Alligator boy

An alligator boy (or girl, man, woman, as appropriate) was a common freak show and dime museum exhibit. While the act was traditionally performed by people with ichthyosis, sideshows sometimes substituted workers whose skin was covered in cracked glue,[1] optionally supplemented with food dye and sand.[2] As another alternative, taxidermist Julius S. Hansen advertised stuffed alligator boys for sale in 1887.[3]

Like other freakshow performers, alligator boys were often depicted in banners and advertisements as half-human, half-animal hybrids. Their acts sometimes featured interactions with actual reptiles.[2]

Alligator-skinned performers included:

  • Esther Blackmon (1926–2003)[4]
  • William Parnell[4]
  • Emmett Bejano[5]
  • John R. Williams[5]
  • Mildred D. Durks[5]
  • James and Henry Elam[2]
  • Mona Osanbaugh[2]
  • Christine Doto[2]

References

  1. ^ Stencell, A. W. (2010). Circus and carnival ballyhoo: sideshow freaks, jaggers and blade box queens. Toronto: ECW Press. p. 185. ISBN 9781550228809.
  2. ^ a b c d e Nickell, Joe (9 September 2005). Secrets of the Sideshows. University Press of Kentucky. pp. 141–144, 197–198. ISBN 978-0-8131-2358-5. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
  3. ^ Stencell, A. W. (2002). Seeing Is Believing: America's Side Shows. Toronto: ECW Press. p. 37. ISBN 1550225294.
  4. ^ a b Hartzman, Marc (2006). American Sideshow. East Rutherford: Penguin Publishing Group. pp. 122–123. ISBN 1585425303.
  5. ^ a b c Mannix, Daniel P. (1990). Freaks: we who are not as others. San Francisco, CA: Re/Search Publications. pp. 13, 152, 155. ISBN 0940642204.
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