Mimi and Her Fleas

I visited Mimi's house sometime during the winter of 78, she had just completed her new Flea Circus.

Mimi had a jeweler build all the little props for her Flea Circus.

Some Flea Circuses today don't use flea they leave it up to the imagination, but she was doing it like the old timers with real fleas.

The jeweler made all the props and she had a special table made for her Flea Circus, it folded up to about the size of a suitcase, She would just sit it on top of a larger table.

Mimi carried her fleas in a little vile, she had been booked with the Sam Alexander's Sideshow in Belmont Park in Montreal Canada for that season.

She packed up her little circus with all it's fleas and off they went to Montreal.

That winter had been very cold around Montreal. Her fleas were Florida fleas and not use to the cold,  they didn't have a chance, she lost all of them.

Kids always hung around the park, Mimi had told them if they would bring back any dogs they saw, she would give them fifty cents a piece.  She had plans to capture all the flea she needed off the back of the dogs.

As I had said before, it had been a cold winter and all the dogs they brought her were outside dogs. There wasn't a flea to be had on any of them.

About that time she remembered her neighbors that lived over on 120th street, they had this big old shaggy dog and he was covered with fleas. Mimi called them and asked if she would have a crate built pay the transportation and all, would they do her a favor and ship him to Canada. Then she could extract all the fleas she needed and then have him ship back home.

It was agreed and the dog with all it's flea were on their way.

When the dog arrived there wasn't a flea to be found.  She had over looked the fact that when a dog came through customs they always dip it which would kill all the fleas.

After receiving the dog she found he didn't had a fleas anywhere, so she shipped him back to Tampa.

Shortly there after she returned and gave up her Flea Circus.

Story by Ward Hall, Edited by John Robinson Sideshow World

Image, Mimi and Her Flea Circus