Those guys would make great surgeons. They have to manually tie the wires just right that the fleas are leashed, but it doesn't hurt them, like with dog leashes. The amount of dexterity required to do that is insane.
The first flea “performer” was actually “harnessed” by watch makers in the 16th century to demonstrate their watchmaking skill; they made tiny tiny chains and metal leashes for fleas to show off how detailed their work could be. According to Wikipedia :)
@@dengmo3625this is only partly true. there were, and are, flea circuses using real fleas. they are manipulated by the harness as a commenter said upthread, or by the use of heat. mechanical flea circuses also exist.
we've had "technology" for a long time, a scythe and wheelbarrow are technology, but I think you may have meant computers and electronic technology, before which people got along just fine, they had lots of fun outside and with other people face to face. probably more 'boredom' today ironically.
It took more human brain power to put together a flea circus than to operate your mobile device or computer for the same amount of time to put together and run a flea circus . It takes a child and friends more brain power and creativity to play in the woods and build a tiny little house out of sticks and stones than what he or she does on the laptop or smartphone all day . We use make up stories and tell them to each other . after the rain storm decreased we use to make our own little dams with stones near the curb . We use to play board games , have birthday parties, play london bridge is falling down, musical chairs etc , make all kinds of fun stuff out of scraps, read more than watch tv and so on . our minds were filled with thought and fantasy and our bodies were well exercised . I pity what kids today are going to turn into . And like everything else in the world the internet and IT will fail for a short or long time . You and they will be lost and go insane ! get away from the computer and smartphone more and at least do non IT things as a back up.
how can you be bored without something that doesn’t exist?? are you stupid or you pretend to be stupid?? 50 years from now there will be things way better than todays are we bored because we don’t have what doesn’t exist yet?
Turns out DDT isn't NEARLY as toxic as whatever they replaced it with. My parents were alive during the shoe fluroscope (sp? basically a live action X-ray, extremely easy to give yourself radiation poisoning. Serious sh*t. Edison's assistant played with one so much, he lost both hands to radiation until it rotted up to his shoulders and he died a horrific death...) and the kids played in CLOUDS of DDT when they sprayed the streets for mosquitoes. One is still alive and the other died of something unrelated.
Nope… do you think it’s weird to feel bad for the elephants and tigers that are used in circuses too? One can hope that they’re all loved and cared for but undoubtedly, at least some are abused into submission. I’d be curious and open to an opposing position from someone in the industry though. 🤔
Haha, me too. I remember jokes about fleas circuses on old looney tunes cartoons but it was Bone Tomahawk that made me actually do some research. Needed a break from the grimness, I guess.
I read that Tiny Tim used to perform for a flea circus in Times Square before he became famous. Seeing Tiny Tim perform while a buncha leashed fleas hopped around back in those days probably would have made my head explode
Heh, this is pretty gross. I always thought that flea circuses were all fake but apparently some actually were 'genuine' (at least in the sense of there actually being live fleas. Not that they were actually doing any preforming per se).
@@YonniInfinity Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, an old insecticide they used to spray on everyone and everything, until they discovered it had horrible biological and environmental effects
I wouldn't want to get that close to fleas. I've been bitten by them before (it hurts a lot, surprisingly) and have picked a bunch off my family's dogs.
Don't pick them off, just give the dog a flea bath. And spray the whole house or anything like rugs where you saw them. Don't use flea collars, they're very toxic when you touch the dog and get it on your skin (lindane chemical is one of few actually banned chemicals) I heard powdered Brewers or Nutritional yeast. Not sure how well that works.
For reference, flea circuses used HUMAN fleas (because the owners would feed them by letting them drink their blood from an arm). Also, they used to have mice circuses too, just like in Tim Burton's "Dumbo" remake.
Seen one in the late 50s on a seaside pier as a child,in relation to their size fleas are extremely strong equivalent to a human leaping over a two storey building.
Anodos Arcade itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/stuff-you-should-know/id278981407?mt=2&i=378475090 I just finished listening to this podcast episode that tells you how they get the fleas to preform
Somehow it seems a tad cruel. I'd never do that. Then again all circuses are cruel towards animals. Don't see why they need to perform cheap tricks for dumb humans.
lmao. you should welcome these fleas into your home then. i agree with you except for parasites. they can all go die slowly by drowning in hot soapy water
Engraçado e bem interessante um circo com pulgas adestradas,não devia ser fácil treinar elas isso sem falar em fazer aquelas miniaturas de carruagens pra elas puxarem.
DDT is nowhere near as bad as whatever they replaced it with. My parents were alive when kids played in the dust truck clouds when they sprayed. And shoe floroscopes (see Edison's assistant death and Radium Girls). One is still alive, the other died of unrelated causes. As is the case with everyone else I know of the appropriate age. Jmo.
Late to the party but the radium girls story is horrific and terrifying and sad. I remember hearing one girls jaw disintegrated upon being touched when she sought out medical help. They never got proper justice. 😭@@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823
lol it is fake in a sense... if anyone else watches QI you'll know what i'm on about... but the tables they're 'performing' on are actually heated to make them run around, so they're actually in pain... not pulling stuff around and dancing, they're just running for their lives, pretty much lol
@@roy1140 The average lifespan of a flea is a few weeks, much less without a host. Fleas cannot be trained, they aren't really doing tricks, they're attached to props and their attempts to get away amuse the gullible. Even after decades of knowing how its done, it seems.
Horrible insects. My neighbour gave me a little kitten many years ago. I woke up the next day with 50 flea bites on my legs. I manage to treat the little guy, not his fault.
Omg not me thinking a flea circus was a metaphor for something that is considered high value by people not used to it, like pens in Egypt. Or people in the desert going for a trip to the sea.
I came here to gawk at people sympathizing with one of nature’s most horrific house guests. When I see people sympathizing with tapeworms I’ll have seen everything.
Where are they coming from? Are pets bringing them in? You can do a flea bath and spray the house with flea killer. I'd leave for awhile and make sure you remove small animals, dogs/cats and birds. If it's a big tank, just cover it with papers. Put dishes and towels and such up that you use on your face or eat off of.
O.O That's horrible! Urgh, I don't care what people say and as much as I hate fleas, everything deserves a chance at living. S'pose I'm just a massive hippy but seeing anything in pain (no pun intended) always makes my skin crawl
Lol I'm kinda an old hippie myself, however, I just had an infestation. I will get over these few being used for entertainment so long ago. It's not like they haven't used me for food!
Um, well...they were ALREADY covered in human fleas during the early part of this trend in the 1830s or so...who knew they were different from DOG fleas??
We eat them because we make a delicious dish wit them ! This clearly shows that fleas and snails do not go well together : you'll never meet a Frenchman eating a flea for a snail !!!…
let them be, as in let them continue to bite humans, cats, dogs and hamsters. sure just let them be, dont take them off of your pets, who cares if they develop anemia
@@alexpalacios4502 These are human fleas, which were everywhere. Dog fleas only bite people if desperate. Dogs are a lot warmer. But I'd pay to see this, sure. The idea was to show off the little items the guy made, NOT the vermin.
I literally thought a flea circus was a metaphor of some sort and not literal fleas
Mars Bars we were hoping right lol
Same
Always thought that to!
The REAL flea circus is the friends we made along the way.
It would have been meta if you had metaphorically thought it was a metaphor of some sort.
I've never thought such a thing could be real. Flea circus! literally madness.
Magnets move the equipment 😅
Your watching con artis at there best 👌
Yup the fleas are dead
@@TheKillaMethod Bullshit
Those guys would make great surgeons. They have to manually tie the wires just right that the fleas are leashed, but it doesn't hurt them, like with dog leashes. The amount of dexterity required to do that is insane.
The first flea “performer” was actually “harnessed” by watch makers in the 16th century to demonstrate their watchmaking skill; they made tiny tiny chains and metal leashes for fleas to show off how detailed their work could be. According to Wikipedia :)
I don't think they care about the fleas hurting, just them dying lmao
Fun fact the fleas are dead and it’s all magnets
@@dengmo3625this is only partly true. there were, and are, flea circuses using real fleas. they are manipulated by the harness as a commenter said upthread, or by the use of heat. mechanical flea circuses also exist.
I saw a show just like this at the Munich Beer Fest in 1976. No one ever believes me when I describe it.
Tell me all about it, please. If you would be so king.
Lol
They also had it in this year's Oktoberfest in Munich.
Did u itch? Lol
@@t1ny03
Royalty doesn't answer to you good sir!
People mustve been really bored without technology
we've had "technology" for a long time, a scythe and wheelbarrow are technology, but I think you may have meant computers and electronic technology, before which people got along just fine, they had lots of fun outside and with other people face to face. probably more 'boredom' today ironically.
John Smith Burneeeeeed
It took more human brain power to put together a flea circus than to operate your mobile device or computer for the same amount of time to put together and run a flea circus . It takes a child and friends more brain power and creativity to play in the woods and build a tiny little house out of sticks and stones than what he or she does on the laptop or smartphone all day .
We use make up stories and tell them to each other . after the rain storm decreased we use to make our own little dams with stones near the curb . We use to play board games , have birthday parties, play london bridge is falling down, musical chairs etc , make all kinds of fun stuff out of scraps, read more than watch tv and so on . our minds were filled with thought and fantasy and our bodies were well exercised . I pity what kids today are going to turn into .
And like everything else in the world the internet and IT will fail for a short or long time . You and they will be lost and go insane ! get away from the computer and smartphone more and at least do non IT things as a back up.
I'm bored with technology.
how can you be bored without something that doesn’t exist?? are you stupid or you pretend to be stupid??
50 years from now there will be things way better than todays are we bored because we don’t have what doesn’t exist yet?
I thought this was BS. But here I am.
ya man, I can't believe that flea circus actually means flea circus.
See if you can watch this video without itching!
British Pathé yeah like right now
Next time don"t forget the DDT :D
Turns out DDT isn't NEARLY as toxic as whatever they replaced it with. My parents were alive during the shoe fluroscope (sp? basically a live action X-ray, extremely easy to give yourself radiation poisoning. Serious sh*t. Edison's assistant played with one so much, he lost both hands to radiation until it rotted up to his shoulders and he died a horrific death...) and the kids played in CLOUDS of DDT when they sprayed the streets for mosquitoes.
One is still alive and the other died of something unrelated.
The "Stuff You Should Know" podcast lead me here. 😎
Me too!
And me! =)
Me too!!
Same
no way me too!
PETA strike incoming
Cretium you beat me to it!
MrMicrophone there have been PETA jokes for decades. How old are you, 5?
Is it weird that I kinda feel bad for the little fleas at 0:26?
Nope… do you think it’s weird to feel bad for the elephants and tigers that are used in circuses too? One can hope that they’re all loved and cared for but undoubtedly, at least some are abused into submission. I’d be curious and open to an opposing position from someone in the industry though. 🤔
Screw em, my house is currently infested with them and I have no sympathy for those fleas there.
I paused bone tomahawk to look this up to see if it was real and I wasn’t disappointed great movie btw 🙌
I believe these fleas are alive…and talented!
same same same
Haha, me too. I remember jokes about fleas circuses on old looney tunes cartoons but it was Bone Tomahawk that made me actually do some research. Needed a break from the grimness, I guess.
@@owenturley6214 oh man that movie went from 1 to 1000 towards the end 🙌
Me too 😂
thought all flea circuses were fake... lol.... those fleas are massive...
I do say, what a lovely spectacle!!
Pulling around those Monopoly piece…😂😂🤣
I don't know if I'm delighted to see a real flea circus, or if I'm sad to see fleas being treated with so little respect. LOL.
I imagine they would “flea” if they could!!😢
@@buckshroyer5665 💀
Do fleas treat humans with respect?
Fleas today are always bringing up how their ancestors were forced to perform for humans.
Bone tomahawk brought me here
Literally watching it right now and looked this up after pausing 💀😂
@@alecpiper6060 sick movie tho fr am I right
I came here because #NeebsGaming crew were talking about this on their podcast. Wow! Its pretty amazing.
The comments section is awsome. Its cool to see what people thought and how they talked.
What up SYSK Army
Love it! Love everything about it!! Old time originality; I'm there!!!
I read that Tiny Tim used to perform for a flea circus in Times Square before he became famous. Seeing Tiny Tim perform while a buncha leashed fleas hopped around back in those days probably would have made my head explode
It's a metaphor for life when you think about it
Heh, this is pretty gross. I always thought that flea circuses were all fake but apparently some actually were 'genuine' (at least in the sense of there actually being live fleas. Not that they were actually doing any preforming per se).
I'd pay to see it. I dunno about you. Lol
Don't forget the DDT? Seriously?
Um circo de pulgas autêntico! O espetáculo mais difícil da Terra!.
"Next time don't forget the DDT"...!
What is DDT?
@@YonniInfinity Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, an old insecticide they used to spray on everyone and everything, until they discovered it had horrible biological and environmental effects
Paris: city of love, laughter...("and human fleas," I was thinking...)
It needs some flea CLOWNS!
I hope my voice can sound like the narrator's one day , LOL!
I wouldn't want to get that close to fleas. I've been bitten by them before (it hurts a lot, surprisingly) and have picked a bunch off my family's dogs.
Don't pick them off, just give the dog a flea bath. And spray the whole house or anything like rugs where you saw them.
Don't use flea collars, they're very toxic when you touch the dog and get it on your skin (lindane chemical is one of few actually banned chemicals)
I heard powdered Brewers or Nutritional yeast. Not sure how well that works.
For reference, flea circuses used HUMAN fleas (because the owners would feed them by letting them drink their blood from an arm). Also, they used to have mice circuses too, just like in Tim Burton's "Dumbo" remake.
How did I get here from Jurassic Park?
Gordon Battles literally same lol
Lmao I just rewatched that movie 5 minutes ago
Seen one in the late 50s on a seaside pier as a child,in relation to their size fleas are extremely strong equivalent to a human leaping over a two storey building.
How did they tamed fleas?
lol wow
Anodos Arcade itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/stuff-you-should-know/id278981407?mt=2&i=378475090
I just finished listening to this podcast episode that tells you how they get the fleas to preform
they glue them to wires and shock them.
Thanks for the link!
They don't, they just tie them to things and let them walk or jump normally.
I watched without scratching :p
Don;t scratch your neck; fleas always go for the ankles.
how do they attach the wires to the fleas o_o do they just wrap it around them?
Neebs gaming sent me here
Same here lol
And me 😅
Somehow it seems a tad cruel. I'd never do that. Then again all circuses are cruel towards animals. Don't see why they need to perform cheap tricks for dumb humans.
lmao. you should welcome these fleas into your home then. i agree with you except for parasites. they can all go die slowly by drowning in hot soapy water
you should see how cruel fleas are to humans and other animals.
Went to a flea market once, not what I was expecting.
Engraçado e bem interessante um circo com pulgas adestradas,não devia ser fácil treinar elas isso sem falar em fazer aquelas miniaturas de carruagens pra elas puxarem.
“Next time don’t forget the DDT!”
That did not age well
DDT is nowhere near as bad as whatever they replaced it with. My parents were alive when kids played in the dust truck clouds when they sprayed. And shoe floroscopes (see Edison's assistant death and Radium Girls). One is still alive, the other died of unrelated causes. As is the case with everyone else I know of the appropriate age. Jmo.
Late to the party but the radium girls story is horrific and terrifying and sad. I remember hearing one girls jaw disintegrated upon being touched when she sought out medical help. They never got proper justice. 😭@@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823
I'm here after watching Bone Tomahawk.
Very funny, great film 😂
0:27 lolol Omg he is real serious
lol it is fake in a sense... if anyone else watches QI you'll know what i'm on about... but the tables they're 'performing' on are actually heated to make them run around, so they're actually in pain... not pulling stuff around and dancing, they're just running for their lives, pretty much lol
Then why does it take 6 months to train them?
@@roy1140 The average lifespan of a flea is a few weeks, much less without a host. Fleas cannot be trained, they aren't really doing tricks, they're attached to props and their attempts to get away amuse the gullible. Even after decades of knowing how its done, it seems.
@@SynphamyMusic They're human fleas, he could feed them himself.
Anyone else look this up after watching Bone Tomahawk? Lol
Horrible insects. My neighbour gave me a little kitten many years ago. I woke up the next day with 50 flea bites on my legs. I manage to treat the little guy, not his fault.
Those are some big ass fleas
Human fleas, not dog fleas.
Never could understand with the fascination with flea circus's ....
Omg not me thinking a flea circus was a metaphor for something that is considered high value by people not used to it, like pens in Egypt. Or people in the desert going for a trip to the sea.
you do all know that they glue them to the apparatus and then put it all on a hot plate so they are forced to move? still quite entertaining though
Among other things, yes. It depended on the act, though. Sometimes the fleas were stimulated by chemicals or odors they didn't like.
Good, I hate fleas. I feel not an ounce of guilt, they torment me and my cat.
who noticed one em fleas wearing lollerskates going nowhere fast.
I came here to gawk at people sympathizing with one of nature’s most horrific house guests.
When I see people sympathizing with tapeworms I’ll have seen everything.
I thought a flea circus was a circus that keeps moving around the country
ah man i was so interested what it really looked like.. but now im just itchy.
This is sad. I sound like an idiot but poor fleas lol.
Nicole Burgon it’s ok when I saw those fleas pull that carriage, I thought that it could not be good for them. Fleas get around by jumping not walking
@@pisces2569 you all should rehome them in your houses and apartments if you really feel that bad for them
Next time don’t forget the DDT! Lol
@Ru7ii They're so old, It's good to see history sometimes.
He said, "Don't forget the DDT!"
I’d pay good money to attend this 😂😂
Back in 1949, 10 franc was about 1.50$, not bad for a little bit of entertainment
Bring your DDT lmfao
so cavalier
That's so cute, bet the fleas had so much fun.
I hate to burst your bubble, but....
Let's just say the circus owners had to buy new fleas every few weeks.
@@dunkleosteus430yep, they lit candles underneath so the fire would make them move
My dad told me about this cuz we have fleas....so annoying :/
Where are they coming from? Are pets bringing them in?
You can do a flea bath and spray the house with flea killer. I'd leave for awhile and make sure you remove small animals, dogs/cats and birds.
If it's a big tank, just cover it with papers.
Put dishes and towels and such up that you use on your face or eat off of.
O.O That's horrible! Urgh, I don't care what people say and as much as I hate fleas, everything deserves a chance at living. S'pose I'm just a massive hippy but seeing anything in pain (no pun intended) always makes my skin crawl
Lol I'm kinda an old hippie myself, however, I just had an infestation. I will get over these few being used for entertainment so long ago. It's not like they haven't used me for food!
Don't forget the DDT - yikes. Obviously before we saw what it did to Viet kids.
Poor fleas, but I still don't like fleas.
@britishpathe Your on.
There's no way those trainers didn't end up covered in fleas all the time...
Um, well...they were ALREADY covered in human fleas during the early part of this trend in the 1830s or so...who knew they were different from DOG fleas??
SYSK!!
Next time dont forget the DDT hahahahaha
Don't forget the DDT? No thanks 🤣
awesome
this is real ??
Wow!
Good times.
do search for dancing flea circus thats amazing stuff its the only known fleas that can dance
And next time don't forget to bring DDT
This was cool
"Next time don't forget the DDT" O.o
We eat them because we make a delicious dish wit them !
This clearly shows that fleas and snails do not go well together : you'll never meet a Frenchman eating a flea for a snail !!!…
These videos make me so happy!
I got here from doing the NYT connection game lmao.
me too
Same
Friction is behind the issue
Next time, I won't forget the D.D.T.
Oh damn, Psychonauts 2 is looking pretty wild right there.
0:49 But scratcher!
Butt scratcheehh!!!!
They can't feel pain.
How do they feel the hot plate then
see they good for something...
Well dang!
I’ll have to eat my hat…..
thought this was just fiction 🤣
Magnets move the things. There con artists 😂
@nightkraawler aaah! dude thanks for kill the magic part!
>: I
(nah just kidding)
Lol so freakin weird!!
poor fleas
Don't forget the DDT guys...
don't forget the DDT!
Next time dont forget the ddt..... Crazy
Yeah, seriously.
"Who gives a shit, they're just fleas right?"
They're still living creatures. That shit would suck. Just let em be.
let them be, as in let them continue to bite humans, cats, dogs and hamsters. sure just let them be, dont take them off of your pets, who cares if they develop anemia
@@alexpalacios4502 These are human fleas, which were everywhere. Dog fleas only bite people if desperate. Dogs are a lot warmer.
But I'd pay to see this, sure. The idea was to show off the little items the guy made, NOT the vermin.
They breed faster than you could possibly catch and kill them.