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Exotic World originated as the private collection of retired exotic dancer Jennie Lee . It's currently curated by retired burlesque performer Dixie Evans , who often personally leads tours through the exhibits.
Exotic World also serves as the home office for the Exotic Dancers' League of America trade union, and as the site of the annual Miss Exotic World Pageant .
Retired dancer Jennie Lee started collecting burlesque memorabilia when she owned the Sassy Lassy nightclub in San Pedro, California. After Lee was diagnosed with breast cancer, she and her husband moved to an abandoned goat farm in Helendale, California, located in the Mojave desert about halfway between Los Angeles, California and Las Vegas, Nevada.
Lee intended to create a burlesque museum, found a burlesque school and run a bed and breakfastA bed and breakfast often referred to as a B&B is a lodging typically operated out of a large single family residence where guests can be accommodated at night in private bedrooms (which may or may not be equipped with private baths) and where breakfast,, and the goat farm site had enough room to contain her growing collection. Only the museum got started within her lifetime
After Lee died in 1990, Dixie Evans took over the farm and turned it into the Exotic World Burlesque Museum. Lee's memorabilia formed the core of the collection, but people from around the world soon started to donate items to Exotic World. The collection is now large enough to fill the entire farm.
The Exotic World museum collection includes postersA poster is any large piece of paper which hangs from a wall or other such surface. They are a frequent tool of advertisers, propagandists, protestors and other groups trying to communicate a message, and they also see personal use by people, especially t, photographsA photograph (often just called a photo is an image (or a representation of that on e. paper) created by collecting and focusing electromagnetic radiation. The most common photographs are those created of visible wavelengths, producing permanent records o, publicityPublicity is one of the variables that comprise the promotional mix. The other components of promotions are advertising, sales promotion, and personal selling. Promotion is one of the variables that comprise the marketing mix. The other three are product stills, newspaperBrookgreen Gardens Pawleys Island, South Carolina A newspaper is a lightweight and disposable publication, usually printed on low-cost paper called newsprint, containing a journal of current news in a variety of topics. These topics can include political clippings, and playbillsPlaybill is the national magazine for theatregoers at any theatre. Many of these are printed up for the show playing at a particular theatre. It would contain a cast list, cast photos, cast biographies, song lists and who performs the songs (if a musical) related to famous burlesque performers including Blaze StarrBlaze Starr (born 1932) was an American stripper and burlesque star. Her vivacious presence and inventive use of stage props earned her the nicknames "Miss Spontaneous Combustion" and "The Hottest Blaze in Burlesque". She was also notorious for her affair, Lili St. CyrCyr (born Willis Marie Van Schaack on June 3, 1918 in Minneapolis, Minnesota; died January 29, 1999) was a well-known striptease artist of the 1940s and 1950s. She first became famous performing at the Gayety Theater in Montreal in 1944. Her performance w, Chesty Morgan , Candy Barr and Tempest Storm .
The museum includes costume elements and props such as feather boa s, fans, gloves, garter belts, gown s, shoes, pasties, g-strings, and jewelry. Many of these items are specially made for use in striptease routines.
Unique individual items include ivory fans used by Sally Rand, gloves and a black velvet shoulder cape worn by Gypsy Rose Lee, a heart-shaped couch owned by Jayne Mansfield and the cremation ashes of Miss Sheri Champagne .