Merman of Aden Feejee Mermaid The feejee mermaid is probably the most famous of all sideshow gaffs. It's obviously not a real mermaid. The top was a monkey, the bottom a fish. Taxidermied and sewn together. The first exhibitor Samuel Barret Eades purchased the mermaid from a merchant in the Dutch West Indies. PT Barnum was the man to make the mermaid famous, and to give it it's name (The feejee mermaid). Below are two different knock-offs of the famous Feejee Mermaid. Postcard                  click thumbnails for additional items Back to the Freaks Home † Contact // All material ©Patt Kelley Illustration.