C is for Contribution Week - I - Circus from Brian

The recent news that the world renowned Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus will soon close its ticket booth for the last time was a timely reminder that these were sat in Picasa from the Autumn waiting for me to do something with! I slightly cropped a couple and err . . . posted them here, now!

Brian said "Last weekend my wife and I went to Florida for a wedding. The town was Sarasota which contains a group of museums called The Ringling founded by the founder of the Ringling Brothers Circus. One part of the museum is called The Tibbals Learning Center which contains the massive model of a travelling circus at 1” to 18” scale. My photos do not do credit to the model so go to the website."

1 & 2 "...show figures on the workbench. They are based on plastic German made dolls house figures that were obtained in bulk when SEARS stores discontinued the range. I mention all this in case you can identify the brand? As you can see working from a photo they are making a diorama of workers standings outside a railcar."

A fascinating shot of a professional's workbench, not that a lot of you don't also have tools, paints, reference materials, lights, magnifiers and several works in progress scattered around or piled about! Although one feels this table's been tidied somewhat for the public who are allowed to look.

"Original figures were carved in wood . . . [...] . . . Presently a Mr. McGarvey and his wife are on site building figures to fill the gaps . . ."

These look to be commercial Italian nativity figures, possibly Composition (from the strange angle of the tails) but could be plastic? I can also see a novel use for kids pink, fluorescent, craft pipe-cleaners. The camels have also been enhanced with various items of craft and 'carding' materials, trims and baubles!

These are wonderful, I suspect a latex (?) wrap-around moulding to convert - again commercial - horses into 'sea-horses'; the mirror crates an army of them!

This is wonderful; I believe the balding gent showing the kids how a sea-lion is handled was once a novelty pencil-sharpener, possibly sold by Archee McFee/Accoutrements, about ten years ago?

Note also how the pinking-sheered edge of the model marquee almost matches the real one visible in the background and the top of the shot. I vaguely recognise the girls, are they an old, [failed?] line of 'pink' Lego?

Many more people along with a fleet of scratch-built animal wagons with what looks like one of the rings, in the background, but closer inspection reveals it's the elephants enclosure.

It would be nice to see a few comments on this one - can you ID any of the commercial figures origins, what interests you on the worktop, what do you like best, I love the sea-horse army!

Wikipedia

Thanks to Brian Berke for sending us something a little out of the ordinary.