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Ella Annie “Tiny Doll” Schneider

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Ella Annie “Tiny Doll” Schneider Famous memorial

Birth
Stolpen, Landkreis Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzebirge, Saxony, Germany
Death
6 Sep 2004 (aged 90)
Sarasota, Sarasota County, Florida, USA
Burial
Cremated, Ashes given to family or friend Add to Map
Memorial ID
View Source
Entertainer. Born Elly Annie Schneider, the daughter of Gustav and Emma Schneider in Stolpen, Germany. She and three older siblings all inherited dwarfism. The two eldest, Grace (Frieda) and Harry (Kurt), traveled to the US the year she was born, and toured with a Wild West show. Their manager also brought sisters Daisy (Hilda) and Elly, also called Tiny, to the United States by 1926 where they joined Harry and Grace in their act. They billed themselves under their manager's name of Earles until his death, when they took the stage name Doll. They left the Wild West show and started touring with Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus. Off season, the family also began appearing in films; Harry, Daisy, and Tiny were cast in the 1932 film, “Freaks,” she also appeared in "Special Delivery” (1927), “Three Ring Marriage" (1928), "Be Big" (1931), and all four siblings played Munchkins in “The Wizard of Oz” (1939). Her entire movie career was uncredited. They did, however, bill themselves as "The Moving Picture Midgets" at the time. They continued to work the circus sideshow for thirty seasons, and when the Ringling traveling shows ended in 1956, the Dolls toured with the Christiani Circus. She and her brother were the shortest of the family, at three feet three inches, but she never weighed more than 46 pounds. In 1958, the family retired as a group, purchasing a custom equipped house for themselves in Sarasota, Florida, where they lived out their retirement. Tiny survived her siblings by almost twenty-five years, passing at age 90.
Entertainer. Born Elly Annie Schneider, the daughter of Gustav and Emma Schneider in Stolpen, Germany. She and three older siblings all inherited dwarfism. The two eldest, Grace (Frieda) and Harry (Kurt), traveled to the US the year she was born, and toured with a Wild West show. Their manager also brought sisters Daisy (Hilda) and Elly, also called Tiny, to the United States by 1926 where they joined Harry and Grace in their act. They billed themselves under their manager's name of Earles until his death, when they took the stage name Doll. They left the Wild West show and started touring with Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus. Off season, the family also began appearing in films; Harry, Daisy, and Tiny were cast in the 1932 film, “Freaks,” she also appeared in "Special Delivery” (1927), “Three Ring Marriage" (1928), "Be Big" (1931), and all four siblings played Munchkins in “The Wizard of Oz” (1939). Her entire movie career was uncredited. They did, however, bill themselves as "The Moving Picture Midgets" at the time. They continued to work the circus sideshow for thirty seasons, and when the Ringling traveling shows ended in 1956, the Dolls toured with the Christiani Circus. She and her brother were the shortest of the family, at three feet three inches, but she never weighed more than 46 pounds. In 1958, the family retired as a group, purchasing a custom equipped house for themselves in Sarasota, Florida, where they lived out their retirement. Tiny survived her siblings by almost twenty-five years, passing at age 90.

Bio by: Iola


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