American Hysteria

For this Urban Legends Hotline episode, we are answering a listener message about a story of street gangs initiating wannabes with frightening rituals including driving around with their headlights off and murdering the first good samaritan who gives them a courtesy flash. We'll explore several scares that have flared up due to different versions of this urban legend, as well as real crimes wrongfully blamed on these initiations, all leading to the feeling that street gangs were creeping into the suburbs, looking for human sacrifices.Leave us a message on our Urban Legends HotlineBecome a Patron to support our show and get early ad-free episodes and bonus contentOr subscribe to American Hysteria on Apple PodcastsSound designer and associate producer: Riley Swedelius-SmithProducer: Miranda ZicklerVoice Actor: Will RogersWritten, produced and hosted by by Chelsey Weber-SmithThank you to our sponsors:Factor’s delicious, ready-to-eat meals make eating better every day easy. Head to factormeals.com/americanhysteria50 and use code americanhysteria50 to get 50% off. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

'Gang Initiations' is the topic of our upcoming series, and this episode will provide extra context using excerpts from three previous episodes—Urban Legends, Drugs, and Dangerous Teens.Become a Patron to support our show and get early ad-free episodes and bonus contentOr subscribe to American Hysteria on Apple PodcastsThank you to our sponsors:Factor’s delicious, ready-to-eat meals make eating better every day easy. Head to factormeals.com/americanhysteria50 and use code americanhysteria50 to get 50% off.Sound design and co-production by Riley Swedelius-SmithProduced and edited by Miranda ZicklerHosted by Chelsey Weber-SmithCheck out our new merch line Folk Devils UnitedLeave us a message on our Urban Legends Hotline Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Live at SF Sketchfest, Sarah Marshall tells me about the urban-legendary alligators in the sewers of New York City. But of course, that's only one of the many manholes we open.Make sure you listen to You're Wrong About!Leave us a message on our Urban Legends HotlineCheck out our new merch line Folk Devils UnitedBecome a Patron to support our show and get early ad-free episodes and bonus contentOr subscribe to American Hysteria on Apple PodcastsProducer and Editor: Miranda ZicklerAssociate Producer: Riley Swedelius-Smith Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I'm joined by paranormal corespondent Jim Perry of the podcast Euphomet and Sapphire Sandalo of the podcast Stories With Sapphire as well as the TV shows Ghost Town Terror, Paranormal Caught On Camera, and Paranormal Nightshift. We'll discuss what it’s like to work on very different kinds of projects in the supernatural sphere and get a little behind the scenes look at classic reality ghost shows. We’ll talk about the dream of diversifying away from the formulaic industry of ghost bros and Christian-influenced endings to allow the paranormal to take different forms, understood in different ways by very different kinds of people.Donate to PCRFLearn more about Sapphire's workLearn more about Jim's workGo to Quice.com/hysteria to get free shipping and 365 day returnsHosted Chelsey Weber-SmithProducer and Editor: Miranda ZicklerAssociated Producer: Riley Swedelius-Smith Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode I tell podcaster Sarah Marshall a truly wild story I uncovered about the first recognized case of Munchausen Syndrome (Factitious Disorder) in the United States. An alleged professional wrestler and American folk anti-hero called the Indiana Cyclone faked symptoms of injury and illness while blowing through hospitals across the country from the 1950s to the 1970s, leaving a bizarre kind of terror in his wake.Catch Sarah and I at SF SketchFest on Feb 2nd and Feb 3rd!Make sure you listen to You're Wrong About and You Are Good (duh duh duh!)Check out our new merch line Folk Devils UnitedBecome a Patron to support our show and get early ad-free episodes and bonus contentOr subscribe to American Hysteria on Apple PodcastsLeave us a message on our Urban Legends HotlineHosted Chelsey Weber-SmithProduced and Edited by Miranda ZicklerMusic direction by Riley Swedelius-Smith Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pop culture correspondent and major Pro Wrestling fan BJ Colangelo and I discuss the quirky history of this manly soap opera, its changing landscape in terms of gender and sexuality, as well as the complicated psychology of kayfabe, in which staged performances are presented as genuine.Read BJ's Review of The Iron ClawCheck out her podcast This Ends at PromCheck out our new merch line Folk Devils UnitedBecome a Patron to support our show and get early ad-free episodes and bonus contentOr subscribe to American Hysteria on Apple PodcastsLeave us a message on our Urban Legends HotlineHosted Chelsey Weber-SmithProduced and Edited by Miranda Zickler Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Historian Wendy Woloson discusses the American obsession with poorly-made products and novelty items. They explore the history of American consumer culture, attitudes towards new consumer goods, the development of the novelty industry, and the American obsession with consumerism and material culture. They also delve into the disposability of relationships and material possessions in our modern society.

The novelty pets known as Sea Monkeys have delighted and disappointed millions of American children since they were first marketed in the early 1960s, with the nostalgia-fueled craze returning decade after decade, even after the creator was linked to Neo-Nazi activities. Described in the highly exaggerated ad copy as the most lovable pets in America, these tiny, allegedly monkey-like aquatic creatures are actually nothing more than microscopic brine shrimp, usually used as fish food in pet stores. In this episode, we will look closely at the history of Sea Monkeys and their ingenious but controversial creator, and take you through the comic book ad copy that marketed junky novelty items directly to children using language both deeply misleading and hilariously hyperbolic.Get our Folk Devils United merch hereBecome a Patron or subscribe on Apple Podcasts to support our show and get early ad-free episodes and bonus contentCall our Urban Legends Hotline and share a teenage tale you heard growing upThis episode was written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-SmithSound design by Clear Commo StudiosResearch Assistant: Riley Swedelius-SmithProducer and Editor: Miranda ZicklerVoice Acting by Will Rogers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a rerelease of last year's holiday special! Find our new merch at americanhysteria.com/merchThey usually go something like this: A cranky career woman from the big city who has lost the true meaning of Christmas arrives in a small town where she falls in love with a handsome handyman or baker or Christmas tree farmer and together they vanquish whatever big business force threatens the idyllic community. The Christmas spirit leads her to let go of her own ambitions and embrace a more traditional lifestyle and of course, someone's dad is always Santa. Sound familiar? We will explore the history of Hallmark, the formula that makes these cheesy productions so successful, the Christmas Movie Wars of the last few years, as well as the controversies over diversity and "family-friendly" entertainment.Become a Patron to support our show and get early ad-free episodes and bonus contentAmerican Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-SmithCo-produced and co-edited by Miranda ZicklerCo-researched and co-edited by Riley SmithSound design by Clear Commo StudiosVoice acting by Will Rogers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a story from a recent episode of our exclusive Patreon/Apple + talk show Hysteria Home Companion, where producer Miranda and I take turns sharing stories related to the topics we are covering. For this one that we felt was too good not to share far and wide, Miranda tells me the story of a mysterious hanging cadaver that once decorated a California dark ride and unravels the decades-long, Forrest Gumpian journey of one long dead man.Become a Patron by heading to patreon.com/americanhysteriaOr subscribe on your Apple Podcast AppProducer/Edited by Miranda ZicklerMusic by Emily Westman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices