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I have read, with great interest, the discussion on Red Raven Records.
I, too, had a set of these movie records as a kid.  It was one of my
favorite toys!  As mentioned, they were 78-rpm and in various colors.

Some colors were opaque, and others translucent (like the red and
gold).  The ones I had were bought in the mid to late 1960s, and had
large cartoon labels.  The mirrored top, placed in the center, would
animate the scenes.

Red Raven fans will be happy to know there's a mechanical music link
to the recordings.  The tune "On a Marry-Go-Round" (with scene of kids
on carousel horses) always sounded different than the others.  I was
fond of band organs back then (as now!), and the music on this record
sounded authentic.

A few years ago, I borrowed some mechanical music recordings from the
MBSI Library.  One of the reel tapes was labeled, "B and B Carousel,
Coney Island".  Something sounded very familiar about that organ.  To
my surprise, one of the waltzes instantly matched up with my memory of
that Red Raven Record, "On a Marry-Go-Round".  It was the same
recording, organ and all...even the bell to start the ride, and the
operator's voice!  The only difference was that the Red Raven version
was edited.

Unfortunately, the title was not listed on the reel tape, or on the Red
Raven record, as I recall.  I have heard another (cassette) recording
of what was labeled the B and B carousel organ, and it sounds a bit
different than the reel tape.  Perhaps the carousel had 2 organs, or
the same organ was recorded differently, in different states of repair.
The reel tape/Red Raven version sounded like a Bruder to me.

From what I recall, there may have been a (authentic?) calliope on
another Red Raven Record.  I remember the tune as "The Man on the
Flying Trapeze", with a cartoon of a trapeze artist.  Perhaps this
was the "Circus Days" record, although it may be on one issued version
of "Marry-Go-Round".  I had 2 copies of the carousel record, and I
think one of them had a different B side than "Wooden Soldiers".

There is a site on the Net that mentions Red Raven Records, complete
with picture.  The URL is:

    http://www.teleport.com/`rfrederi/wraven1.shtml

The page is part of the Wolverine Antique Music Society.  They mention
the movie records as being a type of zoetrope.

My little collection of Red Raven records, sadly, is long-gone.
I remember seeing a set (with mirror top) in a Goodwill store, as
a teenager, in the mid 1970's.  It probably sold for a dollar or so,
but I didn't buy it.  Now I wish I had, but hindsight is always
20/20...!

Sharon Marie