Antique Toys

Marx Ring-A-Ling Circus

Toys are objects that were originally meant and were used for play. In various cultures and societies toys have been created or used for centuries receding into prehistory. Toys manufactured with a level of sophistication present in today’s markets are a very recent phenomenon. Today’s toys have the imagination built into them so none need be supplied by the person, little or big, who is playing with them. This, as opposed to the quite recent past when the child (or adult) playing with the toy had to supply the necessary imagination to use it.

The toy we are focusing upon today is the Marx Ring-A-Ling Windup Circus. Louis Marx was famous for windup toys which were produced with great creativity and inventiveness primarily in the Marx Erie, PA factory which was acquired in 1933. These toys were especially noted for the excellent lithography which added greatly to their attractiveness. The Ring-A-Ling Windup Circus was an especially attractive toy because of its colorful action. A ringmaster on the base in his yellow pants, red coat, black boots and top hat rotated when the key was wound and as he approached the other figures; the clown, lion, monkey and elephant they performed. As the ringmaster raises his whip the clown spins on his bar, the monkey scampers up and down a pole, and the elephant and lion, each, in turn, raises up on its hind legs.

The base of the toy, which incorporates the floor of the ring, is usually a soft green or – less commonly – a rose color. It has lettering on he base that reads “Louis Marx & Co., NY, USA”. Opposite, near the key wind, and the start/stop lever there is lettering that reads “Ring-A-Ling Circus”. This is a rare and desirable toy not only because of its action and attractiveness but also because it is fragile and easily broken. The Marx Ring-A-Ling Circus originally sold in 1925 or 89 cents – a not inconsequential sum in those days.

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