Dwarf-tossing, also called midget-tossing, is a pub/bar attraction or activity in which people with dwarfism, wearing special padded clothing or Velcro costumes, are thrown onto mattresses or at Velcro-coated walls. Participants compete to throw the person with dwarfism the furthest. Dwarf-tossing was started in Australia as a form of pub entertainment in the early 1980s.[citation needed] A related, formerly practiced activity was dwarf-bowling, in which a person with dwarfism was placed on a skateboard and used as a bowling ball.[1]
Since its inception in the 1980s, the activity, due to its problematic name and nature, has been highly controversial and remains so in the early 21st century.