IDIOSYNCHRONY
TABLE OF CONTENTS
04~05: THE ECLECTIC EMPORIUM
AN AUCTION IS COMING ‘ROUND THE CORNER! BROWSE OUR FINE SELECTION OF ODDITIES THAT WILL BE UP FOR BID ON AUGUST 21st. TREASURES & TRINKETS GALORE...
06~09:
CURIOUS CAROUSEL CREATURES
THE MAIN ARTICLE OF THIS SUMMER EDITION, WRITTEN BY OUR VERY OWN EDITOR IN CHIEF, JOSEPHINE PALMER. EXPLORE THE RICH HISTORY AND CRAFTSMANSHIP OF MERRY-GO-ROUND RIDES & THEIR ANIMAL FORMS...
~10:
PHOTO SOURCES & BIBLIOGRAPHY
A VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU TO THE PHOTOGRAPHERS WHO PROVIDED BREATHTAKING IMAGES TO USE IN THESE SPREADS. WE ALSO CREDITED THE AUTHORS OF OUR CITED WORKS. ACQUIRING INFO ON A NICHE SUBJECT IS NO SMALL FEAT...
THE ECLECTIC EMPORIUM
PRECIOUS GEMS VINTAGE TOYS JEWELRY FANCY FURNITURE ODDITIES RARE TRINKETS
FORTHCOMING AUCTION
August 21st, 2026
Assorted Gemstones
Starting Bid: $800
Faceted to perfection, this collection of polished gems can dazzle from any angle. Watch how the light dances. 100% natural & authentic, hand-cut.
Royal Jeweled Crown
Starting Bid: $1000
Fit for a king, the lucky one who gets to wear this atop their head will rule the kingdom. The method of this crown’s acquisition is unknown. Definitely not stolen from the British Museum...
Vintage Harlequin Doll
Starting Bid: $125
Who could resist such a sweet porcelain face with rosy cheeks? This little jester could be yours forever. Clad in silk and gilded jingle bells, he is no poor fool.
Antique Mahogany Rocking Horse
Starting Bid: $394
Rock on, baby! This gorgeous equine is still in perfect condition. Handmade in 1925 by a master carpenter with an eye for realism. Down to the hand-stitched pink leather saddle, it is pure artistry.
Elegant Bracelet
Starting Bid: $532
This gorgeous wrist chain consists of rubies, citrine, emeralds, diamonds, and onyx all secured together on 14 karat gold-plated links.
Purple Sapphire Pendant Necklace
Starting Bid: $681
This color of sapphire is exceptionally rare. It shines on the wearer’s chest like a magical amulet, fringed with scintillating quartz rhinestones.
Cobalt Zebra Regal Armchair
Starting Bid: $903
This is the kind of seat that you will never want to get up from. Feast your eyes upon its ornate trim and azure stripes, dyed with only the finest blue pigment on premium faux fur.
Bronze Panthera Accent Table
Starting Bid: $740
Ever wanted a leopard in your living room who can balance booze on its head? Well, look no further!
Drinking Horn
Starting Bid: $269
A ceremonial vessel of mysterious origin. Flawlessly varnished on a stainless steel stand. You can sip, but it will not take the edge off (haha, get it?)
Taxidermy Jackalope
Starting Bid: $420
Most people say it’s a myth, but this mount could convince your friends that they really exist! It’s an actual rabbit’s head, ethically sourced, with lovely wood-carved antlers.
Amphibious Wet Specimen
Starting Bid: $343
This preserved bullfrog is just dying to hop out of his formalin-ethanol prison. But alas, he is eternally sealed up and reduced to an eccentric display piece.
Merry-Go-Round Music Box
Starting Bid: $248
It still works! Give this countertop carousel a spin and it will bring back memories of carnivals and grandma’s house, simultaneously.
Cursed Plush Baby Hybrid Thing
Starting Bid: $67
Yeah... We are pretty sure it’s some kind of haunted artifact. Willing to accept lowball offers. Sometimes our staff can hear it crying at night.
Angelic Snowglobe
Starting Bid: $111
Wind this beauty up and you might just hear the sound of Gabriel’s Horn! But if a sudden beam of white light emerges from the sky, DO NOT look up...
Giant Amethyst Crystal
Starting Bid: $808
Keeping this chunk of violet quartz in your home will eliminate all of your stress. Those evil spirits never stood a chance.
Lapis Lazuli Ring
Starting Bid: $99
No tarnishing in sight! With such intricate detail on the sterling silver band, It’s hard not to admire. Fits comfortably on a 7-7.5 mm ring finger.
Retro Stuffed Monkey
Starting Bid: $82
Forget Barbie, this handsome ape’s got a whole lot of luscious locks to brush. Comb sold separately.
Embellished Chalice
Starting Bid: $510
It many not be the Holy Grail. But Jesus, look at those jewels! Having some goblet juice with your meal wouldn’t be your first supper, but it certainly will be your Last.
CURIOUS CAROUSEL CREATURES
Merry-Go-Rounds Aren’t Just For Horses!
Derived from the French word carrousel meaning “little battle”, these spinning amusements originated from 17th-century European cavalry tournaments that used wooden equines on wheel-mounted poles. Without built-in mechanisms, a work horse or rope-pulling servant was responsible for turning the wheel. But the apparatus itself was created for knights and horsemen to practice ring jousting without also overworking their steeds.
Merry-go-round rides gained popularity around the world, especially as safer designs were engineered. Carousel animals used to hang from chains and fly outward from centrifugal force until the mechanical platform was introduced. They became a fixture of English fairs and traveling circuses, eventually taking off in the U.S. with the influx of more European immigrants in the 1800s. Carousels typically turn clockwise in the UK, but they go counterclockwise within mainland Europe and North America.
Frederick Savage was a chief innovator of platform carousel mechanics, applying similar principles from a background in agricultural equipment. He developed a mount with gears and offset cranks to simulate an up-and-down galloping motion, which became a mainstay of merry-go-rounds. Electric motors soon became favored over steam-powered engines. Live music was also replaced by band organs to play those iconic looping carnival tunes.
Early carousel animals used to be made from wood, and some even included real horse hair for manes and tails. In modern day, most of them are aluminum and fiberglass castings. Carousels eventually evolved to include not just equine forms, but a menagerie of varying fauna; with many in zoos across the States highlighting lots of endangered species.
Sometimes a carousel can be a coin-operated kiddie ride in the front of a grocery store. But numbers have dwindled over time due to disrepair, the rising cost of maintenance, lower interest, and the risk of child injury from malfunctioning units. Sadly, most establishments are just trying to prevent themselves from being sued. And the value of a quarter is not what it used to be.
Larger carousel animals are usually placed on the edge and smaller ones towards the hub. This makes the small animals a slower and safer ride for kids. Many of them are a built to include seats or chariots without the need to straddle the animal directly. Morgan Wonderland Carousel in San Antonio, TX offers rides like these that are designed specifically to accomodate wheelchair users.
There are different names for carousel animals based on stance; "standing figures" have at least three legs on the ground, "prancers" have their back legs on the ground and their front legs in the air, and "jumpers" have all of their legs in the air. Maybe the creatures with no legs could be called floaters!
The biggest, most intricate carousel horse was usually considered the lead or "king" horse, while the others seem to follow behind as they go around. Many animals would have a "romance side", the more detailed or fancily carved outer side of its body facing the crowd. Collectors can tell if a horse came from a clockwise or counterclockwise spinning carousel based on which side is more decorated.
There's also distinction between "County Fair style" carousels; smaller, portable two-row models meant to be transported between amusement parks, and "Coney Island style" carousels; permanent installments that tend to be larger and much more grand as a result.
On a carousel, all of the animals complete a full circle in the same amount of time. But since the ones on the outside have to cover more distance than the ones at the hub, they maintain a faster linear speed. Carousels are a perfect demonstration of centripetal physics.
One of the reasons why carousels more commonly spin counterclockwise is to allow for the rider's use of their right hand. Although largely phased out in present times, lots of classic carousels in the late 19th and early 20th centuries featured a ring catching game. Dispensers would shoot out metal rings for riders to catch and toss at targets. Most of these were steel or iron, but special brass rings could be caught and often exchanged for a prize or free repeat ride. The ring practice fell out of favor with most operators due to falling riders and the personal injury lawsuits. Only about 11 of these ring carousels still run today.
It is possible that as many as 10,000 wooden, hand-painted carousel animals were built during their golden age (from the 1870s to the early 1930s). Some notable creators include Charles Looff, Gustav Dentzel, Marcus Illions, and Allan Herschell. The first American patent for a carousel was issued in 1871 on July 25th, which the National Carousel Association declared National Merry-Go-Round Day in 2014.
“It used to be that you'd fall off a horse, pick yourself up and get back on. These days you fall off, pick yourself up and go to the nearest attorney.” Carol Perron of the Perron family, historic carousel preservationists, 1990
The original concept of a carousel machine dates back to the 6th century Byzantine empire in modern day Istanbul. It was a rotating center with outward-reaching poles with baskets tied on for swinging riders in a circle. Reiterations of the game would appear in several cultures, even hundreds of years later. Horsemen in medieval Europe would ride their steeds in a circle around one another, competing to see who could knock off the other man's hat first. Turkish & Arabian warriors in the 1100s had a similar combat-training practice involving clay balls filled with perfume. The loser who failed to catch the ball as it was tossed around would end up reeking of super strong fragrances. The aforementioned French word carrousel is actually a combination of the Spanish term garosello and the Italian term carosella, which both describe a "little war'.
The largest carousel in the world is located at the House on the Rock in Iowa County, Wisconsin. Although is it a spinning spectacle that cannot be touched, none of the "rides" are horses. Some do appear as wall carvings, but there's a whopping 269 different kinds of carousel creatures, 182 chandeliers, and over 20,000 dazzling lights.
PHOTO SOURCES & BIBLIOGRAPHY
CAROUSEL ANIMALS, IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE
Cat - R. Silva @ Palace Playland in Old Orchard Beach, ME (Jun 26, 2018)
Alligator - Samantha Chapnick @ Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, LA (Dec 23, 2008)
Cuttlefish - Devin Murphy @ National Zoo in Washington D.C. (Sep 20th, 2024)
Dragon - Kevin Harber @ National Zoo in Washington D.C. (Jun 22, 2009)
Seal - John Lee @ Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange, NJ (Jun 2, 2011)
Tiger - James Vid @ Riverfront Park in Spokane, WA (Sep 23rd, 2005)
Wheelchair-Accessible Chariot - Cory Lee @ Morgan’s Wonderland in San Antonio, TX (Jul 16, 2017)
Sea Serpent - Dawn Jaganshi @ Cullen Family Carousel in Detroit, MI (Jan 2nd, 2025)
Giraffes - Aaaron Shepard @ Children’s Creativity Museum in San Francisco, CA (April 28, 2004)
Polar Bear - Fall Stock @ Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City, UT (Aug 3rd, 2008)
Rhino - Susan Fitzery @ The Buffalo Zoo in Buffalo, NY (Oct 10th, 2021)
Chicken - Kimberlie Sheehan @ Boston Common in Boston, MA (April 3rd, 2026)
Mermaid - Photographed by Maia C. @ Cullen Family Carousel in Detroit, MI (Sep 16th, 2007)
Brass Ring Game - Q Applied Systems @ Balboa Park in San Diego, CA (Aug 25, 2017)
The House on the Rock Images - Mary Korevaar @ Spring Green in Iowa County, WI (Jan 15th, 2024)
CITED WORKS FOR MAIN ARTICLE
• https://www.facebook.com/groups/254296927948067/
• https://www.historyofcarousels.com
• https://www.history.com/articles/carousel-ride-history-jousting-knights
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brass_ring
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carousel
• https://associates.ucr.edu/ckin304.htm#:~:text=These%20can%20include%20cats%2C%20zebras,animal%20is%20the%20Dentzel%20cat.
• https://americanhistory.si.edu/explore/stories/lifes-just-merry-go-round-exploring-carousel-animals-museums-collection
• https://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/where-have-the-carousel-animals-gone-antiquemerry-go-rounds-fight-extinction/
• https://morganswonderland.org/attraction/carousel/
• https://www.walter-fendt.de/html5/phen/carousel_en.htm
• https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/dizzy-history-carousels-begins-knights-180964100/
• https://www.physics.purdue.edu/class/applets/phe/carousel.htm
• https://carousels.org/Carvers_Builders.html
• https://www.carneerides.com/how-does-a-carousel-work/
• https://www.historyofcarousels.com/famous-carousels/notable-carousels/
• https://www.thehouseontherock.com/attractions/worlds-largest-indoor-carousel/
• https://www.historyofcarousels.com/carousel-facts/interesting-facts-about-carousels/