By David Cain It is with a heavy heart that we announce that Joe Pegnato, better known to the juggling and entertainment world as Bobby Jule, has passed away on May 31st, 2026. Bobby was the last surviving charter member of the IJA and was the headliner at the first IJA Convention in 1948. Joe Pegnato was born in 1924 …
Chasley Products – Novelty Juggling Beanbags
By David Cain Chasley Products was established in 1981 by Barb and Charlie Brister of Seattle, Washington. Their original “Flying Penguini,” was designed by Barb to give Charlie something fun to juggle with. This led to a huge variety of themed beanbags as Charlie quit his previous career to focus full-time on novelty juggling beanbags. The company closed in 1998, …
Béla Kremo: A Photo and Video Compilation
By David Cain The Kremo family has a long history as circus performers. Béla Kremo was born in 1911 in Berlin, Germany, but was a citizen of Switzerland. He started out as part of his father’s risley act, but became interested in juggling after watching Enrico Rastelli perform. Béla started out as a solo juggler in 1931 under the name …
Strolling Juggling Ideas
By David Cain I have a confession to make. I hate strolling juggling gigs. I mean, I really, really hate them. This wasn’t always the case. I performed at Kings Island Amusement Park for 7 years during my high school and college years. For some of that time, I performed in an ice skating show or opened for that show. …
New Information and Photos of Frank LeDent
By David Cain Of all the work I’ve done as a juggling historian, I’m probably proudest of my research into Frank Le Dent. Ten years ago, I wrote the first juggling history article detailing his life and career. Previously, all we really knew was that he supposedly juggled 11 balls. We also only had one photo of him. Through the …
New Information on the History of Six Club Juggling
By David Cain More than five years ago, I wrote about the history of six club juggling. However, in the time since then, I have discovered various jugglers who were early performers of the skill as well as new photos and videos of those of whom I already knew about. So, in the interest of my readers, I want to …
Two Versions of a Famed Juggling Publication – Part 2
By David Cain As I stated in part one of this series, one of the most famous early juggling publications was America and Europe’s Greatest Jugglers, a compilation of promotional material paired with a small catalog of juggling props manufactured and sold by Edward Van Wyck of Cincinnati, Ohio, who published the book. The version of the book that we’ve …
Two Versions of a Famed Juggling Publication – Part 1
By David Cain One of the most famous early juggling publications was America and Europe’s Greatest Jugglers, a compilation of promotional material paired with a small catalog of juggling props manufactured and sold by Edward Van Wyck of Cincinnati, Ohio, who published the book. The version of the book that we’ve known about for many years was published in 1900. …
The Peacock Feather and Tube Trick
By David Cain Balancing a peacock feather on the nose or forehead is a common and old trick in the juggler’s repertoire that goes back hundreds of years. Jacques Sandre 1760 Francesco Orsini 1825 From the collection of Thom Wall There is, however, a more complex version of this stunt. The Peacock Feather and Tube Trick is an old juggling …