Dubé Juggling is proud to announce our annual Holiday Sale! Now through December 12th, use the promo code SAVEMORE to save 10% off orders over $100, 15% off for orders over $150, and 20% off orders over $200. Offer excludes gift certificates, combo sets, sale items, collapsible top hat and silicone balls. Offer cannot be combined with other promotion.

By Kyle Petersen

This is Japanese juggler Nobuharu Sato performing a very unique juggle act featuring an array of objects. Sato’s performance is reminiscent of routines by Michael Moschen and Greg Kennedy, but features some very innovative concepts.

Hat tip to Ministry of Manipulation for posting the video.

By Kyle Petersen

Dexter the Juggler

Sesame Street first aired 40 years ago, and has featured such universally recognized characters as Elmo, Big Bird and Cookie Monster. However, one character you may not be aware of is Dexter the Juggler.

Dexter appeared in only two segments in the 1980s, and was manipulated by Kevin Clash, who controlled the head, and juggler Fred Garbo, who controlled the hands.

If the name Fred Garbo sounds familiar, it should. Fred is an American juggler, clown and vaudeville performer who has been performing since 1974. He was one of Brian Dubé’s first customers in the mid 1970s, and has been a regular at the store ever since. He has performed across the world, and currently operates the Inflatable Theater Company.

Although Garbo’s career has been long and successful, his stint as Dexter was not. Kevin Clash, better known as the man behind Elmo, has said that Dexter was Sesame Street’s “most spectacular failure”. In his book, My Life as a Furry Red Monster, Clash writes:

I puppeteered the head of the character and we found a talented artist named Fred Garbo to do the juggling while squatting under the camera’s frame. Talk about tough! Trying to coordinate Fred’s actions was next to impossible. Fred was the best, but this was asking too much. We spent most of our time in rehearsal rounding up dropped balls, stumbling over one another, and flubbing lines of dialogue – just try concentrating on what you’re saying when you’ve got balls flying around your head.

Even though Dexter only appeared in two segments of Sesame Street, his memory now lives forever thanks to the magic of YouTube. Below, you can watch Dexter in action. In the first half, Dexter juggles three and four balls. In the second, Dexter teaches the Sesame Street character Gordon how to juggle.

By Kyle Petersen

Baseball has the Yankees and Red Sox. Gangster rap has Tupac and Biggie. Juggling has Chris Bliss and Jason Garfield.

For those who don’t know, Chris Bliss is the star of the first truly viral juggling video. The video features Bliss, a juggler and stand-up comic, performing live interpretive juggling to three songs by The Beatles. The video was an instant success, garnering millions of hits overnight.

This confused many in the juggling community. The routine featured very basic three-ball juggling, intermediate level at best. While the video may have been entertaining to the layman, it certainly doesn’t match up to the skill displayed in other YouTube videos. Enter Jason Garfield, one of juggling’s foremost technicians.

Garfield designed a routine mimicking Bliss’ every move but with 5 balls instead of 3. Garfield even ripped the audio track off of Bliss’ video, complete with applause from the audience. His routine was also a success, although it did not win as many views as Bliss’ routine.

Now, because of the power of the YouTube Doubler, we can watch both routines at the same time. Click here to watch both videos simultaneously.

Brian Dubé has discovered a fresh talent in Gaby Lampkey. He writes on his New York Daily Photo blog:

In a typical evening ritual, I circumnavigated the central plaza of Washington Square Park looking for a music jam. I had a number of choices but I was drawn to this particular man who I had never seen before. He looked like a man passing through.

His voice was very good, his playing style confident and his repertoire quite extensive. The more I listened, the more I liked him, so I decided to make a commitment and sit down. I took a few photos….

Gift Guide

Do you have a juggler in your life? Are you in love with a unicyclist? Looking for a gift for your little daredevil? Gift Guides from Dubé Juggling has just what you’re looking for.

Gift Guides make it easy to shop by category. We have gifts for beginners, serious jugglers, kids, contact jugglers, unicyclists and daredevils.

To make things even easier, we’ve also sorted gift ideas by price. Choose from gifts under $25, gifts under $50, and gifts under $100.

By Kyle Petersen

Kinko the Clown

Another election day has come and gone, as Americans wait for a new group of leaders to take over. The 2010 season has been particularly divisive; extreme rhetoric on both sides of the aisle has converted Congress into a bicameral three-ring circus. While we might object to the behavior of our elected officials, whatever you do, DON’T CALL THEM CLOWNS. Not in front of Keith Nelson anyway.

Nelson, who ran an unsuccessful bid for the White House in 2008, was recently quoted by AOL News with his take on the 2010 election:

“If you look at the history of the American circus, you’ll find that it’s one of the most efficient and well-run industries,” says Keith Nelson, also known as Kinko the Clown of the Bindlestiff Family Circus, a New York City-based group that has traveled the world.

“Before you call anyone in Washington a clown, consider how hard a clown works, and that clowns make people happy. And at the very least, do no harm.”

In the clip below, members of the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus discuss their feelings on the matter, and Kinko discusses his political future.

By Kyle Petersen

Marcus Monroe: The Complete Second Season

Dubé Juggling is proud to announce our newest DVD offering. Marcus Monroe: The Complete Second Season features Milwaukee native and inventor of the Knorch™ as he juggles and unicycles his way out of the Badger State and into our hearts.

Throughout the DVD, Marcus interlaces supreme technical juggling skills with showmanship and his trademark deadpan and offbeat sense of humor. Watch as Marcus juggles five flaming torches. Marvel as he rides a twelve foot unicycle with his head on fire. Be amazed as he sings a rap song about his favorite breakfast cereal (Cinnamon Toast Crunch).

The DVD includes a complete live performance, a step-by-step juggling tutorial, a highlight reel, plus tons of bonus footage.

But that’s not all! Marcus is starring in his own one-man off-Broadway show. This Friday and Saturday only, get tickets to see Marcus Monroe: Live in NYC and see why The New York Press calls Marcus “the rockstar of jugglers”. Click below to watch a preview of his show.

By Kyle Petersen

By now, many of you are aware of Kenny “K-Strass” Strasser, the legendary yo-yo artist who has been preaching a message of environmentalism in schools around the country using his yo-yo skills. In the clip below, K-Strass demonstrates his signature move, the Blue Flying Angel. Watch below!

Want to learn the Blue Flying Angel? YouTube user elephark has posted his own tutorial. Now you too can become a yo-yo master just like K-Strass!

By Kyle Petersen

Brian and Lucky, Separated at birth?

As an icon in the juggling community since the 1970s, Brian Dubé has received hundreds of correspondences over the years. Most of these letters have been from others within the juggling community: fans, friends, well-wishers, critics and complainers. Occasionally, however, the letters he receives are due to a case of mistaken identity.

Lucky Dube (1964-2007) was a South African reggae music legend who produced more than 20 records over his career which spanned three decades. Although we don’t know for sure, we are pretty sure he was not a juggler. He was, however, beloved by fans throughout the African continent and beyond.

One such fan, a boy named George from Ghana, sent a touching letter to Lucky Dube. However, in a case of mistaken identity, the letter ended up not in the hands of a reggae master but in the hands of a juggling equipment maker:

Dear Raggae Master,

I am very pleasure to write you this letter. I believe as I am writing to you you are fine by the grace of “JAH”.

The main point of this letter is to encourage you and also ple begging you to send me Raggae CD. (Cassette DVD).

I am a boy of twelve (12) years and I like music. My favorate mis music is Raggae business (LUKY DUBE song). Anytime I heard your song I became happy due to the way you song sing, the way you present the words.

I have meet and like many songs, but your’s is different. Please raggar master I need C.D. cassette to hear more from you or to learn more from you. I know by the grace name of JAH, you will bring.

MAY “JAH” BLESSED YOU AND YOUR FAMILY,

GOOD-BYE

2ND JANUARY 2004.

As of right now, Brian is not considering a career in reggae music.

Copy of the letter, as received