Hi! this website is all about the trait clubbed thumbs. So far I know very little about it. This website is here so people can meet and share what they know.
For example, if you have a clubbed thumb like me, where are you from? Do you know any celebrities (like Megan Fox, above) who have clubbed thumbs? Do you know any of the science behind clubbed thumbs and is any of the mythology true?
In any case, I hope we can share our experiences of this unique (and maybe ‘royal’) trait.
Please post here or email me at clubbedthumbs@yahoo.co.uk
Thanks,
Alf Parelli
December 22, 2007 at 10:49 am |
Hello Alf!
Thanks for your comment on my blog. My boyfriend Vincent has the “clubbed” thumbs and we’re not sure if it’s genetic as his parents do not have them and his grandparents are no longer alive.
That lady, Kim, on my blog grew up being taunted for having those thumbs, I guess people in America aren’t so kind to people with a difference. She was actually a client of a friend of mine and worked for a company that makes x-ray machines and body scanners and she told us that she had put them under the machines and the bones of the clubbed thumb are different than they are on a normal thumb.
At first I thought it was just the top bit of the thumb that was shorter, but that whole last joint is a bit abnormal. Apart from that, there’s not much else we know.
December 22, 2007 at 1:20 pm |
Hi Nicole, I have managed to dig up some more information. As far as I know the trait is quite common, genetic and has been studied. More info to follow…
January 1, 2008 at 10:33 pm |
Well I too have “Clubbed thumbs” and I have had them for as long as I can remember.
My experiences with my thumbs is that they are awesome in “thumb war” and they seem to be a killer at parties (ooh, look at his thumbs, look, look)
meaning that I cn always use my thumbs as an icebreaker at social gatherings.
Other than that… I don’t know anyone other than me with this “syndome”/disease/abnormality/wicked ass trait, and no one in my family had even heard of clubbed thumbs (brachydactyly type D), meaning that I am probably the only one in my family with thumbs like these.
PS.
I live in Norway, I’m 18 years old and I havent got a clue if any of the mythology is true (especially since ive never heard any “clubbed thumb mythology)
PSPS.
My father tells me one of my ancestors was of royal blood, YAY!!!…I guess
January 2, 2008 at 2:14 am |
hey my name is yvonne and i have clubbed thumbs on both of my thumbs… altho i find them really ugly… but iv learnd to deal with them =]
knowing that both my parents were both poor when they were young and you said that it is a sign of royalty… i found that pretty suprizing,,, eniwayz here is a bit bout me..
Name: Yvonne
NickName: Vonnie
Birth: Australia
Natunalaty: Lebanese (all my family up wards are lebanese)
i have a great grampa who had really blond hair, light light skin and kinda red, and light blue eyes!
i have brown hair, light brown eyes, and im 5′3 (five foot three) 162cm
hope this helped you a bit please reply…..
Yvonne
January 4, 2008 at 3:39 pm |
Its suprizing to see others that have the same ‘clubbed thumb’. For the longest time I have always thought it was some kind of problem in regards to my family and that perhaps I was horribly deformed as I have never seen anybody else with the same physical characteristic. Though my mother actually has a clubbed thumb with her left hand, as mine is on my right.
From a female perspective it can be difficult as I am unable to have false nails applied(thumb is too wide), and with growing my nails long the left side of my thumb nail curves inward making it even more noticable. It has always been my little embaressment for some reason, even friends and older partners have poked fun.
Does anybody else have any other physical differences with their structure? Like my Occipital bone on the back of my head is more defined and comes to a noticable point(like a bump).
I would be interested to see a picture of everyones thumb as they seem to vary to some extent. I will have to work up the courage to get a picture of mine as well haha.
As for the royalty idea, that worries me as people have noted that this may be due to the inbreeding with the royal families. Not sure if that idea makes me feel any better haha.
I am currently 20 and was raised in Oregon, USA
January 5, 2008 at 2:47 am |
Thanks for your responses.
Lars-
I have also found that I am good at thumb war; actually I thought I was unbeatable! I haven’t tried it as an icebreaker but I it might work. I need to find out more about the mythology – but we have a saying “there is no smoke without fire”.
Yvonne-
Many people are insecure about their appearance. The fact is that we’re not all the same. Just remember that it is a relatively common trait, it makes you unbeatable at thumb war, and that you have friends here!
PS. They have not identified a specific gene but it definitely runs in families.
Alf
January 12, 2008 at 1:48 pm |
I have one clubbed thumb on my left and a normal thumb on my right, most people don’t really notice, as far as ancestry goes. My mom and her family from what I can see don’t have clubbed thumbs at all nor my grandparents and cousins. On my biological fathers side I’ve never met any of them before or my father although I know he was part Italian on his mother’s side and English and Irish on his fathers.
I hope this helps, and if you find any more information please post it.
January 12, 2008 at 1:51 pm |
Anne Heche (US actress)
Megan Fox (US actress)
Tory Mussett (Australian actress) [citation needed]
Ashley Lyn Cafagna (US actress) [citation needed]
Here’s a list of actresses with clubbed thumbs, from awnsers.com
January 12, 2008 at 6:58 pm |
Hi Quinn.
I also know
Malin Akerman (US actress),
Kristen van Dernoot (DJ & model) and
Cay Helmich (German actress).
Some sites say, that they are very selfconfident with their thumbs.
January 13, 2008 at 2:59 pm |
Hi all:
I probably have most in common with Victoria! My mother has a clubbed thumb (her left) but both of mine are clubbed thumbs…exactly shown in the pictures and actually the most clubbed I have ever seen (very wide and fat). I have six other siblings (four sisters and two brothers) and none of them have it. I did get teased a lot growing up in Vancouver, Canada and am still somewhat sensitive about it…like on the plane/train when I’m reading something, I pay attention to who is watching my thumbs!
As I mentioned I grew up in Canada and now reside in the US. My ethnic heritage is Afghan/Tajik (Central Asia) where the region has been a melting pot (Greeks, Persians, Mongolians, Arbas the list goes on). We have people of all colours (skin, eyes, hair etc.) in the region and I have noticed several people from the region with this “condition”. I would say I’m fair skinned for the area, have black hair and hazel eyes.
My wife admits that when we first (met at the University where we both attended) she had second thoughts about our long-term potential because of this “genetic marker”. I have two young daughters and I was present at their birth and the very first thing I checked was the thumbs…and the answer was negative.
I do not believe it’s a race thing. I’m inclined to think that it has more to do with in-breeding as the region I come from is very insular and in-breeding has been disturbingly common for centuries. It is more common for people to marry their cousins (not third or even second but first cousins…yikes!!). Having said that, my mother and father are very diverse ethnically and I have a female friend in Canada with one clubbed thumb and she is blonde! My wife is also blonde…..anyways, thanks for starting this discussion….I have been curious about this all my life and now I see that this is not germane to me or my ethnic group.
Fred
January 14, 2008 at 5:52 am |
I am so glad to find that there are other people with this same “affliction”. Sorry, but that’s how I look at my thumbs. I have always been very embarrsed by them. My middle finger on my left hand also seems to be slightly strange and the nail is odd on it too. No one else in my family had seemed to have this except my until my youngest son had a daughter and I’m sorry to say I’m afraid she has this too. She is only 5 it isn’t terribly noticeable yet, but I think she may have them. Does anyone have a problem with their toes that has the clubbed thumbs. I do on my left foot and my sister does on both feet. This has a name, but I just found out what is is and it is on another site. If you have this problem just type in short toes and it will tell you where to go. This is what led me to try to find out what my thumb “problem” was. I’ve always wished I could have a thumb replacement (lol). Anybody else feel that way?? I’ve been made fun of all my life.
Brenda
January 19, 2008 at 6:14 am |
It’s so interesting to see other folks who have “the thumbs.” I have two clubbed thumbs, and my late husband used to tease me that they were “Sissy Hankshaw” thumbs (a reference to the Tom Robbins book, “Even Cowgirls Get the Blues”)
I was surprised to hear the tale about them indicating royalty. I am American, and the female bloodline from which they appear (my aunt also has 2 clubbed thumbs) is from Luxembourg. My grandmother told me that her grandmother had worked as a maid for royalty and got pregnant by one of them, and thus was banished to America. So, it makes me think that the story might have something to it.
A palm reader once told me that the thumbs indicated extreme stubborness and that both Hitler and Mussolini had clubbed thumbs (though I wouldn’t know how to verify that!) Both my kids have one clubbed thumb, and we all have been interested to learn more about our thumbs.
January 21, 2008 at 5:37 am |
This blog makes me very happy indeed. For years and years I thought I was the only person on earth with thumbs like mine. Noone in my family has them, and my daughters haven’t inherited them from me. But I absolutely have classic “clubbed” thumbs and I have always hid them from everyone. Only my ex-husband and my current partner have I been honest with and actually openly showed my thumbs to. As for the royal blood thing well, I’ve had my family tree traced back to the 14th century and definitely no royal blood!
What Victoria said about the bone on her head is interesting indeed, I also have that trait! Maybe there is a lot more to BDD than meets the eye…
January 21, 2008 at 5:41 am |
Just wanted to add, I have clubbed big toes also, and my fingers have strangely shaped fingernails (but are otherwise normal length though slightly bent in shape). I tried getting acrylic nails once to see what they were like, but they didn’t actually fit onto my nails.
January 21, 2008 at 7:32 pm |
I have these wonderful thumbs as well. Both of my thumbs are clubbed. The only other person in my family that has these thumbs is my grandmother on my father’s side of the family. I live in America. I lived most of my life in Maryland but about three years ago I moved to North Carolina. I do not know why but it seems as if there are more people with these thumbs in NC than in MD. I love my thumbs. They are a great ice breaker and honestly I think that “normal” thumbs look strange. I knew Megan Fox had club thumbs! I tried to point it out to my ex boyfriend but he dismissed it. I was right! As far as I know my family is German, Irish, English, and Dutch. Obviously, very European. I would love to know where exactly my family is. I’d love to read any more information you find!
January 22, 2008 at 6:13 am |
hey guys!!!
I am glad someone made this website. And well I have these “thumbs” as well. I just gotta say i am pretty ashamed of them, because I guess they are just not normal and weird looking.
I have been wanting to know more info about them forever. But have barely found anything except what wikepedia has on them.
When I saw Megan Fox had these fingers I felt so relieved that I wasn’t the only one in this world with these thumbs.
My info. is both of my thumbs are like this, and I have fatty toes too. I know no one else in family has them. And my grandmother from my fathers side had them. My ancestry is European from Spain and Ukrain (dont know how to spell that).
Hey is anyone here on myspace.
Take care everyone.
January 22, 2008 at 8:41 pm |
have a look here: http://groups.myspace.com/SKTC
January 23, 2008 at 8:07 am |
Hello! I to have clubbed thumb. I have always kept the hidden because I found the a bit on the ugly side. I always hated playing 7-up in school. Do you remember that game? You put your head down and your thumbs up and other kids in the push them down and you have to guess who picked you.
Anyway, I have inherited them from my mother who tends to be sensitive on the isse. She likes to call the condition “European thumbs”. What ever makes her feel better. She is of Scandivian descent. I am the only child in my family of five with clubbed thumbs. I’m lucky in that I have two of them. At least I have a matching pair. I also have nieces with the condition. None of my 4 children show the trait.
September 17, 2009 at 11:46 pm |
Heather,
I have clubbed thumbs as well and I absolutely remember that “heads up 7-up” game! I DREADED playing it! Loved your comment about “at least I have a matching pair” lol
January 23, 2008 at 5:45 pm |
Strange that at 34 I am just now looking up information on what exactly is wrong with my thumbs. I have always had a very hard time with them, and don’t even like to say the word “thumb”. I was made fun of a lot for them, and am so sensitive about them that I hide them even from my husband. I’ve never mentioned them to anyone, and if someone else mentions them, I panic.
I am the only one in my family with these thumbs, but my first cousin on my mother’s side has them, too. She’s the only one in my whole family that I know of. My mom’s side is mostly from Scotland and Wales.
I just had a daughter and although her thumbs look normal, I know that can change. I think mine were normal-looking when I was a baby, too. I have always wondered what causes them.
January 24, 2008 at 12:51 am |
I got so excited when I found this site.Both of my thumbs are clubbed and my big toes are kinda wide also. My great-great aunt on my mom’s side had one clubbed thumb and I think an ancestor on my dad’s side had clubbed thumbs. My first cousin on my dad’s side has 2 clubbed thumbs, which is kinda surprising because he is a boy and it usually occurs in girls. And like Victoria, I think my head is shaped a bit funny. I’m not sure that my occipital really comes to a point but it is not rounded like a “normal” person.Ha!I would love to talk to you guys more, I have facebook if anyone wants to look me up!
January 24, 2008 at 2:30 am |
WOW! so finally glad to meet you all. My name is Jake from Wisconsin 20years old and thought i was the only one. My right thumb is clubbed and my left one is normal.My mother didn’t even notice i was clubbed until i was 4. i would love to see and share pictures of everyones thumbs.
January 25, 2008 at 10:50 pm |
I am a fellow club thumber. Both my thumbs are clubbed as well as my father’s, great grandmother and one uncle. We are Mexican from Mexico (though I hear my great grandfather was Spanish) and it took me 30 years to come to terms with the look of my thumb None of my three kids nor my two sisters got themI think they are Ok since there are worse things out there. lol Well I’m glad my family is not the only out there.
January 29, 2008 at 3:31 am |
Well, I’ve got them too. I only noticed having these “weird” thumbs recently (who looks at other people’s thumbs?), and I am sensitive to it. Now, I do have a small part of my brain dedicated to hiding my thumb if it’s displayed for everyone to see somehow. I didn’t know what people were talking about when they asked what was “wrong with my thumb” until I actually started looking at other people’s thumbs. It is a pretty weird condition, huh?
I’ve been curious though if they affect the function of the thumbs at all. Are non-clubbed thumbs better or worse for certain tasks? Video games are a strong point for me, but I wonder if clubbed thumbs contributed to that.
As for my ethnicity, I’m Chinese. None of my relatives that I could tell had them, so it seems kinda random.
Also, I did notice Megan Fox had clubbed thumbs in Transformers! I wonder if I would’ve noticed or not if I wasn’t watching it on HD-DVD
January 30, 2008 at 1:50 am |
I don’t have clubbed thumbs, but my girlfriend does (both thumbs). In all honesty, I love them! She hated them when we first met, but after 6 months of me telling her how cool they are, she is no longer embarrassed about them. I’m white, but she is Japanese for those interested.
I’m going to start a photobucket dedicated to clubbed thumbs and gather as many pictures as I can. Anyone who wants to send me pictures to post, please send them to clubbedthumb@hotmail.com. (I will NOT write people’s names or any personal info).
I’ll post a link to the photo album after I get a few pics.
Also, here is another name to add to the celebrity list: Mari Hoshino (Japanese actress). Here is a good pic I found:
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=458597921&size=l
Take it easy everyone.
J.T.
January 30, 2008 at 5:32 pm |
Hi J.T.
Amazing, I haven’t seen it on other (how do I say …?) ethnics than whites so far. The explanation on wikipedia says it comes from European royalty … funny, isn’t it?
Have a nice day.
Jack
January 30, 2008 at 9:33 pm |
Hey!
I just randomly put into google ‘toe thumbs’ and this little gem of a site appeared!
I too have ‘clubbed thumbs’ and genuinely believed I stood alone in this world!! My thumbs have always gotten me attention, mid sentence a person will stop talking and slowly drift off into “…. LOOK AT YOUR THUMBS!!!” .
I only realised that I wasnt a natural phenomenon when I was in a nightclub a few months ago and happened to spot this young man dancing who so happened to have the same thumbs as me! Haha, they’re always an icebreaker
I love my thumbs though, and wouldnt change them for the world. My toe thumbs are a ‘thumbs up’ all the way!
By the way, im 19 from England
Julia
xx
January 31, 2008 at 5:35 am |
Well, here is the link to the photobucket site I started.
http://s265.photobucket.com/albums/ii237/clubbedthumbs/
If anyone else wants to share their awesome thumbs, send me a pic and I will add them! No names will be posted, just the pic.
email to: clubbedthumb@hotmail.com
Take it easy.
J.T.
January 31, 2008 at 8:46 pm |
its weird how there’s a myth that people with these thumbs may have european royal blood in them…but what about the asians?? i’m 100% korean and i have clubbed thumbs on both my of thumbs. nobody in my family has these thumbs…i was told from my family that a person with these kinds of thumbs are either going to be rich or very artistic. haha.
i met one person with both and another with just one….both 100% korean. so yeah…its a universal thing and doesn’t discriminate. haha. i get make fun of all the time getting names from “toe thumbs” to “gorilla thumbs” haha. but apparently they’re beneficial when i give back massages (everyone i’ve given massages to say i may be the best because of my strong, short thumbs) and when i pinch people (i’ve given bruises). hahahaha.
February 1, 2008 at 6:40 am |
Heather! I also hated that game, we played it too but just called it “Thumbs Up” (IIRC). I used to push my thumbs up against my head so they were as inconspicuous as possible. So many practical games and tasks at school I had to do differently to the other kids. I must have looked so dumb sometimes… like when we did dancing (polka, square dancing, waltzes, all those daggy things they make you do at school) I refused to hold my partners hands in a way that would expose my thumbs. The boys used to look at me like I was an alien but there was just no way I was exposing my thumbs!
Now my boyfriend just thinks they are funny in a nice way. I should have just been out and proud about them back then too but it’s a lot harder when a teen.
I’m also on myspace and facebook, I’ll go join the groups. Feel free to add me.
February 6, 2008 at 3:17 am |
Hi!
I’m 14, and I have clubbed thumbs also. It’s funny what people are saying about that game 7-up, because my school is always playing that game and I’ve always hated it.
I always know stubby thumbs were hereditary, because a bunch of my paternal relatives have them. But my thumbs are much shorter, and I’m plagued with the habit of biting my nails, so my thumbs always look shorter than they really are. So I thought I was the only person in the world with thumbs so stupidly short, until my mom googled ’short thumbs’ to make sure there wasn’t something seriously wrong with me, where she opened wikipedia that sent her here. It’s awesome to find out that other people in the world are like me!
My friends have always thought my thumbs were funny, and make fun of me in a nice way. They’re pretty good about not stepping over the line and being insulting. The funny thing is that I tend to show my thumbs to guys to start a conversation. They seem to find it appealing. Go thumbs!
February 6, 2008 at 8:44 am |
Thanks to everyone who has sent me pics so far! The clubbed thumb gallery is up to 26 pics. Anyone else who wants to send me a pic, I will add it (no names will listed, only pics).
Here is the site: http://s265.photobucket.com/albums/ii237/clubbedthumbs/
Email me at: clubbedthumb@hotmail.com
JT
February 7, 2008 at 12:33 am |
well helloo everyone!! to add a new country and another family to the list i’m from El Salvador and i have clubbed thumbs! my grandmother has them too, and none of my parents have them, my grandmother is descendant of Europe, from Spain actually, and i would love to know more people with the same thumb as i have, i have never seen anyone else with clubbed thumbs, just my grandmother and Megan Fox in TRANSFORMERS haha, well i hope i can get in touch with some of u and see how is this related
February 7, 2008 at 10:17 pm |
This rocks. So I’ve got the thumbs, referred to affectionately as ’stubbins’ by my mom, sister and myself….we have matching toes also. As far as I know most all of my family tree is German, and we are living in the US (MI, OH & MD). Apparently my grandfather had them, my aunt and cousin and cousin’s kid too. My sister and I also have really short pinky fingers (i.e. they only go up to the first knuckle of our ring finger). I’ve always gone with the idea that we are the next step in evolution and everyone will be this way some day…but the royalty story is way better! I still remember the day in 1st grade when I was at the drinking fountain and someone pointed out that my thumbs were strange. As I said they were everywhere in my family so I thought they were normal until that point.
I was flipping through TV and stopped on LA Ink (on TLC) primarily because I thought I saw the thumbs. I think Kat on that show may have the thumbs, but I’m not certain. But that made me think…there has to be something there on the web about it. So here I am at age 31 realizing there is a scientific name for my thumbs.
Does anyone have trouble bowling? Seriously, in order to find a ball that my thumb fits in it is really heavy…I often use that as an excuse for my many gutter balls
How about texting? I envy those skinny thumbed people with those streamlined joints when I’m texting away. Probably can’t get too involved with crime with such distinctive prints. I think that the only other disadvantages are an inability to be a really good hitchiker and Ebert may not be hiring us to rate movies anytime soon. But these are extremely trivial woes.
I totally agree with the crowd that says they are good conversation ice breakers and generally smile when I think of thumb stories. I could always spot my Thanksgiving “hand turkey” in the crowd of kid art. A lady at a department store, with the thumbs, told me once that she sees people with thumbs like every other week. My mother-in-law once traced my hand and has made me custom mittens (they look really ridiculous mind you), but if anyone needs some let me know. I can’t even imagine the conversation at the nail place after my sister, mom and I left after all getting manicures, I’m sure they’ve never so many stubbins at once in there
Also a couple of summers ago at Shakespeare in the Arb in Ann Arbor, the lead actress had thumbs…hello, are you out there?
I’ve heard something about the thumbs being linked to heart disease, but I don’t really recall where that came from or if it has much truth, although my grandfather did die of a heart attack at a very young age, and high blood pressure is in the family. Fortunately I don’t have any of these traits.
Well thats it for me, sorry this got a bit long…I love the thumbs!
February 10, 2008 at 4:16 pm |
Yeah, I have also always had problems bowling…
back when I was like 8 yrs old I had to use bowling balls twice as heavy as my other friends my age.
After having a rather long discussion with my parents, we figured out that I am the only one in our family with these thumbs, which is actually pretty cool.
PS.
I told my history teacher about this site and he became obsessed with looking at my thumbs and after having looked at them for a while he forgot what he had been talking about before I showed him my thumbs, and we were allowed to leave early ^^
I guess beeing diffrent is a good thing.
PSPS.
As a competative gamer I feel that my thumbs help me a lot at console games ^^ maybe these thumbs are the next step of evolution after all =P
February 13, 2008 at 2:05 am |
Yes! This is so great… other people! I felt for everyone in reading all of your accounts of living with the thumbs. I’m 28 and just now looking into this. It is very interesting. I actually think “normal” thumbs look weird.
A childhood friend of mine always told everyone that I was born without thumbs. Her explanation for my “toe thumbs” was that the doctor cut off my toes and sewed them on my hands, because the toes would grow back! It was pretty bad growing up. I still find myself hiding them inside my fists so no one can see them.
For my high school senior prom I wanted fake nails. Luckily, my friend’s mom worked at a nail shop and she had to custom make the nails for my thumbs. I definitely agree with the bowling problem. I love bowling and I tend to get my thumbs stuck in the ball on the release. I always leave with sore red thumbs that truly stick out. And forget about playing the guitar! Texting is a pain too, but it is life so I’ve adapted.
I have two matching stubs, but my sister has one and one “normal” thumb. I feel a little bit better about having two. When my nephew was born, the first thing I checked on his tiny litle hands were his thumbs to see if he had them and he doesn’t. My sister and I are the only two in our family that have these, but now I’m going to check it out further. We are from the US and of Scottish and Irish heritage.
I can’t wait to read more stories!
February 16, 2008 at 8:29 pm |
Thanks to everyone who sent me pics for my site: http://s265.photobucket.com/albums/ii237/clubbedthumbs/
I’m up to 30 pics, so if anyone else wants to share, please email me at clubbedthumb@hotmail.com
JT
February 22, 2008 at 8:36 am |
and another one…i got “toe thumbs” as well lol. I’m Italian (Sicilian – parents born there) and no one in my family has it. I’m beginning to think that it seems to happen in isolate areas (like Sicily = Island)….i really dont wanna think about my ancestors inbreeding and all but ppl do marry their cousins you know?
February 23, 2008 at 4:22 am |
Hello! I have “the thumbs”, and I have only recently realized how cool they are. Most people that see them comment on them, but I learned early on in life to hide them. It seems more women make comments about them being less than attractive than men. Now that I’m older, I quit trying to hide them.
My brother also has them, and his kids do, too. My mom does not have them, but her father did. That side of my family is Polish.
This is really great that we have our own society. I love the idea of royalty, too! Now where’s the money to come with it? LOL
March 1, 2008 at 4:05 am |
I have one clubbed thumb (right hand) and my sister has two, although not as extreme as mine.
Our parents are from Tripoli, Libya but we live in US. We are not sure what other relatives carry this trait.
Anyways, I am so happy I found this site– I have been curious about this my whole life– I feel a lot more comfortable with it learning that there are many others with the same special feature. Thanks!
March 1, 2008 at 11:48 pm |
Wow, who knew there were so many people with these thumbs?!? I, too, am just now looking into the cause of them after 30 years. I completely agree with the comments about bowling and the 7-up game. Nightmares! I luckily have a matching set of thumbs, but my sister has one of each. Neither of my parents have them, but my mother’s sister has one. That side of the family is all Irish so I’ve always thought it was an Irish thing. I’ve also had problems with mittens and gloves having an extra inch of room in the thumb section, but I learned how to knit and now make my own mittens. I had a roommate once who called them my “alien thumbs” and they used to freak him out (much to my amusement). Whenever I wanted the last beer in the fridge, I’d back him off by threatening to touch him with my alien thumbs. Worked every time!
March 3, 2008 at 3:37 am |
I’m Rayan’s sister, the one with 2 thumbs. Mine are not that ugly, like my sis’s one club thumb (sorry, but its true). well, i dont care either way. its never bothered me. but, i have heard of this referred to as the “thumb of the artist.” anyone know anything about this?
March 3, 2008 at 6:52 pm |
Wow I didn’t know this even existed out of my race. I’m Korean and although I’ve never heard from my parents that this was a “royal” thing, in our culture it is believed people with clubbed thumbs are talented or good with their hands. Which is true for me… Musically talented (although my thumb my hit two keys on the piano), handyman, massages, artistic… etc. Anyone else??
March 4, 2008 at 2:39 am |
It’s nice to hear from all these other people out there! I just went into my roommate’s room and told her “See? I’m not a freak- I’m royal!” I’m descended from Eastern European & German Jews and Swedes, and no one else in my family has club thumbs. My thumbnails pretty much match my big toenails exactly. Both of my thumbs are equally clubbed, though one is just a teensy bit rounder at the very tip than the other. I’ve always disliked the way they look (and forget using scissors or a musical instrument properly), though more because of the way the joint and its wrinkles are both twisted up to the side, if that makes sense. I’d never heard about the royal or artist connection until tonight!
March 10, 2008 at 5:37 pm |
Hi, I just came across your site – I’m not sure how I got here, but its kind of fun to see what others are saying about this condition.
I’m 47, half Dutch, part Irish/English and I have a right club thumb. Its not a big deal for me and its only come up a few times ever in conversation to talk/laugh/make fun of ~ mainly with my sister who’s 9 yo daughter also has a club thumb. The interesting fact of my situation is that I’m an identical twin, but my brother doesn’t have this condition.
Re: Science of stub: I recall seeing a discovery channel program about a year ago. The topic with something to do with childbirth. During one of the segments they talked about how the umbilical cord sometimes wraps around a fetus’s neck. This results in a shortage of oxygen. The natural response was that fetus’s suck their thumbs during this period to slow down their metabolism to reduce need for o2. I also remember (but could be wrong) they mentioned this lack of o2 causes shortening of appendages.
Anyway, that’s the theory I’m going on until I hear something better.
March 11, 2008 at 10:44 pm |
It’s interesting that you mention lack of O2, because I have short thumbs (both) and I was born with the umbilical cord wrapped around my neck. I didn’t suffer any noticeable effects from it, unless it caused my stubby thumbs. I would say I have above average intelligence, thank god, since I was born in my parents’ house with no doctors around. I also sucked my thumbs for a long time, so I wonder if that’s related. I think my thumbs were short since birth, though I’m not sure.
My mother is Japanese and my father is white of European descent and a tiny bit of Cherokee. I don’t know anyone in my family who has the same thumbs though.
March 13, 2008 at 2:04 am |
Hi there. I also have a clubbed thumb (on my right hand only). If it helps or interests anyone, I am 25% Russian, 25% Hungarian (both of these granparents were jewish) 25% Lithuanian (this grandparent is Orthodox Catholic) and I am not sure on the other 25% as my paternal grandfather was out of the picture long before my father was even born, and I don’t know anything about him. I’ve only met one other person with a clubbed thumb (she also has it only on her right hand) and she’s 100% Korean.
No other members of my family have these thumbs as far as I know, and I don’t believe I’m descended from royalty of any kind, but wouldn’t that be nice
I used to be really embarassed by my thumb, but now I’ve grown to kind of like it. I suppose I would still rather have two “normal” thumbs, but it is a really good icebreaker, and always a good go-to should you ever be asked what is something interesting/different/unique about you.
March 14, 2008 at 5:45 pm |
My photo gallery has really grown, thanks to everyone here!
If anyone else would like to share a pic, please send it to clubbedthumb@hotmail.com
I’ll add it to my site: http://s265.photobucket.com/albums/ii237/clubbedthumbs/
No names will be posted, as you can see on the site. Only pics. Thanks again.
March 15, 2008 at 10:23 am |
Phew, how did I miss this little beauty of a website.
I can say firsthand that clubbed thumbs in no way affects the function of your thumbs. Had this confirmed by a doctor.
I was born with 2 clubbed thumbs, got on relatively well through life with them though have a tendency to avoid showing them off.
Adding mine to the photobucket gallery.
Ps. Yvonne, crazy as it is but I know who you are
We went to the same high school in S.A
March 18, 2008 at 2:34 am |
Hello to all. My mother, myself and my daughter all have clubbed thumbs. My daughter and myself are both second born children. My mother adopted from an Irish family in New York. My first born has 2 children both with non clubbed thumbs. I will be waiting patiently for my daughter to have children to see if the pattern continues.
March 19, 2008 at 9:18 am |
OMG, finally some info on this sore topic for me. I have both clubbed thumbs from my mother’s side. 3 sisters and 1 brother got the thunks, as we call them. Our family was born in Jalisco, Mexico which had an influx of European settlers, not necessarily from Spain. My grandfather and his sisters had red kinky hair, small blue eyes, fair ruddy skin, and yes thunks! They looked like leprechauns, seriously. Maybe the trait is Irish, I’ve noticed a lot of Irish backgrounds on this site. I have also heard that Megan Fox is part Mexican, could that part be from Jalisco??? Love the site, hope to learn more about the European Royal inbred bloodline!
March 23, 2008 at 3:57 am |
This site is awesome, I really needed to read postings by other ppl w/this “thumb” issue. I personally cant stand my thumbs. I have always hated them. I am almost 30 and still hide my hands. I have always avoided hand games, hand talk, getting my nails done…just anything to do w/hands. In my 29 years only 3 or so ppl have asked me about my thumbs and it caused me to explain to them that I have no idea why my thumbs are different. There are days where I am like “who cares if ppl see my thumbs” but that attitude only lasts a few minutes. I am so insecure about them and wish there was some surgery that could make them more normal. I wish I didnt feel so bad about them, I cant help it….I didnt make them that way. Atleast I have thumbs right?! lol. Seriously though….some ppl make a big deal out of it if they see that you are different. At my age, this shouldnt be an issue. Maybe one day, I can throw a thumbs up sign, but up to now, its a no go on that one. For all of you that arent bothered by your thumbs, you are awesome and I wish I could be the same way.
March 28, 2008 at 6:29 am |
ever since the internet came out i swore i would look this type of thing up but i never did until tonight. i am the youngest of 6 children and both of my thumbs are short. my older sister (5th in line) has one short thumb, the left, and her right thumb is “normal.” for a long time i thought it was strictly a female trait because i never knew a guy that had them. my grandmother on my mom’s side has them and i think someone else in her family had them as well. also, i grew up in a very small town, approximately 800 residents when i lived there, and there was a girl in my grade that had short thumbs. i thought this was weird because we were not related and it was such a small town. most people don’t notice them but when they do they’re like, “woah! look at your thumbs! they’re weird!!” no kidding? really, 25 years and this is the first time i’ve noticed. ever. no, really…duh. no one ever made fun of me or anything and since my grandma had them my mom called them “grandma thumbs” and my grandma called them “magic thumbs.” like a leprechaun? ha.
March 28, 2008 at 6:31 am |
oh i forgot this part–about the growing your nails out thing–i’ve never really been interested in growing my nails out because i’m not very girly nor have i ever been. i did try to grow my nails every once in a while just to see what it was like but i always just got annoyed with it. now i do stuff like play guitar and other things that you can’t do with long nails anyway…but my sister with the one short thumb kind of grows her nails and she just keeps that one short. oh well! being different is cool dammit, i’m glad there’s no way in hell i can fit the mold! yay me. haha.
March 28, 2008 at 1:00 pm |
i have these thumbs too and thought i was the only one til i see this site! now i know they are called clubbed thumbs and many people have them.
This still does not make me feel much better.
i absolutely despise my thumbs and would do anything to have ‘normal’ thumbs. I hide them all the time and it stops me from doing certain things, like picking up objects in front of people so they can see.
i avoid conversations about hands in case they involve mine and become very panicky. its really getting me down and i cant handle it. i saw this blog and just cried as no one seems to have mentioned any way of fixing their clubbed thumbs. you probably think im so pathetic but i just hate them so much. i have no self confidence and would love to go to the nail shop and get false nails applied like my friends but i am so scared they will turn me away as no nails will fit. im 16 and from london. does anyone know of any ways to alter their thumbs? e.g sugery. or does getting false nails disguise them?? x
June 12, 2009 at 9:38 pm |
Kara,
I read your post and it made me cry. I will be 40 years old in a few weeks and also have ‘clubbed thumbs’. I have hidden them my whole life and have been teased endlessly since I was a small child by my brother (doesn’t have them) and my maternal grandmother. I believe I’ve inherited this ‘gift’ from my father’s side of the family. Most posts I’ve read, seem to by from their mom’s side. My dad sort of has it but nothing as obvious as mine. My dad’s first cousin also has them as does her daughter. I’m absolutely terrified of having a child that is born with this ‘gift’. I know no one is perfect and we should embrace our uniqueness but this is one thing that I prayed I could change. All I’ve ever wanted was to have ‘normal’ hands. I would look at my friends and people on TV and movies and just wish my hands were as pretty as theirs were. A few years ago, I noticed that a co-worker of mine also had this ‘gift’. She had acrylic nails though and it was hidden pretty well. As hard as it was for me to do (I always hide my thumbs), I found the guts to go in and try it. I guess I’m fortunate enough that the largest tip fits 97% of my nail – enough to cover the rest with acrylic. It’s been almost 10 years now that I’ve worn acrylic nails. I hate having them taken off and a fresh set put on as I feel it’s exposed my secret to the nail tech. But, after they are on and if I maintain them regularly, they are fine. I opt for a french manicure with small white lines as it seems to hide it best. Ironically though, my feet are normal. I guess I inherited my mother’s side of the families feet
I’m left handed by the way, curious if this has anything to do with it. My father’s family is German, Irish, Welsh and maybe Jewish but not sure. I was so happy to find this blog and discover there are so many others out there that have this issue to deal with as well. I hope my insight has helped as your shared stories have left me feeling not so alone.
March 29, 2008 at 9:59 am |
Very cool…glad to read about our thumbs. (Thanks Alf!)I’m an American. In our family, those who inherited Grandpa’s short thumb were proud to have them. And of course my siblings and cousins who didn’t have them acted as if ours were weird and theirs were “normal” but really I think they were jealous! Here’s the run down: Grandpa Jack had 1 short thumb, 1 “normal. He had 2 daughters. The eldest did not inherit the short thumbs but her eldest daughter (out of 3) got two. The younger daughter is my Mom. She got 2. Mom has 5 kids and the first 3 got them. Me, the eldest got 2. My brother got 2, my sister got 1. With each new child in this next generation, we check out them out around age 2 and declare if they have Grandpa’s thumbs
…or not 
My Grandfather was German-American. I don’t know who he inherited them from. Anyway I’m creative and artistic. People have told me throughout my life that my thumbs signify that I’m artistic. I’d doubt the connection though because my brother’s are even more pronounced and the closest he ever came to even discussing art is when he would point out a painting I had done in college and say “Sue did that after a couple of six-packs”. I do have a tough time using a lighter (such as a bic). Thankfully I don’t smoke so it’s not much of a problem. I do think they look better with a short nail. Kara, I hope you change your mind and begin to think they are cool. Cause they are!
March 29, 2008 at 7:23 pm |
I enjoyed and got this info from my eldest daughter who is very proud of these thumbs. My father had them and made me very proud of them. He was proud to check out 8 of his grandchildren from the time they were born. But they do not really show up until around age 2 or sometimes a little older. True my sister was bummed to not have them. She had 3 girls and only the oldest had 2. My 5 children the first 2 had 2 but my 3rd child had one on her right hand and 4th child on the left hand. Our youngest had none and was very sad about it.
My father was sure they came from the German side of his family. Although he told many people that he got his from during the depression years he made money by balancing elephants on this thumb.
Enjoy it, Its part of you. We love them and are very proud of them.
March 31, 2008 at 7:56 pm |
That’s right! Mom thanks for reminding me of Grandpa Jack’s story of how he got that thumb. I do remember him saying he got them from balancing elephants on his thumb. (And I didn’t realize my other sister has one.)
April 3, 2008 at 9:32 pm |
Hello everyone!! I’m sooooo glad I found this site
)
I’m 26 & European… from Malta. My left thumb is clubbed & my right one is normal. I inherited my thumb from my grandma. She was also maltese & had both her thumbs clubbed. Both my parents & my brother do not have the thumb. I don’t know if any of my other relatives have them because although Malta is a tiny island, we almost never meet.
I used to be embarrassed about my thumb in my teens but now I always joke about it. Some of my friends call it “The Bulb”…. hehe.
Later on I will post my photo.
Take care everyone
xxx
April 5, 2008 at 10:13 am |
do you think having these thumbs will stop me from becoming an air hostess? because they have to have nice hands.
and do getting false nails applied disguise them?
please help i hate them so much…i have no self confidence because of them and my dream is to become an air hostess which i think will not happen because of them. can someone help?
April 6, 2008 at 10:44 pm |
hey, im 15 and i also have clubbed thumbs.
im part irish and english, and no one else in my family that i am aware of has the same thumbs. also, my right middle finger is like half an inch longer than my left middle finger…very strange. also, my toes are basicly like my hands. my big toes are sorta clubbed…theyre really fat/wide. but then the rest of my toes start halfway down my big toe. normal peoples’ toes start either a tiny bit below the big toe, or a tiny above, or at the same heigh of the big toe.
and finally, i have 3 other friends that have the same thumbs.
April 7, 2008 at 7:02 am |
I do not have theese toe thumbs, but i like them very much. i wanna date a young lady, who has them =)
April 7, 2008 at 3:12 pm |
My clubbed thumb site has grown quite a bit! Anyone else have a pic that they don’t mind sharing? Again, no names are used, just pics.
http://s265.photobucket.com/albums/ii237/clubbedthumbs/
Help me reach 100 pics!
(email: clubbedthumb@hotmail.com)
JT
April 8, 2008 at 4:27 pm |
Kara,
You can be an air hostess, there is nothing that your thumbs prevent you from doing that is required for that job! I think you are spending a lot of energy worrying about something that people aren’t going to judge you based upon. People may be genuinely curious about you being differnt in this trivial way, and I bet that very few people will even notice. I’ve never tried to hide my thumbs and I can count on one hand the number of times people have mentioned it. Remember if this is one of the worst things you have going on — life is pretty darn good. And you most likely can get acrylic nails put on, I’ve had it done, give it a try if you think it will make you feel better. Hang in there…
April 8, 2008 at 8:09 pm |
Thank you so much j l r.
I just really wish I could be proud of the thumbs like everyone else. Every person thats seen my nails.. which is about 4 people in my life- have all made fun of me. I hate it.
Did they have to specially make a larger thumb nail for the acrylic nail?
April 9, 2008 at 2:22 pm |
Its been years, but they had this sticker like form that they would lay the acrylic down on, for me they just rotated it like 90 degrees and it worked OK. You won’t be able to just buy the fake nails at the store and glue them on most likely, but a nail place should be able to take care of you. I’m cheap, so I just grow my nails out and paint them myself now. I’m sorry you’ve had such bad encounters with people. I hope this doesn’t continue. Good luck!
April 10, 2008 at 9:12 am |
Thank you very much =)
April 10, 2008 at 3:44 pm |
Hi again!
I just posted and wanted to ask if people knew their bloodtype.
I’m B+ with Polish/Ukranian, Italian and Scottish.
April 11, 2008 at 8:29 pm |
Add me to the list of short-legged (but long-armed) double bulbed gal. My Mom has a hitchhiker thumb (bend back), but it’s not stubby.
I’ve never been self-conscious about them, but I have not happened to have had anyonetease me about that (probably they were too busy teasing me about being chubby or disorganized or what have you). I do have the expected problems with bowling balls and fake nails.
I have been told by people occasionally that they know someone with these thumbs, and twice these said folks were art teachers. I am a tour guide, and a lovely woman on my tour said she noticed that I had thumbs like hers, and that it was a genetic trait with a name – so here I am, via Googling.
As far as I am of Slavic extraction. That is, my grandparents were all born in Ukraine, Poland or Russia. Before that, who knows.
April 12, 2008 at 3:01 am |
Add me to the list of toe thumbs as well. I have always hated my thumb. Yes i just have one. Ever since I was a teenager I can remember being self conscious on dates when it came to hand holding. I still feel self conscious even today when i get manicures and massages. I feel like the nail tech or massage therapist is just staring at my to thumb ( once they get to it) Neither my parents or grandparents have stub thumbs. My brothers don’t either. After I had my 3 children the first thing I did was check their thumbs. Yes! they all have long beautiful thumbs! Ladies you laugh at this had you ever had acrylic nails put on and the nail tech gets to your short thumb nail and is fumbling around her nail tip box for the largest nail tip?
I have encountered a few others with short thumbs. I look at peoples hands just out of curiosity to see if I see a short thumb This website is great, I was so surprised to find others out there. Thank you.
My background is: chinese, german, and irish
April 16, 2008 at 5:22 pm |
JT,
I just emailed you a bitmap photo of an art piece that I did of my hand (my thumb is prominent). It is on display at Laguna Beach (CA) City Hall. My only thought was…is someone going to think I messed us and didn’t draw my thumb correctly. Well, you fellow “clubbers” (Oh I dislike that term, they are much cooler than that) know it’s correct. JT, I hope you can use it to get to 100!
April 17, 2008 at 7:21 pm |
I am so glad I have found this site. I am 21, Swedish with one clubbed thumb, my left. I hate it! But have got used to it. I am sure people notice it, but I try not to make a big deal out of it…like someone else said, if that’s all that’s wrong in life, it’s pretty good! My grand father from my mum’s side had one as well, but apart from that I’m not aware of anyone else in my family having it.. good to know I’m not alone…!
April 18, 2008 at 1:26 pm |
I just got my acrylic nails fitted on.
Now im so much more confident with my clubbed thumbs! =D
April 22, 2008 at 10:44 am |
Hi, I’m Jay, a 29 yo man! I have the opposite ‘problem’… I have ‘normal’ but thin thumbs (19mm wide (the width of an American penny) so from time to time I can see a younger women (sometime a girl) with larger thumbs than me and at first I was embarrassed but then it turned into a fascination and now it’s a turn on for me! Whenever I can have the chance to compare my thin thumb with a women with larger thumb than me I do it lol! Anyway if you are a women with a large thumb and you want to receive honest compliment for your large (clubbed) thumb, just send me a pic of your thumb near a ruler so we can clearly measure the width of it and I’ll send you a positive feedback for sure! Send me your pics at :
spectrale@videotron.ca
Hope to receive a lot of pics from all of you!
Jay
P.S : Sorry for the poor English, I’m French!
April 22, 2008 at 11:16 pm |
Oh, I forgot, I’ll create a webshot photo album (without mentioning the name of the thumb owners) with your ‘measured thumb pics’ for all to see and you’ll be able to compare the wideness of your thumb with everyone else… Please include your age and your gender (not your name) with your pics and I hope to reach 100 pics before the end of the year… It’ll be cool!
May 1, 2008 at 11:44 pm |
Hello,
From time to time i check the net for news on the “clubbed thumb topic” and just found that page…As an owner of 2 of these stubby bastards, its cool to find out theres potential to create a community.I knew there are some other people out there having a thumb issue!!!happy!!!…I personally do not like these thumbs.theyre just…ugly!Well it didnt keep me from having a normal social life, but here and then, I notice people taking a glance at my thumbs and then just pretending they had been looking elsewhere.well well..i read lars likes to “show off” (freakshow??) at parties…cool to have such self-esteem, but I never ever would voluntarily talk about or show my thumbs, I’m trying to hide them as good as I can….especially to break the ice…Is there any plastic surgery to get them “straight”??
BTW, im from germany…greetz
May 3, 2008 at 6:07 am |
I am 48 yrs old and have always wondered why I have these club thumbs. I am so glad that I am not the only one to have recieved this bizzare “curse.
All my life I have hidden my thumbs as much as I could and was made fun of all of my childhood. I now try hard to just be me and hope that no one will notice my odd fingers.
I am Italian and adopted so I really have no clue what kind of inbreading I may have. I do know that as soon as both of my children were born I first looked at their thumbs to see if they had the “club thumb curse”. Thank god they did not, yet now that they are grown I worry about future grandkids.
This has always been such a sad part of my life I sure do hope that I did not pass this on to my grandchildren.
Thank you all for this site and may we all hold our “stubs” up high LOL
I would love to hear from anyone who feels the fear that I do for my future grandchildren. I do not know what kind of guilt I will have if they live the life that I have with these thumbs.
Thank You All
J
May 4, 2008 at 9:59 am |
Me again! The webshots album is created and I’ve already received 2 pictures and I’ve decided to make an anonymous fun contest with them… The widest and the thinnest thumbs will win (no prize, just fun)… I’ll put a picture of mine to try to win the thinnest lol… Would be funny to see an 18yo girl win the widest and me , a 29yo male win the thinnest lol… Anyway thank to those who participated and I’m waiting for more… The webshots album is at :
http://community.webshots.com/album/563297521FOfYFc?vhost=community
Send your pics at spectrale@videotron.ca
Thanks
P.S: I’ve receives 1 ‘normal’ (but wide) and 1 clubbed thumbs… More clubbed needed
May 6, 2008 at 4:25 am |
I am 11 11days from being 12 and I have even wierder thumbs than u guys (i looked on website). I thought I was all alone. I was so scared. It runs in my dads bloodline. He doesn’t have it but………. anyway it culd b worse.
May 6, 2008 at 10:51 am |
Excellent maurymiddlegrl1234 you shouldn’t be scared… Send me a pic near a ruler to measure the width and I’ll put your picture in the album… The more pictures about this subject, the more clubbed thumbed owners will feel normal
Send me your pic at spectrale@videotron.ca (it must be taken from the same angle as those pics : http://community.webshots.com/album/563297521FOfYFc?vhost=community
Thanks in advance and take it easy
May 7, 2008 at 8:04 am |
For all the people feeling “cursed” with these thumbs (I have one):
-fuck normal thumbs, fuck everything normal, fuck symmetry, democracy, greek aesthetic patterns, fuck your eyes. Our body is just a vehicle through this life, dont wait till the maggots start chewing you to realize that your life is wonderful. So, everybody jokes about your thumb? put weird faces? makes awkward comments? well, consider that a symbol: cause that happens all the time with original, creative, forward thinking people. besides, people ALSO feel the same misery that you feel on a regular basis, so they need to laugh about something… your so called disgrace is not special at all. drop your ego, and you will be free.
-do not change your body with surgery. plastic surgery is the sickest degeneration of modern medicine, and it only enhances our mental fears. it makes us weak, more horrible than before.
-learn to love yourself as a whole, as a full integrated human being that has the ability and potential to make history, to be helpful, to be the best motherfucker person around. only real uglyness is internal, and yes: IT IS UGLY WHEN U DONT LIKE YOURSELF.
So get a grip, and walk proud out there. Be hostile if u need to, just DONT BE ASHAMED.
May 8, 2008 at 12:45 am |
I had a question – I know others have said they have that problem with finding a bowling ball, but i wonder if anyone else here plays guitar…. I think without normal “long” thumbs a pick is required. Mine won’t fit between the strings.
May 8, 2008 at 1:03 am |
Hey! I have a stub thumb too! Both my thumbs are stubbed.
I don’t know anyone in my family who has this and I always wondered where it came from.
My family is from Mexican decent, but I have European blood in the mix of it all.
I’m artistic and musically inclined.
Glad to be in your club. Thanks for doing this!
May 8, 2008 at 1:08 am |
PS – I emailed you a photo of my stub thumbs.
Cheers!
May 8, 2008 at 4:36 am |
hey linus i happen to be a guitar player, although my standard thumb is on my picking hand, so i can´t adress your problem directly. nevertheless, i think as long as your thumbs have flexibility, nails and bone they should do the trick.
May 8, 2008 at 11:34 pm |
hey ppl whats wrong with ur thumbs ??
rayan ,, can we talk !!im from libya and i need to know u !!
May 9, 2008 at 9:33 am |
Thumb width album update : Ok now there’s already 4 pictures in the album and surprisingly, the widest thumb is a ‘common’ (not clubbed) one and the owner of those thumbs is a 27 yo women (24 millimeters wide (if in your country it’s measured in inches it’s ok, I’ll indicate the conversion below your pics)… Clubbed thumb owners, your speciality is the great width of your thumbs so don’t let a ‘common’ thumb owner win this (not serious) contest lol… Anyway, don’t be shy there’s only 1 clubbed thumb in the album out of the 4 pictures… More clubbed needed… Send your thumb pics (near a ruler so we can clearly measure the width) at spectrale@videotron.ca
The webshots album is at :
http://community.webshots.com/album/563297521FOfYFc?vhost=community
Thanks to those who have and will send their pics!
May 15, 2008 at 7:02 pm |
Hooray, I’ve never met someone else with my thumbs. I love the internet! I just began looking for information on my club thumb (I’ve only got one) because my sister called to tell me she wondered if it was related to Downs Syndrome. I have five brothers and sisters, and none of them, nor my parents have it.
Lael
May 19, 2008 at 12:25 pm |
Hi, I am a Chinese… it’s good to see there are other people like me. I’ve got 2 clubbed thumbs. I’ve always been wondering why i got this.. My mum said it’s because i always bite my nails when i was small..I’ve always tried to avoid showing my thumbs to others.. cox they always asked me why i got this , and wanting me to show them my thumbs…. i find this so embarrassing..
My dad has short thumbs but not clubbed ones..and.. both my parents are Chinese.. so..I am not so sure about the royal blood thing.. but people always said i look like a foreigners and my father side relatives also looks like foreigners…and i am 20.= )
May 19, 2008 at 11:22 pm |
I have the same story sorta like fred and Victoria. My mother never noticed my thumbs untill i hit puberty…acctually either did i or my friends around 10 or 11 i noticed them, and my mom thought i squished them both on something but i told her they didny hurt…so i was born with them both on my thumbs but never noticed untill my other fingers became more slender that the stubby one stood out!!!!LOL well they didnt bother me much and i knew i was the only one with these thumbs in my familly my aunts would tell me they were toes but they dont really look exactly like toes. Well my brother came along and my sister(all different dads) and guess what my brother just started hitting puberty and he has my thumbs…LOL. His dad makes funn of him so were guessing my mom carries the gene!! kets wait to see if my lil sister does… ithink its hard to tell when your young because all the fingers are short and stubby
June 5, 2008 at 2:19 am |
I’ve been searching for a long time and finally stumbled upon this site today! I must say that to this day, I’ve had a complex about them. From a very young age, as far back as 5 years old, I’ve known that my thumbs were different. As a child, I used to complain to my mom for “cursing” me with thumbs that were different from everyone else. For at least 20 years, I’ve done all I could to hide my thumb from public view. I have identical “clubbed” thumbs just like my mother, maternal grandmother, maternal great grandmother, maternal aunt and maternal cousin (maybe 2). Upon my visit to my moms’ hometown back in 06, I learned that many of my mothers’ aunts and cousins have the same thumbs as well. My mom is from Okinawa, Japan and my dad is Polish American. I’m not too sure if the thumbs I inherited are of European Royalty or not but I must say that I do find comfort in knowing that there are other people out there like myself who have been givin this unique trait.
June 5, 2008 at 12:14 pm |
n,
I live in Japan and have noticed MANY more people here with clubbed thumbs than in the US. I did some research and around 2% of the total population has them here. I also taught at a high school here for 6 years and would notice many of my students with them. Thanks for sharing your story.
Would you be willing to share a pic for my site? You can check it out, no names are used just pics. Trying to make the largest gallery on the net. If not, thats cool. If you want to share, my address is clubbedthumb@hotmail.com.
My ever-growing gallery:
http://s265.photobucket.com/albums/ii237/clubbedthumbs/
June 5, 2008 at 6:08 pm |
Wow. I had no idea how many people this affected. I’ve grown up being tormented by these things and now I’ve found people with common ground! I must say I had no idea how often it shows up in women.
I am a white male, 24 yrs, with Italian/French decent, and both thumbs are clubbed. My father’s cousin has both thumbs as well.
Worst experienced I had was when an ex-girlfriend said she wouldn’t ever have kids with me because of the thumbs! Even being a male, I definitely get self-conscious. Cool Website!
June 11, 2008 at 10:42 pm |
hi! wow, i didnt know that anyone else had my type of thumbs! I thought I just was stuck with weird looking thumbs, as a deformation of something. Im 13, but ever since I was like 5 people would ask me what was wrong with my thumbs, and they still do, and get freaked out when they see them.
June 11, 2008 at 10:51 pm |
my most common was hobbit thumb.
June 12, 2008 at 3:51 am |
How wide are your thumbs maria?
June 24, 2008 at 1:15 pm |
My photobucket gallery is up to 99 pics! Thanks again to all the people who sent me pictures. Please keep them coming, next person is #100!
My site can be seen by clicking on my name. Email me at clubbedthumb@hotmail.com!
Thanks again.
June 24, 2008 at 7:25 pm |
I’m happy to say I also have a clubbed thumb (right hand). I’ve always had a humorous attitude toward my “fat thumb” and love to point it out to everyone I meet! No one else in my family that I know of has this trait, but I have met one other person in my life with a clubbed thumb; it was the funniest thing and we couldn’t stop laughing at the advantages and disadvantages that came with it. I’m 21 years old and I live in California, my heritage is Italian/German/Spanish/Mexican/Native American…and a few more I can recall at the moment.
PS
Bowl without your thumb.
June 26, 2008 at 10:17 am |
Hi everyone! I also have two clubbed thumbs. I didn’t even know what it was called until I was interviewed by an anesthesiologist (sp?) before a surgery. All my nails are also clubbed (spoonshaped and go downward) but fingers aren’t shaped like my thumbs. I too have been made fun of like many others and told my thumbs looked like turtle heads. lol Some other conditions I have are called Arnold Chiari Malformation, Syringomyelia, and Fibromyalgia (those are the major ones anyway). I am 41 years old and live in Ohio. My heritage is Japanese/Native American/German/Czech and I can’t remember if there are others. None of my family have clubbed thumbs on either side as far as my parents can remember. I’m glad to kno that I’m not the only ones to have em! hehe
June 29, 2008 at 11:03 pm |
Hey!
I have two clubbed thumbs. I’ve always known they were genetic- my father has them, as does his father. They’re from Italy.
I was always hugely embarrassed by my weird thumbs until I got to college. I constantly hid them my making fists, and noticed the thumbs of most people I met (and occasionally found other people who had the same thing, though not that many). In college, I said something about my weird thumbs to my girlfriend of the time, and she was like…”what? your thumbs are weird?”. I realized at that point that if she hadn’t ever noticed in the months we’d been together, most other people probably weren’t either. I’m still embarrassed by them, but I don’t hide them very often now, since…well, people with “normal” thumbs usually just don’t pay attention to what other people’s look like.
July 1, 2008 at 1:49 am |
I im glad to read all these people who have the same condition as i do! I like my “clubbed” thumbs to be honest and it is a real ice breaker when meeting new people. Both of my thumbs are “clubbed” so im wondering if that is even a more rare condition. The only other person in my family that has clubbed thumbs is my first cousin on my moms side but only one of her thumbs are clubbed. As for the connection between royalty and clubbed thumbs, my grandmother (moms side) says that she had royalty on her side of the family from Spain. I live in California and have mexican, spanish, and native american ancestry but i believe my clubbed thumbs were passed down from my spanish ancestry since European royalty was known for inbreeding. To all the people who are embarrassed about their clubbed thumbs, who cares what other people think. Raise your thumbs up high and be proud of them! I sure do
.
July 8, 2008 at 11:10 pm |
I have two clubbed thumbs and like most people I absolutly hate them. I was a cheerleader in school and my hands were always showing so I was very self concious during this time ; Especially pep rallies in front of the entire school. My brother always made fun of me but, now that I am 20 and married my husband picks on me. He calls me”fat thumbs.” I can remember 3 people making fun of me for my thumbs. One guy said”holy shit whats wrong with your thumbs?” That was probably the most embarrassing day of my life considering the whole party came over to check out these freakishly weird thumbs. Nobody has my thumbs in my family. My dad’s great grandparents are from France.
July 17, 2008 at 1:04 am |
Yeah, my whole family, through the male line. Dark hair, hazel with unusually variable color. We’re from Los Angeles; Anglo-Franco-American mongrels, with lots of ‘missing’ ancesters (extra-marital lineage). There always were roumors of a ‘Rogue House’ that fled to the Americas. Also other ethnic lines, Mohawk for example. Maybe a bit of Lapp (Saami) and Rus’ (Bellarusia). Father and sister both have two BDD thumbs. I have one fully clubbed, and one less so, though both are dead straight when exented, no backwards curve at all. All three of us have very clubbed big toes. Mine are well over 1″ wide. Sister and I also have very short toes with the longest the clubbed one! Father’s the same except for one Morgan’s foot. If my toes were ‘normal’, I would be a size 9 or 10 (USA men’s) (I’ve done comparisons) but instead I wear a size 7 1/2 at 5′10″! Therefore my arches are always cramped in new shoes. All my other fingers are also a bit stubby. My palm is almost square, and notably longer than my fingers. We used to call them “Hobbit” thumbs and toes. (long before the LOR movies). I think that many of the classic Hobbit illustrations had the BDD traits.
I also have an occipital that’s unusually high and pointed. My father and sister also have slightly pointed ears. We all have unusually keen night vision and glare recovery, and we all have ‘widow’s peaks. All of us. Our women tend to a bit heavy, our men a bit light. We are all highly creative, hopelessly stubborn, have (forgive me) 140+ IQs, and have a long family history of troubles now understood as Bipolar, ADD etc. Honestly, the family name should have been ‘Addams’. Sounds like Royalty to me. We also tend to respond strangely, or not at all, to many medications. There’ve always been jokes about our ‘Alien’ heritage.
We also have a history of congenital heart problems (rare) and swallowing trouble (common).
Only my Sister ever felt self-concious about the thumbs and such. Sorry girls, it’s not as big a thing for a guy, though I can see how it could get really bad for a girl. I’ve mostly gotten a positive reaction from folks. I’ve only met one other ‘clubber’ outside my family, and she was simply shocked. I’ve always figured it as more of a rare trait than a deformity, so it’s never bothered me, except when I have trouble using things like scissors that were designed for ‘normal’ thumbs.
I’ve got some (possibly) bad news for many of you: aparrently BDD is a dominant trait (almost always). If absolutely nobody in your family has it…
Also heard it called ‘Gypsy thumbs”. Doesn’t seem to be anyone else who’s heard that one.
Is it just me, or are there a lot of Scandanavians here?
July 17, 2008 at 1:35 am |
Bowling??!! With a house ball? Forget about it!
July 17, 2008 at 1:51 am |
About the guitar-playing: I’m hardly a real guitar player, but I have always found it most comfortable to pick with that big wedge of thumbnail. It’s not tough enough for much strumming though.
July 17, 2008 at 2:44 am |
Kara, and all the others who can’t stand their thumbs:
There is only ONE fix. Go down to Picadilly or somewhere and give complete strangers one thumbs-up after another until you just don’t care anymore! Seriously, you’ll never see them again! Walk up to somebody and ask them what they think of your weird thumbs. When the sky doesn’t fall on you, you will find yourself much happier and a feeling a touch foolish.
It’s not your fault of course that the other kids made a big deal of it, but this will only hamper your life and happiness as long as you allow it to. Honestly, most people really couldn’t care less beyond that first moment of novelty. Anybody who has to make a big negative of it is probably using you to draw attention away from a true deformity…in their soul. It’s not YOUR problem, it’s THEIRS.
July 21, 2008 at 5:19 am |
pugaresreal, it’s you thumb that is wider than an inch or your toe? If it’s your thumb, you can send me a pic of your thumb near a ruler (to see the exact width) and I’ll put it in the webshot album. Send your pics at at
spectrale@videotron.ca
The album :
http://community.webshots.com/album/563297521FOfYFc?vhost=community
July 26, 2008 at 2:45 am |
well both of my thumbs are clubbed. I’m the only grandchild that has it. my mothers father had clubbed thumbs and my fathers mother has clubbed thumbs and i proudly sport them! and my mothers sister has them as well .my father is cuban and my mother is mexican, spainish,and italian so yes i’m pretty much a mutt like most people on here. my mother told me for years that my thumbs were from european bloodlines and i didnt believe her but i’m starting to after reading alot about it. not sure from what ancestry it’s from. but it would be intresting to find out. they should do a study on this because it is rare. i’ve probably met about 10 people that have this. well good luck everyone and be proud of those thumbs!!
July 28, 2008 at 1:59 am |
I am so happy to find this website!! I have always been embaressed about my thumbs, and have noticed people staring at them. I did want to say however that I have 2 of them, and my grandmother (my fathers mom) has only one, and no one else in our family has them. She tells me that they are called “murder’s thumbs” and that Lizzie Borden had 2 – however i have not found information to prove that!!
July 28, 2008 at 2:24 am |
just a few other things….
I’m blonde, irish and german. My mom noticed them right away when i was born she said. I too have always been self conscious about my thumbs! I avoided thumb wars, and 7-up games as a child and get very uncomfortable when people point them out. I used to try to hide the short nail with a fake one (which never worked)! I also hate going to the nail salon for fear of them making fun of them, and never paint my nails to avoid drawing attention. Although they bother me, as I’ve grown older (im 25 now) I have learned to deal with them. Lastly, I have 3 friends who also have them.
August 1, 2008 at 11:39 pm |
I am English/German/Polish with ash blonde hair/blue eyes, and have clubbed thumbs as well. My mother has them and her aunt had them as well. My mothers ancesters are all from England, however I do have royal Polish bloodlines on my fathers side. I am in my 30’s and have met or seen at least 20 other people in my lifetime who have had these same thumbs, including one of my best friends. She is also European decent.
August 3, 2008 at 6:16 pm |
Wow.
I am so freaking glad to see that I’m not the only one with squatty thumbs
. I searched the web a few months ago for maybe an explanation of why mine are like this…but I couldn’t find anything. This site has made me so happy!
I love the myths behind them and how they actually have a scientific name. Whenever people ask me what’s wrong with them, I tell them that when I was in the womb, I would sit and ponder the life ahead of me as I clasped my hands together to where my thumbs were being squished my my chin, and they just stayed that way.
It’s funny how different people react to them. I’ve met some people who are grossed out, and I don’t really understand that. I’ve also met people who love them and are kind of jealous…which makes me feel awesome.
I have been called “E.T. fingers” before, which was kind of mean, but i have a good sense of humor, so I wasn’t offended. I do remember one time in 5th grade, though, that I did get sort of upset. I went to a friend’s birthday party, which was at a beauty salon where we got manicures. I remember when the lady went to put nail polish on my thumbs, she made a big deal because she had to do it sideways and said, “God, what’s wrong with your thumbs?” ….that was rough, but I’m over it. :]
One thing I do remember being proud of when I was younger (it’s kind of weird), is when we would finger paint. We would make dots with our fingers and thumbs on the paper, and I was the only one who could make almost a perfect circle with my thumb.
rock on. :]
So yeah, I love this site and will continue coming here. I feel much more confident now that I know more about my “condition”. Thank you, Alf, for starting this website.
I’m off to go brag to my friends now. :]
-Hannah
August 3, 2008 at 6:53 pm |
I am reading all these posts with a big grin on my face (smiling). Im 35 and barely now looking this up online. I am Mexican, Portugese, and Puerto Rican decent. Only my left hand carries the famous thumb. My whole life I was pretty embarrassed about it, I was LMAO when I was reading the comment about playing thumbs up 7up game as a kid. I would forget and put the wrong hand up and hurry and switch to my right hand and hurry and look around and see if anyone saw. Ive pretty much hid it my whole childhood, however as an adult I got over it. I still get nails (yes you can have nails!!!) and each time the woman gives me a look like…ummm… but they do it. My sister, niece and grandfather all have the thumbs, although I have noticed it more in woman then men. Ive met quite a few woman with them as well. In addition to Megan Fox, A long time ago I noticed famous actress Sanaa Lathan has them also
August 3, 2008 at 6:59 pm |
Also.. for those women who still get embarrassed about it. Next time you catch a cute guy noticing it, just smile and tell them its your “sexy thumb”. You get a smile back and its a great ice breaker. Works every time!
August 3, 2008 at 8:13 pm |
Thanks to everyone, the album is now up to 119 pics. Please keep them coming!!(as you can see, no names are used)
Here is the site: http://s265.photobucket.com/albums/ii237/clubbedthumbs/?start=20
My address is: clubbedthumb@hotmail.com
J.T.
August 20, 2008 at 7:04 am |
Finding this blog has just been awesome. I thought I was the only one born this way! I have felt like a freak for so long – always trying to find a way to cover them up. But now I know I am not alone (omg if someone as hot as Megan Fox can have them haha…) I feel so much better! No one in my family has these and I never talk about it. I am of Scandanavian/Swedish/Welsh descent (although my father and I both have very dark hair, dark eyes and olive skin…). Interesting that a previous poster mentioned a possible connection between oxygen deprivation at birth and clubbed thumbs, as I was born with the umbilical cord around my neck. Seriously, whoever started this blog…thank you so much! Why have I left myself feel like such a freak for so long? It’s nice to think about the royal link
. Also the palmistry aspect is interesting, I am as stubborn as a mule, I dunno if it comes from the thumbs though! At least I have something to blame it on.
August 25, 2008 at 12:57 am |
I am just very glad to find out that there are many other people in the world with our wonderful “Carnie thumbs”. My roommate has only one, but I have two, its very exciting!
August 25, 2008 at 4:51 am |
It’s so weird how everyone with clubbed thumb(s) never meets anyone else who has them, yet apparently so many people do. I have two of them; I’m happy to say they have never been a problem and people usually find them funny and interesting. The only thing that sucks is that I went to school for concert piano playing, and having short thumbs definitely put a limit on my hand span, and thus technique. I have a question, which hopefully someone can answer legitimately: Are clubbed thumbs REALLY originated from royal bloodlines? I know wikipedia says it, but there’s no valid citations and that’s the only place on the internet that has stated that. I know my Italian side of the family were part of the Magistrates way back in the day, but that’s not really royalty per say. Does anyone know for sure if this statement is true? If it is, sweet!
September 3, 2008 at 7:43 am |
Hello! I always hated my thumbs on both hands. But not like “hate” – i am glad my thumbs serve me well… But the problem is that they look unusual. Hate that. I try to hide them in my fist while on public… When i smoke on public i put a fag between 2 my fingers and then hide my thumb under 2 other….
That sucks but thats the way i dont get any attention. I’m also dating my g/f for 10 month and she asked me about my thumbs only on the 7th month…. Hmm…i guess i am hiding them pretty well…. Anyway , i am happy i am not the only one. I know one girl of my age that studies in my Univ. who has same thumbs as me. That’s how i realized “murderer thumbs” to be a common thing. THat i’m not a freak…
I am from Russia. 18 y.o.
September 6, 2008 at 5:45 pm |
I have clubbed thumbs on both of my hands. My hands are small too so my thumbs are also small and I have never heard of “clubbed thumbs until I mentioned it to a nurse. She told me that people with clubbed thumbs are at higher risk for heart, respitory, and kidney problems. I don’t know if it is true though, but I don’t have problems with any of that. Nobody I know of in my family has clubbed thumbs, I also know that my family descended from Europe.
-Ashley: United States
September 14, 2008 at 11:06 pm |
Hi there, I am so happy I decided to google this today. I’ve been so embarassed by my thumbs I didn’t even like to say the word “thumbs” lest someone bring up mine.
It wasn’t until I went to New Zealand (the other side of the world for me) and was in a library when I thought “hey, I don’t know anyone in this country- now’s my chance to look up this phenomenon without fear of anyone seeing me”. Unfortunately I ended up in the palmistry section and some book said people with short thumbs have very little drive and can’t make decisions! Well! That was the first I’d ever read about short thumbs, but that little paragraph had more of an impact on my self-esteem for the next three years than anything else. I thought I was doomed to be unsuccessful no matter what career path I chose. I am just so grateful I got a second opinion… well many many others, as I’ve spent the afternoon reading almost three quarters of the posts here.
September 16, 2008 at 6:38 pm |
We mildly derided my sister with the “affliction” we affectionately referred to as “Italian thumbs”. My mother, also “afflicted” is of half Irish descent, but we know for certain the trait runs from the Italian side. I’m very curious about the “royal trait” thing. There is a fable from that side of our family about our origins to a certain tiny principality (not to be named here). Other evidence points to more than a coincidence, my brother could serve as a body double for a certain prince, (not to be named here). I would love to learn more although I suspect all it would prove ultimately is that my great-grand father, an orphan raised by a nanny yet endowed with the royal family’s name (so the fable goes) became a stone mason from Bari, who immigrated to New York around 1895, was perhaps the product of proclivity towards impetuosity, apparently still a trait within the survivors of the clan today.
September 23, 2008 at 10:50 am |
I have clubbed thumbs and hate them. I have yet to have a manicure as im embarassed at the thought of the person looking at my hands. Do manicures improve the look of hands? Any advice on this?
September 23, 2008 at 7:12 pm |
^I guess any kinds of nails look good if they are well cared. I’d say go for the manicure! If the person makes a comment on them, you just say they’re either a sign of royalty or being a murderer, and you haven’t decided wich one it will be for you yet
And then you smile prettily, of course ^^
It was so great to find this site! Thank you for this.
A friend of mine, whom I have talked about my thumbs, found this through Megan Fox pictures, because she had noticed Fox also had these thumbs.
I have never been embarrassed about my thumbs. They are both clubbed. I’m 20 now, and only when I was something like 14, one of my friends pointed out that my thumbs were different. I hadn’t noticed it before myself. It doesn’t bother me, although playing octaves on the piano could be that bit easier. But I’m just going to be playing for fun from now on, so it isn’t too bad.
When I wear nailpolish, I do it without a problem, but I haven’t tried on artificial nails. I guess it would be impossible to have them on clubbed thumbs and look good
I guess my toes are somewhat club-ish. My dad has same kind of toes, but his thumb fingers, and hands all over, are so large it’s hard to tell if they’re clubbed or not! I haven’t noticed that anyone from my family had these thumbs, nor have I met any person at all with these thumbs. I guess I should look harder
it seems that quite many people have these after all.
I am all Finnish, and there might be some Finland Swedish in my ancestors, but I highly doubt any royal trait. Kind of aristocratic, maybe.
My thumbs are a friendly joke among some of my friends. They keep wondering, how I manage to play the piano with thumbs so short. But I also play the flute, and there the shortness is actually a plus: I don’t have to bend my thumb to touch the “pad” correctly. In addition to my best friend, only my friends from the music circles have noticed my short and fat thumbs. It’s always a fun way to start a conversation with new people, maybe I should do it more often
September 24, 2008 at 1:54 am |
For those of you wondering what clubbed thumbs would look like with artificial nails, here check this pic out: http://s265.photobucket.com/albums/ii237/clubbedthumbs/?action=view¤t=10095011746.jpg
Also anyone else want to share some pics for the gallery? Its up to 132 images and has become the largest clubbed thumb gallery on the net that I’m aware of.
Please send me a pic at clubbedthumb@hotmail.com. As you can see, no names are ever used. I would love to add some clubbed toe pics too if anyone has any.
Here is the gallery. Thanks again, and take it easy.
http://s265.photobucket.com/albums/ii237/clubbedthumbs/
JT
September 24, 2008 at 10:16 am |
I’ve just come across this website – amazing! I must admit that I have always been very self conscious of my thumbs, and wondered why I have them – non-one else in my family has them. My family comes from England but we live in Australia, and have only ever come across one person who has the same shaped thumbs as me! Perhaps it is because we often hide our thumbs – who knows?
Thanks for this great site!
Jill
September 28, 2008 at 2:14 pm |
Hi, this site is amazing, all my life I have felt unique, I have two clubbed thumbs which are identical,My family has always referred to them as Redman thumbs, because my Grandfather William Redman (father of my mother) who died before I was born had them. No one else in the family has them, though we always check each new baby. I love my thumbs,other people are amazed when they see them and I have always felt different from anyone else. My only drawback is finding a pair of scissors I can get my thumb into,and bowling, they dont make the thumb hole big enough. I am English and all my ancestors have been English, we all come from Sussex. But I am intriged to see I may be of Royal descent. I see that some of you others have other deformities, I too have one leg longer than the other and one foot bigger than the other, but have never connected that to my thumbs. I have yet to meet another person with these thumbs, and as I work in a shop I often look at the customers hands when they are handing me the money. Jo
September 29, 2008 at 8:54 pm |
Oh, my goodness. I was just browsing through the net trying to find out information about my “weird” hands, pulled up this site and–there was my thumb! I’m so tickled, this is the only time I’ve ever seen a clubbed thumb other than mine.
Actually, both my thumbs are clubbed. I’ve always hated them, thought they were SOOOOO ugly, and still tend to keep them hidden. (They are a source of great amusement to my grandchildren!) In addition to the clubbed thumbs, I also have unusually short fifth fingers, which, together with the short thumbs, really puts a crimp in my ability to play the piano!
As for ancestry, I’m mostly of English, Scots and Irish on one side, and English, “Pennsylvania Dutch,” Scots-Irish, and Welsh on the other. No one else in my family has (or had) club thumbs that I know of, and neither of my sons inherited either my club thumbs, or my abnormally little fifth digits.
Additional medical information–my blood type is B+. and I have trouble with some sort of auto-immune disorder.
It’s interesting to see that others on this site have “club thumbs and little pinkies.” Makes me wonder if it’s some sort of syndrome….
September 30, 2008 at 9:08 am |
Both of my thumbs are clubbed. I have five siblings out of the five of us one brother has two clubbed thumbs and one sister has only one clubbed thumb. The other three have “normal” thumbs. I have four children and before I count fingers and toes I check thumbs. Can you believe it, not one of my children have my thumbs. Same with my brother and his four kids as well. My husband teases me about my “half thumbs” but I have never been ashamed of my thumbs and I think it is very funny.
My brother told me that when he was in art class in High School there was an assignment to draw your own hand. His teacher took one look at his drawing and told him to re-do it because that is not what thumbs look like. My brother showed his teacher his thumbs and needless to say he got an A on that assignment.
-Heidi
October 6, 2008 at 3:38 am |
Hi guy’s! I’ve found this weird site, not sure what it is but I think that you can make money with your thumbs lol
http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://www.thumb-vertising.com/images/portfolio/img1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.thumb-vertising.com/portfolio.php&h=216&w=320&sz=23&hl=fr&start=2&usg=__26PutJufHLtyLINSyLF-kz26BPw=&tbnid=7U67NgGYO7dtVM:&tbnh=80&tbnw=118&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbroad%2Bthumb%26hl%3Dfr%26sa%3DN
October 7, 2008 at 2:43 pm |
I have toe thumbs, short pinkies, AND short big toes and last 2 toes!
Anyone else with all of that?
October 17, 2008 at 3:16 pm |
I have two clubbed thumbs and I have always been quite self-conscious because of them. My main worry on my wedding day was that my thumbs would spoil my photos … I made sure that whenever I was showing my wedding ring, I hid my thumbs!I am French and I have German and Polish origins. I met two girls this year who had the same thumbs. One of them is English with French origins and the other one is Russian.
I am so glad to be able to put a name on my thumbs … a colleague of mine thought it was really funny to call them “spoons”…
I feel normal now and think that actually my thumbs make me special in a good way!
October 24, 2008 at 10:16 pm |
I have 2 clubbed thumbs and 2 short big toes. My pinky fingers are also half the size of my ring fingers. I inherited these traits from my grandmother (father’s mother) and my father. My grandmother is French and Spanish. I am told they were members of the European aristrocracy in Mexico of several generations. My grandfather’s side has been part of caucasian American since before the Revolutionary War and were originally immigrants from Britain. My grandmother is the only one of her siblings to have these physical traits. She passed the traits on to my dad. He is one of 4 brothers and the only one to have this. None of my cousins received this trait. My brother does not have them.
Even though I find these traits kinda ugly, everyone tells me they’re cool. One of my best friends from college and I met because she noticed we shared clubbed thumbs. My husband thinks they are the cutest thing ever. I do, however, like the fact that it is something that I can bond with my dad and grandmother about. Grandma calls them her “sewing thumbs.”
Finding this site is kinda liberating.
October 31, 2008 at 2:50 am |
Can anyone give advise on how you get past the embarrasment and constant hiding?????? I hate my thumbs!! HELP!!!
November 5, 2008 at 8:05 am |
I remember when I was about 16, donating blood for the first time and one of the donor nurses noticed my thumbs, which I quickly tried to hide. He was African and he told me not be ashamed of them – he said that as a black guy with very dark skin (in a country full of white people lol) he stuck out and looked different from everyone else but he took it all in his stride because he is proud of who he is and I should be too.
November 16, 2008 at 3:25 am |
I’m from Norway and I have them aswell :p My mom and my second cousin also has them. My friend likes to make fun of them, but I think they’re quite cool though :p
November 17, 2008 at 5:13 pm |
Growing up I was not teased much about my left thumb, but by 10th grade I was hopelessly self-consciouss about it and decided to keep it hidden at all times; now in middle age, I’m ready to get over it! As Eleanor Roosevelt famously said: “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.”
–Mark
My mother’s background is Irish or Scottish, my father’s is Swiss German.
November 21, 2008 at 4:56 am |
I love my thumbs! People are grossed out by them, but I love waving them in peoples’ faces especially while they’re eating!
My background is Hispanic, both of my parents are from Mexico, but they are from very skinned peoples. I don’t know my history any further than Mexico, but I am VERY light skinned. I’m pale and I have black hair, I think I might have ancestors from Europe maybe?
November 21, 2008 at 5:40 pm |
Oh and I also have small pinkies as well.. I was reading others responses and both of my hands are rather child-looking and chunky.. My hands are kinda small.. I have small nail beds and weak nails.. I also found out that my pinkies have what is called CLINODACTYLY which is a curvature of the pinky inward. I’m just wondering if anyone else out there has this as well. =)
November 24, 2008 at 5:28 am |
Anyone else willing to share a pic for the gallery? Thanks!
email me at clubbedthumb@hotmail.com
November 30, 2008 at 3:24 am |
Wow!
I am so glad to have found all of you and this site!
I am 30 years old, from California, Mexican (2nd Gen American)/Native American/European (3rd Gen American) ancestry.
Well, I could drone on and on ad nauseum about my life with the thumb, but I’ll spare all of you my peers!
I have a large right thumb only (wide at top with distinctly different nail, yet exact length of left thumb.) I’ll send a pic to add soon!
All other fingers are standard though left thumbnail looks super-size (?). Tell me what you think… Yes, I agree with all thumb-associated headaches and anxieties; just getting over them after 30 years…
We’re better…
December 4, 2008 at 2:49 pm |
Wow. I can’t believe that some people “hate” their clubbed thumbs. I have 2 and love mine, but my friends refer to them as “toe thumbs.” I was only embarrassed by them once in 5th grade, I was friends with the “mean girls” and one of them made a comment about how ugly they were and she felt sick looking at them. I hid them in fists for a while but then realized I didnt care what people like that thought about them. Besides most guys thought they were cute, lol. I had one guy want to take a picture of them and out it in his wallet… never happened but the thought always makes me giggle. But I rock at thumb war. I am 26 now. My family is mostly Irish/English descent. I live in Alabama and have only ever met 1 person with the same thumbs. She was so happy to meet me, lol.
December 4, 2008 at 9:25 pm |
Hey, Mayra
My mom’s pinkies are of normal length, but they are curved inwards! I wonder if there’s a connection between these two conditions. (I have club thumbs and mini-pinkies). Does anybody know?
–Jan
December 5, 2008 at 12:57 pm |
I do have a question…. I cant do the spock (i know its spelled wrong) simble or the west side symbol… or sufi (dane cook) with my hands…. am i just uncordinated or does any1 else with clubbed thumbs have this issue?
December 5, 2008 at 12:58 pm |
lol i just read my own comment and had to laugh at my spelling. sorry every1.
December 11, 2008 at 5:46 pm |
can i just say on the contrary to most club thumb sufferers,i have always maintained the notion that i was indeed gifted. Inspite of the shock on other people faces at the sight of them (yes both thumbs) and the frequent mumbling of “i think she’s deformed” I think they look rather cute. they dont stop me from doing what the average person does except for the mild embarrassment of getting a toe nail fitted in at the nail salon-that i will never adjust to.Interesting enough i thought i was the only person with this condition so thanks for busting my bubble!!!
December 14, 2008 at 9:15 pm |
Both of my thumbs are clubbed and my bloodline is purely chinese.
Both of my parents do not have this syndrome but heard that my grandpa got this syndrome (heard from my dad, he died years b4 my birth).
I have difficulties to write for longer duration (like in exam) as my thumb is too short to hold a pen while the force i used is too strong after 1-2 hours. Do anyone of you have such problem? Luckliy I can replace my handwriting with keyboard most of the time except in the exam.
Yet, I obtained the diploma of Piano from Royal School of UK seems that my thumbs didn’t trouble me too much. Do you know any pianist with clubbed thumb too?
December 16, 2008 at 7:39 am |
I’m super happy to have stumbled upon this site!
I have two clubbed thumbs and my mom only has one.
I was having surgery on my wrist a few years back and my specialist surgeon said that the thumbs were called “thoes” and were a recessive genetic trait that were linked to high intelligence (hurray).
Also, bowling sucked for me growing up, stupid 15 lb. balls.
December 17, 2008 at 2:10 am |
I have been taunted all my life because of my thumbs. As a teenager, when I started dating, I would try to “hide” my thumbs because I was so embarrassed by them. I’d never seen anyone else with thumbs like mine until a girl visited our church and I caught a glimpse of her hands. I was shocked! I had no idea that this was a not so uncommon thing. I’d never heard what they were called until I found this website. Thank you all so much for sharing. It makes me feel better to know that I’m not the only one with goofy thumbs!!!
December 17, 2008 at 2:16 am |
Amanda K, I am also in Alabama and also of English/Irish decent! How weird is that??? Both of my thumbs are clubbed. Do any of you ever feel like they get a cramp in them? Like they need to be popped? Usually it’s only if I’ve been writing or typing for a while.
December 21, 2008 at 7:16 am |
For Amanda
Yes, i often get a “kink” in the upper joint and have to bend then to get the joint to unlock. It is a terrible sound and I often wonder if any damage is going on. My son also has two clubbed thumbs and his do the same. It usually happens if the thumb is in a straight position for a long time and the joint seems to lock. But, hey, I had the best luck one time. I found a nail technician that had the same thumbs! When I would have her do my nails, she did the best job. Sadly, she moved away. One time I went to a nail place where an Asian man was the technician and he actually said to me “what do I do with these?” What nerve! Oh well I love reading this site and I wish all of you a wonderful holiday, whatever it is! kathy t in Montana (stay warm)
December 26, 2008 at 3:44 am |
Wow Amanda, that’s crazy! Where in AL are you? I’m in Montgomery. I get that kink too. Its weird… I’ve never asked if the normal thumb people get it… I might have to make some inquiries….
Kathy, I’ve pretty much given up on getting my nails done… they are pretty but it’s too much of a hastle to find some1 good and nice. Besides with a 7 month old short nails are more practical…. *sigh* maybe oneday.
But I’m still stoked about my thumbs. They are a great ice breaker. Sure I get the bad “I’ve never seen any1 do that where their toes b4″ jokes… lol… or the classic… “toes up” instead of thumbs up. but it’s all in good fun!
December 28, 2008 at 12:26 pm |
my mom has the ‘thumbs’ and so do her brother and sister. they inherited them from their mom. for the info we’re Asian
race – Malay
country – Malaysia
January 5, 2009 at 2:10 am |
My mother and I both have the “thumbs”. I have felt the same as most of you about them. But as the years go by, I have learned to live with them, with pride. I tell everyone that ask, that they came from Queen Victory. I think that the way her name was spelled.
January 6, 2009 at 6:35 pm |
Hey! I just found out last night that I have Brachydactyly Type D. All of my life I have tried to hide my “midget thumbs” as my friends have nicknamed them. I did some research last night and found that it’s a genetic trait that is supposed to be domninant among the family. However, no one in my family has my thumbs. I am anxious to see when I have children if they will have them. I have learned to deal with and now I am excited to know that there are other people that have these thumbs!
January 6, 2009 at 11:18 pm |
Stephanie, I was the only child my mother had, that has the( most famous thumb). My brothers third daughter has them, and so does her daughter. Don’t hide them, show them off. When I was a child in grade school, my class mates laughted and made fun of them. God has blessed me in many was, so these thumbs don’t matter.
Keep them in sight.
Mary
January 7, 2009 at 6:56 am |
Hi everyone, I’m so happy I found this forum, I though I was the only self concious girl about my clubbed fingers, I was just searching and reading about them…I don’t like them, and I’ve been hiding them all along! But I guess i just have to deal with them.
Does anybody know if there’s a cosmetic surgery, cause I’ve heard it doesn’t exist yet…
Thanks for sharing!
Mariana
January 7, 2009 at 8:38 pm |
Hi Mariana, I don’t know of any cosmetic surgery, that deals with club thumbs. I don’t know why anyone would want to correct this, because somewhere down the line one of our children, or grandchildren will have these thumbs.
You may want to check with a doctor that specializes in hand surgery. Anyway remember that we are among the special people, that could be of royal blood line.
January 12, 2009 at 7:08 pm |
Wow! I am so glad I found this site! Both of my thumbs are clubbed and I think I started to be embarressed by them when I started going to school as I was teased and asked what was wrong w/ my thumbs. I usually always hide them behind my fingers because I am embarressed by them. I think most of my friends dont know I have them. Either that or they do and havent said anything. My Fiancee thinks they are cute, he loves them. (My newest fear is having them show in my wedding pics..lol) But I hate them so much and sometimes wonder how different my life would be if I wouldnt have these thumbs..lol.. sometimes I restrict myself to do things because of my thumbs..Like someone else said, I panic if someone starts talking about thumbs or if someone wants to play “thumb wars”-I always decline at the fear of someone gawking at my thumbs. I have had people say they are cool though..I have 2 siblings and they have normal thumbs as do my parents. I only once saw a lady at a cash register with one clubbed thumb and once saw a girl in a class that all her fingers were clubbed (I guess thats worse then just the thumbs). Other then that, I have never met anyone or seen anyone else with my same thumbs. Thankfully my nieces and nephews dont have them and I really hope my children dont!! I think I will always hate them but I must learn to live with them. I envy those of you who are proud of them I wish I was too.
I am of Eastern and Western European desent and I am also very artistic and love to do crafts and things with my hands. I dont know if that has anything do with it.
January 14, 2009 at 12:51 am |
I have clubbed thumbs and I also know a guy who only has one clubbed thumb and the other is normal. It looks totally weird only having one clubbed thumb since I have two! My thumbs haven’t grown in awhile either. They are really small and for some reason really strong! lol
January 17, 2009 at 7:51 am |
what a coincidence ! i have clubbed thumbs too. I never hated them. when people asked what happened to my thumb i would say when i was small i got them stuck in a toaster… hence the deformation.
lol. I know my grandfather has a clubbed thumb and HE WAS really excited when he saw that i inherited that from him.
I know that my grandma and grandpa both lived in the same village… so i think a long time ago there might have been some sort of inbreeding… although i doubt that we were royalty.
my country of origin is Armenia… .and i do believe my ancestors were armenian also… but i am not quiet sure.
my thumb fascinates me. i have to know where it came from !!!
January 19, 2009 at 3:04 am |
Hi Ania! Would you be willing to share a picture for the gallery?
If so, please email me at clubbedthumb@hotmail.com
Thanks!
January 23, 2009 at 8:38 pm |
I have leprechan thumbs and big toes which all turn up at the tip. I also have documented proof of descent from several lines of European royality. My children and grandchildren all have one or more clubbed digits.
At one time I was told by an endocrinologist that this may be a lack of human growth hormone at a critical point during gestation but that no one was certain.
January 24, 2009 at 4:46 am |
Patti,
Would you tell me what country you live in, and what European royality line you came from.
Thanks.
January 28, 2009 at 1:43 am |
I just wanted to say that I’m proud of my clubbed thumb. I think it is a wonderful unique feature that sets me apart from most people.
I am of Hungarian and Polish descent and I live in Chicago.
Does any know of any scholarships that you can receive for having such an amazing thumb?
January 28, 2009 at 3:21 am |
Michael, I dont now of any scholarships for amazing club thumbs. Why don’t we do some research. I could use a scholarship.
January 28, 2009 at 5:24 pm |
Wow, I can’t believe there are so many fellow clubbers out there! I have one clubbed thumb on my left hand. I’ve always loved it though, I think it’s a cutie.. all stubby and small. Friends and family have teased me about it, but it’s all in good fun.
I am a 25yr old American female. My ancestors are from Ireland, mainly. I think we have some Germans in there somewhere along the line as well.
I’ve noticed that I have slight imperfections on the left side of my body… for instance, my left ear is a little pointy at the top and my right is rounded, i have a dimple in my left cheek and not in my right, and then of course, the left clubbed thumb. I’m not sure if these are relatable at all, but often wonder if other clubbers experience this.
One more thing… my clubbed thumb feels like it needs to be cracked a lot. I don’t crack my knuckles… except for my clubbed thumb. It is (for some reason) comforting to see that other people experience this too! Although, sometimes I worry that this is a sign I will get arthritis in it or something.
January 28, 2009 at 9:32 pm |
Kate,
Don’t worry Kate, I don’t think you will get arthritis in your clubbed thumb.
I had mine for a long time, and nothing like that are anything has happened.
Mary
January 31, 2009 at 3:43 pm |
Like many others I am glad to have found this website….
There will always be people in this world who will make insensitive unintelligent comments about things that are not perceived as “normal”.
Both of my thumbs are clubbed. Growing up I never had any problems with people and their comments because I was very good at disguising my thumbs and I was a rather large male that probably whould have made a physical response to a negative comment. I was a three sport athlete. I often wondered if catching passes playing tight end on the football team was made more difficult with my thumbs.
I realize it is easier for a male to deal with this problem. There was a girl at another high school that I knew who was the recipient of negative comments of because of her club thumbs. I never had the nerve to approach her for fear on having my thumbs exposed.
It was never discussed in my family. My family just never discussed anything along personal lines. I don’t know of any of my relatives with this condition. My parents and my siblings do not have these thumbs. I once saw doctor, who was also the local TV “question and answer” doctor, for a basel cell skin problem that I was having. I got the nerve to ask him about my thumbs. His answer was that I must have sucked my thumbs excessively when I was young. That did it for me, no more inquires. I must say this was before the internet. The internet is an amazing thing.
Yes for some strange reason I feel more at ease just knowing there are others out there who feel what I have felt.
January 31, 2009 at 7:22 pm |
Dick, I have never thought of my clubb thumbs as being a condition. Somewhere down the line in your family someone had the clubb thumb.
February 1, 2009 at 4:47 pm |
hiya!!
omg i have 2 clubbed thumbs, and neva knew what it was untill i saw this site!! omg!!! i am amazed i hav neva met anyone else with these thumbs either!! lolz
i am from north west england, and i have always had these thumbs. my thumbs have neva been an issue, they dnt bother me and people rarely notice them,and most of my family probbaly dnt even know i have them!
none of my family have clubbed thumbs at all!! however, my mother was always unsure why my thumbs were diffrent.
i am concerned now tho cuz i hav read that clubbed thumbs can be linked to a lot of health problems?!?!?
like lung cancer and heart problems?!?! = (
my health has always been quite good (touch wood)
is this true???
February 1, 2009 at 9:01 pm |
Rachel, I don’t know who told you that Clubbed Thumbs were linked to a lot of health problems. I’am old enough to know, as of right known i’ve had no major health issues.
It looks as if people from all over the world have these Clubb Thumbs. I am from Louisiana. I live in Bush, Louisiana, that is about a 1 hour drive from New Orleans. It would be interesting to have a get together with all the people with Clubbed Thumbs.
Anways, don’t worry yourself, with health issues.
February 9, 2009 at 11:51 pm |
WOW! a site full of murderers thumbs! Hooray!
I have one on my left hand. My 3 sisters and I all have them.
I once saw a girl in Ikea with one and got very excited, she said she was an artist and thought that it was some sort of female artist trait. Could be since me and my 3 sisters are all artists. The only thing Ive ever head about it is that it was a “trait” supposedly of murderers back in the day hence the name “murderers thumb”. I like it and I think its funny when my friends want to see it.
xo
February 9, 2009 at 11:56 pm |
I should add my info:
American
Age: 26
nationality – Hungarian, dutch tid bit of Spanish some native American.
The THUMB is on the left side my right thumb is “normal” and YES it is an amazing ice breaker. I can shake my eyes too that freaks people out I love it! Nothing else is too abnormal I have tiny fingers and toes to begin with and my head is petite.
I see most people have it on the left side that is very interesting!
February 10, 2009 at 1:41 am |
Thanks Andrea. I love your positive attitude. Something I have never had. I think it’s about time I change my attitude.
February 21, 2009 at 4:45 am |
Hi! I think that we should all put our age and thumb width as info… This is a clubbed thumb information site so comparison is a way to more information : Me I’m 30yo Male and my thumbs are 20mm each (0.78 inch) … What about all of you?
Jay
February 21, 2009 at 5:32 am |
I too have the thumbs (both) in looking at the pics from the photobucket I have to say mine are as bad as I thought. I get my nails done so them look a bit longer and not as noticeable – yet growing up with them was hard. My father and all (3) his off spring have the thumbs (both) so I guess to us we knew there was others out there. I know lots of people with them also and some with only the one, so there are a lot of us out there. Still yet I catch myself wondering why me – who knows maybe they will save my life one day. The family no biggie they have worse things going on with their looks alone than to worry about my thumbs.
By the way has anyone (over 30 anyway) noticed “Mrs. C” from “Happy Day’s” she has the thumbs too – that is when realized I wasn’t the only one. Thanks for the site I never knew what these thumbs were called til now – finally a name behind these weird phalanges.
February 21, 2009 at 5:34 am |
That is a good idea listed below is my Clubbed thumb information:
65 years old female
White
Married
Both thumbs are of the same size and clubbed-(refer to the snap shot at the top of this page, that is what my thumbs look like)
Nationality American, English, Irish and a tad bit of Native American Indian.
Hobbies, sailing, gardening, art (water color)singing with church choir
February 21, 2009 at 5:42 am |
Oops I noticed some typo’s – as saying looking at the pics from the photobucket my thumbs are NOT as bad as I thought. I guess I just need to deal with it more openly and hey at least we have some (thumbs that is) I have seen people that have missing fingers. Oh and most that I have seen with clubbed thumbs are mainly Hispanics. Keep the info coming this really helps with the self esteem.
February 21, 2009 at 12:07 pm |
Mary, you forgot thumb width lol… Mine are 20mm wide (0.78 inch) each… Larger than a penny but thinner than a nickel if it can help…
February 21, 2009 at 3:57 pm |
I have two club thumbs. About 1 inch width. I am 6′3”; 64 year old American with English and Irish ties. My thumbs seem to crack a lot. I am still looking for a realative with club thumbs. I just recentely told my older brother about my thumbs. He had never realized I had club thumbs. I was very good disquising them…………
February 24, 2009 at 2:58 am |
Hi everyone. I have two clubbed thumbs, and would also like to know where there trait comes tends to come from. I am of (mainly) Dutch, Irish, French, and Cherokee descent. I was told by my mother that I have royalty on her side of the family, but as far as I can tell I received the trait from my dad’s side (his sister has them too). I’ll try to get a picture of them for you as soon as I can. Hope my info helped.
February 25, 2009 at 3:45 am |
I am so envious of you all and how you are proud of your thumbs! I struggle ever day of my life. I am 17 and hate my thumb. Only 1 left hand. I have never had anyone notice but, live each day hiding it. Any suggestions on overcoming this fear of mine? I am glad that I am not alone.
February 25, 2009 at 4:02 am |
Hi Izzy,
You are only 17, please take my advise, don’t waste another second, being ashamed or trying to hide your thumbs. Life is to precious, to worry about small stuff. This is a 65 year old tell you this.
These thumbs we have are for only the special people of the world. We are all smart, come from great backgrounds, and can achieve anything.
Please don’t hide them, talk to your friends and family, make it the topic of your conversation. You can even make you own story up. Make it a good one.
Hope this helps.
February 26, 2009 at 6:11 am |
wow, I was suprised that there are so many ppl who have clubbed thumbs. I did’nt know my weird thumbs have a scientific name. I read the comments from a lots of Europeans and it makes me feel weird that the thumbs also called “European thumbs”. so far, I have no connection with the royal european. I am Korean and my grandma on my dad’s side had clubbed thumbs(my dad said she had clubbed fingers). Since my grandma passed away, I think I am the only one who has clubbed thumbs among all of my family and relatives. I am cool with my cute thumbs so far, because whenever older ppl see my thumbs, I get positive comments. In general, the clubbed thumb-person is believed to be artistic, diligent and handy. sadly, in my case, I am not artistic(a little bit, I am not good at studio art, but study art history), diligent(my rooms is a pigpen), handy(my stuffs are always broken). But I am obstinate and optimistic.
I have been doing research about the thumbs. there are some Korean celebrities having the clubbed thumbs. and I found out that people from some certain region in Korea have a high frequency of the clubbed thumbs.
again, glad to find this website!
February 26, 2009 at 5:43 pm |
Hi Julie.
Can you name a few of the Korean celebs you mentioned? Thanx in advance, Jack
February 26, 2009 at 7:07 pm |
Julie,
Loved your comments. I tell everyone that people with clubbed thumbs have an extememly high IQ and above average athletic ability……….
February 27, 2009 at 2:21 am |
Why don’t we have a clubs thumb celebration. I live about one hour from New Orleans, Louisiana, and we are always have some kind of celebration.
Next month I think the Northshore will have the Strawberry festival. My spelling is awful, I know, to bad this sit don’t have spell check. My area of the country just finished the big festival of the year. If anyone of you know about New Orleans, you know what festival I am talking about.
Anyway, I think it would be neat.
February 27, 2009 at 1:05 pm |
Hello fellow toe-thumbers!!
I LOVE my toe thumbs, and I’m really proud of them. My grandma had them too, so I feel they’re a precious link to her. When I have kids the first thing I’ll check is their thumbs: both my partner and I really hope they’ll inherit them. (He loves my toe-thumbs, as have all my previous partners… they all thought they were ‘cute’, hmm.)
I’m a primary school teacher, and I use my toe-thumbs to teach the kids about how unique and special we all are: they love it.
TOES-UP TO THE TOE THUMBERS!!
PS: Can we lose the term ‘murderers thums’ please? It feels very negative!
xxx Em
March 1, 2009 at 5:07 pm |
Hi! Just found this site, also only just found out that my weird fat little thumbs actually had a name! I was told it was because I bite my nails.
I’m Scottish on my Dad’s side, South African on my Mum’s. My Dad always says that we’re somehow distantly related to the Stuart royals so perhaps that’s where the inbreeding came in!
No one else in my family has them, I have no health problems at all, and was only very mildly embarrassed by them growing up. Izzy, don’t sweat the small stuff, it’s really very small. My mates were all merciless teases and I only got a very tiny amount of stick about the thumbs. Just think about all the big noses, bushy eyebrows, squinty eyes and weak chins out there, everyone’s got their little cross to bear.
March 6, 2009 at 8:33 pm |
Hi! A comment in the “Dear Prudence” article on slate.com led me to Google my thumb condition, and I found this site. The only term I had ever heard was “murderer’s thumb” so I’m very happy to hear of many other names. I think I’ll go with “royal thumbs”. Both of my thumbs are clubbed. As a child I recall being a little self-conscious about them, but most of the time as an adult I forget that they are even different than most people’s.
I am intrigued to hear that others are particularly good at thumb wrestling. I personally have found that my shorter thumbs are a detriment in a thumb war because I can’t reach them around and hook the other person’s thumb. False nails don’t fit on them, but that doesn’t matter to me as I wouldn’t wear them anyway. My gloves always have some extra material flopping around on the thumbs. Other than those three minor things, I am pretty happy with them!
My toes are also pretty short–anyone else have that quality as well?
March 14, 2009 at 4:35 pm |
Hey, I’m 16 years old and love my thumbs! Yes, my friends do make fun of me, but i go along with it and joke myself. I am not embarrassed or hide my thumbs because It makes me unique and different from everyone else. I’m surprised of how many people have them! I thought i was one of only a few. If there’s any more information of where it originated that would be greatttt.
March 15, 2009 at 7:29 am |
I have a “clubbed thumb” on my right hand, or what my friends like to call my “toe thumb.”
None of my parents have this trait, nor do 3/4 of my grandparents, I never met one of them.
I am from Canada.
March 15, 2009 at 8:28 pm |
Wow, I thought I was the only person with one “fat thumb.” Until now, I believed that thumb-sucking caused the condition. Personally, I’d like to straighten out my thumb. The fat thumb is a “high maintenance” finger. When the nail grows out, it just doesn’t look as symmetrical as the other thumb. So, I prefer to keep it trimmed. I have two brothers–one brother has double “fat thumbs” and the other brother’s thumbs are long and straight. Both of his thumbs are much fatter than my one fat thumb. Growing up, I used to tease him about his thumbs, saying they’re good for pressing-in thumb tacks. Even today, he doesn’t like them noticed…he hides them behind the steering wheel when he drives. Also, I was taken aback when I worked at a jewelry store several years ago. A Hispanic man came in to buy a watch. His thumbs were gigantic. Strangely enough, I felt relieved that mine weren’t that big. I’ve seen a few women with double fat thumbs as well. I think men have the advantage because we are not going to want to grow out the nail. A long painted, fat thumb nail just doesn’t look sexy. I don’t mean to be offensive…this is done in good humor. I guess, because I have one long thumb and one short thumb, it is okay for me to say which of the two I prefer
March 16, 2009 at 4:49 am |
Hi Walter,
Now come on Walter, who the heck ever thought about thumbs as sexy.
My husband don’t have a problem with this, both of my thumbs are club.
We have been married for 42 years, the thumb issue has never been a problem. So just get over it. Yes, you did offend me, I can’t speek for the other ladies, but yes you did.
March 20, 2009 at 6:51 am |
I saw someone earlier mentioned Brachydactyly Type D. That is exactly what you all are describing here. The general brachydactyly family of developmental conditions is one that involves problems with the normal layout of the digits during development. It has been shown (though there have not been any studies in over a decade) that this is genetic. It shows complete penetrance in women and does not always show in men even if they possess the gene. Also, about 3/4 of individuals have this on both hands and 1/4 on one. Hope that helps…p.s. i have it on one and im gonna be a doctor!
March 20, 2009 at 12:40 pm |
What is the probability of Brachydactyly Type D occuring in the USA? What is the probability in the general population of the world?
March 21, 2009 at 1:28 am |
David,
I have heard about 1 in 1000.
April 8, 2009 at 7:22 pm |
Wow, I never realized so many people had thumbs like mine! I have always been embarrassed by it and thought it was a freak occurrence. I have only one, on my right hand, and once I am comfortable around people it’s always amusing to show them the normal one and the short one side by side
I am 28, Female, French Canadian, and live in the US.
April 13, 2009 at 3:02 am |
Hello, I have two toe thumbs, and my middle finger on my right hand is also abnormally wide! My parents do not have toe thumbs, and I dont know if my grandparents did, but I do have a sister with one normal thumb and one toe thumb. I think I am actually better off than she is because both of my thumbs are the same! I live in California, my mother is Moroccan and my father is originally from Indiana of European descent. I dont know if I got my trait from my mother or fathers side, but if the trait is from inbreeding, that could have been possible from my Arab or European ancestry. So this website is fun, I will continue to read, thanks!
April 14, 2009 at 8:07 pm |
Leyla,
Do you happen to have any pics? I’m curious to see what your wide middle finger looks like!
April 16, 2009 at 12:49 am |
OMG!!!! I have never looked into this until now. I’m 40 years old and have ALWAYS been embarrassed by my thumbs. Most people, even some of my friends, don’t even realize I have short thumbs because I have become so skilled at hiding them. Last week, I was presenting in front of a group and one person in the group said something about my thumbs in front of the whole group. I went to my office and cried. I thought I had grown out of the “caring what other people think” phase, but guess not. Thank you, thank you, thank you for starting this. This is the first time in FOREVER that I’ve felt OK about my thumbs.
April 17, 2009 at 7:12 pm |
Hi my mother has both her thumbs “clubbed” whilste my aunt has just her right thumb clubbed. My mothers aunt also had clubbed thumbs. Since then there have been no further cases in the family. As far as 1889
my mothers family came from the north of Portugal. There might be a french link as Napoleon’s army invaded Portugal in the early 1800s.
April 18, 2009 at 6:21 pm |
I have never seen so many people with clubbed thumbs in my entire life. I have actually never met anyone besides me, my father and grandmother who has had them. I’m 21 and am half Korean and half white (pretty much a mutt). My dad is white and I get it from him. I have always been super ashamed of my thumbs and was never comfortable with them. Even as I’m typing this, I am hiding my thumbs as best as I can (out of habit I suppose). I feel as though I was kind of robbed out of my childhood because I was always the odd man out and the center of everybody’s jokes. I’m an adult and people still have problems with my thumbs, which doesn’t help my insecurities. I do whatever I can to hide them at all times. I’m probably the only one that would actually get reconstructive surgery on both of my thumbs. If anyone has information on anything regarding this please let me know.
April 19, 2009 at 11:33 pm |
Diana,
Sorry to hear that you don’t like your thumbs. As far as sugery goes, someone else said they looked into it once, but was told it can’t be done because of nerve location.
April 20, 2009 at 1:26 am |
Diana & Jami,
I too don’t like my clubbed thumbs.
I am also very good at hiding my thumbs. My family has an irish background and we have always been very private with our personal feelings and expressions. I just recently told my older brother about my thumbs and he is 66. He had no idea. Now that’s a good hide job. Next week I am going to tell my baby sister.
The world can be cruel sometimes. People can be so insensitive. That will never change. We can only change how we deal with it. It is not easy. This website has been so cathartic for me. Thank God for the internet and people like you who express themselves to the world……
April 23, 2009 at 6:00 pm |
Wow, I had no idea so many people have these thumbs. Both of mine are clubbed and I’ve hated it my whole life. When I was young I was taunted. I’m 30 now and haven’t heard anyone comment on them for about 7 years now. I always hide them so that’s perhaps why. I really wanted to pursue acting at one point but became horrified at the idea that the camera would catch them or I would be ridiculed in a world (acting or modeling) where every detail is criticized. More recently I wanted to pursue teaching, but once again, writing on a chalk board is very conspicuous and students can be cruel..so who knows. I’m actually about to start guitar lessons tomorrow and am soooo nervous that the teacher will think I’m a freak over them. All focus is on the placement of my hands of course.
With respect to my background, I’m part English, Scottish and a bit of Irish. I have red hair and am extremely artistic. I’ve made a career out of my ability to be creative actually. I’ve seen mention of this in other posts which I thought was interesting. My grandma seemed to have these thumbs, although grew her nails long so they didn’t look as bizarre.
If I could have surgery done to change them I would in a heart beat. Unfortunately, there is a major vein that runs to the thumb, plus the bone is obviously larger and would need shaving or something, so the chances of doing permanent damage through a surgical procedure seem quite high in my opinion.
My big toes are wider then other girls but not strange looking. And yes, I as well really really disliked 7-up in school.
April 25, 2009 at 4:49 am |
It’s funny that others mention the reconstructive surgery. That is how I found this site, while looking into reconstructive surgery. Doesn’t sound like it is worth the risk. Melissa, I too have red hair and am very creative. It is interesting to read some of the similarities in everyone throughout the posts. My background is Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and French. I will continue to come back here as it gives me a small bit of comfort every so often. Thanks to all.
April 25, 2009 at 11:57 pm |
Hi!
Well my english is not perfect but i will try to write here.
I´m from Mexico and I´m 14 years old.
i have clubbed thumbs my dad and my grandpa have clubbed thumbs too.
I really want to Thank you for this blog I always felt bad because of my fingers and now I know that I´m not the only one =) it makes me happy.
People feel bad about their thumbs because they feel weird because they feel like there is no one like them like alone besides the horrible comments the “normal-thumb-finger-people” do
Everyone should feel happy because this Super Blog show us that other people has the same thumb finger so it´s a commun finger because other people has it ^u^
So people that makes bad comments doesn´t know how commun this finger is… their comments are like “oh my god her hair is curly or like OMG!! look at her hair is silver!!” hehe or look his shoes are color turquoise!!! o-O
^^ if you dont like your fingers well let me tell you that I LOVE YOUR FINGERS!!! I REALLY DO I LOVE YOUR FINGERS!!! I LOVE MINE TOO ^^
Sorry for my bad writting I`m still learning english ^^ one day I´ll speak and write english perfectly
BE HAPPYYYY!! ^^
April 29, 2009 at 2:13 am |
Both my thumbs and middle fingers are clubbed same with sister, only 2/5 have it and none of my parents have it..i feel pretty self consious about it get picked on in school about it..but i dont really care theyre unique
April 29, 2009 at 2:37 pm |
Hi! I need the picture of a female with large thumb (it will stay anonymous) near a ruler so we can clearly see the width for an new and small acrylic nail company that want a picture in their business plan… The thumb must be larger than an inch or 25mm… Just include your age with the e-mail… Send your pics at woct7@yahoo.fr
Thank you very much in advance! Things are looking great for clubbers who needs acrylic nails it seems!
Marie
May 2, 2009 at 11:11 pm |
Sanaa Lathan also has clubbed thumbs! Im also curious as to why some people only have 1 clubbed thumb where others like myself have both??
May 2, 2009 at 11:28 pm |
Hey its me again, after reading most of these comments i realized that most people seem to be really disappointed with their thumbs to the point of considering surgery. Personally i think that is drastic and unnecessary. I am 24 years old and have always been self conscious of my thumbs but never too embarrassed to try to hide them. Its too much effort, besides no one even notices your hands on a regular basis. The rest of my fingers are really nice and its interesting because i get complimented on my nails all the time so i just say thank you and keep it moving. I’m not sure if they notice my thumb or not but either way I take the compliments. Newayz my main point is that i get my nails done all the time. Sometimes i get acrylics and other times I don’t. This one lady at a salon in Miami told me that she gets women with thumbs like me all the time and they keep coming back because she has a technique to narrow the nail so it doesn’t look as wide. If you have short nails this wont work but if your nails grow long like mines then it works wonders. Ask your salon professional to file both sides of your thumb till the nail is narrow and you’ll be satisfied, I guarantee it! Hope this helps! Embrace your thumbs, its really not a big deal!!
May 3, 2009 at 3:31 am |
“Me” where is this salon in Miami? I live near Miami I would be interested.
I see what you are saying about embracing your thumbs but I am too “damaged” so to speak. I am and will probably continue to be embarrassed by them…unfortunately.
May 3, 2009 at 9:48 pm |
Wow, I never realized that my clubbed thumb was even called “clubbed thumb”! I never knew that other people has this! And I’m almost 32! My left thumb is clubbed and my right is normal. My friends used to tease me and some still do but it honestly doesn’t bother me. I do feel better knowing that I’m not the only one! No one in my family has it and my son did not inherit it so I guess I am an enigma in my family!
May 4, 2009 at 7:15 am |
For those interested, check out the “clubbed thumb society” on facebook too! It’s now linked to the clubbed thumb gallery that I’ve been working on. Now over 310 pics!
May 4, 2009 at 1:55 pm |
Hi! Both my thumbs are clubbed, I am a 26 years old female and have always been self conscious of my thumbs but in a good way, considering them as a special/unique/funny feature. I never tryed to hide them and nobody seems to notice them. I am the only one I know in my family with this trait (I have no pictures from ancestors of my grandparents to test it). My family is from a small town in Portugal (no royal blood in known in the family, but about inbreeding, my mother’s parents are first cousins). I though this was a rare trait untill I found this site. I was 18 years old when I met the only girl I know with thumbs like me.
Now and then I also feel the cramps in my thumbs, just like the join is locked and it only unlocks after a forced crack. Besides that I feel no limitations with my thumbs (although after reading the posts I realize that sometimes my thumbs also gets stuck in scissors hole). I am obstinate, with some artistic vein (drawing/painting) and have no complains about intelligence level, but I believe that my thumbs shape in particular has nothing to do with it.
Since my parents don’t have the trait, I suppose the idea that this is a recessive genetic trait makes more sense. It also appears to be a neutral trait when considering its biological benefits or disadvantages, and this explains why it seems much more frequent that all of us expected, poping up here and there and being transmitted to descendents without being to much noticed.
For those who feel bad about their clubbed thumbs, don’t let this tiny detail to afect your life, accept it as a “normal” and harmless herited mutation and you will realize that people around you will not notice it at all.
May 4, 2009 at 4:09 pm |
Hi
I also have them. 27yr female. I have always been self conscious and hid them. I moved to Israel, and noticed a lot more people here have them than compared to the US or Canada (where I’m originally from). The main problem I see with them is…BOWLING. The thumbs don’t fit comfortably in the holes. Oh, and I can’t wear fake nails.
May 6, 2009 at 1:29 am |
Hi again! Since my previous doesn’t work anymore, I make this repost with the new e-mail to send your pics… Here it is : I need the picture of a female with large thumb (it will stay anonymous) near a ruler so we can clearly see the width for an new and small acrylic nail company that want a picture in their business plan… The thumb must be larger than an inch or 25mm… Just include your age with the e-mail… Send your pics at svendar78@videotron.ca. Thank you very much in advance! Things are looking great for clubbers who needs acrylic nails it seems!
May 17, 2009 at 12:48 am |
I wear fake nails ALL the time.
They have SO many different sizes it’s crazy!!!
I mean, you would have to go get them done, you can’t just buy them from a store and do them yourself because I can never find one big enough for my thumb.
P.S. I have only ONE clubbed thumb…weird huh? I thought I was messed up lol Until I heard about Megan Fox and then I finally found out that I wasn’t alone.
I still hate my thumb….but at least I know I’m not alone.
May 18, 2009 at 4:49 pm |
I have also heard them called Gypsy thumbs…anyone else here have Roma or gypsy heritage???
May 22, 2009 at 6:25 am |
OMG i’m so happy! I’m almost 20 and I’ve only met like 2 or 3 people who have toe thumbs like me! I didn’t know that a bunch of people have this I just thought i was unlucky. I’m not gonna lie though I do wish I had pretty long thumbs like other people. But it’s cool ’cause people marvel at my thumbs all the time. Like, they’ll call their friends over and be like “Check out her thumbs they look like toes. Cool.”
Anyways idk why were sharing info but I’m 64 inches, brown hair, gray eyes. real tan. french. arabian. italian. russian. canadian. polish. greek. jewish. i forgot what else. i’m a mutt. and i don’t feel like writing in caps anymore. we should have a chatroom…
June 10, 2009 at 3:15 am |
I’m the only one in my family with short thumbs. To me they are so normal. It wasn’t until like high school that I actually realized how short they were. The first other person who really noticed was my sister. She has long fingers and thumbs and she’s taller than me too. She just noticed them one day and was so surprised. My boyfriend doesn’t mind at all. His thumbs bend back really far so I guess we’re both weird-thumbed. My pinkie is also very short… but it’s more like it starts too far down my hand. I would be interested to see an X-ray of my hand! I played flute in middle school and my teacher was ALWAYS scolding me for letting my pinky fall of the key at the end of the flute. It was really uncomfortable for me to keep my pinky up like that though. Maybe if he hadn’t been such a grumpy old man he would have noticed I wasn’t lazy, my hands just weren’t ideal for flute. I never got teased… maybe no one noticed my thumbs or maybe my attitude made me not worth teasing (I always just smiled and didn’t care what people said). Bowling is hard though. I’ll do well at first but then my thumb really starts to hurt because it gets stuck in the ball. Sometimes the joints in my thumbs feel tight, but I just give them a good crack and they’re fine. I crack all my fingers from time to time. I grow my nails a little long but I’ve never had fake nails or anything. I kick butt at thumb war! I love playing video games except the + shaped button always feels too small to me. I hate texting though (maybe more because I see it as a representation of what I dislike about my generation). I’m 22, American and my background is Irish and German, with a little bit of French and Scottish and Native American even. It seems to me that this is just a harmless genetic thing.
June 10, 2009 at 7:39 pm |
I had clubbed thumbs on both of my hands until i was 10. I was playing dodge-ball in gym, when the ball was kicked at me and my left thumb was broken on a growth plate (as a result of trying to catch the ball). Needless to say after 8 weeks of having a fiberglass cast (that included a little thumb tunnel) i had my cast removed and i noticed right away that my thumb looked different. Along with all the nails on my left hand growing rapidly during those eight weeks, my thumb had changed shape into looking like a “normal” thumb. Pretty weird. So now my left thumb is taller and narrow and the right is short and wide. I’m wondering if my breaking it along the growth plate had acted as a catalyst to make it grow differently.
June 11, 2009 at 9:48 pm |
I am 26 years old and I have “clubbed thumbs” “hammer thumbs” “ET thumbs” “Toe thumbs”…people get very creative. When people frequently say “oh my god look at your thumbs” I quickly reply that I played too much Nintendo when I was younger and their response is “Really!?!?”. I have become less and less self concious of my thumbs, I’ve learned to accept them but only after asking hand surgeons about getting them fixed and there is nothing they can do, there are too many nerves. They have definintely become a part of me and my friends and family love them. Now knowing that Megan Fox has them everyone will be jealous. I still hide my thumbs when I can, especially on the NYC subways when everyone is holding onto the pole I always tuck my thumb in. I always look at people’s thumbs and it is a great conversation starter on the rare times when you find another clubbed thumb. I agree with all the others about playing 7-Up when I was younger but I too was great at thumb war. Texting isn’t very easy and I don’t think I would be good with an I Phone. I never give people the thumbs up and my thumb occasionaly would get stuck in a bowling ball. Someone mentioned their mom custom made them mittens, so funny because I always have a floppy thumb in gloves. I could go on and on about my thumbs and I find it hysterical to read such relatable stories.
I am a jewish female living in NYC and I am the only one (that I’m aware of) in my family with “the thumbs”. My backround is Eastern European (Russian, Hungarian & Lithuanian).
June 11, 2009 at 10:14 pm |
Wow, i tought i was alone at this…both my thumbs are like this, my wife makes fun of my because with my children i always make thumbs up and she tells me to do it correctly.
But I’m used to it. again i tell them, to much nintendo. But my mother has this, as well as an aunt and a grandparent.
I live in Mexico, Tijuana to be exact right next to the border to San Diego, and guess. I’m not alone, and now that i know that Megan Fox has them, well at least i know i have something in common with a superstar (oh that and the pooping and eating and sleeping thing also).
I do hide my thumbs from time to time, but i just have gotten used to it and now that i’m older i have gotten used to it.
June 11, 2009 at 10:43 pm |
Hello everyone! I also have clubbed thumbs, on both hands. I was really self-conscious about them when I was younger, always hiding them, oh you know… but I love them now! I also remember that when I was around 10yo I saw a lady in a bus with such thumbs and I wanted desperately to ask her if she knew anything about it. No one I knew had it, no one in my family. Only when I started college did I see another girl with such thumbs. Anyway, I’m 24, female, dark-haired, live in Serbia and of Serbian/Sephardi(Spanish Jew) descent.
June 12, 2009 at 12:18 am |
It is so funny to hear everybodys stories cause some of our experiences are the same. I can relate to the thumb getting stuck in the bowling ball, and the floppy thumb at the end of the glove. We are all like the best at thumb wars, those little thumbs are strong. A good friend of mine also said they are great when giving a massage because they are so strong. It is funny cause friends you have had your whole life will like look at your hand one day and be like “wow I didn’t know your thumbs looked like that”, so I think we are more self concious sometimes than we should be. I guess it takes a gorgeous famous person to make it the next “hot” body part to have.
I am a 34 year old American, I have black hair and brown eyes. I was born in Florida. The only other person in my family that has them is my cousin and she has blond hair and blue eyes so go figure.
June 12, 2009 at 6:42 am |
I never actually thought my thumb was different until very recently (I’m 29 years old). I thought that everyone else’s thumbs looked like mine. No one ever pointed it out to me growing up, and I was never really teased about it, so I guess I was lucky. I don’t know of anyone else who has our kind of thumb, so it’s nice to see all the comments from other people who have them. By the way, I’m 100% Korean, and no one else in my family (immediate/extended) has them.
June 12, 2009 at 5:17 pm |
I also have “mutant thumbs” as my husband calls them. I have even worse big toes — they are so wide. I saw someone else mention about fake nails…once I tried to get them for my wedding and they took one look and told they didn’t have anything wide enough.
For the most part I just joke about I have a major hitchhiker’s thumb too so I can really keep my thumb aside for “thumb wars”
It is difficult though to get my hands wrapped around a large jar or something…I just can’t get a good grip.
However, it’s just something that’s part of me and I can’t change it. It’s just interesting to see how many others out there have the same “condition.” My dad has a slight case, but mine is a lot more severe.
Thumbs up to everyone!!
June 12, 2009 at 6:59 pm |
@Erica : Hi Erica! Since I still haven’t receive one I’m asking it to you… I need the picture of a female with large thumb (it will stay anonymous) on a ruler so we can precisely see the width for an new and small acrylic nail company that want a picture in their business plan… The thumb must be larger than an inch or 25 mm… Send your pics at svendar78@videotron.ca. I still have like 2 months to have it so i would be gentle of you (or anyone else reading this) to help me with this since every women with large thumbs could finally wear appropriate acrylic nails.
Marie
June 12, 2009 at 8:48 pm |
hi!
its like reading my life story!!!
ive always hidden my thumbs away so noone would see them but people always notice.i think the best response ive ever had to them was a boy in my art class who said they wre magical thumbs that made me awesome at drawing hehehe.apart from that everyone else is quite nasty about it and i get a little sensitive to remarks about it.
leighton meester has them too and ive seen loads of people with the same.people on the bus,at my sisters graduation,on a school trip,even someone at my work has thumbs like mine.
anyways,im scottish (the woman at my work is northern irish) my left thumb is also double jointed and i get crampy too
June 12, 2009 at 11:50 pm |
good day to you all!
I am 56 and have a right clubbed thumb. My mother said it was from sucking my thumb (which I did until I went to first grade and decided to stop). I felt like I had disfigured myself, so I was a bit secretive about my thumb. When I was in my 30’s, during a pre-employment physical the doctor told me excitedly “you have a Hapsburg thumb” and that it was genetic. I didn’t know what to think; now maybe it wasn’t my fault after all! A couple of years ago I did a search for “Hapsburg” anything and came up with nothing, so perhaps that doctor had meant Hippocratic thumb. But after I saw him (20 yr ago) I started joking that I had a recessive gene from royalty. Until I met a woman 10 yr ago who had a right stubby thumb I had never met anyone else (perhaps they were hiding their hands). I fortunately wasn’t teased too badly and my heart goes out to those of you who were.
I do not believe that is is a “genetic” explanation nor an inbreeding one. I suspect that birth trauma is closer to the truth. How does that sound to the rest of you? Most births are far from gentle, and the infants or children never get a chiropractic/osteopathic correction. I had a very difficult birth, although I never heard that I had the cord around my neck (that may be true but I think my mother would have known that). I was delivered with forceps, I’ve had health challenges all my life, and my chiropracter ascribes my current neck problems to the forceps delivery. I suspect that the thumb may be due to a neck vertebrae misalignment that causes nerve interference….
for the record, my father was American of English heritage (400 yr ago), and my mother is of Scottish and unknown descent (she was orphaned as a child so we don’t know too far back).
June 13, 2009 at 12:29 am |
My daughter has one, my wife has two, her mother had two, her mother’s mother had two. It’s GENETIC, no doubt about it.
June 13, 2009 at 12:31 am |
Both my younger sister and I have clubbed thumbs (symmetrical). Because of this we has always assumed that it was genetic. I didn’t see another person with this trait until I was 20. A new friend and I were talking and we both noticed it at the same time. “You have my thumbs!” we both shouted at the same time. There is something exciting about knowing that you are not the only one(s). So far, I’ve met two other people with this trait (outside of my baby sis), but that may be because I live in a large city.
I can relate to a lot of the stories above. I hated my thumbs when I was a teenager because I wanted to have really pretty nails and mine were funny shaped. Now I don’t mind so much. And yes, I too have gotten my thumb stuck in a bowling ball.
June 13, 2009 at 1:57 am |
I’m 16 years old. And live in Washington, US. This forum has really made me a bit happier. My best friend knows I have them and she never really brings it up. But the other day at school, this boy (i liked him too!) grabbed my nail polish that i was holding. Then he said, let my paint your nail. Instintly I put out my thumb. And he just ranted on how weird my thumbs were. And then showed off my thumbs to everyone. Quite a few people have done this, and it’s SOOO embarassing! And Oh the nicknames! Most recent was Shrek thumbs. Then there’s hammer thumbs, cartoon thumbs, and shovel thumbs. I also get those cramped joints, not very often though. I have clubbed thumbs on both hands, and my left middle finger is clubbed also. No one in my family has these.
June 13, 2009 at 11:26 am |
Dude, seriously i’ve always been ridiculed about my thumb. I have clubbed thumb on my left hand only and my right is of normal size. My mom always said that it was a special gift god gave me, but that was a typical mother response to a “deformity”. After years of hating my thumbs and hiding them under the rest of my hand I finally accepted that this is MY thumb and quite frankly I love it!!! I never knew there were others that had this out there (quite naive) I’m excited to know that there are others
Ps. the fact that Megan Fox has it makes me feel a bit happy lol yeah i know crazy,
pss. Yay! i’m not the only one!
June 13, 2009 at 9:04 pm |
I do enjoy reading all the comments from everyone. I can relate to all of them………..
I have always wondered if having club thumbs has been an asset in my playing golf. I am a Par golfer and I can only sumise that my golf grip has been firmly secured by my thumbs. My grip certainly hasn’t hindered by my thumbs.
One thing that has happened with my left thumb. From playing so much golf a bone spur/callous has developed on my left thumb making it even look wider that it normally would be.
Also when I was young I never could shoot “marbles”. I don’t know if this was because of my thumbs or just lack of talent.
Keep the comments coming…………
June 14, 2009 at 3:06 am |
Hello to fellow clubbers! I also have a clubbed thumb my right to be exact. I was so glad to find this site because I thought I was the only one who got this thumb. I actually saw Megan Fox thumb and thought, Wow! We have the same thumb. I always asked my Mother how come my thumb are not the same. She always tells me that I was born like that. The thing is, most of you here have European descent. I’m an Asian.
June 16, 2009 at 6:21 am |
I’m Asian too, Shella, and I have two clubbed thumbs. lol
July 9, 2009 at 2:12 pm
I’m Asian as well! And I have two clubbed thumbs. I absolutely hate them. It makes exam writing so hard.
June 15, 2009 at 9:10 pm |
Yes, I have them as well. I got them from my father; my older sister has them too. My two other siblings were spared from this genetic mutation – LOL. I’ve been keeping a close eye on my daughters to see if they will inherit this genetic condition; it seems my eldest daughter has it too – she’s now 8 years old. She has been asking me about it too lately. I have told her that I got it from my dad and she got it from me. I have also explained that she has two unique and beautiful looking thumbs. I hope it doesn’t bother her when she grows older or if others bother her about it. I am also glad I found this site; it does make me feel better that there are others out there with this same condition. I only researhed this topic after I found out on TMZ that Megan Fox has clubbed thumbs and was lucky to have stumbled here. Well here is some information about me:
I was born in Syria and both parents are middle eastern too. My middle fingers have short nail beds (slightly clubbed looking).
June 16, 2009 at 6:20 am |
I have two clubbed thumbs and it has never been a real problem for me in my life. No one in my immediate family has them, but I had never noticed them to be really different. Friends from school used to comment on them, but no one has ever teased me about it. I didn’t know it was a real abnormality until I ran across this site. I’m proud of my thumbs now that I realize that they are different and unique.
Power to the clubbed thumbs!!!
June 16, 2009 at 9:36 am |
Wow, I was just reading an article online about Megan Fox having something called a “clubbed thumb”. When I saw the photo, I thought, “hey that looks just like my baby thumb.” I’ve always hated it. Someone in high school told me it was caused by sucking on your thumb as a child. Which I did until I was 3 years old. I have one clubbed thumb. It’s on the left hand. Other than that I’ve been pretty normal looking physically 5′4″ and slender. My legs are longer than my torso.
I am half asian and half caucasion. My dad’s family is from England, Scotland, and, Wales. My mother is Vietnamese and Chinese. Since I am the only one in my family that has the clubbed thumb. I really don’t know which side I inherited it from. I have to note, that I am also very good at art. In high school I was in gifted program for kids that were artistic. I can paint, draw, and sculpt and am very good at photography. My dad is also artistic. Does anyone else have very flat palms? I also have this and have noticed that there are not too many people with flat palms. There is very little fat in my hands, its more muscle than fat . My dad has hands like that too. He thinks we came from crafts people who work with their hands. I am also very mechanically inclined and can build just about anything by hand just by looking at an example.
Either way, I am glad to have found your website and read about everyone’s clubbed thumb experiences. It was quite entertaining to read. I wasn’t aware this was a genetic trait. BTW, I live in the USA, but was born in Vietnam.
June 20, 2009 at 7:05 pm |
I too have two clubbed thumbs, apparently rather pronounced compared to the pictures posted here! I’m surprised to hear that it is a genetic trait; no one else in my family has them to my knowledge, certainly not in my immediate family. I always told people I got them from repeatedly smashing my thumbs in the double-hung doors that were in my childhood preschool. I know that’s not true but until now had no other explanation.
I’m also surprised to hear that people feel they have an advantage at thumb wars- I always lose cuz my thumbs are shorter than everyone else’s, and since the joint is so pronounced it’s like having a grip for my opponent to latch onto. I was dancing in a company a couple of years ago, and while out on tour another girl and I figured out that we both had short thumbs, and entertained the group for hours with our “midget thumb wars.” We couldn’t reach each other’s thumbs to even try to pin them. We just waved our thumbs uselessly in the air. The tour bus got a good laugh out of it.
My friends always called them my “nubs” and I’ve got many resulting nicknames such as nubby, nubs mcgrubs, nublife, etc. Sometimes I think that they are too squat to do certain things- anyone else find thumb-typing to be a bit of a pain?
I am mixed european-Portugese, French, and German mostly. The other dancer was Italian American, and my fiance works with a Mexican fellow who has nubs too.
nubLIFE!
June 22, 2009 at 7:03 am |
I have club thumbs too, both actually. Niether my mother or father has them, I have yet to check my grandfather and grandmother, and i only realized my thumbs were odd (yet in my opinion much more awesome ;D) compared to my friends’ thumbs a few months ago.
im 17 and from california.
I am caucasian and it turns out im related to prince william (you know, that guy who signed the magna carta) so the royalty thing might be true.
June 25, 2009 at 9:49 pm |
I have enjoyed this site so much! Reading everyone’s stories have been great. Thanks for sharing
I am 22 yrs old, a female and from Colorado. My heritage is mostly Slovenian, with some German, French, and Austrian thrown in as well. My short squatty thumb is on my left hand, and all my other fingers are normal. I am the only one in my family (that I know of) with this. I play the piano, guitar and piano accordion, and consider myself to be musically artistic.
Random things about my clubbed thumb: It is the only one of my fingers that is double jointed. The nail grows twice as fast as any other finger and is super-strong! It also grows kind of fan-like and the sides of the nail hurt if you push on them, so I have to trim it a lot. It has been nicknamed “The Dominator” in thumb wars amongst my friends.
I was always proud of my thumbs being different in elementary school, even though people made fun of them (but seriously, everyone gets made fun of for *something* in elementary school). When kids would rudely ask “What happened to your thumb!?!?” I would usually make up some totally untrue and elaborate story involving tigers, semi-trucks, or volcanoes. Then they’d be like “really?” And then I’d say “No. I was just born this way. Don’t be so rude about it.” And I’d leave them feeling bad for asking so rudely!
Once I got into jr high and highschool, though, it changed. I wanted pretty nails for the dances, and I wanted to wear thumb rings. It especially sucked b/c my sister has the most beautiful slender and feminine hands ever! But I never tried to hide it or anything.
Finally in college I got over it. My sis teases me about it but its all in good fun. I always get excited when I see someone with similar thumbs. I am always like “Look we have the same thumbs!” And it always brings a smile to their face.
My boyfriend likes my thumb. He thinks its super cute. And, he always says “I’m glad you have it. Its the only part of you that let’s me know you’re actually human. You’d just be way too perfect otherwise.” (aawwww!!)
June 29, 2009 at 2:40 am |
One celeb with clubbed thumbs is from the 70’s show “HAPPY DAYS” you know the one with Chachi & Joani, well Richie Cunningham’s mother “Mrs. C” also has clubbed thumbs. I noticed those thumbs when I was a child so I knew there had to be others…I have two clubbed thumbs and with acrylic nails they don’t look too bad. It really is good to know there are so many of us out there. We should have some type of social club how weird it would be to be in a room full of people with the same hands I guess the ones with the regular thumbs would be the outsiders and stick out like a soar thumb…
July 1, 2009 at 12:07 am |
I VOTE YES TO THE SOCIAL CLUB OF CLUBBERS!!…
July 1, 2009 at 12:05 am |
Hey i love the fact that people are so honest about their thumbs. To everyone who thinks they can’t get nails you can! i know this place in downey california where they have special nails for ppl with clubbed thumbs! the guy always says “clubbed thumb? NO PROBLEM!” everyone always has something to say about it! no one in my family has it at all and i have a large family and my thumb prevents me from texting on small phones… cant get an iphone for sure!! DON’T NEED IT!
oh! i’m not european at all… well idk, but as far as i know all my ancestors were Mayans. I was born in California, but my WHOLE family is from Central America (Nicaragua) …..
July 2, 2009 at 1:43 pm |
okay- so both of my thumbs are clubbed and i hate them. absolutely hate them! so does anyone know of surgery to get this fixed?! im in the medical field so i use my hands a lot and my hands are seen a lot. i want them gone ASAP.
July 3, 2009 at 9:09 am |
Well, Jenn although i really don’t understand why you’re so embarrassed… i have gone to the doctor when i WAS ashamed and they said that they wont perform any kind of surgery to shave the bone because there are too many nerves surrounding it and the nail is usually too big to shave down… so unless someone else has heard anything… i think ur screwed…
July 4, 2009 at 11:36 pm |
Well, I’m really glad to have found this website but I must say it started with Megan Fox and all the horrible comments about these so-called thumbs!! I started looking things up for I have clubbed thumbs too!!! The reason I’m writing is that growing up…..I actually was punished for having these “thumbs”!! I grew up honestly thinking I was to blame for having these…for none of my friends or family had thumbs like mine. My mother said…I bit my nails and so I must have caused my hands to look like this!! This type of ignorance really hurts me now that I’m older…for I just wish my parents would have been either told or known that this was genetic no matter what causes it and the legends or myths say. I just want to say…that the fact a celebrity is ok with htis and it just might make more people more aware of what this actually is and that we’re all beautiful ….for no one is perfect!! Nice to meet all of you and read your inner most thoughts!
July 5, 2009 at 8:36 pm |
I am seriously shocked that there are so many people out there who have the same thumbs as me! I didn’t even know my thumbs were considered a “type” of thumb. I thought they were just weird thumbs. I read about Megan Fox’s “strange thumbs” earlier today and got curious. I saw hers looked just like mine. Then I saw that there were actually websites and groups for people with these thumbs…wow. I met one girl in high school who had short thumbs, but they were skinny.. the tops of mine are wide and fat. My first cousin on my dad’s side has these thumbs also, and I think she is the only one other than myself.
I could never wear thumb rings because they were hard to get over the wide knuckle, and once they got over the knuckle, the ring was always too loose at the skinnier bottom. Also my nail is really wide.. much wider than the nails on my fingers, but also very strong. I have very slender and skinny hands so my stubby and fat thumbs stuck out like …well a sore thumb..LOL.
Both of my thumbs are like this and it has always bothered me. I would hide them from anyone I was talking to, but then think, “Uh, really, how often does someone notice someone else’s thumbs?”. But some people would notice and say things like “Oh my god your thumb is like a big toe!”. It bothered me only a little bit.
Well if this helps at all, I’m 27, female, from Ohio. I am mostly of Spanish and German descent. I have brown hair and brown eyes. I noticed that the middle finger on my right hand is slightly crooked at the top. My nail on that finger grows kinda funny.
Thank you so much for making this site. It’s kinda cool that there is almost a support group for this kind of thing, but it makes me feel like I’m a part of some secret exclusive club or something..lol.
July 6, 2009 at 9:44 am |
i have clubbed thumbs, and i hate them. i’ve been asked if it’s hard to do things with them, like texting. one time a little kid asked me if my thumbs got run over by a car or something. what the hell??
i’m always so self-conscious about them.. i hide them when i think people are looking. i wish i could surgically fix them, but i’m kind of against plastic surgery for vanity purposes. i dunno. i might read through some of these comments and see what other people think.
July 6, 2009 at 11:22 pm |
WOW… LOL this is so crazy, like most of you have said, I thought I was the only one too!, I remember seeing this guy on the train who had a clubbed thumb and was dying to ask him, don’t know what what but he was the first one I ever saw that had the same thumb as mine lol. I am very self consious about my thumb too. Everytime I look at photos or just using my thumb I am embarrassed to show it, and always try and hide it. I watched transformers yesterday and as soon as they got Megan Fox thumb I just noticed and I was ssurprised that when I went to goole it other people noticed too!. Well ive always been consious about it, and I always checked other peoples thumbs! lol, but anywas, nice to meet yall too! Thumb Thumbers! lol
July 14, 2009 at 9:25 pm |
I’d have to say I’m not necessarily in the same boat as the rest of you. Although yes both of my thumbs are “clubbed” I have always known ALOT of people with the same issue…. one of my sisters has one thumb clubbed and my dad has both clubbed and on my dads side of the family prolly more than 25% (more than 20 people)of them are the same way…. I always thought it was just a Pearson thing… I know we have German/Irish and Native American decent
July 16, 2009 at 5:23 am |
Wow!…about 2 hrs ago I ddnt even kno wut to call my “different” thumb.lol…I’ve never actually payed atention to it til about a few yrs ago sum friends pointed that out. No one in my family has that and well about my ancestry well I’m full mexican dnt kno if any of my ancestors are european but if they are well its cool to kno I might have sum royal blood right? Lol…I only have one friend who has a clubbed thumb it wus weird I had never met anybody wit a thuimb like mine and well now to kno that there’s a lot of peaople like me is pretty cool. I’ve never been ashamed of it because I’ve never taken much notice of it and the people who have noticed it actually think its cool n cute haha so all I gotta say to all the peaople who have it is not to be ashamed of ur clubbed thumbs because it makes us rare n unique n that’s a good thing to me =]
July 19, 2009 at 7:50 pm |
Hello fellow clubbers.
My name is Jill and I have clubbed thumbs, both of them. I find it amazing that we are embarrassed about our clubbed thumbs. There is nothing wrong with us, our thumbs are just a little different from most people we meet. I admit that I hide my thumbs and I can’t even bring myself to show my boyfriend of 5 years-although I know he knows but has been kind enough not to mention anything about them.
I am 34 years old and have noticed that I have joint pain in my thumbs, not sure if this is related to the clubbing or just arthritis from normal use.
I am trying to embrace my clubs but this can be difficult when family members like to poke fun once in a while.
July 22, 2009 at 5:27 am |
I also have the thumbs. I have never seen anyone with thumbs like mine. No one has ever teased me about them ever. I am surprised and disgusted that there are morons out there who would do this.
I sometimes tuck them into a fist when I think someone is looking but I usually don’t hide them. I have had manicures many times. I still want to find a way to get a normal looking acrylic nail created for them.
I don’t despise them because they are distinctive. I wish I could streamline their appearance, though I would not want to “normalize” them into the common “peasant” shape.
I hate the term “toe thumbs.” I accept “royal” , “potters’” , “clubbed”, etc.
July 23, 2009 at 2:33 pm |
finally! I have a right thumb that is clubbed while my left one is normal. growing up with this affliction was difficult and a great source of insecurity for me. I have felt different because of this and like a freak. I have never met anyone or known anyone with this affliction till now and I am so glad to have found this site! I am also glad someone as beautiful and famous as Megan Fox has a clubbed thumb. I have at times been teased and am very insecure about it. I too hide it in a fist if someone is looking and feel embarassed when someone is watching me type or write but i’ve learned to deal with it. My nail also curls inward so i can not grow the nail to normalize its appearance.
July 23, 2009 at 2:35 pm |
I also happen to be barren and am not sure if it has something to do with this condition. Does anyone else here have infertility issues? Is anyone happy with their thumbs? I am unhappy about mine and would like to have it surgically altered but don’t even know if that is possible? Has anyone had any luck with this?
July 31, 2009 at 5:51 am |
I’ve had clubbed thumbs all my life. I’ve been teased because of them. My brother even told me they were ugly. They suck. I WANT THEM SURGICALLY REMOVED. They’re fug. I hate them. God hates me.
Bye bye.
August 1, 2009 at 1:51 am |
Sam I feel your pain……
August 3, 2009 at 3:03 pm |
Sam, I feel your pain as well….Only my right thumb is clubbed so it looks extremely odd and obvious. I’ve been teased and stared at for a while. On my wedding day, my friend was doing my nails and accidentally said something about my thumb being deformed. That really hurt my feelings to the point where I started looking into having it altered surgically but haven’t had any luck with that seeing as the joint is also small and wide. I’ve felt embarassed by this my whole life and feel like it has held me back and caused a lot of failure and rejection to come my way. Has anyone had any luck having it surgically altered?
August 4, 2009 at 3:36 am |
The Art of Hand Reading-by Lori Reid mentions them. She states a thumb that is fleshly (which mine is) means that the owner is “stubborn and obstinate”. Also, in the section on nail shapes she mentions that a nail that is square tends to be found only on the thumbs. This nail shape is wider than it is long. This marks “a strong character with a volcanic temper that quickly blows itself out.”
So what do you guys think? Are you stubborn and also do you have a volcanic temper that quickly blows out? Do you have a strong character?
The only other girl I have ever met with these thumbs was very loud and opinionated and wasn’t afraid to speak her mind or stand up to a group of people. I sort of liked that.
August 4, 2009 at 10:39 am |
I’m stubborn AT TIMES and I have a bad temper, but it’s rare when I let it get the best of me. Only nerdrage from video games, mostly. I’m shy and not very outspoken at all in person. I don’t think a feature, such as a thumb nail, can really determine a person’s personality characteristics. I could say blue eyes mean you’re calm and quiet, and I’m sure I’d get at least half of the population who really is calm and quiet, or have at least one of those characteristics. People are MANY things. It’s not hard to get at least one right.
August 10, 2009 at 11:57 am |
I’m 28 and have no issue with my thumbs – I inherited them from my Mum and she got them from her Dad. I’m the youngest of three girls and my oldest sister has “Normal” thumbs, my middle sister has one of each and then there is ME I have two unique thumbs. I don’t worry about them its funny the only time I did was on my wedding day but even then I didn’t think about it too much.
I have found getting acrylic nails easy, my nail guy is fantastic he says nothing so I feel very comfortable about having my nails done – They look great – Will post a pic. I do have issues when the are long so I always request short nails, its much more comfortable.
My Husband thinks its great the Megan Fox and I have something in common, its funny when guys say Yuck Megan Fox has freaky thumbs then he says my wife has the same thumbs – I put my hands in my pockets and walk off – Im not on show for people who are shallow and think its a freaky thing.
It appears that Clubbed Thumbs are genetic – In my family currently there are 5 people with Clubbed Thumbs and our big toes are fine – In fact my big toe is great I am very happy with my feet : ) .
I think its great that there is a sight for people to share there experiences and even some photos.
August 10, 2009 at 11:59 am |
Ohh I’m from Melbourne Australia.
Also Clubbed Thumbs give the best massages.
: )
August 15, 2009 at 8:30 pm |
I, too, found this after looking up Megan Fox. I didn’t know there were others!!! People have teased me sometimes, and my response is that I’m happy I have two functional opposable thumbs. They work like they are supposed to and that is all that concerns me.
Manicurists have been terrible, flipping my thumb this way and that, and when I tried to get acrylics, I would also hear they didn’t have ones wide enough. Both thumbs are affected, but my left is worse, with the nail growing backwards, so acrylics do look silly.
By the way, my thumbs match my big toes, too. My feet are rather square so I call them “Fred Flintstone feet.” They are great for running and my thicker thumbs were awesome in starting blocks for track–I always felt like I had an advantage over other runners on dainty little thumbs.
August 18, 2009 at 3:10 pm |
*sigh of relief* I’ve always thought i was weird with my thumbs! I have them on both hands, and people around here (Minnesota) are always kinda weirded out. I’ve been blessed in the fact that nobody has actually made fun of them, just thought they were different. I carry the idea that a person mean enough to tease me about something I can’t help, they’re not worth wasting my time on.
It has been a different experience bowling and not being able to use fake nails. I am an avid gamer and have always thought of and called my thumbs my “videogame thumbs” since I can reach all buttons on any controller with more ease than someone with “normal thumbs.”
I’ve never heard of any relatives having my thumbs, but then, I guess I’ve never asked!
September 3, 2009 at 7:15 pm |
I’m Chinese and have a clubbed thumb. Just wondered how it happens!
September 11, 2009 at 12:43 am |
I am yet another “oh my gosh I thought I was the only one”…I have 2 clubbed thumbs. No one else in my family has them, although I’ve been told it comes from my mother’s side, which is of French descent. Leighton Meester, who plays Blair Waldorf on the CW show Gossip Girl also has this condition.
September 17, 2009 at 3:59 pm |
Anyway, eversince i read all these posts (a year ago) i dont feel better about my thumbs. i hate being “special”. Why did this happen to me? Why cant i just be normal. Damn!
November 25, 2009 at 6:28 am |
I am sorry to hear that Russian Guy! I was so freaked out about them when I was younger. My husband says their cute and when I see them on others I think “you know they are cute” It’s all in your frame of mind. I don’t have a problem with them at all anymore.
Ukrainian on Mama’s side and Russian on my Papa’s side.
Love & Light
Tee
September 23, 2009 at 10:59 am |
Well, let me add a new one: Vanessa Haywood (www.vanessahaywood.com) also has this condition!
October 8, 2009 at 10:09 am |
OMGGGG, i’m 14 and people at school always mention my thumb.
it’s really embarasing! is there surgery to make it normal?
I HATE IT SO MUCH
both my thumbs are clubbed
October 11, 2009 at 8:28 pm |
seriously I want to know too, is there a way to correct this? has anyone had plastic surgery done on their thumb?
October 19, 2009 at 7:41 pm |
I thought i was the only one in the world with these thumbs of mine! I have clubbed thumbs on both of my hands and i have always been teased about them, my brother would even say that I have two extra toes on my hands. They haven’t bothered me too much i’m just really aware of people looking at my hands.
I have no one in my family who have had these thumbs that i know of, because believe me, i have asked all the time where they have come from. For a bit i actually did believe i had a pair of toes on my hands =P
My parents both have some sort of european background, on my dad’s side-slovenia and on my moms side-ukrainian (and possible polish from my great great grandfather). So that royalty theory is definetly a possibility. Hope this helps out!
October 19, 2009 at 7:51 pm |
I noticed someone earlier said they have irish in their blood, well so do I, a big part of my family comes from newfoundland where all the irish came to canada. Coincedence?
October 23, 2009 at 2:22 am |
Hi there!
I too have a pair of awesome toe-thumbs! WOOT! Personally, I love mine but there seem to be many who do not. While I cant perform magic to change them for real, if anyone wants to know what their thumbs would look like if they weren’t clubbed, I can show you (I work a lot in photoshop)
Its just for fun, but if anyone is interested feel free to let me know!
November 1, 2009 at 1:00 pm |
I just saw the bit on Megan Fox while randomly surfing.
Sure enough, looked at my own thumbs and they’re clubbed!
I lived the first 30+ years of my life without knowing or noticing there was anything “wrong” with them. Just thought they were a little fatter than usual. Didn’t know this was a medical “condition” or that it actually had a name (and I’m a medical doctor myself)!
I suppose that’s because there IS nothing wrong with them! The thumbs work 100%. I write, use tools, play guitar, play video games, perform SURGERY. . .never had a problem.
My wife used to playfully tease me for having “stubby thumbs” after I first met her, but it never really hurt my feelings.
Now that I realize, I think its kind of funny.
November 2, 2009 at 12:01 am |
I have clubbed thumbs. I heard that only one in one thousand people, mostly girls, have clubbed thumbs.
November 2, 2009 at 12:05 am |
I’m totally cool with my thumbs. I’m weird anyway.
November 12, 2009 at 7:04 pm |
This is not a joke or a troll comment, but I have a question – an ex of mine had these thumbs, never knew till today that this was a fairly common trait and has a name. His penis looked just like his thumbs – is this common among men with clubbed thumbs?
November 19, 2009 at 5:25 pm |
Hey all i have stubby thumbs too alot worse than what most of you are posting. mine are shorter than most of yours. in the begining i did hate them however i am grown up now and learned to accept them. we are all grown up here. you are how you are who gives a fuck what anyone else thinks
November 25, 2009 at 9:21 am |
Joe,
Happen to have a pic? I’d love to see since you say they are worse than most others.
December 3, 2009 at 3:02 am |
i, too, have clubbed thumbs. i didnt even know thats what they were called up until last month. my dad has one clubbed thumb and one ‘normal’ thumb. and my paternal grandmother also had clubbed thumbs (both of them, like me). i believe its genetic, it has to be right? i hate my thumbs, ive always hated them. all through school i was teased about them… to say the least im very self conscious about it. does anyone know of any procedures that i could have done to fix them, or am i stuck with them? has anyone ever had anything done? am i the one uncomfortable with these kinds of thumbs? thanks
December 7, 2009 at 3:56 pm |
Eve,
I’m not a doctor but if you sent me a pic of your thumbs, I could digitally change them to show you what they would look like if they weren’t clubbed. Sorry thats the best I can do! lol
If interested, shoot me an email at toethumbsrock@hotmail.com
December 14, 2009 at 2:49 am |
My sister has one clubbed thumb (although it is known affectionately to our family as her stub thumb) She’s a bit self conscious about it, but I think it’s pretty cute
Only her left thumb is clubbed, we thought that her right one was normal because she sucked it her whole life, but when I heard that the bones of clubbed thumbs are different than normal ones I’m assume that’s not the case. I don’t think there is anyone else in our family who has this. Our family is of European descent, Mainly Irish I believe, because of our last name, but probably many other things as well.