While many specimens were dead, there were also around ten two-headed animals living in the Freakshow.
(meta data) TITLE:  Venice Beach Freakshow – Los Angeles, California - Atlas Obscura What's near me? ## Los Angeles, California # Venice Beach Freakshow ### The largest collection of two headed animals in the world. Sorry, Venice Beach Freakshow is permanently closed. As a child Todd Ray loved to visit the circus and carnivals that came through his South Carolina town. There was one thing he always wanted to see; the freakshow. At one such show Ray met "the human cigarette factory," a man who rolled and smoked cigarettes without the use of his deformed hands and legs. Puffing away, he told Ray, "Remember son, you can do anything in life." When Ray grew up he moved to California and became a successful music producer, but despite working with artists such as Santana and the Beastie Boys, he never forgot "the human cigarette factory" and his love of oddities. A collector all his life, after retiring from the music business Ray moved his collections to a storefront on the beach and opened the Venice Beach Freakshow, a throwback to the kind of dime museums that once inhabited Venice Beach. Today the Freakshow has amassed the largest collection of two headed animals in the world. It has, among many others, a two headed cow, two headed chicken, two headed raccoon, a pair of two headed turtles and many, many more (Over 10 Animals with Two Heads that are ALIVE!). The collection also includes shrunken heads, Rocky The Five-Legged Dog (Seen on the Dog Whisperer), Tony The Two Tailed Iguana, a giant Alaskan king crab and a 'genuine' chupacabra. You can also see some of the Strangest Performers on The Planet....Sword Swallowers, Fire Eaters, Electra The Electric Lady, Lady Twisto The Rubber Girl, The Creature, Sangora The Snake Lady, The Indestructible Woman, and more. Celebrities have been known to stop by to see the show and pet the two headed creatures. Leonardo DiCaprio, Roseanne Barr, Patricia Arquette, and even Bill Bellamy have all come through the Freakshow. "Bill Murray came through and acted as if he were a human freak in the freak show," Ray said. "The thing is, this cuts across all cultures. It's not a race thing. It's not a man, woman thing. It's not an age thing — because we're all curious. We all want to know." If you are in California, you Must SEE The VENICE BEACH FREAKSHOW!!! Update April 2017: The Venice beach Freakshow will be closing its doors May 1st as the building was purchased by Snapchat. Update: As of Summer, 2017, the Freakshow is closed. ###### Know Before You Go On Ocean Front Walk, just south of Brooks Ave. # Visit California with Atlas Obscura Trips ## Moonlit Ghost Towns: Night Photography in Death Valley View This Trip » ###### Contributed by Sam E ###### Edited by Show More 909 Ocean Front WalkLos Angeles, California, 90291United States Travel with Atlas Obscura Now booking adventures to Greece, Nuuk, Honolulu, and more. Learn More #### Want a Free Book? Sign up for our daily newsletter and enter to win a copy of our book, Atlas Obscura: An Explorer's Guide to the World's Hidden Wonders. No Thanks Visit AtlasObscura.com # Stay in Touch! Follow us on social media to add even more wonder to your day. No Thanks Visit AtlasObscura.com No purchase necessary. Winner will be selected at random on 09/01/2019. Offer available only in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). Offer subject to change without notice. See contest rules for full details. #### Add Some Wonder to Your Inbox Every weekday we compile our most wondrous stories and deliver them straight to you. #### We'd Like You to Like Us Like Atlas Obscura and get our latest and greatest stories in your Facebook feed. ###### We value your privacy Atlas Obscura and our trusted partners use technology such as cookies on our website to personalise ads, support social media features, and analyse our traffic. Please click below to consent to the use of this technology while browsing our site. To learn more or withdraw consent, please visit our privacy policy. I Accept aoc-clipboard aoc-help aoc-arrow-right aoc-arrow-left aoc-ticket aoc-place-entry aoc-facebook aoc-instagram aoc-reddit aoc-rss aoc- twitter aoc-accommodation aoc-activity-level aoc-add-a-photo aoc-add-box aoc-add-shape aoc-arrow-forward aoc-been-here aoc-chat-bubbles aoc-close aoc-expand-more aoc-expand-less aoc-forum-flag aoc-group-size aoc-heart-outline aoc-heart-solid aoc-home aoc-important aoc-knife-fork aoc-library-books aoc-link aoc-list-circle-bullets aoc-list aoc-location-add aoc-location aoc-mail aoc- map aoc-more-horizontal aoc-my-location aoc-near-me aoc-notifications-alert aoc-notifications-mentions aoc-notifications-muted aoc-notifications-tracking aoc-open-in-new aoc-pencil aoc-person aoc-pinned aoc-plane-takeoff aoc-plane aoc-print aoc- reply aoc- search aoc-shuffle aoc-star aoc-subject aoc-trip-style aoc-unpinned
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Todd Ray
Venice Beach Freakshow.
Ray founded the Venice Beach Freakshow in 2006. It quickly became known for its unique performers, as well as its large collection of oddity specimens. These included the world's largest collection of two-headed animals, including a two-headed chicken, a two-headed cow, and a pair of two-headed turtles, amongst others.