Joseph Carey Merrick (5 August 1862 – 11 April 1890) was an Englishman who became known as "The Elephant Man" because of his physical appearance caused by a congenital disorder. Because of his condition, he would garner the sympathy of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland during the great Victorian era. He has often been incorrectly called John Merrick.
In "Bill and Peter's Bogus Journey", Stewie Griffin says that his father, Peter, looked more pathetic than Merrick when he went on Match.com. Merrick is then seen on a date with one of his matched women, complaining that she doesn't look like a size six as she had claimed on the website.