MSN.com has just announced the 10 Freakiest Freak Show Acts of All Time, which is no easy list to make, neither for a freak show performer nor for the author of this list. There are entire encyclopedias of famous anatomical oddities and countless icons of the sideshow world. Where does one begin? Well, here’s what MSN contributor William Leigh came up with:

• Frank Lentini – A human tripod: Lentini was born in 1889 with three legs and two sets of genetalia. He toured as The Great Lentini with the Ringling Brothers and the Barnum & Bailey Circus.
• Martin Laurello – The human owl: Laurello’s much lesser known act consisted of his ability to turn his head a full 180 degrees. He performed with Ripley’s Believe it or Not, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey.
• The Fiji Mermaid: The Fiji Mermaid is not technically an act at all. It’s a gaffed creation imitating a half-man, half-fish and was conceived by P.T. Barnum.
• The Lords of Lightning: They are a contemporary performance art group that manipulates electricity.
• Joseph Merrick – The Elephant Man: Merrick was born in 1862 with a condition that affected his skin and bone structure, leading to unusual growths all over his body. He traveled with a few abusive managers before making waves in Europe’s medical and academic circles.
• John Ferraro – Gino Martino aka The Human Anvil: Self-proclaimed master of the headbutt, Ferraro likes to smash things on his skull.
• Lazarus and Joannes Baptista Colloredo: These brothers were born conjoined in 1617. The upper torso of Joannes Baptista and his left leg protruded from Lazarus’s stomach. This Italian duo toured heavily, exhibiting themselves for 17th century European audiences.
• Pickled punks: Again, this is not technically an act, but rather a common sideshow attraction. Pickled punks refer to human fetuses preserved in jars of formaldehyde.
• The Black Scorpion – aka Lobster Boy: The Black Scorpion is a contemporary sideshow performer born with ectrodactyly. He’s performed at Coney Island and toured with 999 Eyes.
• Lionel – The Lion Faced Boy: Lionel was born in 1890 with hypertrichosis, a genetic disorder resulting in a fur-covered body. He traveled with Barnum & Bailey and was a mainstay for years at Coney Island.

While I commend the author’s attempt to consolidate all of freak show history to a list of 10 names, I find this compilation a bit schizophrenic. It includes characters from the 17th century to contemporary, and blends natural born freaks, performance artists, gaffes and punks.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post, where The Black Scorpion comments on his feelings about this list and what it means to be an icon of the freak show.

Tags: anatomical oddity, barnum & bailey, coney island, freak, ringling