A carousel (from French carrousel, from Italian carosello), or merry-go-round, is an amusement rides consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders. The seats are usually in the form of rows of wooden horses or other animals mounted on posts, many of which are moved up and down via gear work to simulate galloping, to the accompaniment of looped circus music. This leads to one of the alternative names, the galloper.Carousels are commonly populated with horses, but may include diverse varieties of mounts,like pigs, zebras, tigers, mythological creatures (such as dragons, sea monsters or unicorns),and deer. Sometimes, chair or bench-like seats are used, and occasionally mounts could be shaped like airplanes or cars.