Circus



The Circus is a group of performers, including but not limited to acrobats, clowns, animal acts, jugglers, and daredevils who perform in a troop, often in multiple rings or arenas, and led by a Ringmaster. The Circus dates back to ancient Rome, where it consisted of horse and chariot races, and China where they consisted of primarily acrobatic acts.

The first western circus opened in Philadelphia in 1793, but it was P.T. Barnum who was the pioneer of what audiences are familiar with today. Upon his death and subsequent merger of his circus with that of James Anthony Bailey, a more familiar circus was born, with a large canvas tent, human oddities for a sideshow, and multiple rings housing continuous acts. In 1919, the Barnum and Bailey show merged with the Ringling Brothers show, to form the quintessential American circus, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

Not all is always happy with the circus though. Clowns were often used as a distraction to the audience when an accident occurred (or an act flopped). Stephen Sondheim's song "Send in the Clowns" is a metaphorical looks at this stage practice.

Aside from the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus, other famous circuses include Cirque du Soleil and The Big Apple Circus.

The Muppets have visited the circus on numerous occasions.

The Muppet Show

 * Harvey Korman plays "Maurice the Magnificent", an animal tamer who tries to tame the dangerous (and extremely docile) Thog in episode 110.


 * In an "At the Dance" segment, Mildred and George have the following exchange.
 * Mildred: George, do you like circuses?
 * George: Oh, I love 'em!
 * Mildred: Then, you must love Ringling.
 * George: I don't know. I never ringled!


 * The song "Lydia, the Tattooed Lady" was presented as a cirus side show when performed by Kermit on The Muppet Show.


 * Episode 524 of The Muppet Show features Roger Moore singing "Talk to the Animals" while strolling around a circus.

Sesame Street

 * Guntag Gelman Jones, a flea trainer, brings his world-famous flea circus to Sesame Street to perform in episode 3275. The acts include Olaf the Weight-Lifting Flea and Tatanya Flea on the tightrope.


 * In episode 4043, Elmo, Zoe, and Rocco pretend to be in the circus.


 * The Great Fentini is a circus ringmaster who appears in episode 4037 of Sesame Street to help Super Grover fly with a ripped cape.


 * In The Sesame Street Circus of Opposites, Guy Smiley serves as ringmaster while Betty Lou and Cookie Monster enjoy the circus.


 * Elmo visits the Number 6 Circus in episode 3912. And he gets shot out of a cannon under the big top in "Elmo's World: Hats", and becomes a circus dog in "Elmo's World: Dogs".


 * Ernie has explained to Bert that he enjoys the circus better then bottle caps.


 * Telly feels left out when all the other kids at Gina's day care are going to the circus and lies that his uncle is a ringmaster in "Telling the Truth".


 * Gordon appears as the strongman in the circus, and bends a solid metal bar into the number seven.


 * Mr. Hooper, wearing a circus ringmaster's top hat and cape, tries to balance four cans at a time in episode 0333.


 * Slimey's friend Glo Worm owns a circus cannon.


 * Marvin the agent receives a call from the circus requesting something yellow with fur and black stripes, so instead of sending his Tiger client on the call, he dresses a Banana to match the requires and sends him out.


 * In "Journey to Ernie" segments, Big Bird walks a tightrope at the circus, and Ernie searches for Big Bird at the circus.


 * In episode 2849, Maria reads Elmo and Snuffy the book "The Snuffleupagus and the Rope," which is about a rope who works as a tightrope in the circus.


 * episode 0670 features Luis the ringmaster demonstrating "before" and "after" in a circus routine.


 * Gordon tells the kids about a circus parade in episode 0353.


 * The song "Women Can Be" features Margaret, who has had a successful career at the circus as a Lion Tamer.


 * In the song "Imagine with Me", Big Bird sings about the circus.


 * episode 0316 features Bob showing the Kids a picture of elephants in a circus parade.


 * Ida Nomer, who is from Kansas, wails after Sonny Friendly tells her a story about her chickens running away to join the circus.


 * Video segments involving the circus include a boy named Anthony and his trapeze artist parents, a girl named Shirley performing in the circus with her clown father and an elephant act , counting circus clowns , and a gymnastics team practicing for their act.


 * Animation segments include four elephants at the circus by Owe Gustafson, a flea circus performing feats beginning with the letter F , a Pinball Number Count segment features the circus , Animals and acrobats forming letters in an Alphabet Circus , The 8 Brothers Circus displaying 8 elephants , Madlenka imagining her neighborhood as a circus , and Tommy Trueheart displaying his 11 trick-performing lions.


 * In a Thelma Thumb animated sketch, Thelma rescues an acrobat when his trapeze breaks.


 * A Sesame Street View-Master reel features "Circus Fun".


 * The Sesame Street Live show Let's Be Friends features a visit to the circus.


 * A series of cards in the Sesame Street trading cards set feature the Muppets at the circus.


 * The Sesame Street Library Volume 15 features the short story "Buy Me Some Peanuts!", where Big Bird, Grover and Cookie Monster visit the circus.


 * Cookie Monster's Circle Book features a circus parade wagon.


 * There have been Sesame Street PVC figures released of characters dressed as circus performers.


 * There is an ad for the circus on the wall outside a bakery on a Cookie Monster picture frame.


 * Tyco released a Sesame Street playset featuring a circus theme, complete with big top and ringmaster Big Bird.

Muppet Babies

 * Applause released a series of Muppet Babies PVC figures dressed in circus attire.


 * The Muppet Babies visit the circus in the storybook Muppet Babies at the Circus


 * Dakin released a set of Muppet Babies plush dressed in circus outfits.

Bear in the Big Blue House

 * An episode of Breakfast with Bear features Christopher of New York City's "Big Apple Circus"


 * In the Bear in the Big Blue House episode "If at First You Don't Succeed...", Shadow tells the story of a woman and her dog who leave laundry to go perform in the circus.

International Muppet Productions

 * In an episode of The Hoobs, the Hoobs help Iver decide which circus job would suit him best.


 * For Sesamstrasse's 1000th episode, the show was taped at a Zirkus Althoff.


 * Reporter Wolle visits the circus in episdoe 2480 of Sesamstrasse.


 * Sirkuset kommer!, Mystiske dager på Sesam Stasjon, and Max Mekker på sirkus are Sesam Stasjon books about the circus.


 * episode 767 of Plaza Sésamo features a trip to the circus.


 * Der Zirkus ist da! is a Sesamstrasse storybook about the circus.

Creature Shop Productions

 * The film MirrorMask features the Campbell Family Circus.


 * The Dinosaurs episode "Charlene and Her Amazing Humans" is a social commentary on the mistreatment of animals in circus and zoos.

Other

 * Pepe has said that since Muppets Tonight has ended, Seymour's green card has expired, and he has been deported to India where he works in a circus.


 * The Muppets 2007 Calendar features the Muppets standing next to circus posters of themselves.


 * The Muppets are shot out of a cannon at a circus in the book The Muppets on the Road.


 * In The Muppet Show Comic Book: The Treasure of Peg-Leg Wilson, the Julius Prunes Amazing Flea Circus perform on Animal's drum set.


 * Muppets Ahoy!, the shipboard stage show, featured "Pavarotti", an Italian circus performer dressed in a fat suit.


 * Baabra Sheep of Panwapa was displaced by a circus that came to town and took over her field.