
- Fantasy Island Amusement Park proudly presents to you, our
patrons, a Classic, Turn-of-the-Century Carousel, custom designed for
Fantasy Island by Chance Rides, Inc. of Wichita, Kansas. Featuring the
famous Bradley & Kaye molds of horses that date back to the early
1900's. We hand picked the outside row of animals to be representative
of the various styles of the master carvers of a bygone age.
- The topmost horse and gold balls were added by Fantasy Island to
bring back the authentic look of the Victorian carousel. These
features are rarely seen today.
- In 1974 Marriott's Great American Theme Parks wanted to present to
the public an authentic carousel reminiscent of an era that had all but
disappeared. Leb Brown approached David E. Bradley with this awesome
task. Fortunately for all of us today, 'Dave' Bradley's love of the
carousel's history caused him to assemble and duplicate exactly the
beautiful workmanship that had been so long ignored. Faithfully
recreated in fiberglass, the carousel horses presented to the public
proved to be immensely popular and inspired many people to want to know
more about this neglected piece of Americana. In 1986 Chance Rides,
Inc. acquired these precious molds.
- The Bradley & Kaye horses have the finest pedigree. They date
back to the great era of carousel carvers. Craftsmen like Marcus
Illions, Charles Looff, Charles Carmel and Gustav Dentzel. The molds
for the Bradley & Kaye figures were taken directly from hand-carved,
turn-of-the-century, American carousel figures. Each figure requires
many hours of hand finishing and delicate paint work before it is ready
to take its place in the ranks of this cherished American tradition.