Freak Show A freak show is an exhibition of rarities, "freaks of nature" - such as unusually tall or short humans, and people with both male and female secondary sexual characteristics - and performances that are expected to be shocking to the viewers. Heavily tattooed or pierced people have sometimes been seen in freak shows, as have fire-eating and sword-swallowing acts.
History
Freak shows were popular in the United States from around 1840 to 1940, and were often, but not always, associated with circuses and carnivals. Some shows also exhibited deformed animals (such as two-headed cows, one-eyed pigs, and four-horned goats), famous hoaxes, or simply "science gone wrong" exhibits (such as deformed babies). A recent example of this style of freak show is called The Venice Beach Freakshow which is located in Venice, California. This attraction houses a huge collection of freaks and strange oddities. The owner claims that it has the largest collection of two-headed animals in the world.
Advances in medicine and political changes all but sounded the death knell for the freak show. As previously mysterious anomalies were scientifically explained as genetic mutations or diseases, freaks became the objects of pity rather than fear or disdain. The eugenics movement saw human anomalies as unfortunate mistakes of nature. In 1937, Germany passed a law outlawing freak shows, decrying them as exploitation (this however made it legal for the Nazis to arrest freakshow acts and experiment on them).
Thus the term "freak show" has become archaic and widely seen as pejorative; shows such as Jim Rose Circus sideshow, and those at Coney Island are more politely termed sideshows. However, Cut Throat Freak Show still uses the term, as do many other freak show and sideshow performers.
Today, freak shows are outlawed in a number of U.S. states. For example, Michigan law forbids the "exhibition of any deformed human being or human monstrosity, except as used for scientific purposes".
Today
Freak shows are rare today, often reduced to museum displays containing newspaper clippings, photographs, statues, and other memorabilia of the freak shows of earlier times.
A freak show currently traveling in the USA (2005-2007) with born living human oddities and medical anomalies is the 999 Eyes of Endless Dream Carnival Museum & Sideshow. This show features people born with medical anomalies such as the Black Scorpion aka Lobster Bro, Jackie the Half Girl, Peg Leg the Modern-Day Elephant Man, Lobster Girl, and the Dame Demure Madame Miniature along with a museum that includes pickled punks and many items from John Strong's collection, including Patches a stuffed two-headed calf.
Although widely referred to as freaks, a distinction must be made between self-made freaks and born freaks. Generally, the most extreme examples of self-made freaks are referred to as "Human Marvels". Katzen, The Enigma, The Lizardman and both the Scottish and Texan Leopard men are all human marvels.
With the rise of the Internet, the freak show mentality has been given a new lease on life as sites such as rotten.com arose, allowing people to gaze at "freakish" abnormalities that would not have been seen during the television era due to ideas about aesthetic taste.
A historical timeline of the Freakshow
The exhibition of human oddities seen as far back as recorded history - we start in the year 1738.
1738 - The exhibition of an exhibit who "was taken in a wook at Guinea; 'tis a female about four feet high in every part like a woman excepting her head which nearly resembles the ape."
By the late 18th century, the science of teratology changed the belief that freaks were evil omens and the work of Satan or witches. Instead, people believed the theory that freaks were part of God's great order of creatures.
1822 - The FeeJee Mermaid is discovered in Indonesia by Captain Eades.
1829 - Chang and Eng "the original Siamese twins" were exhibited in America.
1839 - J.G. Milligan writes "curiosities of medical experiments" in which freaks are described.
1844 - P. T. Barnum arrives in London to exhibit Tom Thumb, the famous midget.
1860 - Barney and Hiram are presented as wild men from the island of Borneo. The guide book for Barnum American museum list 13 human curiosities. Zip the Pinhead begins his six-decade career with Barnum.
1863 - Barnum uses his brilliant showman skills to get the civil war and emancipation proclamation pushed off the front pages and replaced by a midget wedding.
1870-1890 - Dime museums are at the height of their popularity, with the freakshow as the main attraction.
1876 - Wild men of Borneo, wild Australian children, man-eating FeeJee Mermaids and the 602lb woman are exhibited at the first World?s Fair in Philadelphia.
1880 - First freakshow at Coney Island.
1883 - Coney Island freakshow debuts Henrietta 'Nose Javelin' Whitfield. Many belive her to be the ugliest beast freak that ever lived. Her hag head and witchcraft led to her execution in 1897.
1884 - Freak recruiting becomes a career and full time occupation.
1889 - British medical journal describes Myrtle Corbin, the "four-legged girl," and verifies that both sets of reproductive organs as workable and capable of birthing children.
1890 - The Jones twins, Siamese twins joined at buttocks and sharing a rectum die on carnival tour at fifteen months old.
Latter part of the 19th century - The theory that freaks are biological throwbacks to earlier races of humans and apes is introduced. The theory of maternal impression attributes traumatic or significant events experienced by the pregnant woman as an explanation for deformities.
Turn of the 20th century - The resurgence of Mendel's law of genetics coupled with Darwin's Origin of Species introduced the idea that freaks could "taint the gene pool".
1904 - Silbey devises the "Ten-In-One" show and creates jobs for talkers.
1908 - An article in Scientific American introduces concept of freak exhibitions being inhumane and barbaric.
1915 - San Francisco exposition includes a midget village and dime museum freakshow.
1922 - Professor Sam Wagner starts the World's Circus freak show at Coney Island. General public can read articles in popular press explaining the diseases behind oddities.
1925 - Freaks can be seen performing on the vaudeville stage.
1932 - Tod Browning's Pre-Code-era film Freaks tells the story of a traveling freakshow. The use of real freaks in the film provoked public outcries and was widely unsuccessful until its re-release in 1960s.
1933 - Chicago Expo features a pit show with a "live two-headed baby" in a jar of formaldehyde.
Late 1930s - The switch in social view of those with physical or mental anomalies from fabulous freaks and curiosities to diseased people with disorders was complete.
1940 - Freakshow is on the ropes and the dime museum essentially dead. The three-legged man, Frank Lentini, opens a freakshow.
1950 - Historical sideshow died as public demands freaks be given "dignity" and not exhibited, at this time many went into institutions or on the welfare system.
1952 - The "Human Torso" is still on exhibit.
1960 - Albert-Alberta Karas (siblings each half man, half woman) exhibits with Bobby Reynolds on sideshow tour.
1969 - John Strong purchases Patches the two headed cow for $150 begins his freak animal show.
1972 - At north fair Sealo and the dwarf Pete Terhune confront charges against them for exhibiting themselves. The charges equated freakshows with pornography
1980's Bobby Reynolds is arrested for exhibiting pickled punks.
1983 Coney Island USA, founded by Dick D. Zigun, opens Sideshows by the Seashore, starting a sideshow revival in Coney Island.
1984 - Freakshow performer Otis Jordan (the frog boy) is barred from exhibiting himself at the New York State Fair on the basis that the exhibition of human oddities is exploitative. Barbara Baskin, a "disability rights activist" led this fight and Otis was out of a job for two years before he beat the case and could perform again.
1992 - Grady Stiles (the lobster boy) is shot in his home in Gibsonton Florida.
1996 - Franklins FREAKSHOW A new Freakshow concept using Robotic Freaks instead of humans has its first gig at V96 in Cheltenam.
1996 - Chicago shock-jock Mancow Muller presented Mancow's Freak Show at the United Center in the Summer of 1996, to crowd of 30,000. The show included Kathy Stiles and her brother Grady III as the Lobster Twins.
1998 - The Brazilian TV show "Ratinho Livre", whose main performer was Carlos "Ratinho" Massa became a kind of freak show, exhibiting mainly children with serious physical anomalies, such as hundreds of facial tumors (Eleandro, the Elephant Boy), tails, amputations, et cetera. Later, near 2000, the Brazilian justice prohibited such appearances on TV shows.
2000-2007 Ken Harck's Brothers Grim Sideshow debuted at the Great Circus Parade in Milwaukee, WI in the summer of 2000. The Milwaukee run included a fat lady and bearded lady Melinda Maxi, as well as self made freaks The Enigma and Katzen. In later years the show has included Half-boy Jesse Stitcher and Chuey the Mexican Werewolf Boy. Bros. Grim toured with the Ozz Fest music festival in 2006 and 2007.
2005-2007 - Ward Hall is still going strong with his sideshow where he still exhibits some born freaks.
2005-2007 - The 999 Eyes of Endless Dream Carnival Museum & Sideshow takes modern-day freaks on tours
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