{{Short description|Circus sideshow}}{{About|flea circuses in general|the Tex Avery animated short|The Flea Circus}}(File:Flea circus.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.8|The flea circus of Maxfield Rubbish, San Diego, CA (2009))A flea circus is a circus sideshow attraction in which fleas are attached (or appear to be attached) to miniature carts and other items, and encouraged to perform circus acts within a small housing.

History

File:The Go-As-You-Please Race, as seen through a Magnifying Glass.jpg|thumb|upright=1.8|"The Go-As-You-Please Race, as seen through a Magnifying Glass", engraved by J. G. Francis, from an article by C. F. Holder in St. Nicholas Magazine St. Nicholas MagazineThe first records of flea performances were from watchmakers who were demonstrating their metalworking skills. In 1578, the London blacksmith Mark Scaliot produced a lock and chain that were attached to a flea.BOOK, Nickell, Joe,weblink Secrets of the sideshows, 2005, University Press of Kentucky, 0-8131-7179-2, Lexington, Ky., 65377460, Joe Nickell, {{rp|315}} The first recorded flea circus dates back to the early 1820s, when an Italian impresario called Louis Bertolotto advertised an "extraordinary exhibition of industrious fleas" on Regent Street, London.JOURNAL, Lawton, Graham, 22 December 2012, Fleadom or death: Reviving the glorious flea circus, New Scientist, 2896, 10.1016/S0262-4079(12)63266-7, Bertolotto's flea shows included "four card-playing fleas, a flea orchestra (allegedly playing audibly), and a reenactment of Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo".{{rp|315}} Bertolotto's book The History of the Flea (c. 1833) also promoted flea circuses.{{rp|314}} Flea performances with military themes such as staged "sword fights" among fleas, were popular in the 19th century.{{rp|314}}Some flea circuses persisted in very small venues in the United States as late as the 1960s. The flea circus at Belle Vue Zoological Gardens, Manchester, England, was still operating in 1970. In 2013, there was still at least one genuine flea circus still performing (at the annual Oktoberfest in Munich, GermanyWEB,weblink Geschichte, Flohcirkus.de, 2013-10-25, 2013-10-29,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20131029190714weblink">weblink dead, ) and Svensons in the UK occasionally use real fleas, but most flea circuses are a sideline of magicians and clowns, and use electrical or mechanical effects instead of real fleas.
Techniques with real fleas
Fleas typically live only for a few months. They are observed to see if they have a predisposition for jumping or walking. Once sorted, they are harnessed by carefully wrapping a thin gold or copper wire around their neck.JOURNAL, Duplaix, Nicole, Fleas: Lethal Leapers, National Geographic, May 1988, 690,weblink 29 December 2020, {{rp|317}} Once in the harness, the fleas usually stay in it for life. The harnesses are attached to the props and the strong legs of the flea allow them to move objects significantly larger than themselves. Jumping fleas are used for kicking small lightweight balls. They are carefully given a ball; when they try to jump away (which is not possible because of the harness), they shoot the ball instead. Running fleas can pull small carts and vehicles or rotate a Ferris wheel.Hund, Katze, Maus. 10 February 2010 VOX{{full citation needed|date=June 2019}}There are historical reports of fleas glued to the base of the flea circus enclosure. Miniature musical instruments were then glued to the flea performers and the enclosure was heated. The fleas fought to escape, giving the impression of playing instruments.WEB,weblink Flea-Circus.com, Noonco.com, 2010-08-26,
Techniques without real fleas
Some flea circuses may appear to use real fleas, but in fact do not. A variety of electrical, magnetic, and mechanical devices have been used to augment exhibits. In some cases, these mechanisms are responsible for all of the "acts", with loose fleas in the exhibit maintaining the illusion. These circuses are known as "Humbug" flea circuses. Michael Bentine gave a mechanical flea circus a regular slot on his television show It's a Square World in the 1960s.WEB,weblink The rise and demise of the flea circus, BBC Radio4, BBC, 19 December 2015,
Performers
File:Fleas in dresses at Ye Olde Curiosity Shop.jpg|thumb|upright=1.8|Fleas in dresses at Ye Olde Curiosity Shop Ye Olde Curiosity ShopCurrent flea circuses:

Professor A.G. Gertsacov's Acme Miniature Flea Circus has been touring the United States and Canada since 1996.WEB,weblink Acme Flea Circus Page, TrainedFleas.com,
Svensons have been performing in the UK since 1999, and have appeared in media.WEB,weblink A little about Svensons, Svensons World Famous Flea Circus,
Swami Bill's Flea Circus is featured at the Denver County Fair.WEB,weblink Denver County Fair - Denver's own fairly weird County Fair at the National Western Complex, www.denvercountyfair.org, WEB,weblink Flea Circus is a Must See at Denver County Fair, Jodi, Torpey, August 8, 2013, December 7, 2015,
Professor B's Flea Circus has been performing in Northern California, USA for the last few years.WEB,weblink Professor B's Flea Circus, Playland-Not-At-The-Beach.org, 2010-08-26,
The Flohcircus Birk at the Munich Oktoberfest in Germany.WEB,weblink Oktoberfest Fun Rides, Munich.mydestinationinfo.com, 2011-10-12, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110303081945weblink">weblink 2011-03-03,
Professor Humbug's Flea Circus performing at Seattle's famous Pike Place Market.WEB,weblink Puppets and Masks by Rob D'Arc, gallery.passion4art.com,
Captain Franko performs the flea circus across Europe from his base in France WEB, 2023-11-13, Cirque aux Puces - Captain Franko Spectacles,weblink 2023-12-29, fr-FR,

In the 1990s, MarÃa Fernanda Cardoso toured the world with her installation art flea circus.BOOK, John Fullerton, Jan Olsson, Allegories of Communication: Intermedial Concerns from Cinema to the Digital,weblink 2004, Indiana University Press, 978-0-86196-651-6, 288, Professor Heckler's flea circus (in residence at Hubert's Dime Museum in Times Square, New York, until 1957) can be seen in the background of the films The Thief and Easy Rider. L. Bertolotto ran a famous flea circus in Regent Street, London.L.Bertolotto The history of the flea
In popular culture
Flea circuses have featured in cartoons, films, television shows, music, and novels.WEB,weblink Thomas Koerfer filmography â€“ The Death of a Flea Circus Director, Koerferfilm.com, 2010-09-21, WEB,weblink Trumpet Warriors: Flea Circus, Barbican, 2011-03-03, 2013-10-25, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20131029193838weblink">weblink 2013-10-29, WEB,weblink Fifi the Flea â€“ The Hollies | Listen, Appearances, Song Review, AllMusic, 2013-10-25, WEB, Kast, Marlise,weblink Calendar â€“ San Diego Magazine â€“ February 2008 â€“ San Diego, California, San Diego Magazine, 2010-09-21, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110916153352weblink">weblink 2011-09-16,
References
{{Reflist|2}}
Further reading

JOURNAL, Fleas: The Lethal Leapers, 173, 5, National Geographic, May 1988, NATGEOMAY88,
Jay's Journal of Anomalies, {{ISBN|1-59372-000-9}}
Loving batbat by Gougou
Wild Tigers & Tame Fleas by William Ballantine, (1958)
Annals of the New York Stage by George C. Odel (Columbia University Press, New York, NY, 1928)
BOOK, Bertolotto, L., The history of the flea: With notes and observations, Crozier, London, 2nd, BERTO2,
BOOK, Bertolotto, L., The history of the flea: With notes and observations, John Axford, New York, 5th, 1876, 11028632, BERTO5,
The Compleat Flea by Brendan Lehan (London: John Murray, 1969)
The Faithful Annalist: Or The Epitome Of The English History (Whitwood, 1666)
"Old-Time Vaudeville Looks Young Again" New York Times, Nov 24, 2002
"Revive the Charm of an 1800s Show with These Modern-Day Flea Circuses" Smithsonian Online, November 29, 2017

External links

British Pathe News
List of Historical Flea Circus Performers ShowHistory.Com
Flea circus research and directory of current performers fleacircus.co.uk

{{Insects in culture|state=expanded}}{{Circus skills}}{{Authority control}}

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