When you think of the term “freak show”
you might imagine scenes from a bygone era, like P.T. Barnum’s American Museum. Years ago, people born with disabilities were
often put on display as sideshow attractions in nearly every circus and carnival. In most cases, these performers were glad
to be a part of a “freak show” because it meant that they had a steady job. It also gave them a community after years
of being rejected by society. Some were even able to achieve fame and fortune
with their talents. Today, though, there is a stigma against gawking
at people who are different, and the word “freak” is considered highly offensive. Freak shows have dwindled as the years have
passed, but they haven’t totally gone away. For many, performing has become a side-hustle
on top of a regular 9-to-5 job, but that doesn’t make them any less special. Here are 10 incredible examples of freak show
performances in modern times… 10. The Kingdom of the Little People In China, there is an amusement park called
“The Kingdom of the Little People,” which is dedicated to housing dwarves who live,
work, and perform there. But this isn’t some antiquated attraction
that was built a hundred years ago. In fact, it was created in 2009 by a real
estate mogul named Chen Ming. During an interview with Reuters, he said
that he opened the park as a way to do good. In China, it is incredible difficult for dwarves
to find a job. By creating the park, Chen Ming is providing
employment and housing to over 100 little people. Not all of them have to dance and sing in
front of an audience, either. There are plenty of cashiers, groundskeepers,
accountants, artists, sales representatives, and security guards who work there, as well. As an added bonus, everyone who works there
earns a salary equivalent to the average Chinese college graduate. The park has received plenty of criticism,
of course. Advocates of dwarfism all over the world believe
that this park will do more harm than good, because it is highlighting their differences,
rather than pushing for them to be integrated into Chinese society. Vice News made a documentary investigating
the conditions of the park. When they interviewed the performers, they
seemed to actually be very happy and grateful. Some even left behind their full-time careers
elsewhere in favor of being in the Kingdom of the Little People, because it meant that
they could be part of a community that totally accepted them as they are. 9. The Wolf Boy A genetic condition called Hypertrichosis,
also known as “werewolf syndrome,” has been around for centuries. As the name suggests, werewolf syndrome causes
people to grow an abnormal amount of body hair, to the point where it even covers their
entire face. One of the most famous examples of this was
a man named Petrus Gonsalvus. He and his wife Catherine are remembered as
the inspiration for Beauty and the Beast. In modern times, there are only about 100
people in the world who are born with hypertrichosis, and the most well-known is Larry Gomez. He was born in Mexico, and moved to the United
States in order to get into show business. Gomez became a regular installment at the
Venice Beach Freak Show in California, where he went by his stage name, “Wolf Boy.” Since then, he has grown a career as a working
actor. He has appeared in several documentaries,
TV shows, and movies, including the Hollywood film Water for Elephants. 8. Lobster Boy Multiple generations of the Stiles family
were afflicted with a genetic condition known as ectrodactyly, which is where fingers are
fused together and resemble claws or flippers. Grady Stiles was born in 1937, and he was
called “Lobster Boy” all his life. He appeared in sideshows, just like his father
before him. While living at the circus, Stiles married
a woman named Mary Herzog, who performed as “The Electrified Girl.” The two married, and had children who were
also born with ectrodactyly. Grady Stiles could not walk, so he needed
to use a wheelchair. This gave him a tremendous amount of upper-body
strength. Even though he was disabled, he was strong
enough to beat his wife and children whenever he went on a bender. This violence escalated to a breaking point
for the family when his daughter became pregnant out of wedlock by a fellow circus performer. Stiles grabbed a shotgun, and killed his daughter’s
boyfriend. He stood trial for the murder, but he got
away with 15 years on probation, simply because the jail was not equipped to house someone
with his disability. After this incident, he was confident that
he could get away with just about anything, since he had already gotten away with murder. He began to threaten his wife and children,
who woke up to find Stiles holding a knife to their throats while they slept. His wife paid a local assassin named Chris
Wayant $1,500 to shoot Grady in the back of the head. Ironically, Wayant did, in fact, end up with
life in prison for the murder of the Lobster Boy. 7. Gibsonton, Florida, AKA “Showtown, USA” For years, the entire town of Gibsonton, Florida
became a go-to place for circus performers to live during the winter months, when it
was too cold to travel with a circus. Because of this, it earned the reputation
as being an entire town of giants, bearded ladies, dwarves, and more. Many of the performers who lived and worked
in Gibsonton appeared in the 1932 movie Freaks. Residents abided by “the carny code,”
which meant that they supported one another unconditionally, no matter what they were
going through. Ward Hall, the ringmaster who has been called
“King of the Sideshow,” proudly ran his freak shows in Gibsonton until he passed away
in 2018, at 88-years-old. During an interview with The Guardian, he
fondly remembered the days when they had a self-sustaining community, similar to the
Kingdom of the Little People. Many former performers have chosen to retire
there in their old age, but the number of performances have dramatically dwindled. Fewer people in the United States feel the
need to congregate somewhere that offers a community-style living for freak show performers,
and some day, Gibsonton will be a distant memory. 6. The Stalking Cat There are cat people, and dog people. And then there are people who have gone above
and beyond to become one with their favorite animals. Dennis Avner was of Native American descent,
and he truly believed that the tiger was his totem animal, or guardian spirit. When it was time for him to choose a spiritual
name, he declared himself “The Stalking Cat.” After serving in the US Navy and becoming
a computer programmer, Avner decided to make his outside match his totem animal inside. He had multiple surgeries on his ears and
face, including implants that allowed for him to have a cat-like face with whiskers. He grew his nails out and sharpened them into
claws, got tiger stripe tattoos, and wore special contact lenses. When he smiled, you could see that he even
had his human teeth had been replaced with sharp fangs. Most people called him “The Cat Man,”
and Avner appeared in several documentaries, TV shows, and live performances in Las Vegas. During an interview, he said, “I am probably
one of the more recognizable people in the world, but my fame has not brought me fortune.” He lived in a trailer in his hometown of Tonopah,
Nevada. Doctors diagnosed Avner with body dysmorphia,
and he received a lot of negativity after appearing in the public eye. His struggles would get the best of him, and
in 2012, he committed suicide at 54-years-old. 5. Space Cowboy When Chayne Hultgren was a young boy growing
up in Australia, he learned how to ride a unicycle, and he started to cruise around
town. People were so impressed they actually started
throwing money at him. He realized at a young age that he could make
money by doing tricks, and devoted the rest of his life to getting better and better at
public performances. Today, he is better known as his stage name,
“Space Cowboy.” He holds not just one, but five Guinness World
Records for the following sideshow acts: juggling chainsaws while on a unicycle, carrying the
most weight on hooks attached to his eye sockets, most swords swallowed underwater, most knives
thrown at a target in one minute, and most blowtorches extinguished with his tongue in
under one minute. Phew! It’s hard to imagine that one person can
do so much (or would even attempt some of those feats). There probably won’t be many people trying
to upstage him anytime soon. 4. The Enigma For years, tattooed men and women were included
as performers in circus freak shows. Today, it’s common for people to tattoo
their entire body, so you really have to go above and beyond to make an impression. Paul Lawrence started out his life of performing
as a musician, and he became a founding member of the Jim Rose Circus in Seattle, Washington. The group would perform at the Lollapalooza
music festival, and at first, Lawrence called himself “Slug” and swallowed insects in
front of the crowd. After a while, this was no longer impressing
audiences. So he decided to change his act — and his
life — forever. Lawrence got implants in his face to resemble
devil’s horns, his ears reshaped, and tattoos of jigsaw puzzle pieces all over his body. At this point, he changed his stage name to
“The Enigma.” Since paying for his body modifications, The
Enigma has become famous around the world for his striking appearance. He has appeared in Ripley’s Believe it Or
Not, and holds the Guinness World Record for the most jigsaw pieces tattooed on a single
body. He travels the world giving live musical performances,
and meets his adoring fans at tattoo conventions. 3. The Lizard Man A man named Erik Sprague was just your average
college student. He got a Bachelor’s degree in philosophy,
and was a candidate to earn his PhD from the University of Albany when he suddenly decided
to change his entire life. He underwent body modification surgery to
look like one of those humanoid lizard creatures that conspiracy theorists are always talking
about. His tongue was split down the middle to make
it reptilian, and his entire body has been tattooed with green scales. He also paid for ridges to be implanted where
his eyebrows used to be, and his teeth have been filed down into carnivorous spikes. So… why would anyone do all of this to their
body? Really, he just felt like it. During an interview, he said, “I’m a big
Godzilla fan. So I became the cool movie monster I wanted
to see.” Instead of turning against humanity to join
the evil Lizard Elite, Sprague has been using his reptilian powers for good. He has appeared on several TV shows, including
Ripley’s Believe it or Not. He now goes by his stage name, “The Lizard
Man.” 2. Morgue A man who is only known as Morgue was a performer
at the Venice Beach Freak Show who did sword swallowing, as well as other tricks like regurgitating
steel billiard balls. After appearing on AMC’s Freakshow, he gained
a huge following on Instagram, where he calls himself a “philosopher” and a “revolutionary.” The Venice Beach Freak Show was forced to
shut down in 2017. While sword swallowing truly is an impressive
skill, there are few jobs out there that look for that on a resume. Since there are so few opportunities for employment
in the sideshow industry anymore, Morgue has written several essays and books with his
own personal philosophy, in hopes of starting his own cult called Hyperionism. He claims to use mathematical equations to
help someone become “hyperian,” or reach the next level of enlightenment. He is requesting monetary donations toward
his cause, but we really have no idea how well that plan is going for him. 1. The Checkered Man Matt Gone goes by the nickname “The Checkered
Man,” because he has tattooed 99% of his body, which includes a checkerboard pattern
on his face. Yes… even they whites of his eyes, tongue,
and private areas are covered with ink. The remaining 1% accounts for the palms of
his hands and feet. Gone was born with a birth defect known as
“Poland Syndrome,” which is when someone is born without certain muscles, and it can
also affect the functions of internal organs. Gone was forced to undergo several surgeries
throughout his life, and he grew up feeling insecure about his body. As an adult, he began tattooing his body as
a way to cover up the surgical scars. This helped to improve his confidence, and
he just kept going from there. He now holds the Guinness World Record for
being the most tattooed person in the world. Rather than performing in freak shows full-time,
he works as a professional chef, but he has appeared on TV on several occasions.
