Kicking a football*
Flea Soccer
Trapeze act
High Dive
Pulling a weight like a train or car or Chariot*
A Chariot race*
High Wire
Dancing in costumes*
Strong Man*
Parade
Flea Cannon
Drinking a whole glass of milk thru a straw.


Stars denote tricks done by Real Fleas in a Real Flea Circus seen at Hubert's Museum, Times Square NYC and run by Professor Heckler.


What have you seen or can come up with? Please expand the list if you can.


Doug

Turning a carousel.

How about blowing up a balloon or ball.

Flea Fu: Breaking a board.

Hi, I've never seen a flea circus act before coz there isn't any one here in Singapore, I am currently doing close up and children birthday parties, and am very intrested to bring this sort of effect here, can anyone please advice on how to get started, any books, do you actually have to build one yourself or are there ready made sets, what is the best set available?
Thanks Jimmy

Okay, I just realised flea circus are very expensive, but while surfing around for it, I came up with a few things myself...
-ARIBIC FLEA AND HIS MAGIC FLYING CARPET(ufo card)
-CARD FINDER FLEA(Mcbride's kundalini rising)
Meanwhile I am still sourcing for things to get started, if anyone can help, Routines, Presentation ideas, music, books.. anything at all, help would be greatly appreciated THANKS----Jimmy

I recently purchased an extra large heavy duty cigar box with two wooden trays. the top tray flipped upside down sits at the perfect level in the box. If I ever get caught up on other projects, I plan on building one with a backdrop that folds out from inside of the lid. Look in cigar stores at the extra large boxes. the nice ones will cost a few dollars more than the regular ones.

Try searching right here in the Café for similar threads.

Rola bola
rolling a ball
lifting a ball (strong man)
tiny motorcycle thru flaming hoop
drinking tiny bottle of liquor (milk pitcher principle)
Guillitine of death(finger chopper)
Flea smokes giant cigar and blows smoke rings(mini cigar)

Side show:
Half flea half ladybug
conjoined twins
flea with tiny snake tail
world largest flea
worlds smallest flea

Boggles the mind....

Like your thinking! I'll make you a larger than life Flea display model for your lecture.

You can save money on the World's Largest Flea by wearing a name tag that says just that.

Doug

What's about a Knife thrower Flea?

Death Defying leap through a flea collar?
High wire bicycle act?
High wire balanced pyramid?
Wonder if a ring of small neodyne magnets could drive a juggling act?
What about a Flea-Eating Mantis Trainer act? Okay...that's stretching things.
Flea stiltwalkers powered by bottom magnets?
Flea Mardi Gras "Big Head" parade characters?
Shouldn't a Flea Circus have a Flea Band? I mean, it stands to reason!

:) Skip

Tap dancing flea
Bubble blowing flea
See Saw

Flea plate spinning
flea writing (spirit slates)

Sword fighting,
Riding a tricyle,
Riding a penny farthing,
Pulling a carousel,
Turning a windmill,
Dancing fleas (in pairs and alone, in costume!)
Tightrope walking (both upside down and the right way up!),
Juggling a ball; and the act that intrigues me the most:
Jumping through a hoop on command.

ALL performed by genuine fleas in various historical (and one current) flea circuses - no hidden mechanics or trickery.

Does anybody know of any other real flea circuses currently performing, other than the Mathes circus at the oktoberfest in Munich ?

Adam Gertsacov has a flea circus. Try Googling his name...I do not have any contact info.

Kevin

When I went to Singapore, I bought a bargain big book which contain Flea Circus tricks. It was about a year ago. I forget which bookshop carry that book, but I only went to Borders, Kinokuniya and Popular bookstore.

My kids very happy to operate the circus as Flea Circus Master, page by page.
But the mechanic are not good enough, so my kids ruin some of it.

Regards,

Budi Ha Ha

I think the important thing in Flea Acts are that: Would a Flea really be able to do this?
Once you get outside that equation, it will seem you are doing "magic tricks" and the audience will no longer believe that there ARE REAL FLEAS. Flea Circuses made up of magic tricks will be fun and maybe entertaining and provide lots of laughs but will provide the realism to pull off the effect of REAL FLEAS.
I have been building a Flea Circus for 4 years now and constantly remind myself of the REAL FLEA equation. It's like doing a seance or spirit demonstration that must be played for real, or it falls into the magic trick area. I have started and then backed off many ideas and routines that were too far into the magic area.
I guess others can play their Flea Circus any way they, of course, but I have to operate this as real as possible. I have all the info from Walt Noon from 2005 and it is good starting material FOR ME, and am using some of the material and effects, but I am going the for the non-magic performance. I will not do any sort of magic related effects or other magic any where near this Flea Circus that I am still building. I am 80% done, I think. By the way, under the Flea Stage is only 1/2 inch thick. (No suit case, no trunk, no depth under the stage. This is played as real as it can get. I told Walk Noon that the depth under the stage was so troubling for me and that I was working on something really different. My goal is a good 30 minute show, that can be changed somewhat with different routines for 3 or more audiences that might see and attend the same venue on the same day. Of course, I will have material for an hour show, but don't want to go there and of course, I can shorten the show to any shorter time frame.
I am NOT building for others. I just wanted to give you an idea that you don't have to use routines that could be in any way "magicial." or "tricky looking". (You know what I mean.)
For those that bet me that I don't have a "real flea", I will have some - on hand.
I have also built a Calliope, (small pipe organ) from scratch, to add authentic music before, during and after the show.
As in the movie, Total Recall... "OPEN YOUR MIND...... OPEN YOUR MIND".

I will post pictures as soon as I think the pictures represent the true finished nature of the project.

This blog does not have "Spell Check" or "Think Check" so I see I might clarify a couple things.

This should read: "Flea Circuses made up of magic tricks will be fun and maybe entertaining and provide lots of laughs but will not provide the realism to pull off the effect of REAL FLEAS."

This should read: "I guess others can play their Flea Circus any way they want, of course, but I have to operate this, as real as possible, for it to be as believable, as possible, for others ... and fun for ME."

Yes, 1/2 inch stage thickness. Think really old version Sawing a Woman in Half -VS- the new thickness of the NEW Sawing in Half. Now, think ahead........ another 100 years.... What will that be like? Thinner... thinnner....thinner.

I use a humbug but Sven has a REAL flea circus as well as a humbug, we can get the fleas harnessed to do the tricks etc but they don't last long so its not much use for shows.

some tricks no one has added that our mossman range come with are....

seesaw,
swing,
flea rolling a barrel up hill,
flea raising up a match stick,
when used with our fake fleas most people leave wondering if its real or fake, most are convinced but even the ones that aren't still think it might be.

I recently made a full set of (extra light weight for dog or cat fleas) REAL flea props for Marco in Germany, don't know if he is using them yet (or should I say trying to! LOL).

best wishes,
Eric
http://www.svensons.co.uk
http://www.yourfleacircus.com

For those not yet familiar... check out Chaplin in his film Limelight. He performs a hilarious act with fleas. A treat to watch!

Jonathan

I have made a flea circus and can tell you thousands of dolors for one is not a bad price compared to all it takes to custom make one. It has mostly traditional items, trapeze, high dive, cannon, car race, etc. No doubt the presentation and audience involvement is what it is all about.
The fun of making your own is coming up with improvements in techniques and finding out how to make the props fit your personality. Every time something is made again it hopefully get better. I too try to not make the fleas do magic but rather have them be the magic. With time each item improves, but building a circus does commit a person to particular designs. As Zolar wisely says it is a lot like building and performing a séance, which I also do.

Hello every one I am building a fleas act can some one tel me where to find the book THE FAMOUS FLEAS ACT by TOM PALMER is look impossible to find on shop in the net I am looking for second hand ? is no easy I try e-book nothing PDF nothing a-b book nothing I buy and send money to Magic Depot and nothing........ if some one cot the book and want to sell I am her lartiste@zahav.net.il . I am a medicl clown in israelis hospital and Comedy Magic hope some help Thank you all .Cris L`artiste www.get/cris .....:o)