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Description
Here is some history on the park:
Circus World was a theme park built north of Haines City, Florida in Polk County, on the east corner of the intersection of US 27 and Interstate 4. It was originally a property of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus Combined Shows Inc., and was intended additionally to be the circus's winter headquarters as well as to have the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College and its museum located there. Circus World plans, which did not change by opening, were announced by Irvin Feld as a project of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in September 1972. Plans included a 19 story elephant-shaped hotel and Barnum City, a state-of-the-art residential community. These items and some of the other items were never built, but the plans did not change until after Mattel sold the theme park. Circus World Showcase, its preview center, had its groundbreaking on April 26, 1973 with building contractor Mercury Construction Company of Haines City. The showcase was due to open in December 1973 when Mattel placed Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus Combined Shows Inc., including the park, up for sale. Venture Out in America, Inc., a Gulf Oil recreational subsidiary, agreed to buy the combined shows in January 1974, and the opening was further pushed back to 1975. While the Circus Showcase for Circus World opened on February 21, 1974, Venture Out placed the purchase deal back into negotiations, and the opening of the whole complex was moved to an early 1976. Early added rides included the Zoomerang (June 1977) and the Hurricane (1978). Attendance topped out in 1979 at 1.3 million then began a slide for seven years. In 1980, the theme park made a profit. Mattel sold the circus back to its previous owner, Irvin Feld and other parties in 1982, but kept the park, further expanding it with shows, rides, and a new roller coaster. Attendance declined for five straight years when Mattel agreed to sell the park to Jim Monaghan in 1983 and which was finalized in 1984. Monaghan nicknamed the park Thrill City USA and made his objective to have the park be a world-class theme park. He added nine major, European-built thrill rides and six youth rides. According to Funways Holidays reports Circus World developed a big problem with the opening of Walt Disney World's Epcot Center in late 1982. With most tourist taking a full four days visiting Central Florida, Disney World added Epcot to its passes, resulting in three days being filled, thus tourists usually only had one day to visit other venues and usually selected Sea World, Busch Gardens and/or Wet 'n Wild over Circus World. In February 1985, Circus World started putting up for auction with Guernsey`s auction house vintage objects and exhibits including a 1921 original Marcus Illions Coney Island carousel and Gargantua II. These items did not add to the park's draw of attendees per Monaghan. The park made a profit in 1985. Monaghan sold the park for stock to Harcourt Brace Jovanovich (Now Harcourt, a division of Reed Elsevier) on May 10, 1986 at 3:50 a.m. Tuesday. HBJ, which had just bought several parks including the SeaWorld parks and Cypress Gardens, had a new idea for the area and closed the park at opening time that day to rebuild it into Boardwalk and Baseball. Circus World was never successful, as its standard carnival-type rides were no match for Disney's state-of-the-art attractions and the location was out of the way relative to the very prominent location of Disney World. Under Mattel, then some under Monaghan, Funways Holidays also noted the park attendance was hurt by lagging in cleanliness, value and food. Also, constant staff turnover, ticket discounting, marketing errors and swift policy changes were issues.
This is an ORIGINAL item, NOT A REPRODUCTION item! Postage information is listed at the bottom-$ 4.95 postage is required.
Payment
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Shipping
We will try and combine shipping on multiple purchases wherever possible. Please e-mail us with auction item numbers before sending payment. However, if the items are heavy or require special packing / tracking, the postal rates might not be significantly reduced. We no longer ship overseas first class mail. We will only ship Internationally by Priority Mail, and that starts at $30.00. So please be aware that we NO LONGER SHIP FIRST CLASS MAIL INTERNATIONALLY unless seller agrees to ship by USPS Priority mail at an increased rate. Postage rates are non-negotiable and non-refundable. We pack every item professionally using new packing materials and appropriate mailing supplies. We send all items via US Postal Service.The U.S.Postal service rates change fairly regularly every year and we don't make money on postage like some other ebay sellers. I think you'll find that we're quite fair. Thank-you!
Terms of Sale
I try and place a penny in every photo to help judge the size of the item, obviously it is there for size comparison and is not included with the item. The standard sized Lincoln head penny in the photograph is there for size comparison ONLY and is not included in the package. We're just trying to help you figure out how big the item is. We try and always be as accurate as we can in the item description and will gladly answer any question about item size & description when needed. Please e-mail us with any questions BEFORE the end of sale and BEFORE placing a bid. Postage is determined by the U.S. Postal service and is never refundable. Many of the items are VINTAGE and although they are in very fine condition, they may not function as well as when they were made decades ago. So if you intend on using the old item, please be aware that we are selling it for collector value only. In other words, if you intend on using a 50+ year old letter opener and it breaks, don't get mad at us. It may be hard to believe, but we have received a couple negatives because people broke vintage items while trying to use them.
About Us
Our Mission statement: We try to offer Ebay users unique additions to their collections. We comb the antique stores & malls as well as Antique shows & flea markets from Coast-to-coast in an effort to try and find that special addition to your collection. We travel hundreds of miles and wake up with the sun in search of these items. We truly have a love for our hobby / business. Please be aware of the postage rates BEFORE you bid! We pack professionally and do not try and make money off of postage. We generally charge the same postal rate that the US Post Office charges us. We'll respect you, but please respect us as well. Thanks & happy bidding to you! Good Luck!
Contact Us
Please e-mail us with any questions BEFORE the end of sale and BEFORE placing a bid. Postage is determined by the U.S. Postal service and is never refundable. Please be aware of the postage rates BEFORE you bid! We pack professionally and do not try and make money off of postage.
