Lion, from the El Dorado Carousel, Coney Island, Brooklyn

This ferocious creature was one of a trio of rearing lions that originally pulled a chariot atop the entrance pavilion to the giant El Dorado Carousel at Coney Island. This spectacular carousel showpiece, complete with an enormous band organ, was imported from Leipzig, Germany, in 1910 and originally installed on Surf Avenue and West Fifth Street near Coney Island's famous Luna Park and Dreamland. The El Dorado Carousel and its pavilion survived the Dreamland fire of 1911 and were rebuilt inside a vast steel and glass structure called the Pavilion of Fun at nearby Steeplechase Park. In 1923 the carousel's pavilion enclosure was demolished and the three lions were installed at another site in the amusement park, where they remained until Steeplechase Park closed in 1964. Today the carousel operates at the Toshimaen Amusement Park in Tokyo, Japan.

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