Sideshow performer Francesco Lentini (July 8, 1884 – September 22, 1966) was an Italian-American who earned the nickname “The Great Lentini.” To say the least, he had an odd deformity. Equipped with three legs, four feet, a total of sixteen toes, and two sets of functioning male sexual organs, it is no surprise that this man was a curiosity and famous entertainer for several decades.

Lentini’s Bizarre Deformity

An X-Ray of conjoined twins.

Lentini had a deformity that was caused by a partially absorbed conjoined twin. His conjoined twin was attached at the base of his spine. Although Lentini wanted his unusual condition corrected, doctors determined that because of the proximity of his extra appendages to his spine, surgery would have been too risky. There was a high chance that removal could have resulted in paralysis. read more

Maurice Tillet (October 23, 1903 – September 4, 1954) had a remarkable career as a French professional wrestler. He was given the ring name the “French Angel.” Although he likely inspired many to pursue a successful career in pro wrestling, he may have also inspired the creation of the animated character called “Shrek.” Tillet certainly bore a striking resemblance to the fictional ogre.

Unfortunately, Tillet suffered with an extremely rare syndrome called “acromegaly.” His condition significantly altered his facial features, which played a role in making him look like a “Real Shrek.” read more

Rudy Santos (born in 1953) is a former sideshow performer from the Philippines. He is the oldest recorded person in history to live with his parasitic twin. Due to his rare medical condition, he made a living appearing in freak shows with the stage name “Octoman.”

What are parasitic twins?

A parasitic twin (also called an unequal or asymmetrical conjoined twin) refers to the smaller and less developed member of a pair of unequal conjoined twins. The less developed twin will often have a formless mass of tissue that is attached to or within the more developed twin. read more

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