10 Circus Freaks That Actually Existed!
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- čas přidán 4. 06. 2024
- Top 15 Circus Freaks That Actually Existed. The circus has long been a home for people considered different or unusual. Though often exploited and mistreated, some of these circus freaks shared incredible stories and talents. Join us, as we look back on fifteen real people with unnatural bodies who were exhibited at circuses and sideshows.
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As a disabled person the sideshow circuits seem awful but better than the too often resorted options like asylum and poorhouses.
Agree. Too many folks on the autism spectrum were thrown in them as well. Some might have been marketed as the "Fairy Changeling".
I’m sad, as a person with cerebral palsy, that the narrator chose to use the term ‘differently abled’ most of us DESPISE this term. I prefer the term disabled.
@@TiggiTheWillful thank you for sharing
@@TiggiTheWillful I imagine that it must be terribly frustrating when outsiders, in an effort to use language sensitively, end up using language that antagonizes you and most other people with cerebral palsy. Although I've my own opinions about which terms sound kind or unkind, I can't help feeling that they really don't matter very much: after all, I'm not the one with cerebral palsy. If I've misunderstood the situation, or if I've spoken to you in a way that you find objectionable, please let me know. Thank you.
@TiggiTheWillful As a typical, non-handicapped person, I, too, hate these woke attempts to change the language.
It actually hurt so many when “Freak Shows” were banned, and people were outraged at the exploitation of these poor people.
I’ve seen many interviews and read a lot about this. Every last performer was NOT HAPPY as they were left without any way to make a living. Even those who could get jobs, never made anywhere NEAR what they made in traveling circuses. As I’d hate to think these people were exploited (and they WERE) the vast majority made their money, and went in to live comfortably and happily. Many became revered celebrities, if not for the Freak Shows, most would’ve been left to the streets and horribly abused. There were no social nets back then. No SSI, no disability.
The Lobster Man, Styles was an abusive violent man. He verbally and physically abused his wife and kids. It’s no wonder they wanted him gone. He was a drunken violent mean motor scooter.
Well said...
I was just about to say something similar but you beat me to it
So true. Harry and the Doll factory come to mind. Their time at the circus left them very rich in their retirement.
Truly stated. This is such a foreign concept to today's youth where science works miracles.
@@OriginalContent89 😁
I so appreciate your emphasis of these people’s dignity and unique personalities. It warms my heart to hear that history remembers them not only for their physical appearance but for how they acted in life. I’m so glad that many of them found not only financial success but love and happiness. Their vivacity, kindness, intelligence, and perseverance will live on.
I'M IN LOVE WITH THESE PEOPLE WITH HAIRS ❤🤩🥰😍😍😍😍😍🥰🥰🥰❤❤❤❤
I LOVE YOU SO MUCH WOLLY GIRLL AND RUSSIAN HAIRED BOY !!!@@@@!!!!!❤❤❤❤❤
Many of them weren't born this way, some babies grew up in jars to get their freakish looks by monsters...the you know whose.
And yet; we call them freaks...
"I am not an animal; I am a human being!" -Elephant Man
It still has good and bad sides
One of the people that impressed me the most was the girl that had the partial twin attached to her side. She put her siblings through school and bought a plantation for her family and did all of that before passing away in her 20's. Very impressive. I think these folks were just very realistic and knew that they did not have a chance in regular society to hold jobs and have families and found family and community and good pay in the circus and freak shows. It kind of makes you wonder who exploited whom.
very rational, objective, unlefted perception... Only if th whole world be objective as you are
I Think The 2 That Only Appeared Twice Were Fake
THAT MAN THAT SOLD HIS WIFE AND SON TO BE DISPLAYED FOR A CENTURY WAS THE REAL MONSTER..... DISGUSTING.😒
Right?!? That story broke my heart. I could never imagine doing such a thing.
Ask a Mortician did a full Iconic Corpse episode about the sad tale of Julia Pastrana. You should check it out if you would like to know more.
What do you think about the people's whose remains are on display at the Mutter Museum?
@catherineskis my understanding is many of them donated their bodies
@@karenlloyd945 Some did, some...not so much. The Iconic Corpse episodes I recommended cover the colorful life after death of a lot of interesting people.
The side show still exists with CZcams, IG,FB, and TT. Parents parade their children in the same way as the circus did. 100 years, and you still watch them.
If people with special needs really need help let them get help by any platform.
Yes..showing their stillborn babies..deformed children with hydrocephaly and Trisomy 13 and 18..they disgust me.
@@wolfan9263 They DON'T get help. Their parents take all the money and the children get nothing.
The tiktok For you page becomes a freaking Jump scare machine because of that
Yeah, isn't that the truth!
Just remember that people starved to death in the 1930's in England and America, life was hard and brutal to so many. These people were exploited but they at least had an income and a home, and so often left and had a decent life and their own families.
Between the disease, starvation and hopelessness that many endured, I think the circus was their salvation, not a curse.
Yes, I think they were accepted there and able to live as normal as others. It was their refuge especially back in a time when different got people killed or locked away easily.
Agreed
Every job exploits you only difference is how replaceable you are to how much you make.
I'm Gen X, all my grandparents have passed. One thing all my grandparents had in common was saving everything. That which could be used again.. bread ties, jelly jars, old screws and nails. Sometimes the zip lock bags .. the Great Depression was a hard time for them.
@@vannjunkin8041 "Waste not, want not!"
The tropical island shot when mentioning Coney Island was waaaay tooo funny!
I appreciate the respectful and dignified way you spoke on these remarkable people and their stories.
@@SkyForce6700 Sources please.....sounds like an interesting point of view.
@@SkyForce6700 Exactly. I'm tired of seeing channels like these. Lazy people trying to get paid for doing nothing.
@@scotttillman01seems like a lot of effort went into this video though... Even with an AI voice
@@MotoRidesVietnam You've obviously never made an AI video. It's extremely simple.
@@scotttillman01 well this one looks like it took a bit of effort 🤷♂️ are you saying the AI did the whole thing?
I can only imagine the bullying they endured but if I may share my opinion, I think they're amazing. Being able to speak to one of them would have been great. I'd have loved to hear their stories first-hand, the highs and lows of their lives and what the backstage experience was like. The fact that most of the individuals mentioned here were able to make the best of their uniqueness and live semi-average lives outside of the circus, astounds me. Even though I've never met these people, I'm proud of them.
no you dont. Stop lying.
@@CaptainSpalding72yknow people can actually mean things they say right?
@@CaptainSpalding72Just cause you are bitter and wouldn't, doesn't mean that other people are lying about wanting to. These "freaks" are human beings, at the end of the day.
@@CaptainSpalding72 CRABBY SPALDING72.... 😜YOU HAVE ISSUES
I only disliked due to what your calling them!
After my first year of Nursing school i worked for the summer at a camp for disabled children. I saw so many kids that summer that due to dieases like lobster man, or hydrocephalus not caught early enough to stop the head enlargement, others with rare sundromes causing very deformed bumpy skulls and strangely placed facial features, i was surprised having assumed that jedically those who in the past would resort to circus life, still were being born. They all loved camp, and it gave their parents 2 weeks off. But many were so deformed and non verbal, you wondered if modern medicine heorically keeping them alive had done any favours. I thought hard about how so many wouldnt make a living, nor ever life in a group home even. And 40yrs later instutions that offered housing back then for differently abled no longer exists. God bless them all.
Those 'institutions' no longer exist because these days parents willingly care for their disabled children themselves. Most of the children you talk of will not outlive their parents.
I read about Merrick "The Elephant Man" when I was younger. I always hated the name they gave him. He was not only smart but he was also a very kind and gentle soul. I'm not sure I could be that way with how terribly he was treated.
Elephants are smart and gentle too..
@@flonkplonk1649 yeah but that's not what they meant by calling him that.
@@danielleeveritt9323 so because of his skin was rough like Elephant skin? Similarities seem to be there..
@@flonkplonk1649 yes that was the main reason. During that time anyone in a supposed "freak" show was given a stage name. They were usually cruel and demeaning. They couldn't say no to the names cuz they often had no other way to make a living.
I remember reading the book on Joseph Merrick & it was so sad but inspiring. He was a real gentleman.
They did better for themselves than a lot of " normal " people..
Some of them. Most had handlers that profited from them and just gave them the bare basics.
200 quid a week wow that's good now lol
@@paulhodgson-gv2ew huh?
Just about to leave a comment about some of the commentators demeaning wording in this video. Calling them pitiful and not normal this is when I stop watching .
There has actually long been a dialogue amongst disabled people about the value of these so-called “freak shows”, as with the closure of these shows came a lack of job opportunities for disabled people - leaving many to live in abject poverty and hoping to be granted some sort of government funding.
Even today, there remains a push in certain corners of disability dialogue to allow disabled people these types of opportunities again, and many support it. I have a disability which is incredibly interesting to doctors, and I’m often viewed by every single damn student, fellow, doctor, and nurse in the hospital every time I’m admitted to a new one; this isn’t to help me, it’s to help train and educate the clinicians. Should I not be permitted to charge for this? I’m not so interesting to lay people, but if I were a conjoined twin, for example, I wonder if I would rather live on state benefits and have no real say in my life - or would i want the option to work with my twin for us to make some serious cointhottas and live in luxury? I don’t know… but I feel as though I would want to have the option.
I urge everyone to see "Freaks". Tod Browning's film portrays some of the world's most famous traveling sideshow performers (Prince Randian, Johnny Eck, Harry Earles, Daisy and Violet Hilton, Schlitzie, and many others) as real human beings in the community they share.
Yes! It may be billed as a horror film, but it's actually a great movie!
@@morticiaaddams7866 Right you are! Browning knew many of the cast from earlier silent work. It's admirable that he humanizes and dignifies them. Kind of ruined his career. Say hi to Gomez for me.
It's a master peace..♥️
I urge you to find "Terror of Tiny town" it's an old 1938 B&W western with an all "midget" cast . Jed Buell directed it, and he cast 60 little people. (they even ride ponies) It's a cult classic right up there with the movie "Freaks"! ❤😂
@@kimberlyharshfield8629 Oh, boy. One of the worst movies ever made (or, so bad it was good) and it sure wasn't the fault of the cast. Wasn't Buell a 'fertilizer' salesman? Because it sure looks like he put his product on film.
I'm grateful for the respectful and dignified manner in which you addressed these exceptional individuals and their narratives.
About 60 years ago I was a cashier and usually I was so busy I didn't look at people but one day I did. The man didn't have a "nose" but a long tube if skin bedded into his face, wrapping to the side of his jaw and then under his chin. I always hoped he didn't see me startled. As a child I had seen a girl with no arms eating with her feet and my mother told me "Stop staring at her! What you are doing is rude! Don't do that ever again not everyone is made the same!"
I'm probably going to be the unpopular opinion. I've seen sideshow freak shows. I admire those people using their deformities and disabilities to entertain people. I'm not happy with the people that got taken advantage of because of their disabilities. I feel the entertainment industry gave them a sense of belonging though.
I agree.
There is a huge difference between being bullied for being different. And using one's differences to make money from by exhibiting one's self in say a circus. Especially if you are not being scammed by your employer the circus.
@@SuzetteKath As a disabled person, I can tell you that you are exactly right.
Its all the difference in the world.
@@tarayarbrough4640 I'm also disabled as well as being on the spectrum. I became disabled during a charity event that had us planting trees.
@@SuzetteKath Stay strong sister. We all need each other so badly.
Much love to you!
Some of these people sound like really smart and amazing people. I can imagine how challenging life was for them.
yeah, it is a quite challenge for those siamese twins, such a big family they had...and two wifes...yeah
With one exception, these were amazingly talented and intresting prople. Very inspiring.
"Leaving incredible legacy" you just couldn't resist, could you?
the doctor that looked after john merrick (elephant man ) said if he didnt have those viruses that made him look like that he,d of been a nice looking man said saw the elephant man with john hurt still makes me cry rip john hope your in Gods arms with a brand new body xox 😌💔❤💐🌹🥀
Who would want to be in the arms of a god who created you with a body like that? If a god existed, he'd be a monster.
Souls are set free from cumbersome human
bodies.
@@deliawright8626 "Souls" are only a fairy tale.
I've heard that Merrick said that it was the Doctor who exploited him, and the circus that cared for him. We'll never know.
His name was Joseph Carey Merrick, not John!
I feel so sad when I think about these people. Dignity comes hard for some. God bless anyone who endures what they had to endure.
Uh don't pity them, they took advantage of their disability and succeeded way better than most folks back then and they were treated good by most accounts
@realherbalism1017
"They took advantage of their disability"?
No SSI or SSD available, means few to no options or choices in life.
I pity them for that.
@@realherbalism1017
When you do the cost of living calculations and figure some made 7 to 9K a week. They would have been stuck with a painful condition that people would have mocked them for regardless of the shows. Instead they laughed themselves to the bank. Good for them.
It would have been a difficult life, however one's that were part of the more popular circuses like Ringling Brothers, they made a very good wage, the Asian twin's were payed $500per week, today that would be like 5k or more
@@realherbalism1017 No, the vast majority of them we taken advantage OF and treated like garbage. This isn't something to be proud of, and the fact that some people are still saying "Oh but at least they made some money and had friends" is akin to saying "Well, at least the slaves weren't KILLED instead." Neither one is a good option and it's horrific that anyone thinks this was okay, in any way, shape or form these days. Also, have you never heard of Stockholm syndrome? Trauma bonding? Anything like that? JFC.
The 3 legged man died at 77 and left his own LEGacy , brilliant
Most of these people were looked after well by the circus. It gave them a home and family when very often, they would have been housed in mental asylums and locked away from the world in dreadful conditions. Let us remember that.
Exactly
In the last one of the giant . The photograph of Robert Wadlow is included with the other giant. Robert Wadlow born feb 1918, died in 1949. Two different individuals. Robert Wadlow was 8 “ 11.
@@Davidmatthet_you might be better off on a dating site, bro. This not it,ijs.✊🏿☀️🌟🛸🔥💯
Yeah I noticed that too
a massive trubute to these extraudinary individuals. This was emotional to watch.
Fortunately the focus has shifted from exploiting these individuals to finding surgical means for correcting their defects
Imagine Schlitzie's life without the traveling "freak show" that gave him structure and support. Where would this microcephalic individual have been, what would have been his fate, had he been born 100 years later? At best, a care home where he'd be neglected for all but an hour or two per day, and his food and medications would have been very substandard. He'd be lucky if his family visited, ever. The utter boredom would have led to tantrums, self-destructive behaviors, and illness.
At least he was fed, clothed (yes the dresses were to make changing his diapers easier), and he had plenty of interaction with the other members of the sideshow troupe. They protected him and kept him from truly being exploited.
As a special education teacher who works with this population, you are dead wrong. Simon would have been much better off had he been born in 2001. It's a far different country, and much more inclusive now.
Beetlejuice. He was essentially a modern day sideshow freak who was ridiculed for amusement.
@@SilktheAbsent1. I live in a town with a large live-in care home for people with developmental disabilities. There are several with microcephaly. They are well cared for and treated with respect. Some, if they want, have jobs in the community (a local grocery store employs them to go up and down aisles turning items so labels face forward, as well as several other businesses). Those physically capable attend local functions/celebrations and are functioning members of the community. The caretakers are there to assist them with whatever they need. It is indeed a much better life than being on exhibition.
Im glad this showed their lives as people instead of just their sideshow acts
Very respectful and interesting
This is really a great piece of history. These stories should be told to the world.
I think they are
@@geoffhoutman1557I was going to say this too. You're right
There’s plenty of books about it🤷♀️
I think some of these genetic mutations , were the stories behind dogmen, werewolves demons ,ogres,goblins etc.. in folk history!
Yeah wow I NEVER thought of that but I think your on to something🙂
Believe it if it makes you feel better
@@SHEEPSUK it's not what makes me feel better ,get your head sorted first then reply!
If you see children with progeria they look almost exactly like the classic descriptions of 'goblins'. In the old superstitious days people feared diseases and birth defects, and explained them away as signs of evil or the supernatural. They believed such children were fairy changelings.
As well as the folks born on the Autism Spectrum were very likely the ones that folks were claimed to have been exchanged for fae changelings.
“ Lentine, the three-legged man, eventually passed in 1966, leaving an incredible LEGacy...”
Terrific choice of words.
“Lentini left behind an incredible LEGacy.”
I hope that was intentional.
We had a mare who gave birth to a foal with back to front knees on both front legs. Sadly we had to put it to sleep because one of it's legs was also much shorter than the other. I cried myself to sleep that night, because it tried so hard to stand and walk about and we wanted so much for it to be OK, we had tried for a week to bind the knees in the hope it was just floppy/flexible tendons as we waited for the appointment of a specialist to see what if anything could be done to save it. The mare had caught parvovirus that had been going around early that year during the early stages of gestation, many other mares had aborted that year for the same reason. I will never forget that sweet little foal, he tried so hard, it still breaks my heart thinking about it.
😞 How sad. Sweet innocent little one..❤
You did the best thing for the goal. You were responsible and shepherded it both in and out of life humanely. Bravo. Are there pictures?
😢😢😢 that baby is in a better place now I promise you
As sad as it was, sometimes this was the only way some of them survived. A lot of cultures were not tolerant to people that were different.
Your correct. Most these people tragically had to subject themselves to this life because nobody else would hire them and most were so disabled they couldn't work. Its still heart breaking
A lot of cultures still aren't.
Many born with deformations are killed at birth.
And many others just for being born the "wrong" (undesired) sex.
Say what people will, these "freaks" were a tight knit family group, and knew they could never have made a living with their disabilities outside of the circus..
A lot of cultures still aren’t accepting of people who are different.
@@marybethsmith-hynes2749 Who's really the freaks?
I love the clip of “Coney Island” that shows a tropical beach with palm-trees! 😅 lol😂 tropical Brooklyn!
Thank you for this. Everyone should see these videos and understand that they are just regular people.
Dang..I have a lot of respect for all of them, maybe except for that lobster guy! I saw a true crime program when he was killed by his own family. But when they talked about why he was killed. He was kind of a monster..not his hands but his anger and treachery! He was mean!
He was a real monster. Evil and extremely abusive. He had that coming, sad to say. He had EVERYONE afraid of him.
Those dudes are a local friends of my crew.
Yes, contrary to the currently accepted PC wisdom (or stupidity, depending on your POV), not all people with disabilities and/or minority status for whatever reason, are morally superior to the rest of us.
Maybe he had a pinching fetish
Maybe that whole lobster boy thing stuck in his craw......dad
All of these people had or have abnormalities that could not be resolved by medical science at the time in some case even today. I do not like the mistreatment, but the circus did offer a way to make living and socialize. It's a shame it could not also insure dignity. But privately many did make both money and have dignity. Something that society would not otherwise give them.
Dignity is self realized. No person or agency can insure it.
@@asuperstraightpureblood It may be self realized. But i can be taken away by many.
@@user-vc4zi9mc5s that's weakness
@@user-vc4zi9mc5s• Exactly. Well said.
Im sorry but the guy who married the bearded lady and showed her off as some wild exotic beast is hilarious. I mean it’s messed up but kinda hilarious, sounds like a family guy skit
Really enjoyed this video.. very interesting indeed... thx for sharing 😊
The film 'Freaks' from the 1930s is worth seeing. I saw it as a child and it make a huge impression on me, especially the guy who lacked arms and legs but could still roll and light a cigarette. What was noteworthy about him was the look in his eye. You could tell he was a real man who had seen a lot in his life. He had a Stoic attitude. A lot of young today could learn from this guy. They think they're victims and oppressed. As if.
Yeah I saw it a few times. Definitely was a shocking movie for it’s time. But I think it really showed the humanity and just how much of a community those traveling circuses were. And just how intelligent and talented they all were.
In my opinion the movie AND the circuses educated people to not discriminate against them.
These people were gainfully employed during The Great Depression and supporting entire families when most were utterly destitute. That was an impressive thing back then. There wasn’t SSI, Disability or food stamps back then. People literally we’re starving. But not the “Freaks”. Stopping those actually hurt their communities more than it helped.
Thankfully things have progressed in the world.
Just because that happened doesn't mean that racism, sexism aren't real. . .
It sounds like you didnt listen to anything that was said in these documentaries.
Oppression exists all over today and throughout American history.
These people were terrified constantly. No one wants to die on the streets with nothing, and that is exactly what happened to millions of disabled people in this world.
Americans regularly put their disabled children in institutions and abandoned them there because they were ashamed they existed. Even the extremely wealthy and popular Kennedy family was doing it in the 1960s.
"Normal" people do not like to look at disabilities. I look perfectly average, but I have to use a wheelchair due to Charcot Marie Tooth disease and people, right now, have told me they do not like being around disabled people because it makes them uncomfortable. Today....right now....
These people were abused and in constant pain and terror.
You have no idea.
He was nobility! He also was married and had a kid
@@cynthiaholland13wtf are you talking about?
i remember seeing the “freak shows” at the texas state fair in Dallas texas in the 1970-1980’s was always strange; felt bad for them, but they were a huge part of the fair back then. as a child I didn’t fully or partially understand the circumstances. I hope they all did well for themselves. 🙏🏻
Wow/I grew at that time, and I thought that freak shows had ended already.
Nope, I grew up in Dallas an all the way into the mid 80’s there we’re still side shows.
Some of the old vendors still talk about it.
@@milascave2I was born in 1985 and have seen 2 real “ freak show/sideshows. Both had people and animals- that was like around 2007 ish maybe.. they r still around
The 999 eyes freak show....
I saw their performance several years ago... some performers have changed since then.
Before feeling sorry for most or any of these ppl remember that life was hard for everyone but the elite back then so their life's would if been worse if they just stayed in their home towns.
The thing I love most about this video is how you humanize these people when I’m their time they were treated as not even human at all 😢❤
The shows they were in was their livelihood. They formed tight bonds with each other traveling around. Years ago when I was at the county fair they had the fat lady. She was ginormous. There was no one else in the tent so I went in and talked to her for a long time. She was super nice super normal. She liked working there and she got paid for doing it. 🤷🏼♀️
Most freaks weren’t exploited. They felt safer in the circus.
What makes them freaks? It wasn't about safety it was about finding the only way to make a living they could. I'm sure your a better person then actually believing these people were less then us. Ill give you the benefit of the doubt because I wouldn't want to believe anyone could pass that type of judgement on people you didn't know
@@jefffernen5155 they were at the “freak shows “…?
They may have felt safer, and made deep friendships, but most were still exploited.
They simply had few to no choices and were at other's mercy ... some being treated much better than others.
Nope, you are making a false assumption. They were exploited for financial gain and that stands whether or not they received a portion of the gain, or whether or not they felt safer or happier in a sideshow.
They got paid well too.
During the segment on Edouard Beaupre the Giant, a picture of Robert Wadlow was shown. It’s the image with Wadlow standing between two normal-sized women. Wadlow was ten inches taller than Beaupre, making him the tallest man in modern history.
My ex knew Johnny Eck and his brother I think his name was Robert. He met them around 1988. They were his business partners neighbors. He pointed out to me where they lived in a big brick house in Baltimore where we lived at the time.
By this time they were very old and mostly reclusive, but of course my ex would visit them with his neighbor so they were ok with him visiting. They talked about their circus days and were very proud of the movie Freaks and asked my ex to watch it so he rented it for us to watch. Its a pretty good movie and really gave insight to that lifestyle. My ex said Johnny was very proud of the movie and missed his old lifestyle especially spending the off season with all his friends some place in Florida where I believe they all had trailers. We moved about 3 years after he met the Ecks and since they were like 80 then they have to have passed by now.
Interesting. Thank you for sharing that.
K lol ok I'll look l look l lo ok llml lol l look lookl
Lol l look polp l
Look kn lol l lo LL LL LL ll
19 kg = 42 pounds for those wondering about the living skeleton.
19kg = 19 kg!
Heh. The whole world has turned into a freak show.
Looking back throughout history, the world has always been a freak show!
Since caveman days, the strong have, and always will, bully and victimize the weaker.
As a species, we've learned almost nothing about being human.
Agree 💯
Best comment
Couldn't help it but wonder. So how does one of the bunker twins made babies? Does the other one pretends to sleep or just watch and goes along with it?
I like your very respectful representation of cases. These people all went through a lot of stigma and riddicule
Many years ago my family went to the Ringling Brothers Circus. I can’t imagine why dad took us to the freak show, it was so out of character. When one of the curtains pulled back, there sat lobster boy. He was only a few years older than I was. I knew immediately that his center three fingers had failed to grow. His feet were similar. He told a story while holding a book. He turned pages to show his dexterity. I felt sad for him and sadder still reading his obituary which provided details of his unhappy life.
Another act featured a man with elastic skin. One part of his show involved a big hook attached to a chain attached to a black barbell. He put the hook through a flap of stomach skin and walked back about three feet.
The last guy I remember stood on the stage with his shirt off. He had a small light bulb on an electric cord. The bulb was not on. He tilted his head back and lowered the bulb down into his throat. Then the lights turned off in the small room. At the same time, the light in his stomach went on. His stomach glowed in a distinct orange color.
I was cured of freak shows for life. I spent time at the university living and working with handicapped students. They tried hard to overcome obstacles that able bodied people will never understand. They were wonderful guys.
For many, it was the only way that they at the time could put food on their table. There was no govt help for those born differently at those times.
Thank you for having empathy.
It matters more than you could possibly imagine to us.
A great outcome following that distressing insight into human abuse of humans, Larry,
A lot of people here are justifying the historic employment of people called "freaks" in self-exposure because of skeletal genetic or congenital disorders. At least, it is argued, they had an income. At what price? By exposing a pathology for peoples' amusement? But how can a career which is based on derogating an individual into the role of an alienated other be justified? I am able to see this from the perspective of the person with a congenital deformity to a certain extent, but was privileged by the British NHS (free) treatment to have had the condition successfully treated. The experience of the "freak" - and isn't that an offensive term - has perhaps had a similar effect for both of us, although from different perspectives. I also worked in universities and now in a school to facilitate the best resources for students with physical difficulties and learning differences,
Thanks for the life story....you should write a book 😂
@@jaredchandler8962 Why do you automatically assume it is for peoples amusement? Did it ever occur to you that someone sitting on a platform or stage discussing their deformity, and demonstrating what they can do in spite of it, would be educational? I read the book about Chang and Eng the Siamese twins, and they promoted themselves. They would book a theater and take questions from people all about their condition. This is educational, and they got paid for it. Now the freak shows are on the internet but the people with the unusual condition get nothing! Strange logic from you. There will always be some who find it funny and want to bully or make fun, but there will always be people like that to deal with whether the human oddities exhibit or not! Like they used to say, THERE GOING TO STARE ANYWAY, THEY MIGHT AS WELL HAVE TO PAY FOR IT!!!!!
Another thing you fail to consider is the comradery that was there among show people and many "freaks" together. This has got to mean a lot to people who are outside of normalcy. But this is only going to be found with exhibiting.
Respectful commentary, well done.
I went all through school with a gentleman with Ichthyosis, it pained him and caused him great ridicule. I hope videos like this can help future generations accept abnormalities rather than voyeurism.
I enjoyed the way this was presented. With respect for the individuals. Thank you.
I think freak shows done right are great for some people to earn good money that they may not have otherwise.
"Freaks" in today's Freak Shows are mostly man-made, whether hanging from giant hooks to tatoos, piercings, and surgical procedures, etc.
They CHOOSE to enter that life style, for want of attention.
People in this video had few to no choices.
HUGE difference!
@@joijuaire-darfler4614
Not a huge difference at all!!! If you knew about entertainment and marketing, you would know a gimmick is a gimmick. Not everybody has the tallents, or imagination to get and keep attention. Just look here on CZcams, you have some people with millions of followers, and some who struggle to get a thousand.
A lot of these clips are from a famous film "Freaks" (1932).
I saw this in the 1970s and found it an amazing movie and all the actors wonderful. Not a horror at all.
I saw freaks in the fifties and it was haunting."freaks" have hard lives but so do millions of intelligent and beautiful people. Many people who have it all are very unhappy and commit suicide
A huge reminder of how blessed we all really are.
These are amazing people. For their courage and strength..unlike today, bullying and called anything than a creation of Jesus Christ. Now at age 66. I have been bullyed all my life. Being intersex has brought all kinds of abuse.. I live my life as a strong woman..refusing to go backward...I have a loving understanding husband. Who has stood by me for now 8yrs..I thank Jesus every step of my life. For always being with me. Jesus is my Rock. God bless an first always. ❤❤❤❤❤
ugh Ai... With her earnings Betty purchased a 260 acre ranch for her parents and sent all eleven of her siblings to college. not a TWI 60 acre ranch
Thank you!! I was googling a TWI farm wondering what the heck it was.
I can’t help wondering if the two mysterious men who appeared just once in the freak show were actually hoaxes, it seems possible. In some ways there is a more enlightened view of disability but not as much as there should be
That was my thought too. The elephant one looked fake right away, but maybe it wasn’t.
Yeah, they both looked completely fake to me too. Pretty sure one must have been a costume and the other a mask. No way they wouldn't have kept on with it otherwise, given the kind of moneyThey could have been making!
My thoughts as well.
Those were AI generated images, and the narration is AI generated too.
I think they were fake also. The elephant one looked like he was wearing a burlap sack that was stuffed with some sort of material. I have no opinion about the other one.
Just subscribed....loved the video ❤
I love the writing for this video. Great word choices and presentation
Re Joseph Merrick… Wrong, he did not suffer from Proteus syndrome. He is believed to have suffered, most likely, from neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) or a related condition. Proteus syndrome is a completely distinct condition with a different underlying cause.
He definitely didn't have Proteus. Your obviously more knowledgeable then me so I can buy your assessment but I've seen many Proteus cases and Merrick I agree didn't suffer from it. I've heard a lot of people label him as having it but all the evidence strongly suggests otherwise for sure
Actually it still hasn't been proven definitively either way. See below. His bones cannot be extracted for useable DNA because they have been bleached so many times, and an attempt to trace surviving relatives failed to yield any genetic mutations.
"In 1909, dermatologist Frederick Parkes Weber wrote an article in the British Journal of Dermatology,[107] incorrectly citing Merrick as an example of von Recklinghausen Disease (neurofibromatosis), which German pathologist Friedrich Daniel von Recklinghausen had described in 1882.[108] This conjecture has since been proved wrong; in fact, symptoms that are always present in this genetic disorder include tumours of the nervous tissue and bones, small warty growths on the skin,[109] and the presence of light brown pigmentation on the skin called café au lait spots, which are of particular importance in diagnosing von Recklinghausen Disease,[110] but which were never observed on Merrick's body.[111] For this reason, although the diagnosis was quite popular through most of the 20th century, other conjectural diagnoses were advanced, such as Maffucci syndrome and polyostotic fibrous dysplasia (Albright's disease).[111]
In a 1986 article in the British Medical Journal, Michael Cohen and J. A. R. Tibbles put forward the hypothesis that Merrick had had Proteus syndrome, a very rare congenital disorder identified by Cohen in 1979, citing Merrick's lack of reported café au lait spots and the absence of any histological proof of his having had the previously conjectured syndrome.[112] In fact, Proteus syndrome affects tissue other than nerves, and is a sporadic disorder rather than a genetically transmitted disease.[113] Cohen and Tibbles said Merrick showed the following signs of Proteus syndrome: "macrocephaly; hyperostosis of the large skull; hypertrophy of long bones; and thickened skin and subcutaneous tissues, particularly of the hands and feet, including plantar hyperplasia, lipomas, and other unspecified subcutaneous masses".[112]
In a letter to The Biologist in June 2001, British teacher and Chartered Biologist Paul Spiring[114] speculated that Merrick might have had a combination of Proteus syndrome and neurofibromatosis. This hypothesis was reported by Robert Matthews, a correspondent for The Sunday Telegraph.[115] The possibility that Merrick may have had both conditions formed the basis for a 2003 documentary film entitled The Curse of The Elephant Man, which was produced for the Discovery Health Channel by Natural History New Zealand.[116][117]
During 2002, genealogical research for the film led to a BBC appeal to trace Merrick's maternal family line. In response to the appeal, a Leicester resident named Pat Selby was discovered to be the granddaughter of Merrick's uncle, George Potterton. A research team took DNA samples from Selby in an unsuccessful attempt to diagnose Merrick's condition.[118] During 2003, the filmmakers commissioned further diagnostic tests using DNA from Merrick's hair and bone, but the results of these tests proved inconclusive; therefore, the precise cause of Merrick's medical condition remains uncertain.[116][117][119]"
"In recent decades, the diagnosis of Proteus syndrome and NF-1 have struggled to coexist: the possibility that Merrick suffered from both diseases was explored by the documentary The Curse of the Elephant Man, produced in 2003 by Natural History New Zealand. The research managed to locate a current relative of Merrick, the granddaughter of a maternal uncle, in order to analyse her genes. At the same time, the producers brought together three teams of geneticists to extract DNA from Merrick’s hair and bones. However, the results were inconclusive. On the other hand, experts in NF-1 have categorically ruled out that the Elephant Man suffered from this disorder. A decade later, in 2013, new research was undertaken aimed at trying to sequence the Merrick genome. Geneticist Richard Trembath, custodian of the skeleton at the Royal London Hospital and Deputy Director of Health at Queen Mary University in London (today at King’s College London), explained to the BBC that the big obstacle was the preservation of the bones, since they had been bleached several times with substances that degrade the genetic material. The scientists wanted to compare samples of the normal and abnormal parts of the skeleton to test the hypothesis that Merrick suffered from mosaicism, that is, a genetic alteration that arose after conception and that did not affect all his cells.
“This project has and continues to face technical challenges, in particular obtaining sufficient sample material (from both the normal appearance skeleton and the abnormal skeleton) from which to undertake DNA sequencing,” Trembath tells OpenMind. However, the geneticist has a preferred hypothesis: “In the absence of DNA based confirmation, the clinical diagnosis of a severe form of Proteus syndrome remains the most plausible.” If the project is successful, the last chapter of Joseph Merrick’s story could be written, since today there is a known genetic defect related to the disease: “Many but not all cases of Proteus syndrome have been explained by the detection of a change in the DNA sequence of a gene known as AKT1,” adds Trembath."
"That Actually Existed!" "WHO Actually Existed." They were PEOPLE, not THINGS.
I came here to comment the same thing… gross channel I will never subscribe to
In the science of physics, humans are things.
"Francesco Lentini ultimately passed in 1966, at age 77, leaving an incredible LEGacy of perseverance and resilience."
I actually saw a man that was just like The Human Torso and did the same show. amazing and sad at the same time
If it wasn’t for the circus he probably wouldn’t have lived a long life!
Like freak shows or not, it gave people with disabilities a place to fit in, financial income, and social acceptance. If they still hosted freak shows, I would pay a visit in their best interest.
Great video and thank you. One of the Eduard pics is that of another giant named Wadlow with spectacles on his face. Just FYI.
now the only freakshows available is watching BRANDON in 2023
$200/week at the time period would be the equivalent of $4667/week today, or $18,668. Not downplaying what Ella went through, but damn way to turn the tables on fate.
Because of their Special conditions, the people were treated pretty well for their circumstances. While alive they made enormous sums of money for their era. Yes, they were exploited. I am sure they felt there was no other avenue. There are others that are not mentioned such as Rondo Hattan from the 20's and 30's. He was a professional college football player who entered the movie industry and played the Creeper. Another gentile soul!
Only some. A lot were used and abused.
@@We_Are_All_Vultures A lot of everybody was abused and it's up to this generation to do better. Which they are.
@@laurahall3094 sorry I should have clarified "more than the average"
Thanks for the Informative video it's so Sad the way they were treated by normal People they definitely were well off working in the circus.
Binge watching CZcams videos this weekend has lead me to some very strange places 😐
Gotta say, the human torso was incredible. The fact he could do all that with just his mouth, like, wow.
There's a short movie that came out only this century called "The Butterfly Circus" (with Doug Jones) that you would probably like. Doug plays a contortionist; the movie also stars another "human torso". It's a very sweet film.
There's a video here on youtube about a guy with no arms who does everything with his feet. He's a musician - plays guitar. They even show him driving! czcams.com/video/lGm96vFvmxk/video.htmlsi=HGyBSKd9gbX3BDhy
Yeah he was a pretty incredible guy. He had 4 kids and took care of his family... Kudos to him. I know of 50-year-old men with no disabilities that still live at home now. They would have never made it back then.
Despite the Dark Side of Carnival life, at least these individuals had a place to live.
Where else (back then) could they have gone?
Glad to hear how some did well with their earnings, unfortunately, others were taken advantage of. In 1940 they had a freak show at Riverview Amusement Park in Chicago, they had nothing like those here but it was interesting to see such exhibitions were still active into the '50 too.
They were active in the 60s as well for the seventies cuz I went to a little circus in town and they had like the bearded lady and the elephant legged distance crap like that and I spoke with some of them I was a kid I didn't know any better
thank you for sharing.
I am disgusted with the exploitation.. I admire the strength of the spirits of these individuals. I'm glad they were able to make a living.
We're all exploited at lower rung jobs. Most at that time we're lucky to have work at ALL.
They got to get married, have children, buy houses and make a good income. More than ill ever have.
These sideshow workers were very wealthy. They all hung out together, so they had their own friends. They were very famous. It hurt them immensely when these shows were stopped.
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It hurt the "freaks" as well when it was stopped
Really enjoyed watching these amazing people 💯🥰💯🥰
THese are the most courages, bravest people. Thank-you- it is unfair to call these people freaks.
The word "freak" isn't autmatically negative, and is, by definition, correct for these people. Your're adding your own emotional response to the word without understanding its base meaning.
The vernacular of the era.
These people, yes people, some were given an opportunity, others where not, for better or worse, the circus gave many opportunities, that others never had.
The circus gave them opportunity, but sadly, they never really had much of a choice in life.
You missed your chance. 3 legged man leaves an amazing LEGacy. :)
I remember hearing about conjoined twins called Daisy and Violet Hilton who had a really tragic life, what a miserable time to be alive for people with genetic abnormalities
What has changed? now the same peoples live isolated on measly benefits, condemned to loneliness and poverty.
Just reminding me of American Horror story... this goes deep in each person life
To be fair there are people with certain conditions who still make money from it in show business. Spanish actor Javier Botet who has Marfan syndrome and stands 6'7" but weighs only 125 lbs has cornered the market in playing movie monsters. Many people with achondroplasia (dwarfism) have made a living in the film industry.
But now dwarfs are out of the acting business thanks to Peter Dinklage who thinks he should be the only one making money. The Snow White movie, not released yet and a total disaster, erased the dwarfs and changed them to "magical creatures" after Dinklage complained. Outrageous.
Even pantos dont employ dwarfs as the dwarfs, usually use children. The roloffs and johnsons who appear on their reality series show little people with normal lives and jobs.
Great lead, never seen him before. He actually bears a slight facial resemblance to Ben Whishaw from Skyfall. He is otherwise complete Slenderman.
With some exceptions, many of these "freaks" had more humanity than regular people given their conditions singling them out in the population. Sad, but they had to make the best of their situation no matter how degrading they felt it to be. The fact that some managed to have an outside life and children is uplifting.
WE are ALL GODS CHILDREN TREAT people as U would want people to treatU🙏🏾♥️🙏🏾
Amen !! We are all God's Children indeed ❤ !
Born in "one-thousand nine hundred and one"? Lol
Very well done with respect!
Respect bless you for this.
It's crazy to think that had i been born a 100 years before I was actually born, I'd most likely be a circus freak. Even today, albinos are extremely rare.
@@BruceWayne-sz3th Statistically, there is only around 20,000 to 21,000 of us in the US. It effects about 1 in every 17,000 embryos.
The Giant, Eduoard Beaupre, was from Willow Bunch, Sasktchewan I believe. Very small town, in the middle of a valley. A french community, my mom taught as a substitute teacher there several times.
They have/had a small memorial dedicated to the giant.
If it wasn't for a circus side show my distant albino twin cousins wouldn't have been able to make a living. As children of farmers they were screwed, they obviously couldn't work in the sun & there certainly wasn't money for school. My grandmother had a picture of them with an elephant putting up a tent behind them (I think there was a visible "strong man" too??). My family was very proud of them, how they used what they were born with to their advantage & did well for themselves. I was told that they were with the circus for their entire, full, lives, & since they were born in the mid 1800's it seems very likely that was the case. I wish I'd gotten a copy or at least a snapshot of it before I left the country & before my grandmother died, but you don't think about these things when you're young.
I actually saw 'pinheads' in the Philippines I was astonished I had only seen one in a rare film. Everyone around understood and was kind , that's the Philippines! a unique culture focusing on people with less than them.
Wow.😮 Amaxing odities! :)
Learning about people like Ella Harper, the Camel Girl, or Francesco Lentini, the Three-Legged Man, really puts into perspective the challenges and triumphs faced by those who were deemed 'freaks.'