Entry No. 13 — the Boise file — filed under: haunted
Deja-Moo, the Two-Headed Calf at the Idaho State Museum
Tucked into the museum's Boomtown exhibit, in a setup styled like an old penny arcade, sits Deja-Moo: a real, taxidermied two-headed calf born in Gooding in 1950 and a museum fixture since 1951. It's a genuine preserved oddity hiding inside an otherwise straightforward state history museum. The penny-arcade staging makes stumbling onto it feel like discovering a sideshow relic.
The story
Walk into the Idaho State Museum and you will find glass cases detailing tribal origins, forestry exhibits on the Big Burn of 1910, and pioneer trail displays. But keep moving toward the Boomtown gallery on the main floor, past the trade displays, until you hit the Penny Arcade setup. There, staged like a sideshow relic, sits Deja-Moo: a real, full-body taxidermied calf born with two distinct heads, four eyes, and two snouts.
The calf was born on a farm in Gooding, Idaho, in 1950. It didn't survive long, but instead of ending up buried in a pasture, its body was taxidermied and handed over to the museum in 1951. It has remained a permanent fixture for over seven decades, surviving floor-plan overhauls and institutional redesigns without ever losing its spot.
What makes Deja-Moo strange is the context. The Idaho State Museum is a modern, sanitized state history institution, yet right in the middle of its educational pioneer arcade sits a genuine mid-century biological anomaly. If the four-eyed gaze leaves an impression, you don't even have to leave empty-handed: the museum store sells plush two-headed calf stuffed toys modeled after the specimen.
What it's like
Visiting means paying standard museum admission at the front desk and making a direct line for the Boomtown gallery. The vibe is a typical state-history venue—families and school groups wandering between timber and mining exhibits—until you turn into the Penny Arcade alcove and spot the calf behind glass. Looking at the specimen and snapping a deadpan selfie takes less than five minutes. Visit on a weekday afternoon if you want to avoid field-trip crowds around the interactive exhibits.
The move: Pay the museum admission, beeline for Boomtown, and take a deadpan selfie with the two-headed calf.
- 📍 Boise
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 610 Julia Davis Dr, Boise, ID 83702
Hours: Added 2026-06-24 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Seated Lincoln (Giant Borglum Statue) — Step outside into Julia Davis Park right beside the museum to find Gutzon Borglum's oversized bronze Lincoln slouched on a park bench.
- Basque Museum & Cultural Center (Cyrus Jacobs-Uberuaga House) — Head three blocks north to the Basque Block to trade livestock oddities for the nation's only museum dedicated to Basque history.
- Pengilly's Saloon — Walk into Old Boise for a drink behind a century-old Brunswick backbar to process the uncanny gaze of four taxidermied eyes.
- Egyptian Theatre — Stroll four blocks downtown to catch a movie or show inside a 1927 Egyptian Revival movie palace.
Good to know
Where inside the museum is Deja-Moo located?
Deja-Moo is inside the Boomtown gallery, set up within the Penny Arcade display on the main floor of the Idaho State Museum.
Is Deja-Moo a real preserved animal?
Yes. It is a real taxidermied calf born with two heads in Gooding, Idaho, in 1950 and added to the museum's collection in 1951.
How much does it cost to get in?
Admission to the museum is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, military, and college students, $5 for youth ages 6–17, and free for children 5 and under.
Does the museum store sell two-headed calf merchandise?
Yes, the Idaho State Museum store sells plush two-headed calf stuffed animals.
What are the Idaho State Museum's hours?
The museum is open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., with final admission sold at 4:15 p.m.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Roadside America · localwiki.org · Official site · magicvalley.com
last checked: 2026-06-24