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Filipino Midgets

Filipino Midgets

World's Smallest People — Filipino Midgets
printed postcard, 6.5 x 3 inches, 1942
printer: Jones Print, Lewistown, PA.


Juan de la Cruz and his sister Martina were popular carnival attractions for several years. Known as the Filipino Midgets the pair toured midways across the United States. The reverse of this card bears the following curiously worded story:

FILIPINO MIDGETS

These tiny people are brother and sister, two children of a family of five, born in the village of Tanlagan, Province of Capiz, Island of Panav, P. I. The little lady, Miss Martina de la Cruz, is the second child born in that family of five, 60 yrs. of age, height 21 in., weight 34 pounds. Her brother, Juan, is 58 yrs. of age, height 24 in., weight 32 pounds. These little people have every joint, bone and muscle in their body the same as any normal person. They are very bright and intelligent having mastered three of the dialects of the Philippine language, namely: Talalog, Viscayan, Pampamga, Spanish and English, practically five distinct languages.

The parents were average size Filipinos, also the other three children in that family. The midget man is married to an average size Filipino woman, Gregoria Gabriel, 36 yrs. of age. They have a very pretty baby girl, Maria which was of normal size and just as tall as papa. The baby died at the age of three years in the town of Daytona, Florida, March 15, 1907.

The Filipino Midgets are the smallest adults known to be alive today in the world. It is amusing to watch these tiny bits of humanity dance together, and the little man go through his acrobatic performance.




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All Images and Text © James G. Mundie 2005 - 2010