An historic carousel at a Disneyland south of the border has Toronto roots. In fact, it came from an old amusement park that was once located on the city’s shoreline.

Known as the “King Arthur Carousel,” this merry-go-round was among the original 1955 opening-day attractions at Disneyland Park in California.

The King Arthur was handcrafted by the Dentzel Carousel Company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, according to the amusement park, and in 1922 it found its way to Toronto’s Sunnyside Amusement Park.

Sunnyside was one of Toronto’s most popular attractions for more than 30 years, according to the Toronto Historical Society. At the time, the city even provided free streetcars to get to the park. There were rides, games, restaurants, dance halls and, of course, the carousel.

The “magical masterpiece” featured horses, giraffes, deer and other animals for Torontonians to ride on.

There was also a nearby pool nicknamed “The Tank” that opened on July 29, 1925, according to the Toronto Public Library. It was the largest outdoor swimming pool in the world at the time of construction.

Sunnyside Amusement Park lasted in the city from 1922 to 1955. After several fires in the area, the city ordered for much of it to be demolished. However, this led to the King Arthur Carousel being purchased by none other than Walt Disney himself.

But instead of keeping the plethora of animals that were originally part of the attraction, he wanted his guests to ride galloping horses like King Arthur, according to Disney. Because of this, additional horses were incorporated into a renovation of the carousel.

And, fun fact, a carousel is what sparked Walt Disney’s idea to create an amusement park in the first place.

“Watching his daughters ride the merry-go-round at Griffith Park in Los Angeles inspired Walt Disney to create Disneyland Park,” the Disney company states online. “When Walt began turning his dream of constructing a theme park into a reality, this beloved attraction became the cornerstone of the design.”

Back in Toronto, Sunnyside Park, without the “amusement,” is still a popular place for picnicking in the city. The original Palais Royale building from the amusement park is still standing. It’s now an event space with a more than 4,000 square foot lakeside deck, after undergoing a revival in 2005.

But to see the King Arthur again, that will require a visit to Disneyland in Anaheim, California, where it continues to provide whimsical rides on the historic carousel.