Maxi Puke 201 Circus Poker
Maxi Puke 201 Circus Poker brand produced by Wenyu Paper Products, Shanghai.
“Maxi Puke 201” Circus Poker produced by Wenyu Paper Products, Shanghai, with attractive bird drawings on the court cards and reverse. The words “Maxi Puke" are simply a romanization of the phrase 马戏扑克. This means “Circus [brand] poker” in English. The Chinese word for “circus” literally means "horse show” (referring to stunts in horseriding), hence the presence of horses in both the jokers, the ace of spades and the central medallion on the box. The pip cards are quite ordinary western style pips. See the cardboard box►
Above: the phrase on the bottom of the jokers is 上海文娱纸品一厂出品. This can be translated as “Product of Wenyu Paper Products, Shanghai” Wenyu (文娱), the manufacturer’s name, means “Literature and Leisure”. The leaping horse on the jokers shows a backdrop of industrial chimneys which suggests pride of China’s rapid growth in industry.
Above: “Maxi Puke 201” Circus Poker brand produced by Wenyu Paper Products, Shanghai. 52 cards + 2 jokers in box.
Notes and Chinese translations courtesy Anthony Lee.
By Matt Probert
Member since March 02, 2012
I have adored playing cards since before I was seven years old, and was brought up on packs of Waddington's No 1. As a child I was fascinated by the pictures of the court cards.
Over the next fifty years I was seduced by the artwork in Piatnik's packs and became a collector of playing cards.
Seeking more information about various unidentified packs I discovered the World of Playing Cards website and became an enthusiastic contributor researching and documenting different packs of cards.
I describe my self as a playing card archaeologist, using detective work to identify and date obscure packs of cards discovered in old houses, flea markets and car boot sales.
Related Articles
La Réussite (Sébastien Féraut)
Sébastien Féraut’s designs inspired by the animal kingdom for a set promoting patience games.
Russian Circus deck
The Russian Circus deck published by the Imperial Playing Card Factory, St Petersburg.
QAIPES – cartas españolas
Spanish-suited cards made in China inscribed “QAIPES” and “BAIPES”!
Animal Kingdom
Crafted by Hatch Design and benefitting the World Wildlife Fund, animal heads replace the traditiona...
Go Green playing cards
Suggestions how to “go green” and help combat the impact of climate change.
North American wildlife playing cards
From humid wetlands to frozen tundra, the wildlife in North America is extremely diverse.
Hummingbirds of the Americas
Colour photographs of hummingbirds with data about each species to aid recognition.
Seashells playing cards
Each card shows colour photo of a different seashell for easy identification.
Sweetule Natural History cards
Small cards featuring natural history subjects, given away with packets of sweet cigarettes.
Commoners playing cards
Created by Ian Cumpstey dedicated to the common land and the countryside.
Bibaraja
Amusing designs of boys as circus performers by Alberto Muñiz Sánchez.
Gone to Pot: Gardener’s playing cards
‘Gone to Pot’: special playing cards for keen gardeners, United Kingdom.
3-D Dino Cards
Lenticular images of different, unnamed dinosaurs on all-plastic cards.
The Famous Dinosaurs Playing Cards
54 different dinosaurs, both large and small, illustrated by Cecilia Fitzsimons.
A Gardener’s Labyrinth
Photographs of flowers, herbs and vegetables by leading photographer Tessa Traeger.
Pixel Tarot
This tarot deck pays tribute to the golden age of pixelated video games, drawing inspiration from th...
Most Popular
Our top articles from the past 28 days
