A WONDERFUL CIRCUS AT HOME WITH MOVING ANIMALS
MAKE your poster as nearly as possible like the one on the opposite
page. Paint the lettering in gay colors on a big sheet of paper and a
day before the show tack it up in a conspicuous place where all the
family will see it, for, of course, your show must have an audience,
and if you follow out all directions very carefully it will be well
worth seeing.
Have your circus on top of a large table, or on the floor, or out of
doors on the bare ground. Almost any place will do where there is a
good-sized level surface.
Make the circus ring about forty inches in diameter, outline it with
chalk and cover the marked line with either sawdust or dry corn meal
built into a narrow ridge similar to that of earth around the large
rings; then your circle will look just like the ring of a real circus.
Be sure to have some kind of music at your show, if only music on a
comb. Place a piece of paper over the comb and play a lively march. Let
all the music be sprightly and gay.
Following the method given for making the horse and elephant, you can
make various other moving animals.
Fig. 9 shows
=Mademoiselle Rosebud=
standing firm and upright without the slightest tremor as her Kentucky
charger leaps high in the air over an outstretched banner.
Fig. 10 gives the pattern of the horse and rider, which you can trace
on stiff cardboard, not too heavy. If enlarged to twice the size given
they will be more imposing, but this is not necessary, as the size of
pattern is very good.
When outlined cut out the design, let the horse remain white, and with
pen and ink draw the lines which give him form, shaping the head and
neck, and separating the legs, as in Fig. 9.
[Illustration: Fig. 9.—Making the high jump.]
[Illustration: Fig. 10.—Pattern of horse and rider.]
Paint Mademoiselle’s face, arms, and neck flesh color; her waist,
skirt, stockings, and slippers light blue; make a full double
tissue-paper skirt of the same color by gathering a strip of
light-blue tissue paper through the lengthwise centre, folding the
edges together and tying this double skirt around the little lady’s
waist. Cut a narrow strip of the same blue paper and fasten one end
around each wrist that it may float freely in the air as she gallops
around the ring.
=To Give the Horse Ability to Move,=
pierce four holes through the body with a large needle, as in Fig.
10. Be sure to have the holes in the right places that the horse
may balance perfectly; then when the threads are in position there
will be no difficulty in making the horse stand and walk alone, as a
well-trained steed should.
Use four pieces of strong black thread, all of the same length, about
forty inches, for leading the horse. Tie all four ends of the thread
together, and make a large knot in each strand seventeen inches from
the joined ends. Run each thread through a separate hole in the body
of the horse. Slide the horse against the knots tied in the thread and
then tie a second knot in each thread close up to the other side of the
horse.
Be very particular about these knots; they should rest against the body
of the horse, that the animal may be firmly inserted between eight
knots, four knots tight up against each side of his body. Sew a tag of
black tape on the thread where the ends are tied together and pin the
tag down to the floor in the centre of the circus ring.
=Tie the Ends=
E and F (Fig. 11) together and fasten them to a piece of pasteboard;
do likewise with the ends of the threads G and H, then hold the two
threads which are near the front of the horse, E and F (Fig. 11), in
one hand and the other two threads, G and H, in the other hand while
you walk slowly around the outside of the ring, allowing little Rosebud
to ride demurely around in a circle, as such performers always do when
they first enter a real circus ring.
[Illustration: Fig. 11.—Threads showing how to make the horse dance.]
After the audience has been duly impressed by the novel sight of a
paper horse and rider moving, apparently without aid, around the ring,
the black threads being practically invisible, let the horse stand
alone while you bring out two or three brightly colored tissue-paper
banners, with each end of each scarf pasted on the top of a spool.
Place the banners at various distances around the ring; then again take
up the threads and
=Make the Horse Run and Jump Over Each Banner.=
This done, remove the banners and let the horse with his pretty rider
dance around the ring, sometimes on his hind feet, as in Fig. 12, and
again on his fore feet (Fig. 11), while little Rosebud easily retains
her footing, looking more than ever like a real circus rider.
[Illustration: Fig. 12.—Horse and rider dancing around the ring.]
[Illustration: Fig. 13.—Pattern of Bob the elephant.]
Fig. 13 gives the different parts of
=Bob the Wonderful Elephant.=
Make them all of stiff cardboard and larger if possible than the
diagram; then with pen and ink draw the ears, eyes, and tusks (Fig.
14); waterproof drawing ink is best for this purpose, but common ink
will do. When the ink is dry give all parts, except the tusks, a light
wash of India ink, to turn the animal a natural dull gray color. With
black thread fasten the leg A on the far side of the elephant, running
the thread through the hole A in the elephant and tying the thread
into a large knot on the leg, then making another knot on the near
side of the body; the leg and body are fastened to each other in
this way between two knots of thread. Have the pieces close together,
but loose enough to allow the leg to move easily. Attach the next leg,
B, on the near side of the body at the hole B. The leg C goes on the
far side of the body at the hole C, and the leg D on the near side at
the hole D. The legs A and C are on the far side, and B and D on the
near side of the animal (Fig. 14). Sew one end each of two strands of
black thread to a small piece of black tape. Make a large knot in each
thread, eighteen inches from the tape, run the free end of each thread
through one of the two holes high on the elephant’s body (Fig. 13), and
slide the elephant on the threads close to the knots. Make other knots
on this side of the body, in the same way you managed the Kentucky
charger, then pin the tape to the centre of the ring and
=Start Your Elephant on a Walk=
around the ring.
[Illustration: Fig. 14.—“I’ll walk.”]
[Illustration: Fig. 15.—“Won’t go another step.”]
[Illustration: Fig. 16.—“See me sit up.”]
[Illustration: Fig. 17.—“I can dance.”]
If the horse and rider interfere, take them away and let the
unparalleled animal have the field to himself. When Bob goes around the
ring he always gets tired and draws back, declining to move another
step. Make him do this by gently pulling the back thread backward. Bob
is very comical when assuming this pose (Fig. 15). Raise the front
thread and the little fellow will sit up (Fig. 16). Slowly and
gently raise both threads a trifle and Bob will begin to dance (Fig.
17). Raising the back thread a little, not enough to take his foot from
the ground, and at the same time lowering the front thread, will cause
Bob to crouch and crawl along (Fig. 18). Fig. 19 shows Bob when he is
in a hurry. Make this by lowering the front thread of Fig. 18.
[Illustration: Fig. 18.—“I am coming.”]
[Illustration: Fig. 19.—“Hurry! Get out of the way.”]
[Illustration: Fig. 20.—“Here goes.”]
[Illustration: Fig. 21.—“How is that?”]
[Illustration: Fig. 22.—“Difficult, but I can do it.”]
=Now Stand a Spool in the Ring=
raise the clumsy little fellow up on his feet and walk him over to the
spool, where he will naturally rest one foot on top while he takes a
long breath before climbing up (Fig. 20). Move the threads carefully
and the elephant will climb on the spool (Fig. 21). Lift the back
thread, and Bob will slowly and cumbersomely raise up until he balances
himself on one fore foot on top of the spool (Fig. 22). By cautiously
moving the threads you can make the elephant lower himself and step
down and off (Fig. 23). When the animal is entirely off the spool,
raise up and back the front thread and he will sit down upon the top of
the spool to rest (Fig. 24). Without any trouble Bob can stand erect on
the spool, as in Fig. 25.
[Illustration: Fig. 23.—“I’m coming down.”]
All the poses given were taken direct from those actually assumed by
Bob while he performed to the accompaniment of music, when rehearsing
to a small but appreciative audience, preparatory to appearing before
the public in print. The Kentucky charger also went through all his
acts to the same music.
[Illustration: Fig. 24.—“Must rest.”]
Remember to mark and color the wrong side of each figure as it should
appear, so that the animals and rider may look well from all sides of
the ring.
[Illustration: Fig. 25.—“Just balance like me.”]
The horse can go rapidly, but the elephant, to be lifelike, must move
slowly. When the circus is over roll the threads on their respective
pieces of cardboard and bits of tape to avoid tangling them, and have a
box ready in which the animals may lie flat until again needed.
This little circus will make a fine parlor entertainment, or would
do admirably as a side show at your next fair, when a small extra
admission could be charged and wee glasses of lemonade and tiny popcorn
balls passed around to the audience in true circus style.