wooden toy circus made by Schoenhut; American; ca.1920

Toy circus set consisting of several human figures, animals and accessories.

The three clowns are wearing white all-in-one suits with frilly ruffs. These suits at one point may have been other colours but have now faded. Each clown also wears a cone-shaped hat. They have painted white faces with red and blue patterns.

The Hobo is wearing a white shirt with red polkadots, blue trousers, and a brown belt. His face has been painted to make it look like he has a moustache and stubble. He is also wearing a black hat and a red scarf around his neck.

The horse is white and grey in colour and has a dappled pattern. It has black hooves, a yellow muzzle, and a cream fabric mane. The horse is also wearing a sand-coloured saddle.

The mule is dark brown all over with long leather ears. It has a fabric tail and is wearing a red saddle with gold trim.

The poodle is off-white all over and features mane-like fabric over the top half of its body. The fabric is off-white with bits of fluff all over it. The poodle has its mouth open and has a tail made of string.

The two elephants are painted dark grey all over. They have large leather ears and string tails (although one has a missing tail). One of the elephants (Misc.23:7-1962) is wearing an orange paisley blanket over its back.

The three white chairs are square in shape and have upright backs.

The wooden ladders are painted white and have eight rungs.

The hoop is red with gold paper wrapped round it. There is a metal part for the figures to hold onto.

Two tubs, both with a yellow zigzag pattern. One is blue and one is red.

Three barrels, all painted red, white and blue in equal sections. They are ribbed at the top and bottom of the barrels.

Two stands shaped like goblets and painted white.

Given by Frank Cridlan

Schoenhut's Humpty Dumpty Circus was first designed and produced in the early 1910s, with the patent for the clown being granted in 1903. The first models of the figures featured glass eyes, which were soon replaced by carved eyes in the 1920s to save money. By 1923 the company were losing sales and decided to introduce the reduced size circus. Although they were very popular and sold well, the company was hit hard by the depression and were out of business by 1935.

The animals and figures sold in the Humpty Dumpty Circus were fully flexible with multiple tightly-strung joints. There were slots and holes placed into the toys that allowed them to be positioned in many different ways and with many different items. Schoenhut claimed that there were 10,0001 ways to play with the Humpty Dumpty Circus, making it a versatile and exciting set.

This wooden toy circus set was made ca.1920 by the Schoenhut Toy Company in America. The Humpty Dumpty Circus, as it was known, was first produced in 1903 after the patent for the clown figure was granted. It became extremely popular very quickly and soon grew to around 37 animals, 29 figures and over 40 different accessories. Unfortunately, the Humpty Dumpty Circus did not last long as Schoenhut's Toy Company went out of business in 1935 due to the global economic depression.

MISC.23:1 to 22-1962