The Ice Follies , formerly known as the Shipstads & Johnson Ice Follies , is a touring ice show featuring elaborate production numbers, similar in concept to Ice Capades . It was founded in 1936 by Eddie and Roy Shipstad, and Oscar Johnson. In later years, Olympic skaters such as Donald Jackson , Barbara Berezowski , Peggy Fleming , and Janet Lynn were in the cast. Ice Follies also featured novelty acts such as Frick and Frack and Richard Dwyer, who was billed as "Mr. Debonair".
23-559: The production company is now called Ice Follies and Holiday on Ice, Inc., a subsidiary of Feld Entertainment which produces the shows under the Disney on Ice and "... on Ice" titles. Feld formed the new subsidiary from the Ice Follies and U.S. Holiday on Ice touring companies. The show was a variety show that included a chorus line called The Ice Folliettes, which led to synchronized figure skating , that famously precisely performed
46-722: A Disney show on ice. By 1980, the company produced 10 circus and ice show TV specials. An investment was also made in Barnum , the Broadway musical. In 1981, Ken Feld started the Beyond Belief show at the New Frontier Hotel and Casino . The Felds bought the company back in 1982 for $ 22.8 million. By then, the business included Holiday on Ice, Ice Follies, Walt Disney's World on Ice, and Beyond Belief starring Las Vegas magicians Siegfried and Roy . Circus World
69-484: A Marvel character-based live arena show. Marketing campaign company Cimarron Group was hired in 2013 by Feld Entertainment for all media campaign for Marvel Live and other Feld shows. The Cimarron Group however shut down August 2013. Juliette Feld was promoted to chief operating officer of the family-owned business in February 2016. In November 2016, Feld Entertainment and Sesame Workshop announced an agreement for
92-533: A kick line and pinwheel on ice. Son of Swedish parents who had migrant to St. Paul, Minnesota , typewriter salesman Eddie Skeppstedts (later Shipstads) became friends with chemist Oscar Johnson skating at local lakes. They practiced skating stunts together and were hired as halftime entertainment for the local professional hockey team and then for the National Hockey League New York Rangers . Eddie's brother Roy - himself
115-1067: A new Sesame Street Live show to debut in October 2017 to replace one by VStar Entertainment Group ending in July 2017. Citing low attendance rates, Feld Entertainment announced the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus would close after their final performance on May 21, 2017. The retirement of the elephants was a factor in the decreased attendance, but the company would continue operating its Center for Elephant Conservation . The newly "reimagined" circus opened in Bossier City, Louisiana on September 29, 2023, but without any animal acts. In 2018, Feld Entertainment and Universal Brand Development agreed to develop multiple properties into mobile pop-up attractions. Feld Entertainment owns: (most on Broadway): Disney on Ice Disney on Ice , originally Walt Disney's World on Ice ,
138-662: A promotion agreement in April 2011 which brought various Feld productions to Zingia's managed arenas for a total of 18 weeks. Among the shows that toured Mexico was Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey which returned in May 2012 after an absence of ten years. In January 2012, the company purchased Palmetto Corporate Center, a former Siemens Corp. complex in Ellenton, Florida , and over a five year period moved most of its operations and world headquarters, as well as its production center, to
161-586: A successful amateur skater - would later join them to perform charity shows and eventually as the Shipstads & Johnson Ice Follies. Ice Follies produced the first large scale, professional touring show in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on November 7, 1936 . Ice Follies was featured in the Joan Crawford film, The Ice Follies of 1939 , MGM 's answer to the popular Sonja Henie films of the time. Frick and Frack ,
184-588: Is a series of touring ice shows produced by Feld Entertainment 's Ice Follies And Holiday on Ice, Inc. division under agreement with The Walt Disney Company . Aimed primarily at children, the shows feature figure skaters portraying the roles of Disney characters in performances derived from various Disney films. Feld Entertainment licensed the rights to Disney material for ice shows and includes shared merchandising revenue between Disney and Ice Follies. Soon after Mattel 's Irvin & Kenneth Feld Productions purchased Ice Follies and Holiday on Ice in 1979,
207-552: The Disney Channel original movie, High School Musical was launched as an ice tour in 2006 and lasted three years, despite having been originally expected to last one year. Feld Entertainment Feld Entertainment Inc. is an American live show production company which owns a number of traveling shows. The company began with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus before expanding into additional live events, including Disney on Ice (under license from
230-646: The motorsports division of Live Nation , including the properties of Monster Jam (and several associated monster trucks ), Supercross , Arenacross, and the IHRA . The motor sport division was renamed Feld Entertainment Motor Sports. Feld Motor Sports launched its first new arena-based freestyle motocross touring production, Nuclear Cowboyz, in 2010. Feld Motor Sports sold the IHRA to IRG Sports + Entertainment in 2012. Feld Entertainment and Zignia Live, management company of Arena Ciudad de Mexico and Arena Monterrey, signed
253-513: The Ice Follies and the Holiday on Ice from Wirtz for $ 12 million in 1979. The company soon approached Disney about doing a Disney-related show on ice. Ice Follies merged with Holiday on Ice in 1980, operating as a combined show in 1980 and 1981. The first Disney's World on Ice began touring in 1981. Frick suffered a career ending injury in 1980. In 1995, the company branched out from Disney's World on Ice with The Wizard of Oz on Ice ,
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#1732772830071276-617: The Walt Disney Company ), Monster Jam , Monster Energy AMA Supercross and Sesame Street Live (under license from Sesame Workshop ). The company is family-owned. In 1967, promoters Irvin Feld and Israel Feld, as well as former Houston, Texas , mayor Roy M. Hofheinz made an offer to purchase the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus from John Ringling North and other minority shareholders associated with
299-517: The comic skating duo, joined the show in 1939. In 1946, Ice Follies began co-producing Ice Cycles with Ice Capades . In 1949, Ice Follies left the Ice Cycles show, leaving it under Ice Capades' ownership. In 1950, Roy Shipstad retired from performing and recruited Richard Dwyer to take over his role of "Debonair" as the "Young Debonair". By 1966, "Young" was dropped from the role title that later became "Mr. Debonair". Frack became ill in 1954 ending
322-525: The company approached Disney about doing a Disney-related show on ice. Feld Productions licensed the rights to Disney material for ice shows. In 1981, they began productions under the name Walt Disney's World on Ice. In March 1982, Irvin & Kenneth Feld purchased back Feld Productions from Mattel including Ice Follies/Walt Disney's World on Ice. In 1987, Walt Disney's World on Ice made its international debut in Japan with Happy Birthday Donald . In 1988,
345-484: The company had five touring shows. The name was changed to "Disney on Ice" in 1998. By 2008, a new show was launched every year. The show is usually hosted by Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse , assisted at times by Goofy and Donald Duck . The series also implements characters and stories from recently released Disney films as a cross-promotion tactic, with each subject changing as the show annually updates. In 2020, Disney on Ice shows were cancelled worldwide due to
368-555: The company's outstanding shares in 1971 for $ 50 million in stock, and Irvin Feld continued in his role as manager and producer of the circus. After Walt Disney World opened near Orlando, Florida , in 1971, Mattel attempted to cash in on the tourism surge by opening Circus World in nearby Haines City . Irvin & Kenneth Feld Productions in 1979 purchased from Chicago-based Bill Wirtz the Holiday on Ice and Ice Follies for $ 12 million. The company soon approached Disney about doing
391-541: The complex. Feld Entertainment also occupies a 241,457-square-foot warehouse in the Baltimore-Washington Industrial Park, Jessup, Maryland where it stores and distributes merchandise and souvenirs for its various productions. In 2015, Feld Motor Sports HQ moved from Illinois to Ellenton. In March 2013, Feld agreed with Marvel Entertainment , which was acquired by The Walt Disney Company in 2009, to produce Marvel Universe Live! ,
414-703: The duo, but Frick continued at Ice Follies with other partners. In the mid-1960s, Thomas Scallen took an executive position with Ice Follies which he eventually bought in 1964. The Ice Follies were placed within General Ice Shows, Inc., a subsidiary of Scallen's Medical Investment Corporation. General Shows purchased Holiday on Ice (HoI) by August 1971 . After lawsuits filed by HoI's Chaffen and Arthur Wirtz were resolved in August 1971 and February 1976 respectively, Wirtz gained ownership of both shows. Mattel 's Irvin & Kenneth Feld Productions purchased
437-563: The family. Broadway producers Cy Feuer and Ernest H. Martin sued in December 1967 to stop the sale. Nevertheless, the purchase of the combined circuses from the Ringling and North families to the Feld group took place for $ 8 million. The company was taken public in 1969. Kenneth Feld joined the business in 1970 after finishing college. In 1971, the Mattel toy manufacturer purchased
460-487: The first of the Classic Ice Spectaculars. Disney's World on Ice launched its first international tour in 1986 starting in Japan, had five different touring units by 1988, and changed its name in 1998 to "Disney on Ice". The first ice show done in conjunction with 20th Century Fox was Anastasia On Ice starting in 1998. Ice Follies also expanded to perform Grease on Ice as early as 1999. Based on
483-450: Was a vice president in charge of the circus. The company sold its Vienna, Virginia headquarters in May 2006 to America's Capital Partners then leased it back until 2018. In 2007, Nicole and Alana were elevated to executive vice president of the company. The company signed a 10-year agreement with Disney Live Family Entertainment for Disney on Ice, Disney Live and other Disney productions in August 2008. In September, Feld also acquired
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#1732772830071506-742: Was hired into the family business in 2001 and became the first female producer of the Ringling Bros. Circus in 2004. Alana also signed on in 2003. Due to an accident in October 2003, the Siegfried & Roy show was closed at the Mirage Hotel . The following June, Feld Entertainment began producing Disney Live! with a Winnie the Pooh live show in the United Kingdom. Alana produced the first Doodlebops Live! in 2006. In 2006, Nicole
529-693: Was sold to Arizona developer James Monaghan in 1984. Ringlings' third touring company, Gold Unit, premiered on July 1, 1988 in Japan and the smaller production, which later toured on trucks, was eventually routed into towns that were too small for the larger circus units. In late 1988, Beyond Belief began an international tour, which included New York's Radio City Music Hall and venues in Japan . In October 1996 , Irvin & Kenneth Feld Productions, Inc. changed its name to Feld Entertainment, Inc. In 2001, Ken Feld began gifting shares of Feld Entertainment to his three daughters Nicole, Alana and Juliette Feld. Nicole
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