Marx Super Circus - Pt 6 Conclusion

For the past few weeks we have been looking at Marx's fabulous Super Circus playset. Up until now each week featured a different group: tin, people figures, animal figures, etc. But today we bring it all together. I hope you've liked this latest series! Grab the popcorn  Enjoy! Bettina & Fritz Berg :)

Some additional detail shots

Super Circus - Pt 5

The past few Monday's here at Toys & Stuff have all been about Marx's Super Circus playset from the 1950s. Today is a quick post showing the various plastic accessories. I've noticed when looking at eBay that many times the metal parts to the trapeze are missing and so I've included their dimensions here for those who may need them. The high wire is the equivalent thickness of a lighter gauge coat hangar wire and can be as long as you need it. Next week we'll have everything set up so that you can see how all the parts go into making - the Super Circus! Enjoy!

Marx Super Circus - Pt 4

The past few weeks have been devoted to Marx's Super Circus playset, a wonderful, colorful piece of Americana. The circus has a fascination all its own with its combination of people acts and animal acts combined with the stirring music, the food, the games, the wonderfully carved wagons. I could go on and on... On that note I thought it would be good to introduce you to a really great circus-themed blog: Stardust and Spangles

Now, on to the photos. The first photo is an overhead shot of all the animals in this set followed by a couple shots of smaller groups. Enjoy!

Marx Super Circus - Pt 3

Two weeks ago today Toys & Stuff started a new mini-series based on one of the best playsets ever produced by Marx - Super Circus. Based on a popular television show of the 1950s this playset was BIG. It had action, it had gorgeous tin-litho pieces, and it had charm aplenty. Part 1 of the series, Aug 20, 2012 (Super Circus Pt 1), featured photos of the Big Top Tent. Last Monday, Aug 27, 2012 (Super Circus Pt 2) we featured the sideshow tents along with a quick overview of side shows in general. Today we're going to list the set contents and show photos of the People Group. The People Group of figures has two sub-categories: Circus Staff (performers and other circus personnel), and Civilians (a policeman and customers, aka 'rubes'). Enjoy!

Super Circus Contents

TIN-LITHO PIECES

- Big Top, Tin Litho: 3pieces, roof and two sides

- Side Shows, Tin Litho: 2 each with different sideshow graphics

- ‘Super Circus’ flags: 2 each

FIGURES – PEOPLE

- Character Figure: Ringmaster Claude Kirshner

- Character Figure: Mary Hartline

- Character Figure: Cliffy the Clown

- Character Figure: Nickie the Clown

- Character Figure: Scampy the Clown

- Clowns, various poses: 4 each

- Juggler

- Man on Stilts

- Sword Swallower

- Barker

- Ringmaster

- Female Midget

- Male Midget

- Lion Tamer, male

- Fire Eater

- Horse Handler, female

- Trapeze Artist, female  (The Flying Hartzells?)

- Trapeze Artist, male  (The Flying Hartzells?)

- High wire Artists: 2 each different poses

- Highdiver, female

- Miscellaneous performer, female

- Hula Dancer

- Ballerina

- Snake Charmer

- Fat Lady

- Siamese Twins

- Water Boy

- Balloon Vendor

- Popcorn Vendor

- Bare Back Rider (for horse), female

- Little boy sneaking into tent

- Cop with hand on boys shoulder

- Mother holding daughter by hand

- Father holding son by hand

- Female Elephant Rider

FIGURES - ANIMALS

- Elephants walking: 2 each same pose

- Elephant sitting

- Lions: 2 each same pose

- Bear, adult: 2 each different poses

- Bear cub

- Costumed dogs 4 each different poses (one dog used for riding barrel)

- Gorilla

- Monkees: 7 each (5 different poses and one monkey in costume)

- Seal balancing ball on nose

- Giraffe, adult

- Giraffe, baby

- Camel

- Tiger

- Leopard

- Zebra

- Alligator

- Bison

ACCESSORIES – SOFT PLASTIC

- Howdah (elephant saddle)

ACCESSORIES – HARD PLASTIC

- Poles for ‘Super Circus’ flags: 2 each

- Circus act rings: 2 each

- High wire ascent ladders: 2 each

- High diver pole

- Monkey Bars: 3-piece set (2 vertical ladders and 1 horizontal rungs)

- Barker Stand

- Barker Stand Umbrella

- Fire ring

- Bucket

- Stools, round: 2 each

- Pedestals, square, short: 2 each

- Pedestals, square, medium: 2 each

- Pedestal, square, tall: 1 each

- Barrel, narrow (for use with performing dog)

- Barrel, wide in center (for use with juggler)

- Performers Platform (Stage)

ACCESSORIES – METAL

- 14” long high wire

- Trapeze support

- Trapeze ring

- Staff for barker stand umbrella

People Photos

The figures were all cast in soft plastic. The above shot shows creamy yellow and gray castings.

Middle row, far left: Ringmaster Claude Kirshner

Middle row, far right: Mary Hartline

Bottom Row: Nicky (left) and 2 each Scampy the Clowns (mid & rt). My set contained a duplicate of Scampy.

Above is a photo of Cliffy which I had to purchase separately and which normally would have been included in the set

One of the nice things about the set was the variety of colors used for the people; from cream to gray to brown it was a nice contrast

If anything can be said to be disappointing about this set it's that there were so few civilians included. It would have been terrific to have a larger audience than what was provided.  I s'pose one can argue that they were all inside the tent watching the show as evident by the interior tent graphics :-)

Hail, hail,the gangs all here.

Marx Super Circus - Pt 1

**** As Seen In 'Playset' Magazine ****

The most current issue of 'Playset' magazine hit the shelves several weeks ago and features the wonderful Marx Super Circus. I'm proud to say that many of the photos used were mine - to include the centerfold. The detailed article is written by Ed Sponzilli with additional photos by Terry Rogers and Dr. Ron Blandon. The publishers have permitted me post my photos on the blog and of course most of them will be the original high-res images plus there will be many more.  Many Thanx Rusty & Kathy!!!

The magazine article covers several variations of the set and includes photos of other manufacturer's circus toys. (copies of 'Playset' magazine can purchased here:  Playset Magazine back issues)

The set will be covered in multiple parts. Today we'll look at the Big Top along with photos not seen in 'Playset' magazine. The following is an independent piece I had been working on for the blog prior to me submitting photos to 'Playset'. The blog was delayed until after the magazine's issuance and is NOT a plagiarized version of Ed Sponzili's excellent article which is more detailed.

From 1949 to 1956 ABC's "Super Circus' was on of the biggest hits during the Golden Age of television. It began as a local television show in Chicago in 1948 but went national on ABC in 1949. Featuring live circus performances the show was aired every Sunday evening from 5PM - 6PM and featured some of the biggest names in the circus world. It also featured one of TVs first sex symbols - Mary Hartline - a tall, long-legged blond and former model. Other cast regulars were: Ringmaster Claude Kirshner; Cliffy, Nickie, and Scampy the Clowns; and the Flying Hartzells. For its last season in 1956 the show moved to Los Angeles and Claude Kirshner was replaced by comedian Jerry Colonna.

The Marx 'Super Circus' set makes its debut as a Sears exclusive in the 1952 Christmas Wishbook. And what a set it is is! The tin-litho Big Top circus tent centerpiece is huge: nearly 25" (63.5cm) L x 10" (25.4cm) W x  9" (22.9cm) H. It also includes two other wonderful tin-litho pieces - two sideshows each with its own unique graphics. The set includes 35 circus people and 31 animals, nearly all different. This set also includes character figures for Claude, Mary, Cliffy, Nicky, and Scampy in colors different from the remaining figures. During the same year the set was offered by Montgomery Ward as the 'Big Top' circus without character figures. This was a huge playset in which Marx seemed to have spared no expense - they pulled out all stops n this one!

Reminiscing Circuses Past

I really enjoyed the circus growing up. I don't know why, I just did, but with all the cool animals, the bright colors, amazing circus acts, and hilarious clown buffoonery it's probably not hard to understand. 'Super Circus' came on TV when I was a wee youngin' but over the years got buried in long forgotten memories of my youth. It wasn't until I got into toys this past twenty years, and Marx playsets in particular, that the memories and interest started to be revived. Watching clips of 'Super Circus' on YouTube brought back long buried memories. There were other circus shows during that era which I also remember: 'Circus Boy' (1956-58) starring Noah Beery and a young Mickey Braddock who would later go on to become Mickey Dolenz of 'The Monkees'; and Walt Disney's movie 'Toby Tyler' (1960) starring one of their most prolific child stars Kevin Corcoran.

As a little kid I remember my parents taking me to Baraboo, Wisconsin, home of the Ringling Bros - Barnum and Bailey circus museum. Unfortunately there are no photos of this trip, which is unusual because my mom was generally a photo taker, a memory maker. As I got older and entered school, many of our field trips would be to the Ringling Brothers circus held in the Milwaukee Auditorium/Arena complex. The smell of the hay, the smell of the animals, the magnificent sound of the circus band and the marches blaring across the arena, the what seemed like a hundred clowns pouring out of that little VW Beetle (how do they do that?) are all indelible memories. And then in the '70s Milwaukee hosted the Great Circus Parade sponsored by Schlitz Beer. AWESOME! Gorgeous antique wagons pulled by beautiful horses. marching bands, the bands atop the band wagons, clowns, vintage cars - I'm tearing up just remembering these spectacles.

Does anyone out there remember the year when Schlitz re-introduced the 40-horse hitch?? Forty horses pulling a wagon hadn't been done since the 1920s. Schlitz had a special wagon built and had to find a person who could handle the hitch. It wasn't a matter of just hopping up on a wagon and plopping 40 horses together. The team had to be specially picked and their places in the line-up determined. The wagon driver then had to practice controlling this lash-up, made especially difficult because of the narrow confines of the city streets they would have to traverse. The parade route had to be re-vamped so that this marvelous display could negotiate the streets. But when the parade came, I was there. Right there on Wisconsin Ave. ahhhhhhh - Wonderful!! But at that time I didn't even own a camera and so I don't have any proof of my own. But I know I was there.

A love of circuses never really left me but in the ensuing years it would be supplanted by other interests, other activities. There was job, family, and all the rigors that entails. But every now and then in my later years the circus would present itself and I would just have to go. While stationed in Germany and prior to the fall of The Wall, we saw a quaint little East German  circus visiting the west. It had a dinky little one-ring 'Big Top' and some scraggly looking animals in its menagerie. My wife wasn't actually interested in the show so we didn't see it but I do have photos of our visit to the site. When we returned Stateside I had the great good fortune of re-visiting the Circus World Museum in Baraboo. I now have a TON of photos of that one! :-)  And sometime in the a mid-1990s I had more great fortune by watching an actual 3-ring circus big top tent being erected using elephants to help raise the poles. That night the whole family went to see that circus!!  

Well, well, well, I did ramble on didn't I? Okay, 'nuff said. On to the pics - Enjoy!

When I purchased my set, the seller DIS-assembled the tent and shipped it as flat as they could. On one hand that gave me the opportunity to assemble a piece of vintage tin. It also allowed me to  take photos of the tent sides, both inside and outside views. HOWEVER, because the tabs had been weakened by its original assembly and subsequent disassembly a couple of them broke off! It also didn't allow me to assemble the tent with the sides laying perfectly flat on the table. This is why you see the tent kind of buckled up towards the rear