WEST COAST AMUSEMENTS - Key Persons

Irvin R. "Bingo" Hauser was born Oct. 17, 1926, in Warsaw, Poland. Less than a year later, baby Irvin moved to Canada with his parents and family, settling in Brandon, Manitoba. Even as a child, young Irvin was always a hardworking entrepreneur, doing odd jobs, paper route, and selling pots and pans. At 15 yrs., Irvin (Bingo) and his buddy Sonny Hazelwood left home to seek adventure with the glamorous world of the travelling carnivals, first Crescent Shows, Royal American Shows and Conklin Shows with Patty Conklin. By the time Bingo was 21, he had travelled most of Canada and spent several years doing every job conceivable related to the carnival industry. The theory is Irvin got his nickname "Bingo", from when customers at the bingo game won they would shout "House"! (So House or Haus became Bingo.) Bingo traces his passion for carnival life back to the 1930s. At this time, in Manitoba, where he grew up, the Barnum & Bailey Circus would come through his hometown. Bingo would peel potatoes or do whatever other small jobs needed to be done. In 1942, at age 16, Bingo stepped into the business. As his experience with the carnival industry grew, so did his skill and talent in the business. He operated a number of rides and concessions before going out on his own with an animal show. At first, the show only consisted of a few monkeys and two lion cubs named Simba and Jackie. He began his lion-taming act with Simba. Eventually, Bingo bought a merry-go-round and soon had a growing menagerie of animals, including a bear, an alligator, and an anaconda. Simba became the star of Bingo's show. Bingo and their fans loved him, and his depiction is now immortalized in the West Coast Amusement logo.