The Vinted “Child Trafficking Code” Panic This case study offers a fascinating window into how digital-age moral panics are born—and how they feed on themselves. What began as screenshots of oddly-priced toys on a secondhand marketplace exploded into an international…
Introduction Pitt Lake, British Columbia, is home to one of Canada’s enduring treasure legends—the tale of Slumach’s Gold, a lost mine that has drawn adventurers (and conspiracy theorists) for more than a century. But is the gold real, or did…
Introduction On a summer day in 1981, Ken Rex McElroy—the most feared man in Skidmore, Missouri—was gunned down in front of dozens of witnesses. He’d terrorized the town for years, but nobody saw anything, or so they claimed. The case…
Introduction The “hair-cutting fairy” panic refers to strange outbreaks, particularly in India and some parts of Africa, where dozens of people report waking up with their hair—sometimes even eyebrows—cut or missing. Police, barbers, and religious authorities all get involved, but…
Introduction The Mole Kingdom is a recurring theme in global folklore—stories of vast, subterranean civilizations ruled by intelligent moles or other beings. From Native American myths to Victorian adventure novels and internet conspiracies, the lore taps our fascination with what…
Introduction Beneath Odessa, Ukraine, sprawls one of the world’s largest labyrinths: the Odessa Catacombs, stretching over 2,500 kilometers. Used by smugglers, partisans, and the occasional explorer, the tunnels have inspired countless stories—of lost souls, secret societies, and entire communities vanishing…
Introduction “Mel’s Hole” burst into the national consciousness in 1997 via Coast to Coast AM, the legendary late-night radio show. The caller, “Mel Waters,” described a mysterious pit in Washington State, supposedly bottomless, with bizarre properties: lowering objects never reached…
Introduction Hidden in the woods outside Dover Plains, New York, Oniontown is infamous for stories of inbreeding, violence, and an aggressive local population that chases out outsiders—sometimes with baseball bats. Some call it an “American Deliverance,” others a myth spun…
Introduction The “Yantic River Dwarves” are part of Connecticut legend: mysterious, child-sized beings said to live along the Yantic River, sighted by generations of locals. Are these reports urban myth, misidentification, or echoes of a lost people? Origins The story…
