‘Midget Village’ at Balboa Park’s 1935 Exposition: Reflecting on a bygone attraction and changing views

Balboa Park in San Diego is widely celebrated for its stunning gardens, impressive museums, and vibrant cultural events. However, beneath its well-known beauty lies a fascinating and sometimes quirky history of unique attractions that drew curious visitors during the early 20th century.

One of the most talked-about exhibits during the 1935 California Pacific International Exposition was Midget Village—a small but popular attraction featuring little people performing various acts and living in tiny houses designed to charm visitors.

The Exposition was held to promote San Diego and support its economy and had hundreds of exhibits on history, the arts, horticulture, ethnic cultures, science, and industry.

Midget Village was located in the Casa de Balboa building and capitalized on the era’s fascination with novelty entertainment, similar to the “freak shows” that were common at the time. Visitors were drawn to the miniature village and the performances, with weddings and social events often staged in the tiny homes.

According to Mary Steffgen of Point Loma, who, as an 8-year-old, freely explored Balboa Park during the exposition, the Midget Village was a major highlight. She recalled in a 1997 San Diego Magazine article, “I was fascinated by the Midget Village, where weddings frequently took place. Visiting the tiny houses and shops was the big step between playing with miniature dollhouses and living in the real grown-up world.”

Many of the performers in Midgetland later went on to appear as Munchkins in the iconic film The Wizard of Oz she said.

Steffgen’s memories offer a vivid glimpse into the park’s atmosphere during that time, when children and families felt safe wandering the grounds—a freedom that, she noted, “could not happen in today’s social climate.”

Adding historical context, Edith Ott, a longtime Balboa Park historian, shared insights in a Smithsonian Institution oral history interview about Midget Village’s role in the exposition. She described it as “a curious mix of fascination and spectacle that captivated many visitors, a window into a time when public amusement often involved unusual performances.” Ott’s remarks remind us how entertainment norms have evolved, highlighting the importance of viewing such exhibits through a modern lens that respects dignity and representation.

A Modern Perspective

Today, the term “midget” is widely recognized as a slur and is considered deeply offensive by advocacy groups such as Little People of America. But the concerns go beyond language. The concept of a fictional village where people with dwarfism were placed on display—designed explicitly for the public’s amusement—carries the same exploitative legacy as the “freak shows” of the early 20th century.

“While the use of ‘midget’ in and of itself is problematic, the concept of a fictional ‘land’ where each aspect is meant to be diminutive and objectifying to the participants should also be of considerable concern to society. It’s a play on the ‘freak show’ era, where people could pay to view individuals with disabilities as ‘freaks.’ That is harmful to our community and is something we still have to overcome,” said Jennifer Crumly, PR director for Little People of America.

Read LPA’s official position on the “m-word.”

More Curiosities from the 1935 Exposition

While Midget Village stands out as one of the more unusual and controversial exhibits, Balboa Park featured other distinctive attractions during the 1935 Exposition. One was Zoro Garden, a lush sunken garden that originally served as a nude sunbathing area featuring “Zoro Girls” performing exotic dances. It blended tropical landscaping with a touch of mystique and allure. Although the nude aspect faded over time, Zoro Garden remains a beautiful botanical space that continues to enchant visitors.

Other notable attractions included the House of Charm, originally built for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition and later repurposed to house arts and crafts displays and commercial concessions. The Magic Lantern Theater combined projected images with sound to create an early multimedia experience, while the Electric Fountain offered spectacular nighttime light and water shows—features that added to the exposition’s carnival-like atmosphere.

Revisiting the Past with Awareness

These attractions, though sometimes seen today as outdated or culturally insensitive, offer an intriguing window into Balboa Park’s vibrant and eclectic past. They illustrate how public entertainment has transformed over the decades, and how the park itself has grown while honoring its layered history.

For those interested in delving deeper, the San Diego History Center and Balboa Park Conservancy maintain archives filled with photographs, newspaper clippings, and detailed records of these unique exhibitions. Visiting Balboa Park today allows guests to appreciate its natural beauty and world-class institutions, while also reflecting on the evolving standards of dignity and inclusion.

Sources:

• Mary Steffgen, recollections from unpublished manuscript and personal interviews, 1935, from a 1997 article in San Diego Magazine.
• Edith Ott, Smithsonian Institution Oral History Interview, Balboa Park Collection.
• San Diego Union archives, 1935.
• Balboa Park Conservancy archives.
• San Diego History Center.
• Little People of America statement (Jennifer Crumly), 2024.
• In this article, we used AI to assist with historical research. The author fact-checked everything uncovered by AI. Using AI for research allows us to find more historical information to make articles like this more comprehensive.