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The World Oddities Expo brings unique experiences to Milwaukee – wtmj.com
Sep
World Oddities Expo at the Baird Center.
MILWAUKEE–The World Oddities Expo is a one-stop shop for all things unique, offering decor made of bones, taxidermy art, animal specimens and even permanent ink.
The traveling show visits 36 cities across the United States, with Milwaukee being one of the last few stops on the 2026 tour.
WOE is described as a market for curious people; organizers said there is something for everyone and every interest. The expo changes in variation depending on the vendors and state laws as to what can be sold.
In Milwaukee, near the entrance, there are multiple tattoo artists with hundreds of pre-drawn tattoos available for guests to purchase and get inked on the spot.
Vendor booths line the room selling unique oddities, including: lamps made of bones, handmade candles, art made of insect wings, pop culture paintings and more.
“It’s a dying art and a lot of people won’t be able to see that animal live in person,” said taxidermy vendor TJ Burdette. “So you get to see it in the afterlife in a sense.”
Burdette and his wife, Jess Burdette, have been in the taxidermy business since 2022. Beyond selling pieces at their booth, Jess Burdette teaches taxidermy classes at WOE shows.
In Milwaukee, she offered rat taxidermy classes, where attendees are given all the supplies and instructions to mount a rat and create an art piece to take home.
“It’s very popular,” said Burdette. “We’ve been able to sustain ourselves full-time for almost a year now off the classes and the shows.”
Taxidermy classes range from $200 to $300 at WOE, often selling out.
“How often are you going to be able to play with a bunny or a rat and then make it your own thing,” said Burdette. “Open your mind up a little bit, even if you want that cute little skull or cute little fox, rabbit, whatever, go for it.”
Additionally, WOE offers a variety of classes, including how to pin butterflies. First-time WOE attendee Valorie Achtor took the class on Saturday.
“I’ve really always wanted a pinned butterfly,” said Achtor. “I’ve just never bought one so I thought I could do it myself.”
Achtor said she’s always been into “weird things” and said pinning butterflies is just a way to preserve the beautiful creatures.
Dead things may not be for everyone, luckily the oddities expo has live insects too.
Entomologist Trisha Nichols allows guests to hold her pet tarantula, Moe, and hissing cockroaches, Mac and Cheese, for a small donation.
“I’ve just been out there collecting bugs since I was itty bitty,” said Nichols. “Now I get to teach about them full time and I love that.”
Nichols performs a daily informational insect show on the stage at WOE. The expo hosts various live performances throughout the day, many described as “circus sideshow acts”.
“Our audience is for everyone,” said WOE Assistant Entertainment Director Kyrstal Younglove.”A lot of times, what we have are a lot of very curious people that maybe haven’t had access to the concentration of the things that we are bringing into the space.”
Curious about the odd? Explore the World Oddities Expo on Sept. 26 and 27 at the Baird Center in Milwaukee.
© 2026 Good Karma Broadcasting.
© 2026 Good Karma Broadcasting.
