The other day my business partner and owner/operator of The Suitcase of Wonders, the esteemed Mr. P.T. Widdle, approached me (Smallini) while I was rehearsing and proclaimed that while he was greatly satisfied with the quality of “entertainments” I have been presenting in his renowned theater - namely, a fine evening magic repertoire - nevertheless he felt we needed to add some unique exhibits to the mix. After all, he continued, the name on the sign reads “The Suitcase of Wonders.”
I chose not to to quibble over this matter, for I knew Mr. Widdle had recently been reading a biography of none other than P.T. Barnum, the greatest showman of them all, and that it was folly to try and persuade my partner not to take this potentially risky and expensive path. To that end, Mr. Widdle suggested that we pursue the acquisition of a legendary and notorious object - the Feejee Mermaid, originally exhibited by Barnum at his American Museum in New York City. While it is my understanding that the original Mermaid had long since been consumed by fire, Mr. Widdle, it seems, will not be deterred by that trivial fact. There are other Feejee Mermaids in existence he claims, and why wouldn’t there be, Mr. Widdle extrapolated, since where there was one, there must have been many.
I chose not to to quibble over this matter, for I knew Mr. Widdle had recently been reading a biography of none other than P.T. Barnum, the greatest showman of them all, and that it was folly to try and persuade my partner not to take this potentially risky and expensive path. To that end, Mr. Widdle suggested that we pursue the acquisition of a legendary and notorious object - the Feejee Mermaid, originally exhibited by Barnum at his American Museum in New York City. While it is my understanding that the original Mermaid had long since been consumed by fire, Mr. Widdle, it seems, will not be deterred by that trivial fact. There are other Feejee Mermaids in existence he claims, and why wouldn’t there be, Mr. Widdle extrapolated, since where there was one, there must have been many.
P. T. Barnum's Feejee mermaid from 1842
So now we are in pursuit of one of these mummified oddities, with a generous financial nut at the ready, so determined is Mr. Widdle to possess and exhibit this watery wonder. We have a couple of promising leads, and it seems to be a matter of personal taste as to which one we end up acquiring - that and the object’s size, as it obviously must fit inside the strict dimensions of our theater. Before committing to one of these far flung purveyors, we will first attend the upcoming Oddities Flea Market next month here in NYC. I performed at this event in 2019, the last time it was held, and I look forward to perusing the vendors’ offerings (and perhaps perform again) this year.
As I ponder these developments, I am happily surprised at the maturity of my reaction to Mr. Widdle’s new pursuit. I, Smallini, remain unquestionably confident with my ability to entertain and amaze audiences, but I am also open to allowing unique exhibits to share the stage (and limelight) in order to help draw crowds. Anything for our dear, devoted audience!
As I ponder these developments, I am happily surprised at the maturity of my reaction to Mr. Widdle’s new pursuit. I, Smallini, remain unquestionably confident with my ability to entertain and amaze audiences, but I am also open to allowing unique exhibits to share the stage (and limelight) in order to help draw crowds. Anything for our dear, devoted audience!