Officials with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus have announced that
the circus will close down in May of 2017. They
cited declining ticket sales, operating costs, and changes in audience
taste as the reasons. The circus was a combination of
several earlier circuses that merged, with the oldest going back 146 years.
The
circus, with its exotic animals, flashy costumes and death-defying
acrobats, has been a staple of entertainment in the United States since
the mid-1800s. Phineas Taylor Barnum made a traveling spectacle of
animals and human oddities popular, while the five Ringling brothers
performed juggling acts and skits from their home base in Wisconsin.
Eventually, they merged and the modern circus was born. The sprawling
troupes traveled around America by train, wowing audiences with the
sheer scale of entertainment and exotic animals.
By midcentury,
the circus was routine, wholesome family entertainment. But as the 20th
century went on, kids became less and less enthralled. Movies,
television, video games and the internet captured young minds. The
circus didn't have savvy product merchandising tie-ins or Saturday
morning cartoons to shore up its image.
Cost aside,
audiences decided that carting wild animals from town to town for live
performances is not right, clowns are scary, and its easier to watch
other acts on video. However, more modern traveling live shows such as
Cirque de Soleil continue to draw audiences.
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