Flea circus

A flea circus refers to a circus sideshow attraction in which fleas are attached (or appear to be attached) to miniature carts and other items, and encouraged to perform circus acts within a small housing. Fresnel lenses were provided to help visitors to view the attraction.

History

The first records of flea performances were from watch makers who were demonstrating their metal working skills. Mark Scaliot in 1578 produced a lock and chain which were attached to a flea. Flea performances were first advertised as early as 1833 in England, and were a main carnival attraction until 1930. Some flea circuses persisted in very small venues in the United States as late as the 1960s. The flea circus at Belle Vue amusement park, Manchester, England, was still operating in 1970. One or two flea circus performers such as Svensons can still be found working in the UK but most flea circuses are a sideline of magicians and clowns, they use electrical or mechanical effects instead of real fleas.

Techniques with real fleas

Fleas live only for a short time and are not trained.

Fleas are separated by jumping and running fleas. Once sorted, they are harnessed by carefully wrapping a thin gold wire around the neck of the flea. Once in the harness the fleas usually stay in it for life. The harnesses are attached to the props and the strong legs of the flea allows them to move objects significantly larger than themselves.

Jumping fleas are used for kicking small lightweight balls. They are carefully given a ball; when they try to jump away (which is not possible because of the harness) they shoot the ball instead. Running fleas are used to pull small carts and vehicles or to rotate a Ferris wheel.

There are historical reports of fleas glued to the base of the flea circus enclosure, instruments were then glued to the flea performers and the enclosure was heated. The fleas fought to escape giving the impression of fleas playing musical instruments.

Techniques without real fleas

Some flea circuses may appear to use real fleas, but don't. A variety of electrical, magnetic, and mechanical devices have been used to augment exhibits. In some cases these mechanisms are responsible for all of the "acts," with loose fleas in the exhibit maintaining the illusion.

Some "flea circuses" do not contain any fleas at all and the experience and skill of the performer convince the audience of their existence.

In much the same way that viewers know that a magician won't really cut a girl in half, her or his showmanship allows viewers to suspend disbelief in order to enjoy the show.

Performers

Fleas in dresses at Ye Olde Curiosity Shop

Current flea circuses:

• Professor A. G. Gertsacov's Acme Miniature Flea Circus performs primarily in the United States and Canada, touring numerous venues and festivals since 1995.
• The Alberti Flea Circus tours the country, and can be seen at county and state fairs and private shows.
• Captain Franko's Fantastic Flea Circus has been touring Ireland since 2005.
• Dr Dillinger's Flea Circus and Caravan of Mystery has performed since 2007 in Colorado, Kansas and Oklahoma, the show is often associated with Dr Dillinger's Freaks and Floozies, a contemporary Vaudeville/Burlesque troupe.
• Phydeaux's Flying Flea Circus of Fate tours the New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware area. It also has done performances in Texas, Florida, and Virginia.
• Professor Payne's Phantasmagorical Flea Circus can be seen at public libraries and private shows in Washington state.
• Professor B's Flea Circus has been performing in the Northern California area for the last few years.
• The Flying Starts Flea Circus and Sideshow tours in the UK.
• Svensons Flea Circus performs in the UK.
• The Flohcircus Mathes at the Munich Oktoberfest

Famous flea circuses of the past:

• Maria Cardoso toured the world with her installation art flea circus in the 1990s.
• Professor Heckler's flea circus (in residence at Hubert's Dime Museum in Times Square, NY until 1957) which can be seen in the background of the film Easy Rider
• L. Bertolotto's flea circus of Regent Street, London.
• A famously televised flea circus (without fleas) was created by Michael Bentine in the 1960s.

Popular culture

Cartoons

• The Tex Avery cartoon The Flea Circus (MGM, 1954) featured a French flea circus that broke up when they saw a dog and attacked it, and one flea, Francois (voiced by Bill Thompson), who played a sad clown, hitches with the star flea, Fifi, and has enough fleas together to bring the flea circus back to life.
• Dixieland Droopy (1954), this Tex Avery-directed animated short in the Droopy series features John Irving Pettybone (Droopy) finding a flea band and being chased by a flea circus owner who wants the band for his circus
• Curtain Razor, this vintage Warner Bros. cartoon has Porky Pig as a theatrical agent auditioning acts, including a shaggy dog, who turns out to be the transport of a flea circus, which proceeds to set itself up, perform, and return to the dog, on command.
• Batfink episode "Jumping Jewelry" (1967) features Professor Hopper, an owner of a flea circus, using his trained fleas to steal jewelry
• The Jetsons season 2 episode "Fugitive Fleas" (1985), a rock band of fleas take refuge on Astro to escape the tyrannical Solarini's flea circus.
• Flea Circus (mid-1990s), autobiographical comic strip by Vic Pratt
• Mona the Vampire second season episode Flea Circus of Horrors (2000)
• Grimmy's Flea Circus (2001), book in the Mother Goose and Grimm comic strip series
• Haunted Mansion issue 4 (August 2006) "Night of the Ghost Fleas" features Fifi, the ghost dog, being plagued by ghost fleas who create a flea circus that ends up on his head
• The Muppet Show: The Treasure of Peg-Leg Wilson issue 3 (2009) features fleas who put on the act, Julius Prunes Amazing Flea Circus, on Animal's drums

Films

• Thundering Fleas (1926) An Our Gang film featuring Oliver Hardy and a cameo appearance by comedian Charley Chase.
• The Chimp (1932), this Laurel and Hardy short film features a flea circus given as a pay-off, which escapes into the bed, causing everyone to itch
• It's in the Bag! (1945), Fred Allen is a flea circus ringmaster
• Limelight (1952), Charlie Chaplin performing a flea circus
• Mr. Arkadin (1955), Mischa Auer plays a flea circus owner (with real fleas) in this Orson Welles
• Jurassic Park (1993) creator, John Hammond, explains how he used to exhibit a flealess mechanical flea circus when he was first starting out.
• The City of Lost Children (1995) features a former circus/freak show owner, Marcello, who uses performing fleas carrying poison to assassinate people.
• A Bug's Life (1998), the Disney/Pixar film, centers on a troupe of flea circus performers, including their owner, P.T. Flea, a parody of the real-life circus entrepreneur P.T. Barnum
• The Death of the Flea Circus Director by Thomas Koerfer, a dark tale of a performer who switches from a flea circus to a play about the plague

Music

• "Flea Circus", country song on the album Don’t You Go Chicken (1960s) by Ramblin' Tommy Scott
• "Flea Circus", grunge song on the album Step on a Bug (1988) by The U-Men
• "Flea Circus", modern creative song on the album Papa Woody (1996) by Ether Bunny
• "Flea Circus", anti-folk song on the album X-Ray Vision (1996) by The Moldy Peaches
• "Flea Circus", folk music song on the album Circle (2006) by Uiscedwr
• "Flea Circus", song by Marder in the film FAQ About Time Travel (2009)
• Neon Flea Circus, psyche-funk band based in Cork, Ireland, appeared in Solas Festival, June 2010.
• "Flea Circus", a jazz quartet led by trumpet player Jack Davies.

Other

• The Flea Circus (1950s) by Billy Lee Brammer
• The Flea Circus (Islet Books, 1989) by poet Alan Pizzarelli
• Mighty Morphin Power Rangers season one episode "For Whom the Bell Trolls" (1993), reveals Bulk and Skull's hobbies include picking up fleas from stray dogs. They attempted to demonstrate their flea circus in their class' hobby week but the fleas escape onto their teacher Miss Appleby
• Round the Twist episode "Dog By Night" (2000), at a flea circus, a rare Transylvanian flea named Count Dracumite sinks its teeth into Pete, turning him into a werewolf at night
• Flea Circus, a bi-monthly event in Angel Islington, London, UK featuring comedy, music, and poetry.^{[citation needed]}
• Maxfield Rubbish and His Time Travelling Flea Circus, presented at the Hitchcock Puppet Theater in Balboa Park, San Diego, California
• "Flea Circus" (2006), Hewlett-Packard commercial produced by Bent Image Lab
• Touch Detective (2006), in episode 4 of this mystery adventure video game for the Nintendo DS, the main character, Penelope, claims that a murder happened at the flea circus in town
• Flea Circus, a puzzle game on the FunOrb website, originally developed by Andrew Gower
• William Heaven's Bi-Weekly flea circus is held in both Cambridge and Newcaslte upon Tyne^{[citation needed]}

References

• "Fleas:The Lethal Leapers". National Geographic 173 (5). May 1988. 
• Jay's Journal of Anomalies, ISBN 1-59372-000-9
• Wild Tigers & Tame Fleas by William Ballantine, (1958)
• Annals of the New York Stage by George C. Odel (Columbia University Press, New York, NY, 1928)
• Bertolotto, L. (Unknown). The history of the flea: With notes and observations (2nd ed.). London: Crozier. 
• Bertolotto, L. (1876). The history of the flea: With notes and observations (5th ed.). New York: John Axford. OCLC 11028632. 
• The Compleat Flea by Brendan Lehan (London: John Murray, 1969)
• The Faithful Annalist: Or The Epitome Of The English History (Whitwood, 1666)

External links

• British Pathe News
• List of Historical Flea Circus Performers ShowHistory.Com
• Flea circus research and directory of current performers fleacircus.co.uk
• www.captainfranko.com An example of a Circus with no real fleas, with video available.
• www.fleacircuslondon.co.uk The website of the event in Angel Islington, London, UK.
• www.trainedfleas.com The Acme Miniature Flea Circus
• www.yourfleacircus.com "Buy your own Flea Circus"