Catching the brass ring.
Brass Ring dispenser and target on Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk's Looff Carousel in Santa Cruz, California The dispenser is visible as an arm crossing to the upper left, where a rider is grabbing the ring

A brass ring is a small grabbable ring that a dispenser presents to a carousel rider during the course of a ride. Usually there are a large number of iron rings and one brass one, or just a few. It takes some dexterity to grab a ring from the dispenser as the carousel rotates. The iron rings can be tossed at a target as an amusement. Typically, getting the brass ring gets the rider some sort of prize when presented to the operator. The prize often is a free repeat ride.

The figurative phrase to grab the brass ring is derived from this device.

Background

A rider of the Flying Horses Carousel reaches for the brass ring.
Brass ring dispenser on arm end, from the carousel in Glen Echo Park (Maryland)[1]

Brass ring devices were developed during the heyday of the carousel in the U.S.—about 1880 to 1921. At one time, the riders on the outside row of horses were often given a little challenge, perhaps as a way to draw interest or build excitement, more often as an enticement to sit on the outside row of horses which frequently did not move up and down and were therefore less enticing by themselves. Most rings were iron, but one or two per ride were made of brass; if a rider managed to grab a brass ring, it could be redeemed for a free ride. References to a literal brass ring go back into the 1890s.[2]

As the carousel began to turn, rings were fed to one end of a wooden arm that was suspended above the riders. Riders hoped that the timing of the carousel rotation (and the rise-and-fall motion of their seat, when movable seats were included in the outer circle of the carousel) would place them within reach of the dispenser when a ring (and preferably a brass ring) was available.

Another system had mostly steel rings of no value and one brass ring, and a target into which the rings were to be thrown (for example the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Looff Carousel uses a clown target shown in the photo above, and the Knoebel's Amusement Resort Grand Carousel uses a lion target),[3] discouraging retention of the rings as souvenirs.

Cultural references

"Grabbing the brass ring" or getting a "shot at the brass ring" also means striving for the highest prize (especially a championship ring in sports), or living life to the fullest. It is not clear when the phrase came into wide use but has been found in dictionaries as far back as the late 19th century.[4][5]

The term has been used as the title of at least two books.[6][7]

  • The final scene of The Catcher in the Rye features a carousel with a brass ring, which Holden Caulfield's sister Phoebe reaches for. The brass ring is symbolic of adulthood, the transition to which is a preoccupation of Holden throughout the book.
  • The Four Seasons song "Beggin'" references "now that big brass ring is a shade of black", in reference to having missed an important opportunity.
  • Dispatch song “Flying Horses” references stealing a ring from The Flying Horses Merry Go Round located in Martha’s Vineyard Massachusetts.
  • The Barenaked Ladies song "Get Back Up" references "getting fitted for a new brass ring", in reference to continuing to strive for success.
  • "Brass Rings And Daydreams" is a song written by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman for the 1978 motion picture musical The Magic of Lassie and performed by Debby Boone.
  • In professional wrestling, Tyson Kidd and Cesaro formed an alliance and called themselves "The Brass Ring Club" in 2015.
  • At the climax of the film Sneakers, all of the main characters have the opportunity to receive anything they want in exchange for handing over a crucial piece of technology to the NSA. When River Phoenix's character requests something with no monetary value, he is admonished by Robert Redford's character to think bigger, as "this is the brass ring."
  • In the big blowup argument in the film Fools Rush In, the main character, Alex Whitman, says, "Look, this is the brass ring. I've worked my entire life for this kind of opportunity and I am not gonna throw it all away just because one night I put a five-dollar ring on your finger in front of Elvis as a witness!"
  • The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) presents "Brass Ring Awards" annually, to recognize achievement in the global attractions industry and to "honor excellence in food and beverage, games and retail, human resources, live entertainment, marketing, new products, and exhibits."[8]
  • The Grateful Dead song "Crazy Fingers" includes the lyrics "Midnight on a carousel ride / Reaching for the gold ring down inside," in which the brass ring is called a "gold ring" by means of poetic license.
  • The American Music Club song "If I Had a Hammer" (from the Mercury album) includes the lyrics "The love cry of the traveling man goes / "No one knows who I am, / but I'm as priceless as a brass ring / that's losing the heat from your hand."..."

Brass ring carousels today

Although there are many carousels extant, only a handful of carousels still have brass rings.[9]

Vintage (pre-1960) carousels still operating with brass rings
Location Park Name Image Manufacturer Date Notes/Updates
San Diego, CA Balboa Park Balboa Park Carousel Herschell-Spillman menagerie1910
Logansport, IN Riverside Park Cass County Dentzel Carousel Dentzelc.1902 Also known as the Spencer Park Dentzel Carousel.
East Providence, RI Carousel Park Crescent Park Looff Carousel Looff1895
Elmira, NY Eldridge Park Eldridge Park Carousel Looff1924 (2006) Original carousel mechanism was built in the 1890s and installed in Elmira in 1924. The original animals were auctioned in 1989, and replacement antique horses were acquired starting in 2003.
Watch Hill, RI Watch Hill Park The Flying Horse Carousel Darec.1884
Oak Bluffs, MA Martha's Vineyard Flying Horses Dare1876
Kennewick, WA Southridge Sports Complex The Gesa Carousel of Dreams Fred Dolle Company-Charles Carmel1910 Formerly located in St. Joseph, MI at the Silver Beach Amusement Park.
Ocean City, NJ Gillians Wonderland Pier Gillian's Wonderland Pier Carousel PTC #751926
Elysburg, PA Knoebels Amusement Park & Resort Grand Carousel Kremers Carousel Works-Carmel1913
Greenport, NY Mitchell Park Northrop-Grumman Carousel Herschell-Spillman1920
Garden City, NY Museum Row Nunley's Carousel Stein and Goldstein Artistic Carousell Co.1912 Nunley's, formerly in Baldwin, N.Y., is out of business; its classic carousel is now running at Museum Row.
Spokane, WA Riverfront Park Riverfront Park Carousel Looff1909
Roseneath, ON (Canada) Roseneath Fairgrounds Roseneath Carousel Parker/Herschell Spillman1906
Santa Cruz, CA Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Santa Cruz Looff Carousel Looff1911
Modern (post-1960) carousels operating with brass rings
Location Park Name Image Manufacturer Date Notes/Updates
Missoula, Mt Caras Park A Carousel for Missoula [[]] volunteer-built2001

Rings removed

The following carousels are no longer running rings:

Carousels no longer running rings
Location Park Name Image Manufacturer Date Notes/Updates
Brooklyn, NY Coney Island B&B Carousell Mangels (frame), Carmel (horses)frame: 1906, horses: early 1920s The B&B Carousell on Coney Island is now city-owned in a new location and is not running rings.
Easton, PA Bushkill Park Bushkill Park Carousel Dentzel1907 Bushkill Park was closed in 2007 after being flooded in 2004, 2005, and 2006; the carousel building collapsed in 2014.[10][11] Two carousels have operated at Bushkill: the first was built in 1903, installed in the 1930s, but closed in 1989 and sold in 1991. A replacement carousel built in 1915 was installed in 1993.[12][13] Other sources indicate the original Dentzel carousel was sold to the Centreville Amusement Park in Toronto Islands in 1966.[14]
Allan Herschell1915 (1993)
Conneaut Lake, PA Conneaut Lake Park The Carousel D.C. Muller/T.M. Harton1910
Angola, IN Fun Spot   Allan Herschell1929 Fun Spot closed in 2008.[15][16]
Auburndale, FL International Market World Lakeside Carousel Mangels-Looff/S&G/Carmel1909 The carousel, owned by the Wintersteen family and known as the "Wintersteen Menagerie Machine", was up for auction in 2008 and is closed. It was originally installed at Hanson's Amusement Park in Harveys Lake, PA.[17][18]
Pen Argyl, PA Weona Park Weona Park Carousel Dentzel1923
Cleveland, OH Euclid Beach Park Euclid Beach Park Grand Carousel PTC #191910 The carousel ran brass rings until Euclid Beach Park closed in 1969, and the carousel was sold and moved to Palace Playland in Old Orchard Beach, Maine. After Palace Playland was sold in 1996, the carousel was bought and moved back to Cleveland, ultimately to be owned by the Western Reserve Historical Society. In 2014 the carousel was reopened to the public at the Cleveland History Center, having been extensively restored, but no longer running rings.

References

  1. ↑ Information from "Carousel Info Page". National Park Service. Retrieved 10 October 2006.
  2. ↑ From the Brooklyn Daily Eagle of 24 September 1899 about the famous Coney Island amusement park:
    "This big place has been the rendezvous for thousands of children who have spent their nickels and have enjoyed a ride on the ponies, besides trying their best to capture the brass ring, which the boy drops in the big iron arm that is swung out at the side of the merry-go-round."
    as quoted in: Michael Quinion. "Meaning of the term Brass Ring". World Wide Words. Retrieved 26 September 2006.
  3. ↑ Adam Sandy. "The Grand Carousel Knoebels Grove- Elysburg, Pennsylvania". Archived from the original on 30 June 2008. Retrieved 10 October 2006.. Images from that site: grabbing the ring and the target
  4. ↑ From "The Mavens' Word of the Day - Brass ring". WORDS@RANDOM, Random House, Inc. Retrieved 10 October 2006.:
    "Merriam-Webster's 10th Collegiate defines the metaphor and dates it to 1950. Christine Ammer's The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms says it's from the late 1800s."
  5. ↑ World Wide Words: Brass ring
  6. ↑ For example: Hinds, Anne Dion (1990). Grab the Brass Ring. ISBN 0517574861.
  7. ↑ For example: Mauldin, Bill; Mauldin, William Henry (1971). The Brass Ring. ISBN 0393074633.
  8. ↑ "IAAPA Brass Ring Awards". iaapa.org. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
  9. ↑ "Classic Carousels with Operating Ring Machines". National Carousel Association. Retrieved 26 September 2006.
  10. ↑ Rhodin, Tony (17 July 2015). "Bushkill Park has a future - but it won't look like the past, owner says". The Express-Times. Lehigh Valley Live. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  11. ↑ Sieger, Edward (17 February 2014). "Bushkill Park carousel building collapses due to heavy snow". The Express-Times. Lehigh Valley Live. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  12. ↑ Miller, Tad (1 July 2001). "Whatever became of ... the old Bushkill Park carousel? It remains in storage". The Morning Call. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  13. ↑ Jackson, Kirk Beldon (4 March 1993). "Bushkill Park Purchases 1915 Carousel". The Morning Call. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  14. ↑ Syed, Fatima (19 July 2017). "Toronto's 110-year-old carousel on Centre Island sold for $3 million". Toronto Star. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  15. ↑ Oberlin, Amy (24 March 2010). "Fun Spot insurance pays rollercoaster victims". kpc News. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  16. ↑ Mitchell, Dawn (21 April 2015). "Willie the Whale has been saved". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  17. ↑ Seder, Andrew M. (3 May 2008). "Locals try to bring carousel full circle". Times-Leader. Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  18. ↑ Hamill, Jim (15 November 2014). "Former Amusement Park Torn Down". WNEP. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
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