A doniker (or donniker) refers to a toilet or bathroom in circus and carnival slang. A doniker location (or “doniker loke”) refers to a crummy location for a game or setup. According to goodmagic.com, the term doniker was Derived from ‘dunnekin,’ in common use among lower-class Britons in the 1700s meaning ‘outhouse.’ Probably derived from [...]
If you’re a regular reader of HeyRube, you’re already aware of my penchant for carnie slang. You can imagine my delight when I stumbled across “Carnie Talk” by John Thurston online, a condensed excerpt distilling such vernacular into a short narrative. Today, I’d like to feature this writing. Enjoy! When the carnival was in town [...]
There’s a reality television show in the works for 2011 following the life of carnival workers, appropriately titled Carnies. This seems like a natural progression given the success of PBS’s Circus documentary series which followed the Big Apple Circus personnel behind the scenes. The sneak preview for Carnies has leaked online, but that’s about it. [...]
Legendary guitar pioneer, Link Wray rose to fame in the late 1950s with his iconic brand of rock n’ roll. He’s been credited with inventing the power chord and has been dubbed one of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time according to Rolling Stone Magazine. You likely have heard his music, but you may [...]
Monday, a carnival electrician was electrocuted to death while tending to a ride called “The Rainbow” at the South Carolina State Fairgrounds. Roger Thompson had worked as the chief electrician of North American Midway Entertainment (NAME) for over 20 years. The details surrounding the cause of the accident are unknown at this time. The 43-year-old [...]
I know you’ve all been waiting with bated breath for the unveiling of the Carnies contest winners. Here they are, the top three best carnie villain name submissions: Sarasota Slim, The Sharpshooter Dead-Eye Dimitri Ringling’s Rope Rascals, a troupe of cowboys and cowgirls Some of the great contenders include: Ol’ Deeppockets Bottomless Belly Boy, the [...]
In exactly one week from today, the horror flick Carnies will be released to DVD. To celebrate this momentous occasion, HeyRubeCircus.com is joining forces with film director Brian Corder to offer you, dear readers, a chance to win some sweet movie memorabilia. Here’s how it works: Step 1. Create your best carnie villain name. Step [...]
In a world where love connections are increasingly made through online channels such as match.com and eharmony, I suppose it was only a matter of time until just such a service came along to specialize in the carnie community. Introducing Carny Date. This virtual communal space allows carnies from across the world to meet, connect [...]
I recently watched the 1983 Disney film, Something Wicked This Way Comes for the first time. I was interested in the underlying origins of this storyline, and did a little research. Here’s what I uncovered: This movie adaptation was based on a Ray Bradbury novel, published under the same name in 1962. Bradbury is an [...]
I found an article from the Columbia Tribune written by a T.J. Greaney on the subject of rigged carnival games. While the article makes carnies out to be the scum of the Earth, there are a few interesting tricks revealed that I thought would be of interest to the HeyRubeCircus.com community. Enjoy! Duncan is a [...]