Koo Koo

"Koo Koo the Bird Girl" was born Minnie Woolsey in Rabun County,Georgia in 1880. She suffered from a rare congenital skeletal disordercalled Virchow-Sechel or Harper's syndrome, also known as bird-headeddwarfism or nanocephaly. This very rare syndrome is characterized byvarious physical shortcomings, such as a small head, a beak-like nose,and a receding jaw, as well as stunted growth and mental limitations. InMinnie's case, it left her toothless, blind, and almost completely bald.The story goes that she was rescued from a dismal existence in a Georgiainsane asylum by an enterprising showman who thought he could cash inon her strange looks alone. She began her showbiz career as "Minnie Ha-Ha,"an obvious play on North Carolina's Minnehaha Falls. In her act, she appearedin a phony Native American costume and danced and shook excitedly,speaking gibberish to the sideshow audience. She was initially reluctantand shy, but soon she came to love the attention she received.There is frequent c... [Details Intro]