freakatorium

the freakatorium, or el museo loco, houses a collection of old circus and fun-fair attractions. sword swallower johnny fox started collecting the objects from all over the world in the seventies. the freakatorium exhibits pictures of burlesque folk, who used to appear at freak and sideshows. also exhibited are the ring of john the giant viking, who was supposed to be two metres sixty tall and the suit of tom thumb, a dwarf, who only measured a few centimetres. on the walls hang a series of pictures of lion people with hairy faces. the highlights are the siamese piglets fred & ethel, which are grown together, a live turtle with two heads and the original glass eye of sammy davies jr. there are fakes too, like the fiji mermaid, which is a monkey’s head sewn on a fish's body. the freakatorium is based on the idea of the 19th century dime museums, that showed sensational objects, that have not been seen by a wider audience. the entrance fee was a dime. johnny fox doesn't mind demonstrating his sword swallowing skills to friendly customers. the museum is open thursday to sunday from 13.00-19.00.

johnny fox’s freakatorium
57 clinton street
subway station essex street

freakatorium.com

                                       

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