Presentation by: Jerry Smith April 18, 2026.
Howard Tibbals: Amazing Craftsman
Howard Tibbals began making circus models in childhood.
Howard Tibbals’ fascination with the circus began in childhood. While spending summers with his grandparents in West Virginia, he watched the unloading of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus train and then viewed the setup of the circus lot through binoculars from the hilltop near his grandparents’ home.
He recalled watching the entire experience and seeing “…the great circus display as it unfolds and packs so meticulously back into the wagons, re-load on the railroad trains, and move on to the next town…but that night the show never ended for me.”
In 1956, as a freshman in college, Howard began sewing the big top for what is today known as The Howard Bros. Circus Model. In 1958, he built his first wagon: number 40, an equipment wagon. That year he met Harold Dunn, whose miniature circus was displayed in department stores around the country. Over the years, the two men would work together measuring circus wagons in winter quarters and sharing photographs and plans to assure that each piece of the model is as accurate as possible. Harold Dunn offered excellent advice to Howard: completely finish one part of the circus, such as the big top, before starting on another area.
For more than seventy years, Howard dedicated at least twenty hours a week to his miniature. Beginning with the World’s Fair in Tennessee the miniature was displayed around the country before finding a home at The Ringling. Howard continues to add new pieces, with the last wagon added in 2021.
To assure the historical accuracy of his circus, Howard Tibbals began documenting circus history. His collection includes photographs, his posters, and more, and is now held at The Ringling Museum in Sarasota FL.
These pictures are Tibbals workshop where for 70+ years he built this entire Ringling Brothers Circus Display working about 20 hours a week. The detail in these miniature figures, wagons, buildings, tents, and cars is astounding.
1939 Howard Tibbals sees his first circus at age 3.
1943 Howard watches the circus trains unload through binoculars.
Borrowing scraps from his grandmother’s sewing basket and odd pieces of string, Howard begins playing circus.
1948 For his 12th birthday, Howard is given a lathe and a jigsaw, both of which he used in his model building.
1952 Popular Mechanics publishes “Here Comes the Circus,” detailing the logistics of moving the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
1956 Howard begins creating his big top.
1958 Howard meets Harold Dunn, a skilled model builder whose miniature circus is displayed around the country.
1959 Howard builds Wagon #40, the first of the 162 wagons in the Howard Bros. Circus.
1960’s In order to build the most accurate model possible, Howard begins collecting historic photos of the circus.
1963 Howard sets up a workshop in his basement specifically for building the model.
1974 All of the canvas, wagons and equipment for the Howard Bros. big top are completed.
1978 Howard begins collecting posters and other circus memorabilia.
1982 The Howard Bros. Circus makes its premiere at the World’s Fair in Knoxville, TN.
2004 Howard begins setting up the Howard Bros. Circus at The Ringling. The exacting process takes over one year to complete.
2021 Howard adds the last wagon to the miniature.
