Hallmark — then known as a greeting card company — introduced its first line of Christmas ornaments in 1973. This example dates to 1978. The first of six in Hallmark's annual "Carousel Series," it is the oldest carousel ornament in The Henry Ford’s collection. It is also one of the simplest, though it does spin — a feature Hallmark dubbed "Twirl-About Motion."

Some ornaments depicted carousels as part of an amusement park — the very setting where real-life carousels reached the height of their popularity during the early 1900s. This playful 2003 ornament showcases a range of Hallmark's "magic" effects, with lights, sound, and motion. The cars on the "polar coaster" move, the Ferris wheel turns, and, of course, the carousel spins.

In 1989, Hallmark released a group of four collectible ornaments depicting carousel horses — the most common carousel figure. "Holly," "Ginger," "Snow," and "Star" could be hung individually on a Christmas tree or displayed together on a specially designed stand. Their distinct poses express movement and recall a classic carousel experience.

Animals other than horses appeared as figures on "menagerie carousels" in the early 1900s — and on Hallmark ornaments in the early 2000s. Hallmark's "Carousel Ride" series aimed to recreate the look of some of the more unusual, but no less elaborate, carousel animals of a century before. This special edition "Happy Kangaroo" closed out the series of six total "Carousel Ride" ornaments in 2008.

For 1989, Hallmark released "Carousel Zebra" as part of a group of ornaments named "Artists' Favorites." The ornament was sculpted by Hallmark artist Linda Sickman, who wrote that she was "fascinated with [carousel] animals, especially the unusual ones." There is a similar zebra figure on the operating 1913 menagerie carousel in Greenfield Village — though it lacks a saddle.