Exotic World in Helendale, California

CALIFORNIA LEGENDS

Exotic World Burlesque Museum

In the middle of nowhere, just outside of Victorville, California is the “town” of Helendale and its most famous attraction – Exotic World. Once the private residence of famed dancer Jennie Lee, Exotic World is the only museum in the world dedicated exclusively to preserving the art and artifacts of the golden age of Burlesque.

While many retired dancers of this era kept their "risqué" pasts quiet -- Jennie Lee, founder of the League of Exotic Dancers and former "Bazoom Girl" (a moniker she earned for effortlessly twirling tassels on both her bosom and behind), decided to buck convention and put her past on display. Literally.

Jennie's collection of Burlesque memorabilia made its debut at the "Sassy Lassy" nightclub in San Pedro, California, which she co-owned with her husband, Charlie Arroyo ("The Singing Cowboy"). When Jennie fell ill with breast cancer, she and Charlie moved out to an abandoned goat farm in the middle of the Mojave Desert, promptly evicting the farm's four-footed tenants in favor of creating a suitable space for her ever-expanding collection.

Following her death in 1990, Jennie's friend and fellow Burlesque veteran Dixie Evans quit her job and moved out to the ranch to help transform Jennie's collection into "Exotic World, Home of the Movers & Shakers' Burlesque Museum & Striptease Hall of Fame." As news of the museum continued to spread, people from all over the world started to send additional items, and the museum eventually took over the entire farm.

As you drive into Exotic World half naked Grecian goddesses and lawn jockeys greet you from the front yard. Inside the walls are filled with photographs and playbills of busty strippers from days gone by, and a wealth a wealth of memorabilia, including, pasties, lip-prints, and even the jewel-encrusted g-strings of such Burlesque legends as Blaze Starr, Lili St. Cyr, Candy Barr and Chesty Morgan; as well as Sally Rand's ivory-handled fans, Gypsy Rose Lee's glove collection, Jayne Mansfield's heart-shaped couch, and even the ashes of Miss Sheri Champagne, one of Burley-Q's all-time greats. Also displayed is a nude velvet painting of Farrah Fawcett, and the ashes of The Bazoom Girl herself, Jennie Lee, the founder of Exotic World.

Burlesque's golden age, which featured flirtatious feathered striptease artists, began in the '20s and ended in the '50s. Playboy magazine and the arrival of television brought the curtain down on burlesque. In the Burlesque era, the art form's true stars possessed not only the most bodacious of bodies, but also extravagant costumes, playful choreography, a powerful sense of humor, and more often than not, an exceptional gimmick.

A famously close-knit bunch, retired Burlesque stars often drop in unannounced from parts unknown. As Dixie Evans says, "The girls love coming by. They enjoy knowing that someone cares about preserving their work."

Exotic World
29053 Wild Road
Helendale, California 92342
(760) 243-5261

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