The Bumbling Brothers Circus, "The Smallest... Biggest Show on Earth", is a spoof of the long-running Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, known as "The Greatest Show on Earth". P.T. Barnum's Greatest Show on Earth merged with the Cooper and Bailey Circus in 1881, traveling around America and Europe. The Ringling brothers operated a circus out of the American Midwest starting in 1884, and bought out the rival Barnum and Bailey show in 1907. Initially run separately, the two shows were combined in 1919, and continued operation until 2017.