Play set:Reduced Size Humpty Dumpty Circus

At the turn of the century, Philadelphia toy maker A. Schoenhut seized upon the circus mania that had spread across the nation, producing miniature versions of the beloved circus performers and animals. Called the Humpty Dumpty Circus-a name inspired by a popular play at the time-the toy line became an immediate success. Schoenhut sold many different combinations of circus figures, ranging from elaborate boxed sets with upwards of thirty figures to smaller sets and individual pieces. In 1923, in an effort to bolster profits, Schoenhut introduced a less-expensive, reduced size circus. Many, though not all, of the performers and animals from the original sets appeared in the reduced size sets, and the smaller figures had similar appearances and features to their larger counterparts. This photograph shows what a reduced size Humpty Dumpty Circus set may have looked like (please note that this does not comprise an original set). Reduced size sets remained in production until the company went out of business in 1935.