Several people said it was some kind of a monster. Others thought it was a voodoo doll or perhaps a mummy. Even owners Kevin and Yvette Stone said they weren't sure what it was.
One thing is for sure- Whatever "it" might be, it turned a lot of heads and made for one unique fair-time commodity.
A bit of the classic circus freak show was revived last week as word of the "mystery thing" spread throughout the Los Baños Fairgrounds. Enclosed in a glass case, the visual oddity brought a stream of onlookers to get a first-hand look and guess what it was.
Yvette Stone said the only thing more interesting than the specimen is the speculation it has generated. Stone said the "thing," which resembles a shrunken mummy with long hair, teeth and a fish-like tail, is making its first public appearance since she and her husband acquired it.
"We've had a lot of people make suggestions these past few days. People have said it's an alien or a mermaid skeleton. Since we've had it, I've even been guessing at what it is," Yvette Stone said.
Kevin Stone said he wasn't sure if the specimen would generate much interest. The couple decided to promote it in Los Baños to gauge how people would react.
Judging from the stream of visitors who paid $1 to see the oddity, Kevin Stone said his experiment was a successful one.
"I just love it here in Los Baños and since I do about 30 fairs every year, I thought I would try it out here to see how it goes," he said. "People have just been fascinated by it. It's not really freaky for them, but it's just something interesting to look at."
According to Stone, the specimen was given to him by a strange old man after one of his hypnotist shows in southern California.
"I do a lot of touring around to do my shows and after one show this weird old guy comes up to me and says 'I think I have something that you'd like,'" he said. "So he goes to this suitcase and pulls this thing out and right away, I fell in love with it. He tells me that I can have it as long as I give it to another person when I'm done and then just like that, I lost sight of him."
As an avid collector of circus memorabilia, Stone said he has had the specimen tested several times. Next to the display case was a certificate from the New York Paranormal Museum and Institute, confirming the specimen's authenticity but failing to identify it.
Stone said the visitors attempt to fill in the rest.
"People will come and ask if it's a half-monkey, half-mermaid-chicken," he laughed. "They ask if it's an embryo or some kind of a cyst. The truth is, I just don't know. But what I do know is that people enjoy it and said it was the best dollar they've spent at the fair."
(Original headline: Mysterious creature invades Los Baños )
