I recently recorded three episodes of Hauntings and Horrors (apparently formerly known as Creepy Canada), and the last story of the last episode I recorded (which happen to really be the last story of the last episode) featured a haunted amusement park called Pennyland. I normally didn't pay much attention to the investigation sequences on these shows, because they used psychics, rather than looking for hard evidence. (I have nothing against psychics in general, but don't consider using psychics on TV to be credible evidence, as there are hoaxers out there who love to be on TV, even for a cheesy dramamentary.) However, in this instance the one of the team's psychics found a box of evidence.
Inside a collection of polaroid photos, a rope, a knife, and a bloody handkerchief. . . however both the box and the evidence looked too fresh. There was no dust, the rope looked unused, and blood was still red. Not to mention the police already supposedly scoured the place. But the show claimed this evidence was still being reviewed by local police. However, since this show was filmed in 2006, I figured any review was probably done now and started to scour the internet for what happen to the box, and if it indeed turned out to be a hoax.
Nothing. Hardly even a single relevant webpage. Well, I did learn the show had another name, Creepy Canada, which made sense as almost all the locations were in Canada. So armed with the new name, I searched again, and found Wikipedia's episode list. At the very end was the episode in question, bearing a note none of the other episodes had, a disclaimer:
'The buildings that are featured in the Pennyland Amusement Park episode look identical to the buildings located at the defunct Rocky Springs Amusement Park in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA. There is no information on the internet to back up the story featured in the Pennyland Amusement Park episode.'
This is a generous statement, suggesting they didn't shoot their investigation at Pennyland. Because further research finds there's actually no evidence that Pennyland ever existed at all!
Check this out: http://cec.chebucto.org/ClosPark/Penny.html
Thursday, November 20, 2014
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Jackalopes and Mandrakes + Shop Update
Time for some shameless self promotion for my etsy shop, intermixed with some fascinating facts about cryptozoology and cryptobotany. So, it you like cuddly things, and/or cryptids, here's a couple of things that might interest you.
First up I've got a couple plush Jackalopes and an ali-bunnicorn:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/210581440/iggy-the-jackalope-plush-bunny-rabbit
https://www.etsy.com/listing/210592139/chakra-the-jackalope-plush-bunny-rabbit
https://www.etsy.com/listing/210591485/mae-the-ali-bunnicorn-plush-bunny-rabbit
These cuddly creatures were inspired by the myths of Jackalopes, Al-mi'raj (Bunnicorn), Wolpertinger, and others. Jackalopes are said to be the offspring or small deer and killer rabbits, often inhabiting desert areas, while Al-mi'raj are vicious island dwelling carnivores. Wolpertingers are an amalgamation of several animals, usually having the head of a rabbit, antlers of a small deer, and pheasant wings, which live in the forests of Europe.
Now, there is a reason so many cultures have myth of antlered/horned and sometimes winged rabbits. It's because in a way, they do exist. First, rabbits (and other animals) with matted fur can sometimes look like they have wings, horns, and other unusual appendages. And Secondly because of the Shope papilloma virus, which cause infected rabbits to grow keratin tumors. (Similarly there are a few 'horned' people cutaneous horns, usually benign keratin tumors.) However, attempts to care for such jackalopes tends to lead to spreading the virus, so it's best to leave them alone if you ever encounter one. Next best thing? Get a plush jackalope.
Next, I've got Sprout the Mandrake Plush made from super cuddly Teddy Bear felt:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/205582758/sprout-the-mandrake-85-inch-ooak-plush
Mandrakes for those of you that don't know are real plants with a mythical status. They have split roots that look vaguely human sometimes, leading to the myth that they dreamed of being human. While mandrakes have been used medicinally for centuries, harvesting the plant was often considered dangerous, as the plant is said to scream when dug up. Therefore a folk method of dealing with harvesting involves digging around the plant, then tying a dog to it, so that the dog will pull up the plant and die instead of their owner.
The truth of the matter is, real mandrake plants, except for the fruit, are poisonous and can cause hallucinations, gastrointestinal distress, asphyxiation, and other unpleasant symptoms. Sprout however, is assured to be nice to you.
Turns out both jackalopes and mythical mandrakes have some basis in reality. But sometimes fantasy is nicer then the truth. I'm already considering what the next batch of fantasy plushies should be; Baku, Cockatrices, Amphisbaena, Pheniox?
First up I've got a couple plush Jackalopes and an ali-bunnicorn:
These cuddly creatures were inspired by the myths of Jackalopes, Al-mi'raj (Bunnicorn), Wolpertinger, and others. Jackalopes are said to be the offspring or small deer and killer rabbits, often inhabiting desert areas, while Al-mi'raj are vicious island dwelling carnivores. Wolpertingers are an amalgamation of several animals, usually having the head of a rabbit, antlers of a small deer, and pheasant wings, which live in the forests of Europe.
Now, there is a reason so many cultures have myth of antlered/horned and sometimes winged rabbits. It's because in a way, they do exist. First, rabbits (and other animals) with matted fur can sometimes look like they have wings, horns, and other unusual appendages. And Secondly because of the Shope papilloma virus, which cause infected rabbits to grow keratin tumors. (Similarly there are a few 'horned' people cutaneous horns, usually benign keratin tumors.) However, attempts to care for such jackalopes tends to lead to spreading the virus, so it's best to leave them alone if you ever encounter one. Next best thing? Get a plush jackalope.
Next, I've got Sprout the Mandrake Plush made from super cuddly Teddy Bear felt:
Mandrakes for those of you that don't know are real plants with a mythical status. They have split roots that look vaguely human sometimes, leading to the myth that they dreamed of being human. While mandrakes have been used medicinally for centuries, harvesting the plant was often considered dangerous, as the plant is said to scream when dug up. Therefore a folk method of dealing with harvesting involves digging around the plant, then tying a dog to it, so that the dog will pull up the plant and die instead of their owner.
The truth of the matter is, real mandrake plants, except for the fruit, are poisonous and can cause hallucinations, gastrointestinal distress, asphyxiation, and other unpleasant symptoms. Sprout however, is assured to be nice to you.
Turns out both jackalopes and mythical mandrakes have some basis in reality. But sometimes fantasy is nicer then the truth. I'm already considering what the next batch of fantasy plushies should be; Baku, Cockatrices, Amphisbaena, Pheniox?
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