Costume of "Grandma"
Maker
Barry Lubin
(American, born 1952)
Datelate 20th-early 21st Century
MediumFabric, hair, plastic
Dimensions24 x 19 in. (61 x 48.3 cm)
ClassificationsCostumes
Credit LineGift of Barry Lubin, 2005
Object numberSN11131
Barry Lubin grew up with dreams of working in the entertainment industry. His dream became a reality when he was accepted into the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey’s Clown College. During winter quarters on Ringling’s Red Unit, he developed Grandma based on his childhood memories from the Atlantic City boardwalk. Grandma debuted with Ringling in January 1975. In 1982, Lubin joined the Big Apple Circus, where for 25 seasons Grandma became a beloved figure of audiences of all ages.
Lubin has received many honors. In 2009, he was honored at The Ringling Museum as Circus Celebrity and, in 2012, he was inducted into Sarasota’s Ring of Fame. Also, he is a member of the International Clown Hall of Fame
A 1974 graduate of Clown College, Barry Lubin (1953 - ) began his clowning career with the Ringling Show (1974 – 1979). Later, Lubin was asked to join the Big Apple Circus and, since 1982, “Grandma” -- a clown character in a ruffled red dress, bloomers, curly grey wig and a double strand of over-sized pearls who never says a word -- has become a beloved icon of the show. Outside the ring, Barry has served as writer/consultant for CBS's "Circus of the Stars," a creative consultant on NBC's Cheers, starred in two pilots for Nickelodeon, and is presently writing a future production of the Big Apple Circus. In 2002, he was inducted into the International Clown Hall of Fame.
On View
Not on view
no date
c.1930s and c. 1990s
c.1930s and c. 1990s
