As with everything tangentially related to circus culture these days, one beloved carnival food-staple is officially hot this season: popcorn. According to NPR (That’s right; I said NPR.), Gourmet popcorn was named one of the top five trends to watch at the specialty food trade show this winter. There’s popcorn covered in chocolate, infused with bourbon, [...]
Tomorrow is the 6th Annual World Sword Swallower’s Day! According to the Sword Swallowers Association International, Sword Swallowers Association International (SSAI) President Dan Meyer announced the 6th annual World Sword Swallower’s Day to raise awareness of sword swallowers around the world. Founded by SSAI and co-sponsored by Ripley’s Believe It or Not, World Sword Swallower’s Day [...]
RecordSetter is a site, billing itself as “the new home of world records.” According to their bio, We believe everyone can be the world’s best at something. Our mission is to raise the bar of human achievement through world records. Anyone can submit an attempt to break a world record here, easily uploading video and [...]
Wed on a tightrope, balancing over a crowd in Toulouse, France? How romantic!
Jyoti Amge (14) of Nagpur, India is the Worlds Smallest Girl according to the Indian Book of Records. She was born on December 16, 1993 and now measures just 1 ft 11 inches tall and weighs 11 lb. Jyoti is diagnosed with Achondroplasia; the most recognizable and most common form of dwarfism. Jyoti is a [...]
That’s right; rise up, carnie nation! An angry snake charmer from India named Hakkal had his “99 percent” moment when bureaucrats at the Government Land Registry Office refused to process his land-request application. So Hakkal took matters into his own hands: He dumped three sacks full of 40 venomous snakes, including cobras, into the [...]
Two weeks ago, I had the privilege of attending the final dress rehearsal for the Ringling Brother’s latest show, Dragons. This spectacle celebrates the Chinese Year of the Dragon and that particular rehearsal was the first time the cast had performed the show in front of a live audience. While I enthusiastically attend any and all circus [...]
And now it’s time for another installation of Circus Slang on HeyRube: Joey: (noun) \ˈjō-ē\ Another word for a clown, derived from Joseph Grimaldi, a famous 19th century clown
After witnessing the Rosaire Family’s Big Cat Habitat & Gulf Coast Sanctuary in Sarasota last week, I’ve been quite enchanted by researching circus animal acts. Now most people associate circus animals with elephants, horses, poodles and perhaps a chimpanzee, but recently I stumbled into a less expected candidate for circus acts: The American Eskimo! Check [...]
After a leisurely afternoon of admiring ligers, petting goats and snuggling with emus at Sarasota’s Big Cat Habitat and Gulf Coast Sanctuary, my sisters and I were treated to a demonstration by the Rosaire Family and a few of their feline friends. This ninth-generation circus family has been training and rescuing exotic animals for several [...]