Dumbo's Circus was a live action/puppet television series that aired on The Disney Channel. It was loosely based on the 1941 movie Dumbo. It was notably the longest-running Disney Channel original series, lasting for 115 episodes until Phineas and Ferb broke the record.
Premise[]
Dumbo has now grown up, he is able to speak, and has started his own circus. It travels from town to town by means of a wagon drawn by Dumbo as he flies and bills itself at the "Greatest Little Show in Earth." Other performers include Lionel, Sebastian, Fair Dinkum, Lilli, Q.T., and Barnaby. Each had their own talent. Other than Dumbo, no characters from the original film appear in the series.
Production[]
The series began airing in 1983, but was removed from Disney Channel when it began running commercial breaks in 1997. Unlike Welcome to Pooh Corner, it never had any VHS, DVD, or Blu-ray releases. All the characters were portrayed by live actors in specially designed puppet suits, similarly to Welcome to Pooh Corner, which aired during the same timespan, with the character designs themselves being provided by Disney Legend Ken Anderson. The flying wagon that was used in the opening theme is now located at the back lot of Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World.
Cast[]
Character | Puppeteers | Voice actors |
---|---|---|
Dumbo | Unknown | Katie Leigh |
Lionel | Sharon Baird | Jim Cummings |
Flip & Flap | Unknown (Flip) | Will Ryan (Flip) |
John Lovelady (Flap) | Jim Cummings (Flap) | |
Fair Dinkum | Patty Maloney | Hal Smith |
Sebastian | Unknown | Walker Edmiston |
Barnaby | Will Ryan | |
Lilli | Patricia Parris | |
Q.T. | Caleb Chung | Ron Gans |
Additional Voices[]
- Katie Leigh
- Jim Cummings (Aunt Fira)
- Hal Smith (Rinkum Dinkum)
- Will Ryan
- Patricia Parris (Mrs. Lilli)
- Ron Gans
- Laurie Main (Lattimer Bowser III)
- Mona Marshall (Matilda Dinkum)
- Phil Baron
- Diane Michelle
- B.J. Ward
- Joan Gerber
- Patty Foley
Additional Performers[]
- Charlie Edwards
- Paul Fusco
- Joe Giamalva
- Richard Griggs
- Frank Groby
- Ron Mangham
- Norman Merrill Jr.
- Tom Reed
- Mark Sawyer
- Van Snowden -
Episodes[]
- Yippi-Ki-Bow-Wow
- Elephant
- A Taste of Medicine
- Scratch, Scratch
- Ragweed Rag
- Tiny Town
- All In a Day's Play
- The Perfect Peanut
- Strong Man Contest
- 40 Winks for Dinks
- Hide and Seek
- Horsin' Around
- All 'Bout Hats
- The Big Switch
- Barnaby's Magic Coat
- Sports Town
- Dumbolina
- Never Trust a Stranger
- Going Bananas
- The Long Walk
- Barnaby Cries Uncle
- Sebastian's Little Helper
- Dink's Double
- Copycat
- The Magical Musical Machine
- If I Ran the Circus
- Calliope Calamity
- Lionel's Bubble Machine
- Barnaby's Trek
- Sticky Fingers
- The Race
- Over the Rainbow
- Whoops-A-Daisy
- Dink's New Job
- Who's Got the Feather?
- Luckville
- Circus Sweeties
- Magic B-day Cake
- Lionel's Weather Machine
- The Treasure
- Everyone Should Have a Song
- The Five Wishes
- Lionel's Singing Lesson
- Sandwich Hero
- Bye Bye Birdie
- Lilli's Hat Dance
- Kite Day
- One Size Fits All
- A Present for Lionel
- A Better Bet
- Lionel Goes to Town
- Tricky Sebastian
- Home Sweet Home
- Eat Trouble
- Barnaby Takes a Hike
- Quarter for Five
- The Nine Lucks of Sebastian
- Dear Diary
- Bluegrass Contest
- Rinkum's Return
- Concertina for Two
- Circus Derby
- Invisible Box
- Uncle Latimer Says Merci
- Ring Around the Circus
- Masquerade
- Perfect Weather
- Friend Times Three
- Out of Sight Circus
- Quiet Please
- Sebastian's Treasure
- Meet Me At the Fair
- Eyeglasses
- Everybody's Doing It
- A Day At the Circus
- Make Believe Circus
- Budgadumbo
- A Very Special Place
- Christmas At the Circus
- Here's Matty
- All Abroad
- Birthday, Birthday
- Helo's Dink
- Circus Trainer
- Help Wanted
- Dancing Matilda
- Mount Frosty
- Clowning Around
- My Fair Everybody
- Stormy Night
- Catchy Tune
- Matty's Beautiful Doll
- Tell Me a Story
- Adventures Through Reading
- Goldie
- Matty's Magical Mystery Tour
- Music, Maestro Please
- The Gang's All Here
- Adventure, Adventure
- Think of All the Times
- Teaching a Bird to Fly
- Farmer's Circus
- Lilli's Surprise Party
- Finding the Perfect Gift
- Lilli Comes Home
- The Annual Summer Parade
- Welcome to Melodyland
- A Lion Needs a Mane
- She's Really Something Special
- That Darn Trike
- Snookie and the Coodies
- Forest Full of Friends
- The Big Parade
- Solo Circus
Songs[]
- Dumbo's Circus (Opening theme)
- The Big Parade (Dumbo, Lionel, Barnaby, and the Chorus)
- Clowning Around (Chorus)
- I'm Just a Lucky Dog (Barnaby)
- I'm an Elephant Too (Fair Dinkum) (Some episodes plays it during the closing credits instead of "Gotta Fly")
- I Love the Circus (Chorus) (Some episodes plays it during the closing credits instead of "Gotta Fly")
- Hand Clappin' (Barnaby and Lionel)
- March to the Music (Lionel)
- Dumbo's Up in the Air (Chorus)
- A Genuine Clown (Barnaby)
- Gotta Fly (Regular Closing theme)
All were written by Phil Baron, Robert B. Sherman, and Richard M. Sherman.
Trivia[]
- It is the second television series to be based on a Disney animated feature following Welcome to Pooh Corner.
- Unlike the original 1941 film, Dumbo has a speaking role in the series.
Gallery[]