We Live in Time’s Carousel Horse Memes, Explained

A brave, magnificent stallion has captured the hearts of Twitter: it’s this goofy-ass horse from a first look image of A24’s We Live in Time.

Comedian Pallavi Gunalan was first to notice the steed, and he’s since taken the world by storm. Look at this fantastic beast! But where to find him? Vulture has reached out to reps for director John Crowley, Film London, an extra in the film, and The Carousel Museum in Bristol, CT to get to the bottom of this. In the meantime, here’s what we know about this adorable, scene-stealing horse.

First, a brief history of carousels and carousel horses. The first medieval carousels were actual horses being ridden in a little circle. But then came the invention of steam power! The platform carousel was invented in the mid-1800’s, animals connected to poles that would move independently of the platform on which ridegoers stand.

Carousel horses are categorized by their poses and their position on the ride. There are prancers, standers, jumpers, and stargazers. This horse looks to most likely be a jumper or stander. Outer horses are often fancier, with innies lacking ornamentation. This is the case with the We Live in Time horses. The outer horse Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh ride has filigree neck tats, while the dumb-looking one is more plain. It’s possible, however, that Dumb Horse looks better when viewed from off the carousel. According to Marsha A. Schloesser on Real or Repro, vintage carousel horses often have their mane on only the outward-facing side of the horse. They also have their heads slightly turned outward. We may be seeing this horse at its worst — the right side of Scheana Shay’s face, so to speak.

Metro UK papped Garfield and Miss Flo in Herne Hill wearing the same costumes in which they ride the horsies.

Now, that shoot was a daytime one, focusing on a farmer’s market scene. And a quick “amusement parks near Herne Hill” Google search proved fruitless. But the film’s trailer gives us two more clues: bumper cars and a swing ride. These three rides are quite portable, and often can be rented out from place to place.

Our research now comes across a cultural barrier. America loves its carousels, and there are multiple museums and databases dedicated to nailing down the location of every single antique carousel. In the U.K.? Not so much. Plus, all these rides have different names. Carousels can be called “gallopers,” or “roundabouts” or “merry-go-rounds.” Bad SEO! Swing rides are, delightfully, called “chair-o-planes.” And bumper cars are allegedly called “dodgems.” But you don’t dodge ‘em, you bump ‘em.

This reporter has gone full Pepe Silvio on the galloper image, as well as the chair-o-plane and dodgems in the We Live in Time trailer, cross-referencing them with various amusement companies working in London. George Irvin’s Irving Leisure has all three rides, but their horses have more sculpted details on the body. The outer horse in We Live in Time has painted ornamentation. Nationwide Amusements also has all three rides, but their chair-o-plane has the Flag of England on its central column, not the animals depicted in the film’s poster.

Say what you will, this horse has star quality.