Designing Your Character & Other Handy Things 2

Carnival/Fair

Terms for Players

Two words for visitors to the carnival are cake eaters and locals.

Mark - A townsperson you pick out as a victim
Other terms for naive and gullible marks are called Chump, Mooch, Clem, Emby
Lugen - A really dumb mark
Lot Lice - Locals who arrive early, walk around, and leave late without spending any money

Terms for Cheating the Boss

Going South - Stealing money, called "south" because some of the money goes into the apron worn by the carnival worker
Oach - To skim some money from your take and not give them to the boss
Swing - To steal money from your boss

Terms for Merchandise

Slum - Very cheap prizes that are bought in bulk, sometimes for as little as $1 a gross; also called hooch
Plaster - Cheap prizes made of plaster that seem to be worth more than they are
Paste - Cheap prizes. The term probably came from "paste" imitation jewelry.
Garbage - Cheap souvenirs sold on the midway

Side Shows

(please note: viewing "human oddities" became distasteful as the public conscience changed, and many localities passed laws forbidding the exhibition of "freaks". Sideshows have since been reinvented to attract modern audiences and stay in the legal bounds -often including "fringe artists", exhibiting extreme body modification and/or performing bizarre or masochistic acts like eating insects, lifting weights by means of hooks inserted in their body piercings, or stapling currency to their forehead.)

AFTER SHOW – See BLOW OFF.

ALLIGATOR MAN/WOMAN/ETC. -Sideshow human oddity afflicted with skin condition, commonly ictheosis, that gives the skin a scaly, reptile-like appearance.

ANATOMICAL WONDER – A sideshow performer, usually perceived by the public as a human oddity, but more a working act. The performer would do stunts such as 'the man without a stomach' (pulling the gut in until the backbone shows), pulling themselves through a coat hanger or tennis racket, and other Indian Rubber Man stunts.

ANNEX – In the case of a sideshow, another name for the area where the blowoff is located.

ARMLESS WONDER – A performer without arms, usually doing his or her stage act using just the feet and mouth.

AUCTION STORE – A concession/game run as though it were an auction. See JAM AUCTION.

BABY SHOW – Also known as 'unborn,' 'life,' 'bottle,' 'freak baby' and 'pickled punk show,' though these last terms are strictly carnival insider lingo and were not used around the general public. (See McKennon's definition for PICKLED PUNK.)

BACK END -Inside the big top at opposite end of tent from the front door or the 'connection' between the menagerie and the big top. The 'back end' of a carnival consists of the shows and riding devices. Concessions, no matter where located, are part of the 'front end.'

BALLY, BALLYHOO – A free show given outside a side show to attract a crowd (a 'tip') of potential patrons. Word came into being at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The fakirs, gun spinners and dancing girls from the Middle East spoke no English, only Arabic. The interpreters used the expression "Dehalla Hoon" to call performers outside to the show fronts. The Western ears of the talkers translated it as 'ballyhoo' and so used it when the interpreters were away for lunch.

BANNER – Side Show. Pictorials on canvas hung in front of circus side shows and carnival midway shows depicting the wonders to be found inside.

BARNSTORMING – Taking a show from spot to spot, with little pre-arranged plan for the next spot, generally in the off-season. The showmen would depend on their ability to generate a generous crowd with little on no pre-publicity. The shows and events put on would often occur in old theatres and grange halls.