The Fiji mermaid (also Feejee mermaid) was an object composed of the torso and head of a juvenile monkey sewn to the back half of a fish. It was a common feature of sideshows where it was presented as the mummified body of a creature that was supposedly half mammal and half fish, a version of a mermaid.

Sep 9, 2016 · The Feejee Mermaid (sometimes spelled Fiji Mermaid and FeJee Mermaid) was a hoax promoted by P.T. Barnum during the 1840s. It was the most famous of several fake mermaids exhibited during...

Jun 10, 2023 · The notorious Fiji mermaid is believed to have been crafted in Japan around 1810, a practice reportedly common among fishermen. The mermaid purchased by Barnum was bought by Dutch traders and then sold to an American sea captain named Samuel Barrett Eades in 1822.

The Feejee Mermaid was an example of a traditional art form perfected by fishermen in Japan and the East Indies who constructed faux mermaids by stitching the upper bodies of apes onto the bodies of fish.

Apr 19, 2016 · The Fiji (also spelled as ‘Feejee’) mermaid was a sideshow that gained popularity during the 19th century. The original Fiji Mermaid was displayed in 1842 by P.T. Barnum, an American showman and businessman, in the Barnum’s American Museum, New York.

Aug 29, 2022 · In 1842 Barnum’s American Museum displayed an authentic real-life mermaid… it wasn’t true but strap in because this is a story with multiple cons, a famous entertainer, and a few mysteries

Mar 25, 2025 · Step right up and experience the legendary lore of Fiji Mermaids at Ripley's Believe It or Not! Witness the bizarre, the extraordinary, and the unbelievable and delve into the captivating world of this infamous maritime myth. Monks sometimes used …

May 16, 2013 · What about those mummies on display, were they real? And the shrunken heads, how did they do that? Where did the narwhal’s tusk come from? And finally, was the mermaid real?

Oct 27, 2023 · In 1906, a Navy sailor named L.C. Bishop returned home to Ohio from Japan with a curious souvenir: the remains of what appeared to be a tiny, clawed, grimacing “mermaid.” Now, researchers at Northern Kentucky University (NKU) are examining the object to see if they can decipher its origins.

Apr 19, 2016 · The Fiji mermaid (also Feejee mermaid) was an object comprising the torso and head of a juvenile monkey sewn to the back half of a fish. It was a common feature of sideshows, where it was presented as the mummified body of a creature that was, supposedly, half mammal and half fish, a version of a mermaid.