The little people

Dwarfism is short stature resulting from an abnormal medical condition.[...] It can be caused by over 200 distinct medical conditions and as such the symptoms and characteristics of individual dwarfs vary greatly. In the USA people who are affected by dwarfism are often referred to as Little people.

(Wikipedia)

In the picture, the Filipino couple Martina (68,6 cm) and Juan de la Cruz (73,7 cm), who were considered the tiniest living couple of their time. For comparison - 70 cm would be the size of an average baby of about 8 or 9 months.

Maybe you have wondered why there are so many dwarfs with apparently big heads and short legs and arms and others, who are just petite?

There are two kinds of Little people: "dwarfs" and "midgets". I write "midgets" even though the Association of Little People of America is attempting to ban this "m-word" at least on TV, as they consider it as offensive as the word "nigger". But, as you will see, in the entertainment industry, not all little ones consider the term discriminating, actually, being a midget can turn them into millionaires!
Due to a genetic disorder, dwarfs are extremely short and have disproportionate body parts. They often suffer from associated problems such as nerve compression or disproportionate organs. The word "dwarf" is not considered offensive.

Midgets are just short in height. Their condition may be inherited or consequence of a nutritional deficiency (in this case it can be treated with growth hormones in some cases). If they are attractive, they can be extremely sought-after in the entertainment industry. The Don Juan on the left is definitively a good choice...

Nowadays, at least in industrialized countries, it is easier to see short-legged dwarfs than cute midgets.

On the other hand, lots of pictures of vintage petites in elegant garment can be found. Maybe this is due to the fact, that because of the poorer nutrition standards in the 19th and the early 20th century, more people were short in height as a consequence of a lower production of growth hormones during their childhood. In the photograph (http://photobibliothek.ch): The wedding of the century - Charles Stratton alias Tom Thumb (1837 - 1883) marries Lavinia Warren in 1863.

Book recommendation: "Chiquita" by Antonio Orlando Rodríguez (Spanish)


But before I present you some extraordinary entertainers, you will want to know: What do little people do for their living if they are not interested in exhibiting themselves? How is their daily life? I've got no idea. But the scriptwriters of the TV-series "Little people, big world" do. Everything you want to know about ordinary people of the dwarf community and the problems they may experience in a world made for giants:




Let's return to Little people in showbiz. Same as you can hire an Argentinian clown, an Asian stripper or a giant black hulk for gay parties, you can also hire Little people for almost any purpose (I guess there are specialized agencies for some of these purposes...). There are lots of hiring agencies around.
That's what recruiters say:
Are you less than 4'10" in height? Is your short stature caused by one of the more than 200 medical conditions known as dwarfism? If so, we are interested in hiring you. We receive numerous requests each day for Little People. Such requests include hanging out at a bars, dressing up in costumes for holiday parties, entertaining at birthday parties, anniversary parties, and performing on TV shows and commercials.

Some, as the cute lady on the left, are real professionals. Specially midget strippers are highly valued in the entertainment sector. I think we can all understand why...

The movie industry has always paid a lot of attention to Little people and a lot of small actors have gained world fame, such as Verne Troyer ("Austin Powers"). Some of them play roles of seductive and slightly cocky half-sized Don Juans. If you're interested in movies starring dwarfs or midgets, check these:

• "Little people" (1984, documentary)
• Midgets vs. Mascots (Ron Carlson, 2009)
  
• Im Reiche der Liliputaner (F. Goethe, H. Jülich & U. Schultz, 1939)
  

And of course, Werner Herzogs "Even dwarfs started small" ("Auch Zwerge haben klein angefangen", 1970) - a quite unpleasant film about a bunch of naughty dwarfs at a kind of orphanage somewhere in Southern Spain or Northern Africa. The man in the video doesn't want to stop laughing in an attempt to overcome the shock of having lost everything.



The most important thing to be successful in the wrestling business is to find the right characters to fight against each other. Disguised hulks, hot chicks in bikini or recently even Peruvian indigenous housewives. But midget wrestlers have always been the stars among insiders.
Check the Half Pint Brawlers - Psycho midget wrestling - for videos and tour dates.

This is America. But unimaginable things happen in other continents. The Cambodian Midget Fighting League (CMFL) was a team of 42 wrestlers. An angry fan claimed that one single lion could defeat the whole group of puppets. The proud president of the CMFL readily accepted the challenge shipping in an African lion for the - legal - event.
After 12 minutes, 28 fighters were declared dead. Read more

!!This is a nice story, but has been reported to be fake (thanks, Alicia)!!

Fortunately, this was only an exceptional event. In Asia, were a lot of handsome and talented midgets can be found, a lot of them turn into great dancers and showmen. Look at this one:




A final reflection: sometimes, I wonder how I would feel if I were an elephant, of great size and power, being dominated by tiny little humans. Let's imagine for a moment a world ruled by the Little people - that's how an elephant must feel. This funny video sketch makes you realize that our supremacy can't be taken for granted.



Never forget: it was Frodo, not Gandalf, who saved us from the dark forces.

Some useful links:

• Little people of America on Facebook
• Midget strippers
• Little people dating network
• Rent a midget
  
• Hire a midget
• Puppet, the psycho-dwarf
• The midget manifesto
  

Click here to see the video about "Bridget the midget", a fantastic pregnant midget stripper (see photo below).