This is a near complete set of Crandall's "The Acrobats," part of Charles M. Crandall's celebrated line of interlocking wooden building blocks, patented February 5, 1867. Housed in its original sliding-lid wooden box with the label still intact — "Crandall's Great Show. The Acrobats. Full of Fun and Frolic, and Most Brilliant in Costume. Will exhibit at the house of the purchaser Afternoon and Evening. No Postponement on Account of Weather. Matinee Every Morning."
Grinning, hand-lithographed performer heads with expressive Victorian faces, each fitted with a tongue-and-groove joint
Brightly patterned violin-shaped torsos in bold red, blue, and gold costume motifs — no two alike
Candy-striped articulated arms and legs, designed to interlock and snap together so the acrobats can be posed mid-tumble, arm-in-arm, or stacked into pyramids
The pieces connect vianotched slot construction
Near full set of figure components present — heads, torsos, arms, legs — along with the fitted wooden storage case
Condition notes (see photos): Wear consistent with age and genuine period use. Box lid has slight damage along top edge; missing one set of arms; some heads, torsos, arms and legs have chipped or missing grooves.
