The World of Giants and Dwarves

July 23, 2007 — -- "As soon as I step out the door," said Igor Vovkovinskiy, "everything changes."

Vovkovinskiy, 24, is a 7-foot, eight-inch giant whose home in Rochester, Minn., was custom-built to accommodate his enormous frame. The house has cathedral ceilings and a 9-foot bed. But once outside his front door, Vovkovinskiy towers above the rest of the world.

He is one of several people profiled in a new television series exploring the worlds of giants and dwarves and the anatomical engineering that makes them the way they are, to be televised on the National Geographic Channel.

ABC News has worked with the National Geographic Channel to produce this three-part report to be broadcast July 27 on "20/20" at 10 p.m. EDT. The National Geographic Channel specials "Science of Dwarfism" and "Science of Gigantism" will air beginning Monday, July 30, at 9 p.m. EDT.

Despite the vast differences in their size and structure, giants and dwarves do have something in common. It is their unique application of a skill that every human being learns in one way or another: how to adapt to the world around you, regardless of who, what or how big the world thinks you are.

"A lot of children come up and ask me 'Why are you little? What makes you little?'" said Susie Campbell, who's 3 feet, 10 inches tall. "I just say … 'God made me this way. I am little just like he made you have brown hair and blue eyes.'"

For dwarves, this year represents a sea change in the history of perceptions about them. It is the 50th anniversary of the organization called Little People of America, which held its conference last month in Seattle.

"We've come a long way," said Campbell. "And it's been a steady journey."

Campbell's parents and brothers are all average-size, and when she was born in West Texas in 1961, her mother received some sage advice from her grandmother: "Take her home and love her."

"My mother had no doubts," Campbell said. "She just needed that reassurance."

Friday on "20/20," Bob Brown explores the worlds of giants and dwarves, and the extraordinary spirit that helps them adapt to life. In the third part of his report, Bob brings together two of the women he profiled --