent. Hand-painted panels illustrating scenes from Sleeping Beauty were added to the rounding board.

• 50th anniversary renovation (2003): For Disneyland's 50th anniversary, the carousel underwent a significant renovation that included a new turntable platform and a computerized operating system. A row of horses was removed to add a bench and wheelchair accessibility.

• Jingles' dedication (2008): The lead horse, named "Jingles," was dedicated to actress Julie Andrews, who famously rode a carousel horse in Mary Poppins. The horse was decorated with bells and imagery inspired by the movie.

• Accessibility additions (2010): The outer-course horses received additional lower loops on their stirrups to increase accessibility.