Sunday, December 21, 2008

"Big Jennie" with Ringling Bros. Circus 1907


1331, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

In his well circulated Ringling picture, "Jennie" is easily spotted. While with the Ringling Show she was sometimes billed as "Big Bingo".

Posted by Buckles at 12/21/2008 06:29:00 AM

6 comments:

Bob Karczewski said...

Did anyone ever take any measurements of Jennie to see how she compared to Jumbo? From the picture you have posted, she was really a good sized elephant. During all of the years you worked elephants did you ever run across any other Asian females that even came close to the size Jennie must have been in her lifetime?

21 December, 2008 08:59
Buckles said...

Some elephants are tall and lanky which leads people to think they are large however the weight is how size is judged.
Going thru my files I see that 9,000 lbs. was considered large (Anna May was always around 8,000 but looked bigger because of her massive head)and 10,000 lbs. was huge.
At the risk of suffering severe censure, I will mention that 12,000 pound elephants are not unusual at the Ringling Stud Farm.

21 December, 2008 09:15
joey ratliff said...

Would Jenny be the inspiration for the famed Big Bingo poster, "The Biggest Brute That Breathes"?
On big female Asians, I'd like to mention that one of the elephants in New Orleans, "Panya" is 9'4" and goes between 9,800 and 10,100 depending on the season and how much work we are doing around grounds (Shows, harness, etc.). A couple of other big ladies I can think off are "Banana" on the red unit and "Viola" of C & B.

21 December, 2008 11:06
Anonymous said...

Photograph by Frederick W. Glasier.

22 December, 2008 08:39
Buckles said...

The full picture includes Otto Ringling standing at left.

22 December, 2008 08:58
Kittie Irwin Family History said...

Dear Buckles,
I came across your photo of Big Jennie (Big Bingo) while researching my great-great-grandparents and great-grandmother who made up the Aerial Irwins who were with Ringling Bros and other circuses from the 1890s through the 1910s. My interest in Big Jennie comes from her having saved my great grandmother Kittie Mae Irwin's life when she was attacked by one of the Ringling bears (November 1897). We always knew her as Big Jennie, although I've learned since that she had several performance names. Do you have any more information or blogposts on or photos of Jennie, by any chance?

Thank you!
Kathy Ferry
kittieirwinfamilyhistory@gmail.com

12 May, 2016 14:35

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