19. The Circus World Theme Park and competition with Disney
By the end of the twentieth century Ringling Brothers was offering two distinct shows, designated Red and Blue, in an effort to raise capital. Attendance continued to wane. In 1971 the circus was sold to toy giant Mattel, with the Feld’s retaining management control and pocketing $40 million on the sale. Mattel continued to lose money, and in 1982 the Feld’s bought the circus back from Mattel, which could no longer absorb the annual losses its involvement brought to its bottom line. By then Ringling Brothers was operating three distinct shows in the vain effort to reduce overall travel expenses and increase attendance. Increasing oil prices and decreasing entertainment budgets among the general public conspired against them.
Another source of bleeding capital was Circus World, a circus themed amusement park which the company opened in Haines, Florida, hoping to piggyback on the success of Walt Disney World in Orlando. Circus World had a few profitable years in terms of annual operations during its brief tenure, but ambitious plans for circus themed entertainments and an elephant shaped hotel failed to materialize. The park changed hands several times before closing for good in the spring of 1986. During its days of operation the entrance to the park was a frequent target of protestors against the circus itself, from various animal rights groups including PETA. As the twentieth century came to an end the circus continued to experience declining attendance.