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| SUZY, THE ELEPHANT- SKIN GIRL |
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| "Charlotte Vogel was born in Austria. As a child she developed extreme ichthyosis, a skin disease that causes the epidermis to be rough. In Suzie's case it was really extreme so that her skin became so thick, rough and discolored it resembled the hide of an elephant. With her manager she immigrated to the U.S. from Germany to escape the oncoming war. She worked with most of the leading shows in the U.S., while her manager also was a salesman for a company that made church pews. They maintained an apartment on New York's west side. She frequently would appear at Huberts Museum on 42nd St. She worked Madison Square Garden for the Ringling show in 1967. When that date ended, Ward Hall arranged for her to work for Pete Hennon's side show. She stayed there for several years. Her career ended when her manager died. She lived her remaining years in Germany. She was a very quiet and very respectable lady." - Ward Hall |
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| 1927. Charlotte's first appearance in the U.S, 19 years old. |
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| CHARLOTTE VOGEL |
| Charlotte was born in Charlottenburg, in the western district of Berlin in 1908. She fist came to the States in 1927 under the management of fellow countryman Julius Kuehnel and his wife Erna. She arrived along with giantess Londy (Laura Wagener) and bearded lady Adele Hegedus (billed as Adele Adrianne). Charlotte and her manager travelled back and forth from Germany to the U.S., appearing in the U.S. again in 1930, '32, '35, '37 and 1938. Showman Walt Hudson reports that he last |
| saw Suzi at the Great Allentown Fair in Penn- sylvannia in the late 1960s. She was then working as a single-O as "the swamp girl". He reports that she passed away in New York City in 1975. |
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| with "Princess Sahloo" @ Hubert's Museum |
| "She had the strangest skin of anyone I've ever seen. Her entire body was covered with a thick, heavy, gray-colored skin that resembled the hide of an elephant. There were a few other performers in the side show business with a similar condition and they called themselves "alligator skinned" people (but) none of them had skin that was as thick or as gray as that of Suzi. Their skin was more scaly." - Walt Hudson in May 1933 issue of New Tops and republished in Chris Fellner's "Freaks!" no. 3 |
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| Dreamland Circus Side Show 1927. The giantess is Londy. Standing, bottom row, 2nd from left is bearded lady Madame Adrienne and Suzi is 4th from right. Ed. J. Kelty photo |
| This greeting card was sold on Ebay. The seller said it depicts Suzy and her husband on vacation in Florida at Parrot Jungle and was sent to showman Pete Hennen. |
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