Holiday Cheer! - A Message from the Czar

For the past twelve years, with the notable exception of last year, I've done a personal holiday card for friends and family. Just lighthearted little greetings that amused both myself in their creation and those who received them.

Much has changed for us as a nation this year, but the spirit of the two fellows on my 2001 card is still, as the bullet on the banner indicates, very much "alive.": (http://www.czarofbizarre.com/newsletter/0004_xmascard.html)

Enjoy the cards, send and share them with your friends if you like, and Happy Holidays to all of you!

Johnny Meah
"The Czar of Bizarre"

SEND a free Holiday Card to your friends - visit the "Goodies" section of the site or read on for the direct link!

WORLD OF WONDERS - A Message from the Czar

WORLD OF WONDERS

(http://www.czarofbizarre.com/newsletter/0004_wow.html)

There were several areas to write about concerning this banner, each of sufficient interest to be a story in itself.

This is a "Gaff Banner," the term and it's meaning are covered briefly in the web site's Art Gallery (http://www.czarofbizarre.com/art/) section.

The people depicted on this type of banner are usually a mixture of famous freaks and generic working acts. Again, the who and why of the characters can be found in the art gallery.

Many of the titles were copyrighted and the ones that weren't were protected by a gentleman's agreement among show operators. This title, "World of Wonders," is owned by Ward Hall and C.M. Christ.

We have now clattered through three potentially good storylines to arrive at what you may initially perceive to be the least interesting one: size and placement.

The standard sizes for most of the banners that flanked the doorway of a sideshow were 8' X 10' and 10' X 12'. Some operators used a 14' or 16' X 10' at the ends of the bannerline. None of these came close to the size of a doorway or "Gaff" banner, many of which were 36' X 8' or 10'. That's a lot of canvas!

The average bannerline is comprised of 12' sections so the "Gaff" banner covers the upper part of three of these sections. It spans, (from left to right), and exit opening, a bally platform, and at least one ticket box and an entrance opening. In the case of doorway banners that were 10' high, they were "lobbied back" at the bottom, (tied off to the back braces), creating enough headroom for the customers entering or exiting the show to pass under them.

For those who have a problem visualizing size, walk outside and take twelve average paces. That's how big a standard "Gaff" banner is.

"World of Wonders" measures 12' X 14', falling short of the older banners of this type. It and another banner of the same size and theme ("Cavalcade of Oddities" on view in the website's art gallery) were done for a Canadian showman, designed to accompany a 40' trailer mounted show.

As banners became accepted as collectable art, the sheer massiveness of some of them became a sales deterrent. Short of someone residing in a basketball court, where the hell do you hang a 36' "Gaff" banner or a 40' glasshouse (Crystal Maze) proscenium?

Of necessity, I've scaled my commission work down to sizes that are more "wall friendly." Occasionally I'll do a big piece but, for the most part, my client work is appreciably smaller than the work I did for actual shows. The smallest size I work to is 4' X 4'. Compared to some of the massive pieces we've been discussing, a 4' X 4' looks like a postage stamp you'd affix to a "Gaff" banner to mail it off!

Notes from the Home Office

Two major updates to the site this week! The first, of course is the addition of the holiday greeting cards! We carefully selected NINE of Johnny's personalized greetings, including his 2001 card (his first in color) and set them all up so you can send them to your friends and family for free!

Visit the "Goodies" section of the site to send cards now! (http://www.czarofbizarre.com/goodies/)

Those of you depressed about not having 36' of blank wall space to hang your very own gaff banner should cheer up! We are proud to offer WORLD OF WONDERS -- a limited edition 4-color lithograph, (500 only), 20.5" X 17.5", numbered and signed by the Czar himself, and ready to be shipped in time for the holidays!

Drop by the shop to have a look: (http://www.czarofbizarre.com/shop/)

This completes the series of four lithographs of Johnny's work. We have some other surprises planned for the future, but for now the lithographs are it, so grab 'em while they're hot!

I must say that "Anatomical Venus" is flying off the shelves at an unexpected rate - who would have guessed you all would be so taken with this headless beauty?

"Baby Irene" and "Nate Eagle's Hollywood Midgets" (my personal favorite) are also still available for the holidays, but put your orders in now to insure delivery in time!

Best,

-Mike