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Lionel the Lion-Faced Man

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Oddity

The Resume

    (1890-1932)
    Born in Bielsk, Poland
    Birth name was Stephan Bibrowski
    Born with hypertrichosis (excessive hair growth)
    Exhibited in Europe
    Toured the US with the Barnum and Bailey Circus (1901)
    Exhibited at Coney Island’s Dreamland Circus sideshow (1913-28)

Why he might be annoying:

    Circus publicity claimed his appearance was a result of his mother, while pregnant with Stephan/Lionel, witnessing his father being mauled by a lion.
    The only parts of his body not covered with hair were the palms of his hands and the soles of his feet.
    He was missing most of his teeth.
    He and Jo-Jo the Dog Faced Boy were frequently confused for each other after their deaths.

Why he might not be annoying:

    His mother handed him over to a German impresario when he was four.
    He spoke five languages fluently.
    He enhanced his act with gymnastic bits he learned from the circus acrobats.
    He was reportedly quite the ladies man.
    He sorta resembled Vincent in Beauty and the Beast..

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 7 Votes: 14.29% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 19 Votes: 42.11% Annoying