CIRCUS TIME: A Re-cap of the Six Original Plastic O-Scale Circus Wagon Designs

This whole circus thread more-or-less started with the K-Line circus wagons I bought in the 1990s when first getting into the whole circus thingie. Since then of course I've learned a bit more - not a lot more, just a little bit. Except for the Bear Cage Wagon posted yesterday these are my original purchases from back in the day. As said before, the tooling for these goes back a long time and they are still being produced. As the whole circus thread on the blog progresses, we'll show you some other color combinations and packaging from the various manufacturers over the years. Enjoy! Opa Fritz

Originally offered as a 'Steam Calliope', K-Line marketed it as a 'Calliope Wagon'

Originally offered as 'The Knights in Armor Band Wagon', K-Line marketed it as simply a 'band wagon'

Originally offered as the "Lion and Gladiator Tableau Wagon', K-Line marketed it as a Tableau Wagon

Originally offered as a 'Lion Cage Wagon', K-Line sold it as an animal wagon

Originally offered as a 'Bear Cage Wagon' I have no examples of this being sold by K-Line

The baggage wagon has retained its original designation through the years

CIRCUS TIME: Baraboo, Wisconsin 1991: Hagenbeck-Wallace 3 Arch Cage Wagon

A recurring theme throughout the circus world is the repainting of wagons. Here's a beautiful Hagenbeck-Wallace cage wagon from the Circus World Museum in Baraboo, Wisconsin that was painted in red, gold, and white livery. The post card shows it white sides. Many cage wagons had removable side panels that made them appear like tableau wagons. In the photo from Baraboo, the panels were removed. Also, this particular design sports three arches while other cage wagons had no arches, which you'll see as I post more photos and post cards. Enjoy! Opa Fritz

CIRCUS TIME: Mystery Bear Cage Wagon - Green sides, gold scroll work, white roof, ends, and under carriage and green wheels - and Why Didn't K-Line Make one?

The tooling for the plastic wagons from K-Line I've been posting first appeared in the 1950's (or maybe it was the '60s - I haven't figured out exactly when yet) - and as stated in a previous post, K-Line did not carry forward the original designations. The wagon shown below - posted just a few days ago - was originally called a Lion Cage Wagon but K-Line just called it an Animal Wagon. To confuse matters more, in circus parlance it's simply a 'cage wagon'.

K-Line KUN-6900-03 Animal Wagon

To make matters worse (or fun depending on your outlook) there have been multiple players over the years. My guess is the absolute very first offerings were by Betty Schmid Circusiana. Then they were offered by Circus World Models, Big Top Models, then K-Line, and most recently Gem City Amusements. Mind you, it's absolutely wonderful that these have survived in the marketplace for so long when so many other circus wagon manufacturers have faded out, but it is tricky coming up with a timeline.

Which brings me to the main subject of the post: the Bear Cage Wagon. As much as I've tried, I cannot find where K-Line ever offered this piece, but it's among the six original plastic wagon designs dating from the '50s/'60s. The one posted here I know was offered as a Bear Cage Wagon from original boxes/packaging I have for other color variations. However, the wagon shown below didn't come with its original packaging so I cannot ascribe it to a particular brand. You'll notice that this wagon is a bit shorter and there are two bears inside of it. These older kits included either bears or lions which came as two-piece plastic kits, while K-Line omitted the animals from its kits. Enjoy! Opa Fritz

CIRCUS TIME: Baraboo, Wisconsin 1991 - France Bandwagon

You'll notice as I post photos and postcards of the various wagons, that many of them currently in existence had quite colorful histories and changed ownership a number of times. As you read the history of this particular wagon, you'll also appreciate it as a survivor. Enjoy! Opa Fritz

CIRCUS TIME: K-Line K6900-02 Band Wagon Kit - Blue sides, silver roof and ends, pink yndercarriage and running gear

Originally made in the 1950's for the Betty Schmid Circusiana brand, K-Line's kits were just as nicely done, however for the most part they did not carry forward the original wagon names or designations. This wagon was originally called "The Knights In Armor Band Wagon". K-Line just called it a 'Band Wagon', failed to include seats for the band to sit on! Enjoy! Opa Fritz

CIRCUS TIME: A Little Bit of Calliope Music

 

CIRCUS TIME: Random Circus Train Pic

 

CIRCUS TIME: Baraboo, Wisconsin 1991: Barnum & London’s Cinderella Pony Float

Most large circuses had a section of the parade which was especially for children.  The wagons were smaller and were pulled by ponies or sometimes large dogs.  The pony float shown here was part of a larger collection of "Fairyland" wagons on the Barnum & Bailey circus in the 1890s.  A few have been restored, but most were destroyed.  Others in this series were Old Santa Claus, Sleeping Beauty, and Sinbad the Sailor.

 "The Cinderella Float was built in the 1886 to 1888 period for the Barnum & London Circus along with Bluebeard, Sinbad the Sailor, Mother Goose, and Red Riding Hood. While the name of the show changed to Barnum & Bailey, the float remained there. The Cinderella Float was taken on the 1898 to 1902 European tour and was photographed in 1903 in the Bridgeport winter quarters as seen below." 

Courtesy:  Circus Wagon.org

My photo: Baraboo '91

CIRCUS TIME: K-Line K6900-04 Tableau Wagon Kit - Green Sides with Gold Scrollwork

Although the tooling for this kit goes back to the '50s and was originally sold as the "Lion and Gladiator Tableau Wagon", my introduction to this was as a K-Line wagon from back in the mid-to-late '90s. This one was packaged in a header bag as an easy-to-assemble kit. As you'll see in future posts, these plastic wagons were produced in a myriad of color combinations by a variety of manufacturers - and I luv 'em all! :-) This particular one has: green seats and sides; gold top and ends and scrollwork; and silver bottom and running gear (I chose not to include the wagon tongue in this photo essay). K-Line was the only maker that also offered these as already built up. Enjoy! Opa Fritz

These photo's were culled from the Internet and show the real-life inspiration for the toy. The two aren't exactly the same but you can clearly see the resemblance.

the Lion and Gladiator wagon was built for Mugivan and Bowers by Sullivan and Eagle of Peru, Indiana

Generic instruction sheet for K-Line wagons.