This is an article on a famous sideshow performer named Stephan Bibrowski (1890–1932). Due to an incredibly rare condition called hypertrichosis, virtually his entire face and body (excluding the palms of his hands and the soles of his feet) was covered with hair. The excess hair made him look similar to a lion. Luckily for Bibrowski, his bizarre condition helped land him a job as a circus freak.

Bibrowski’s Mother Blamed His Condition On An Attack By A Real Lion 

Bibrowski was born in 1890 in Congress Poland. He was born with one-inch hair that covered his body. Sadly, Benedict (Stephan’s mother) considered her son an abomination. When he was just 4-years-old, she chose to give him up to a German promoter named Sedlmayer. read more

Ella Harper (5 January 1870 – 19 December 1921) was a famous circus freak who was known as “The Camel Girl.” According to most sources on the Web, Harper was born in Hendersonville, Tennessee. Some sources claim that she also had a twin brother who died at an early age.

Due to an extremely rare orthopedic condition called congenital genu recurvatum (also called knee hyperextension and back knee), she preferred to walk on all fours. The reason for her unusual gait was that her deformity in the knee joint caused her knees to bend backwards. Harper’s condition and unusual preference to walk on all fours is what eventually earned her a lucrative career as a circus performer, as well as the nickname “Camel Girl.” read more