The "10-in-1" features 10 attractions, usually including human oddities, for one price, plus an extra attraction, called a "blow-off," for an additional fee. The "single O" features one attraction. The "museum show" is an exhibit of inanimate objects, such as preserved specimens. The "girl show" ranges from revues to burlesque acts, but always features dancing ladies.
P.T. Barnum bought the struggling New York American Museum in 1841 and turned it into a museum that featured human oddities. Financial troubles led Barnum to take the show on the road three decades later. He called it "The Greatest Show on Earth," and though he would be associated with the circus forevermore, it was the birth of the true sideshow.
In the 20th century, as television became popular, people lost interest in sideshows and grew skeptical about the supposed origins of freaks. People also became uncomfortable with the notion of human oddities being exploited.
The Coney Island Circus Sideshow has had a traditional 10-in-1 on the New York beach strip since 1983. In the 1990s, the sideshow experienced a revival when the Jim Rose Circus toured with Lollapalooza.