John Robinson Circus (From Dave Price)

Maybe you can work this into the other material I just sent you. It relates to the "Over 100 Years" legend that went with the later John Robinson show. Had to take this from an angle to cut down reflection. This is sort of a follow-up to the conversation Johnny Herriott and I were having on the page about the John Robinson elephants, sale of show, etc. I am attaching here the pictures of several Robinson-related items, which of course I could not do under the comments section. First is a program from the days of family ownership, which is to say no later than 1911, when John G (also called John Robinson III) closed the show. There is an 1896 copyright date in the lower left corner but this date actually refers to a Robinson and Franklin program cover which was issued in that year and later rehashed into the design we see here. I suspect this cover may have been used for several seasons with changes made inside as acts came and went. Maybe Bob Sabia or some other program specialist can help out. Anyway, you can see that Old John was followed by John F and he by John G in heading up the show. Second we see a pass to "Robinson's Famous Circus, the Mugivan and associates-owned show which used the John Robinson title beginning in 1916 when the show and title were bought from John G Robinson. Robinson's Famous was a title acquired with Dan Robinson's outfit several years earlier. It seems that they were mainly interested in that title too as they applied it to a show they had been calling the Great Sanger or Sanger's Great European. I almost wish I hadn't started down this road as I now have to reveal that the so-called Sanger show was actually the old Dode Fisk show to which the Sanger name had been added. This story is bad enough when told in the correct order, but when I try to tell it going backward... well, let's just move on. And third is a pass to the 1920 show apparently signed by Mr Mugivan when he was still actively managing it on the road. Completely unrelated to the previous discussion but so interesting that I am including it is a great story once told me by the delightful Estrella Nelson Terrell. When the Nelson family were on the Robinson show during this period, Mr and Mrs Mugivan would often "borrow" the Nelson children, that is they would ask the parents if the children could visit them in their private car to play games and the like. The children eagerly looked forward to these times as ice cream and cake would always be served. And for their part, the Mugivans simply enjoyed having the children's company. What a great glimpse into the private life of one of the most successful circus men of the early Twentieth century. Ree-gards, Ole Whitey