A brass ring is a small, grabbable ring that a dispenser presents to a carousel rider during the course of a ride. These dispensers are filled with a large number of iron or steel rings and a single or a few brass rings. The rings can then be tossed at a target as the carousel rotates. Typically, a brass ring can be traded for a prize, which is often a free repeat ride. Although they were standard features for carousels during their heyday in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, brass ring dispensers are now rare. The figurative phrase to grab the brass ring is derived from this device.
Background
The general concept of obtaining rings while riding carousels originates from ring jousting competitions in Europe in the 17th century.. Carousels were first developed during the late 17th century to allow participants in these competitions to practice ring jousting without overworking their horses.
Brass ring devices were prevalent during the heyday of the carousel from the 1870s to the early 1930s, and the first references to brass rings appeared in the 1890s.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: They were meant to encourage carousel riders to sit on the outermost row of carousel animals, which were often stationary. While a carousel is in motion, riders on the outermost row can grab rings dispensed from a wooden arm suspended near them. To discourage riders from keeping these rings as souvenirs, images such as clown's mouths and lion's mouths are placed as targets adjacent to the carousel at which the rider's rings can be thrown.. Images from that site: grabbing the ring and the target Most rings are iron or steel, but one or two per ride are made of brass; if a rider manages to grab a brass ring, it can often be redeemed for a free ride.
Brass ring carousels today
Although there are many carousels in operation today, those that still use brass ring dispensers are very rare. The need for carousel riders to position themselves at wide angles to reach for rings from a ring dispensing arm often leads to lost balance and falls off of the ride, leading to personal injury lawsuits and hence their avoidance by most modern operators.
+Operating carousels that use brass ring dispensersNameLocation ImageBuilderDate Notes/UpdatesBalboa Park CarouselBalboa Park, San Diego, CaliforniaHerschell–Spillman1910Santa Cruz Looff CarouselSanta Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Santa Cruz, CaliforniaLooff1911Lenny & Joe's Magical Fish Tale CarouselLenny & Joe's Fish Tale, Madison, ConnecticutDentzel1999The Carousel of Old LymeOld Lyme, ConnecticutHerschell–Spillman1925Cass County Dentzel CarouselRiverside Park, Logansport, IndianaDentzelAlso known as the Spencer Park Dentzel CarouselFlying HorsesOak Bluffs, MassachusettsDare1876A Carousel for MissoulaCaras Park, Missoula, MontanaVolunteer-built2001Eldridge Park CarouselEldridge Park, Elmira, New YorkLooff1924 (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.Nunley's CarouselMuseum Row, Garden City, New YorkStein & Goldstein Artistic Carousell Manufacturing Company1912Formerly located in Nunley's in Baldwin, New YorkNorthrop Grumman CarouselMitchell Park, Greenport, New YorkHerschell–Spillman1920Grand CarouselKnoebels Amusement Resort, Elysburg, PennsylvaniaKremer's Carousel Works/Carmel1913Weona Park CarouselPen Argyl, PennsylvaniaDentzel1917One of only two remaining stationary Dentzel menagerie carousels with original factory paint on the carousel figuresCrescent Park Looff CarouselEast Providence, Rhode IslandLooffFlying Horse CarouselWesterly, Rhode IslandDareThe Gesa Carousel of DreamsSouthridge Sports Complex, Kennewick, WashingtonFred Dolle Company/Carmel1910Formerly located in Silver Beach Amusement Park in St. Joseph, MichiganRiverfront Park CarouselRiverfront Park, Spokane, WashingtonLooff1909Roseneath CarouselRoseneath Fairgrounds, Alnwick/Haldimand, OntarioParker/Herschell–Spillman1906
Cultural references "Grab the brass ring," "reach for the brass ring," and similar phrases are metaphors for seeking the highest prize (especially a championship ring in sports) or living life to the fullest. This is exemplified by the annual Brass Ring Awards presented by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) to recognize achievements in the worldwide amusement industry. It is not clear when the term brass ring used in this context came into wide use, but it has been found in dictionaries since the late 19th century.From : "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."World Wide Words: Brass ring The term has also been used in multiple book titles..For example:
Usage of the brass ring term and its symbolism can be found in numerous forms of media, including the last chapter of the 1951 book The Catcher in the Rye, when Phoebe, the sister of Holden Caulfield, reaches for a brass ring while riding a carousel. The brass ring is symbolic of adulthood, the transition to which is a preoccupation of Holden throughout the book. The term is also present in music, such as the Four Seasons' 1967 song "Beggin'." It contains the line "now that big brass ring is a shade of black," a reference to missing an important opportunity. The brass ring term also exists in film, specifically during the climax of the 1992 film Sneakers, in which 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 US National Security Agency. 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." This term was also used in television-broadcast professional wrestling when Tyson Kidd and Cesaro of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) formed an official alliance in 2015, calling themselves the "Brass Ring Club."
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