GIANTS RINGS
What better way to show how big a giant is than to demonstrate how big his finger is in comparison to yours!
That is the idea behind the souvenirs known as Giant's Rings.
The carnival giant would place the ring on his finger, showing that it fit snugly.
Then he'd invite a member of the crowd to try it on.
Of course, the ring was WAY to big!
And then the giant would pull out a box of rings and sell them as souvenirs to the eager carnival audience.
The earlier rings were cast out of pot metal and had the name of the giant impressed in the ring.
The later rings were made of plastic.
Well known carnival giants such as Jack Earle, Al Tomaini, JG Tarver and my favorite Johann Petersson earned most of their money selling these rings.
You can still find a few for sale on the secondary market (like eBay).
Let me show you some vintage giant's rings from my collection...