The following photograph-packed article is about how Takeshi
Yamada painted a commissioned 15x15 feet showfront of the Giant
Snake Sideshows for one of the major sideshow companies, Four C
Productions in Florida in 2006. This particular traveling
sideshow has been entertaining people at several dozens of
midways around the
United States since the early 2007.
Takeshi Yamada is one of the most influential and active
educators in New York City with several dozens of awards,
recognitions and nominations including two “Key to the City”
from Mayors, “Who’s Who in America”, “One Thousand Great
Americans”, “International
Educator of the Year”. He has also taught classes and
given public lectures at over 40 educational institutions
internationally. Yamada is also a prolific author of article
publications including 11 published books, and an artist with
over 450 fine art exhibitions with his paintings and sculptures
exhibited internationally in Spain, the Netherlands, Canada,
Japan and the United States.
In addition, rogue
taxidermy artworks, sideshow gaffs, large sideshow banners and
showfronts created by Yamada in the last 40 years have been
exhibited at dozens of state fairs and festivals annually even
today around the nation. This manuscript was produced by Dr.
Eriko N. Bond, noted art critic and New York City author, as
told by Takeshi Yamada.
Making of
THE GIANT SNAKE SHOW
Sideshow Showfront Created by Takeshi Yamada
Article by Dr. Eriko N. Bond as told by Takeshi Yamada
Chapter 3
This chapter is about and how Takeshi Yamada started creating a
series of commissioned sideshow banners, gaffs, props, and
showfronts for nation’s premier sideshow company, Four C
Productions after 2004.
Jack Constantine is the owner of Four C Productions, which is
the largest-operating nation-wide traveling sideshow company in
the United States today. It produces 60 to 70 shows (up to 16
sideshows at five to six different fairs at the same time) at
fairs across the nation annually. Examples of his currently
operating sideshow attractions include the Giant Snake Show,
World’s Smallest Woman Show, World’s Smallest Horse Show, Snake
Girl Show (illusion), Spider Girl Show (illusion), Alligators’
Show, and Museum of World Oddities, etc.
http://four-c-productions.com/index.html
Circus Day 2004 and Jack Constantine
On August 7, 2004, Astroland Amusement Park hosted a major event
called “Circus Day in the amusement park district in Coney
Island, Brooklyn, New York. The Circus Day event also included
acrobats, clowns, fire-breathers, magicians, stilt-walkers,
ringmaster, singers and dancers. It was free and open for
public.
Circus Day, photographs by Mary Doyle
http://www.buffoonmeat.com/fine/circusday.html
One of the attractions of the Circus Day was a circus sideshow
art exhibition called “Circus Day: Circus Sideshow Art Show”.
(left) Circus Art Show booth on the “Circus Day” in amusement
park district in Coney Island.
The circus art on display were by Mary Doyle, Brenda Bradley,
Marie Roberts, and Takeshi Yamada.
Yamada was the only artist who actually worked for any
commercial circus sideshow companies before.
(Photograph by Takeshi Yamada. August 7, 2004)
(right) Circus day poster designed by
Mary Doyle featuring images of Coney Island-originated hot dog
and roller coaster.
(left) Inside view of the Circus Art Show booth on the “Circus
Day” in amusement park district in Coney Island.
The 49-inch mummified mermaid (rogue taxidermy specimen model
(sideshow gaff),
which was created by Takeshi Yamada is seen on the wall in the
left.
(right) Takeshi Yamada and
Mary Doyle (Astroland Amusement Park’s Cyclone Rollercoaster in
the background)
(Photograph by Takeshi Yamada. August 7, 2004)
Fiji Mermaid #1 (detail at the bottom) by Takeshi Yamada.
49x12x8 inch, 2004.
The each scale of the body were painstakingly installed one by
one by the hand.
http://www.sideshowworld.com/SSA-15.html
Note: Takeshi Yamada moved from Chicago to Brooklyn in 2000.
Yamada moved to Coney Island in 2002 after his first visit there
in 2001 and deeply inspired by the beautiful Coney Island beach,
amusement park industry and sideshow businesses there.
Note: In 2001, Takeshi Yamada was especially impressed by the
sideshows at amusement park district in Coney Island including
Bobby Reynolds’ International Circus Sideshow Museum & Gallery
(Dime Museum style sideshow) and Jack Constantine’s World
Smallest Woman Show (Single-O style grind show), Area 51 Alien
Artifact (Single-O style grind show), and Giant Rat Show
(Single-O style grind show), etc. there.
Jack Constantine’s sideshow, “Museum of World Oddities” at
Astroland Amusement Park in Coney Island.
(August 7, 2004. Photograph by Takeshi Yamada)
Jack Constantine was in Coney Island for his company’s major
nation-wide traveling Dime Museum style sideshow called “Museum
of World Oddities”. There, he happened to see the spectacular
4-feet mummified Fiji Mermaid rogue taxidermy created by Takeshi
Yamada and decided to meet the artist in person. Yamada also
visited Museum of World Oddities and deeply impressed by his
sideshow Dime Museum full of fascinating oddities and man-made
artifacts.
Constantine visited Takeshi Yamada’s Museum of World Wonders in
Coney Island and was very excited seeing dozens of his creations
of life-like rogue taxidermy specimen artworks, collections of
curiosities, and mythological subject paintings on display
there.
“Battle of Coney Island: Holly War of New Millennium”,
oil/acrylic on canvas, 48 x 72 inch, 2000 - 2002, Takeshi Yamada
Collection of Museum of World Wonders in Coney Island, Brooklyn,
New York
Two-headed and six-fingered portrait of Takeshi Yamada as an
alchemist
oil/acrylic on canvas. 32 x 24 inch, 2000, Takeshi Yamada
Collection of Museum of World Wonders in Coney Island, Brooklyn,
New York
Jack Constantine asked Takeshi Yamada to work for his company by
producing commissioned unique original artworks such as sideshow
banners, showfronts, and sideshow gaffs. Yamada agreed.
Commissioned Sideshow Gaffs
In the following years, for Jack Constantine’s Museum of World
Oddities, which is a dime museum style nation-wide traveling
sideshow, Takeshi Yamada created a series of super-realism rogue
taxidermy specimen models of cryptozoological animals (sideshow
gaffs). Examples of them are 5-foot Chupacabra, nuclear
radiation giant beetle of Bikini Atoll, 3-foot Mongolian death
worm, shrunken human head, fossilized giant cockroach, giant
flying dragon (prehistoric giant dragonfly), freak chicken egg,
and other fascinating monstrous creatures with completely
believable realism and natural-looking intricate details.
Yamada also repaired and upgraded dozens of curiosities on
display at Museum of World Oddities such as the Fiji Mermaid,
Long-Neck Woman, Swamp Monster, etc. by modifying their shapes
and adding more realistic fine details.
“Television and movies really revolutionized, changed and
upgraded what people conceive as the REAL and the FAKE. Most
sideshow gaffs (super realism man-made sculpture simulating
specimens of natural oddities) shown at midways even 50 years
ago look fake to the eyes and minds of today’s people. Sideshow
gaff masters must work much harder and longer to create better
gaffs, which are at least 1,000 times better than the ones
created 50 years ago. If you doubt it, just watch black and
white movies of science fiction or monsters”, Takeshi Yamada
says.
Chupacabra
Rogue taxidermy by Takeshi Yamada. 5 foot, 2004.
(right) Takeshi Yamada at work on Chupacabra in his sculpture
production studio.
http://www.sideshowworld.com/SSA-15.html
Mongolian Death Worm
Rogue taxidermy by Takeshi Yamada. 36 inch, 2004.
Double-decked banner of Chupacabra & Mongolian Death Worm
painted by Juan Luis in 2005 for gaffs of Yamada.
(February 2008. Florida State Fair in Tanpa, Florida. Photograph
by Takeshi Yamada)
Giant Nuclear Radiation Beetle of Bikini Atoll
Rogue taxidermy by Takeshi Yamada. 8-3/4 inch, 2004.
Double-decked banner of the Giant Nuclear Radiation Beetle and
Human-face Monkey,
painted by Juan Luis in 2005 for sideshow gaffs of Yamada.
(February 2008. Florida State Fair in Tanpa, Florida. Photograph
by Takeshi Yamada)
Shrunken Human Head
Rogue taxidermy by Takeshi Yamada. 2004.
Jack Constantine’s Museum of World Oddities already had a
smaller shrunken human head but Yamada’s more elaborate and
better-looking one joined the rest of the oddities for display
in 2004. This is the second generation real shrunken human head.
Yamada added a small animal skull from backyard, bird’s features
in Florida, and weaved shaman strings to it. Needless to say,
many minor modifications and changes such as adding wings of his
nose, aged its skin, sawing eyes and mouth with jute strings,
etc. were done. Yamada also produced a custom-made display case
as seen here for this sideshow gaff by using an old wooden
toolbox.
Double-decked banner of the Shrunken Human Head (and Mummified
Boy) painted by John Hiner (about 30 years ago).
(February 2008. Florida State Fair in Tanpa, Florida.
Photograph by Takeshi Yamada)
Fiji mermaid
Rogue taxidermy by Takeshi Yamada. 2006
Jack Constantine’s Museum of World Oddities already had a
mummified mermaid “Figi Island Mermaid” but it was not in good
condition (heavily damaged pale pink skin creature with
completely missing fins and hands), thus it has been
half-covered with Spanish moss on display for years sadly.
Yamada added big tail fin, long spinal fin, hands, fingers, and
other details and repainted it completely for complete upgrading
in 2006. It joined the rest of the oddities for display in 2007.
(This mythic sea creature is also often spelled Fiji mermaid,
Fejee mermaid, or Feejee mermaid.)
Double-decked banner of the “Figi Island Mermaid” and Wolf Boy)
by John Hiner (about 30 years ago).
(February 2008. Florida State Fair in Tanpa, Florida. Photograph
by Takeshi Yamada)
Banner line of Museum of World Oddities
Many sideshow gaffs and rogue taxidermy specimens of Takeshi
Yamada are featured in many banners here.
(February 2008. Florida State Fair in Tanpa, Florida.
Photograph by Takeshi Yamada)
In December 2006, Takeshi Yamada was commissioned to create a
series of large paintings to be assembled and used for the
showfront for the Giant Snake sideshow (15x15x10 feet galvanized
aluminum panel-surrounded booth) of the Four C Productions Inc.
in Florida. The Giant Snake Show with his newly painted
“showfront” by Takeshi Yamada has been used for its nation-wide
traveling Single-O style (one attraction in a booth) style
sideshow in the United States since 2007. In addition, Yamada
also worked on over two dozen commissioned artworks for Four C
Productions including large sideshow banners/showfronts (Snake
Girl Show #1 & #2, Spider Girl Show, World’s Smallest Woman #1 &
#2, World’s Smallest Horse, etc.), sideshow gaffs (man-made
specimens of super-realistic taxidermy models of
cryptozoological animals), painted sign boards, small signs,
show props, etc. for the Four C Productions.
Note: Showfront:
Showfront is a type of a billboard for advertising the
sideshow’s attraction(s) and it is made of painted thick
galvanized aluminum panels (sometimes with three dimensional
complex theatrical sets and props) unlike the two-dimensional
banner (painted canvas cloth) today. In the past, showfronts
were also painted on thick wooden boards and hardened steel
metal boards. During the production period, a personal living
quarter (a trailer) was provided to Yamada at the company’s
production head quarter in Florida.
Takeshi Yamada and Jack Constantine
(September 26, 2004)
Continue to Chapter 4
Copyright by Takeshi
Yamada, Museum of World Wonders in Coney Island. Yamada Art
Center. Brooklyn, New York, 2007. Revised in March 2009, All
Rights Reserved.
E-mail: yamada108@verizon.net
Special thanks to Dr. Eriko N. Bond, Lauren D.
Travis, Seara (sea rabbit), Maremi Kakushina and Dr. Abraham
Morris.
Also special thanks to Jack Frost (senior
proofreader)
http://www.sideshowworld.com/SSA-15.html
http://www.roguetaxidermy.com/members_detail.php?id=528
http://www.horseshoecrab.org/poem/feature/takeshi.html
http://www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/events/exhibitions/other/worldwonders.jsp
