Elizabeth Green, billed professionally as Elizabeth Green the Stork Woman, was an American sideshow performer who was presented to audiences as a human

stork Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills. They belong to the family called Ciconiidae, and make up the order Ciconiiformes . Ciconiiformes previously included a number of other families, such as herons an ...

during the early 1900s. Her large, long nose and thin bone structure earned her the "Stork-Woman" title. A

genetic condition A genetic disorder is a health problem caused by one or more abnormalities in the genome. It can be caused by a mutation in a single gene (monogenic) or multiple genes (polygenic) or by a chromosomal abnormality. Although polygenic disorders ...

was responsible for her unusual features, though she had no other known medical problems.

Sideshow career

Green was the actual "first" performer to be billed as

Koo-Koo the Bird Girl Minnie Woolsey (1880 – after 1960), billed as Koo-Koo the Bird Girl, was an American side show entertainer, best known for her only film appearance in Tod Browning's film '' Freaks'' in 1932. Biography Woolsey was born in 1880 in Rabun Count ...

and toured with

Ringling Brothers Circus Ringling Bros. World's Greatest Shows is a circus founded in Baraboo, Wisconsin, United States in 1884 by five of the seven Ringling brothers: Albert, August, Otto, Alfred T., Charles, John, and Henry. The Ringling brothers were sons of a Germa ...

. Hers was mainly a comedy act, and it involved her dancing around in a feathered

body suit A bodysuit is a one-piece form-fitting or skin-tight garment that covers the torso and the crotch, and sometimes the legs, hands, and feet, and cannot be used as a swimsuit. The style of a basic bodysuit is similar to a one-piece swimsuit a ...

with large bird feet and a long feather on her head. Some claim Green was used at the entrance of the circus, being one of the "less weird-looking" freaks, to catch the attention of passers by. She has also been referred to as Molina the Pinhead; however, this was probably only to differentiate between her and Minnie Woolsey who was also billed as Koo-Koo the Bird Girl. Some claim she appeared in ''

Freaks Freak has several meanings: a person who is physically deformed or suffers from an extraordinary disease and condition, a genetic mutation in a plant or animal, etc. Freak, freaks or The Freak may also refer to: Fictional characters * Freak (Ima ...

'' because she was a movie buff and wanted to obtain an autograph of

Ronald Colman Ronald Charles Colman (9 February 1891 – 19 May 1958) was an English-born actor, starting his career in theatre and silent film in his native country, then immigrating to the United States and having a successful Hollywood film career. He wa ...

Film

She is most prominent for her appearance in

Tod Browning Tod Browning (born Charles Albert Browning Jr.; July 12, 1880 – October 6, 1962) was an American film director, film actor, screenwriter, vaudeville performer, and carnival sideshow and circus entertainer. He directed a number of films of vari ...

's 1932 film ''Freaks'' where she is billed as the "stork-woman". She appears in several scenes throughout the movie and has one scene of dialogue alongside

Frances O'Connor Frances Ann O'Connor (born 12 June 1967) is a British–born Australian actress and director. She is known for her roles in the films ''Mansfield Park'' (1999), '' Bedazzled'' (2000), ''A.I. Artificial Intelligence'' (2001), ''The Importance of ...

(the armless girl) while they are seated at a table eating dinner. In the film, Minnie Woolsey received the billing of Koo-Koo the Bird Girl, and is most commonly associated with the billing because she, rather than Elizabeth Green, was featured in the table dance scene. Although what Green thought of her new competition is unknown, she afterwards returned to her role as Koo-Koo the Bird Girl in sideshows.

References

External links

Biography at Phreeque.com
American entertainers Sideshow performers Year of death missing Year of birth missing {{US-entertainer-stub

Sideshow career

Film

See also

References

External links