May 2021
May 26, 2021
The Boy Fancier
Published in 1912, the title of this book really hasn't aged well. Although even in 1912 I imagine the title could easily have been misconstrued.Looking up the word 'fancier' in the dictionary, I found that it means: "a connoisseur or enthusiast of something, especially someone who has a special interest in or breeds a particular animal." I hadn't known that the word had this association with animal breeding.
Nature offered this review of the book:
Posted By: Alex - Wed May 26, 2021 -
Comments (5)
Category: Animals, Books, 1910s
Fantastica: Music from Outer Space
The composer's Wikipedia page.
Posted By: Paul - Wed May 26, 2021 -
Comments (0)
Category: Music, Space-age Bachelor Pad & Exotic, 1950s
May 25, 2021
Captain Sticky
By the age of 28, Richard Pesta had become independently wealthy thanks to a lucrative fiberglass and foam business. So he decided to fulfill his dream of being a superhero, and in 1973 he turned himself into Captain Sticky, "Supreme Commander in Chief of the World Organization Against Evil". The name referred to his fondness for peanut butter.He drove around Orange County in his Stickymobile looking for crime, outfitted with a peanut butter gun and "peanut butter grenades" made of peanut butter, vinegar and alka seltzer.
He also became a fixture at San Diego Comic Con, and was constantly trying to get Marvel to make a comic book about him, but this never happened.
Apparently his superhero act wasn't entirely just a way to get attention. He used his influence to advocate for various causes such as improving nursing homes and preventing rental-car ripoffs.
He died in 2003 at the age of 57.
More info: Heroes in the Night, News From Me, Real Life Superheroes Archive
Captain Sticky with Stan Lee at San Diego Comic Con, 1975
The video below is in German, but it has some good footage of Captain Sticky in action.
Posted By: Alex - Tue May 25, 2021 -
Comments (2)
Category: Comics, 1970s, Courage, Bravery, Heroism and Valor
Stripper Unsexy?
Source: Nanaimo Daily News (Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada)14 Sep 1957, Sat Page 2
Posted By: Paul - Tue May 25, 2021 -
Comments (2)
Category: Theater and Stage, Lawsuits, Sex Symbols, 1950s
May 24, 2021
Mozart’s Handbook of Mesmerism
Mozart practiced the stick-your-thumb-in-their-eye method of mesmerism.Date unknown (looks like 19th century). Source: Goldberg's Diet Catalog.
Posted By: Alex - Mon May 24, 2021 -
Comments (1)
Category: Hypnotism, Mesmerism and Mind Control, Nineteenth Century
Banana Ganesh
Read all about it here.
Posted By: Paul - Mon May 24, 2021 -
Comments (3)
Category: Animals, Art, Statues and Monuments, Food, Religion, Bananas
May 23, 2021
Airplane Modules
Back in the 1980s, FAA scientist Albert Lupinetti imagined a future in which airplanes would be divided up into modules, or small pods. Instead of passengers changing planes to get to their destination, their module would be transferred onto a new plane. And the modules could even be placed onto trains, allowing transport from the airport straight to a downtown train station — without passengers ever leaving their seats.I can imagine this might work for cargo. But as a passenger, sitting in a pod for hours on end... I'd pass.
Calgary Herald - Dec 30, 1988
Posted By: Alex - Sun May 23, 2021 -
Comments (5)
Category: Air Travel and Airlines, 1980s
Adventures of a 120-Sided Die
Posted By: Paul - Sun May 23, 2021 -
Comments (1)
Category: Anthropomorphism, Fey, Twee, Whimsical, Naive and Sadsack, Games, Nature
May 22, 2021
Candy as a drug deterrent
1979: James Mack, a candy manufacturer representative, told government officials that banning candy sales from schools could lead to "injury, drug abuse and drinking." His reasoning was that candy provided children with an "island of pleasure," and if denied this they might seek out worse things such as drugs. They might even "leave the school premises [to seek out candy] and encounter traffic hazards".
Wisconsin State Journal - Jan 31, 1979
Posted By: Alex - Sat May 22, 2021 -
Comments (4)
Category: Candy, 1970s
Help…It’s the Hair Bear Bunch!
The Wikipedia page.According to author Christopher P. Lehman, Hanna-Barbera "dress[ed] the bears in counterculture apparel" in order to stay on track with the "mainstream" fashion in the United States.
Posted By: Paul - Sat May 22, 2021 -
Comments (1)
Category: Animals, Anthropomorphism, Ineptness, Crudity, Talentlessness, Kitsch, and Bad Art, Television, Cartoons, 1970s
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| Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction books such as Elephants on Acid. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1. Chuck Shepherd Chuck is the purveyor of News of the Weird, the syndicated column which for decades has set the gold-standard for reporting on oddities and the bizarre. Our banner was drawn by the legendary underground cartoonist Rick Altergott. Contact Us |
