Thousands of Pies to Fly as The Greatest Show On Earth® Raises Awareness and Funds for Two Premier Metroplex Clowning Programs

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® invites Dallas/Fort Worth families and businesses to join in ultimate shaving cream chaos on Tuesday, July 31, 6:00 p.m. as The Greatest Show On Earth® teams up with two premier Metroplex clowning programs in a Guinness World Records® attempt for the largest shaving cream pie fight ever held. The event will take place outside American Airlines Center in AT&T Plaza. The arena is located at 2500 Victory Avenue, Dallas, TX 75219.

The Biggest Shaving Cream Pie Fight On Earth is a celebratory event to kick-off International Clown
Week and the Dallas/Fort Worth debut of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey presents FULLY
CHARGEDSM. According to Clowns of America International, August 1-7 is “International Clown Week,” which honors the charitable activities of clowns and clowning, as first proclaimed by the late Richard Nixon in 1971. Ringling Bros. Clown Alley will pay tribute to Children’s Medical Center’s Funnyatrics therapeutic clown program and Lewisville Life and Fire Safety Clowns. All three clowning teams will provide pie-ing tips and lead participants in the Biggest Shaving Cream Pie Fight On Earth with the hopes of shattering the current record.

The largest shaving cream pie fight is a new record category, and has a minimum requirement of 684 participants. It is based on the old record for the largest custard pie fight, which has since been rested due to concerns about wasting food. The largest custard pie fight record was held by Drake University, and was held at the Olmsted Student Center Parking lot in Des Moines, Iowa, on April 9, 2011. At the July 31 event, a Guinness World Record® adjudicator will be in attendance to declare whether or not the current world record has been defeated.

To participate in this pie-throwing extravaganza, participants must be at least 12-years-old and register in advance at Ringling Pie Fight. In addition to participating in an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, each registered participant will receive one each of a Certificate of Participation and souvenir premium item. The last day to register online is Tuesday, July 31 at Noon. However, people may register in-person at the event.

There is no required registration fee for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Biggest Shaving Cream Pie Fight On Earth. However, Ringling Bros. ® asks that you consider making a donation to help support the Funnyatrics Clown Program at Children’s Medical Center and Lewisville Life and Fire Safety Clowns programs. Both programs operate solely on donations by the general public and corporations. 100% of the monies donated will be divided between the two charities. You may make a donation regardless of whether or not you participate in the event or not.

In addition to the pie fight, there will be a host of fun activities for Children of All Ages including
performances by the world famous Ringling Bros. Clown Alley, face painting, circus games, and more.

Participants may park at AudiPark, formerly known as Platinum Garage. It is located on North Houston and All-Star Way. Parking is free at AudiPark.

For more information on this fun event, please visit Ringling Pie Fight. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey presents FULLY CHARGEDSM will play at American Airlines Center, August 1-12, and Fort Worth Convention Center, August 15-19. For tickets and show schedules, visit The Greatest Show on Earth.

ABOUT FUNNYATRICS CLOWN PROGRAM AT CHILDREN’S MEDICAL CENTER
Launched in 2005, Funnyatrics is a therapeutic clowning program at Children’s Medical Center. The Funnyatrics visit all inpatient floors and clinics in the hospital, and are all professional clowns employed by Children’s. Their job is to uplift the environment of the hospital and empower the children. Funnyatrics rounds are six days a week, fifty weeks a year, and roughly 75,000 people each year at Children’s get to experience the clowns. The Funnyatrics clowns, who work in pairs, typically see 300 patients and their families each day. This program is funded entirely by donations made to the Funnyatrics Endowment Foundation at Children's. This endowment was created by Amy and Harlan Korenvaes in 2006. To learn more, visit Children't Medical Center.
 

ABOUT LEWISVILLE LIFE AND FIRE SAFETY CLOWNS
Lewisville Life and Fire Safety Clowns, more commonly known as LAFS, is an educational non-profit organization that empowers young people how to save them in an emergency. The LAFS educators have been instructing area youth for roughly 12 years now and show no sign of slowing down. Annually sharing their safety messages with approximately 8000 students and teachers, it has become a highlight of the school year when the Lewisville LAFS crew, step into the schools to entertain and educate. This non-profit group has been the proud recipients of the LISD Golden Apple award for excellence in education. The only funding that is used by the Lewisville LAFS team is either from their pockets, or from the generous grants presented to them from community organizations who have realized the importance of keeping this program alive in our schools. Visit Lewisille LAFS to learn more.

ABOUT RINGLING BROS.
Don’t miss Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents FULLY CHARGEDSM, the all-new surge of circus entertainment from Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey where megawatts of thrills explode off of the arena floor with breathtaking dare-devilry, superhuman stunts and never-before-seen performances that energize Children Of All Ages. The 141st Edition of The Greatest Show On Earth® celebrates all kinds of power: horse-power, man-power, the power of beauty and grace, sheer amazing athletic power. For more information, visit The Greatest Show on Earth.
 

Ready... Set... SPLAT!  Fun Facts about Pie Fights!

What’s in a Number?

• The current Guinness World Record for the biggest shaving cream pie fight is 684 participants. In order to set a new record, 685+ participants are needed.
• Over 300 1 ½ oz. bars of soap will be used to create a whopping 2,000 shaving cream pies!
• The total prep time to make a 32 gallon container of soap is approximately 40 minutes.
• Over 100 shaving cream pies can be made from a 32 gallon container.
• Supply list to create 2000 pies:
         o 10: ½” drills
         o 10: 5” mixer 24” tall
         o 20: 32 gallon containers with rollers and lids

How’d They Do That?
How hard can it be to make pies out of shaving soap? Well, it’s not rocket science but there is a science and process to creating the perfect consistency for a shaving cream pie. Sure you could just take a can of shaving cream, shake it up and squirt it on to a plate and call it a day but for this event we had to use bars of soap that did not contain alcohol so that it would not stain the concrete of the AT&T Plaza. Below is a step-by-step tutorial on how we at The Greatest Show On Earth® create pies.

• Take about 6 bars of soap and grate them with a salad shooter or grater.
• Take the grated soap and put it in a 32 gallon container with about 4 inches of cold water and let the soap soak for about 30 minutes. (Warm water can be used as well but we found that cold water actually helps the soap last longer and holds its consistency better).
• After the soap has soaked for 30 minutes, you will now need a drill and a special drill bit for mixing which can be found at most hardware stores. Children – make sure that the adults do this step.
• Using the drill, mix the soapy water so that it begins to whip. Take the drill and mix the water in a circular motion. You will see that the water will begin to rise and thicken. Once it begins to rise you will then want to take the drill and move it in a circular motion while also moving the drill up and down so that more air will be whipped into the soapy mixture.
• This whole process should take about 10 to 15 minutes. Check the soap for its consistency. The ideal thickness should be very similar to a meringue. If the soap is soupy, try adding more soap and whipping it with the mixer for longer.
• When the soap is done, scoop up the soap and put it on either a paper plate or a tin pie pan, and voila you have a shaving cream pie!

The Art of Pieing!

Pieing – is the act of throwing a pie at a person or persons. The origin of pieing was said to have started in the early 1900’s in the form of slapstick comedy. At Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, pieing is still used by the clowns for gags. It is also tradition to pie someone on their birthday.

There is an art of pieing someone and several different techniques you can use. Below is a list of different methods that can be used:
• Simple Pie – Pieing someone by smushing the pie into someone face using your dominant hand.
• Double Pie – Pieing someone using two pies simultaneously.
• Revenge Pie – Pieing someone after you’ve been pied.
• The Simultaneous Pie – Pieing someone as they are pieing you.
• The Pie Launch – Chucking a pie at an opponent.
• The Sandwich Pie – You and a friend pie someone from both sides at the same time.
• The Multi Pie – When two people constantly pie one person.
• The Flip-Up Pie – When you flip someone’s hand that is carrying a pie so that they pie themselves.
• The Full Body Pie – When someone is covered from head to toe with pies

And just like there is an art to pieing, there is also an art to receiving a pie. The most important thing to remember is trying to keep your eyes closed (in this event, that’ won’t be a problem, because you’ll be supplied with goggles) but also keeping your mouth closed – unless you want to know what it’s like to have your mouth washed out with soap.

HAPPY PIEING and don't forget to tell your friends to register for the Biggest Shaving Cream Pie Fight on Earth!