A trip through the bizarre world of midgets giants tattooed ladies and other human curiosities as we trace the colorful history of a distinctly American form of entertainmentthe circus sideshow From the 1840s when PT Barnum exhibited Tom Thumb to the last remaining shows struggling to survive at New Yorks Coney Island we learn the truth behind the sideshow adage that freaks are not born but rather created as performers share their memories of the magical midway