A
carousel (
American English: from French
carrousel and Italian
carosello),
roundabout (
British English), or
merry-go-round, is an
amusement ride consisting of a
rotating circular platform with seats for riders. The "seats" are traditionally in the form of rows of wooden
horses or other animals mounted on posts, many of which are moved up and down by gearwork to simulate
galloping, to the accompaniment of
looped circus music. This leads to one of the alternative names in
American English, the
galloper. Other popular names are
jumper,
horseabout and
flying horses.