We're joined by Dr. Justin Mullis to get a better understanding of the incredibly lore-dense anime series Dan Da Dan.

Justin's academia profile

Legend of Momotaro

Some links recommended by Justin:
This is a really good video about the history of the Flatwoods Monster in Japanese video games. Highly recommended.

This is the Religious Dispatches article about koro.

Here's the Japan Today interview with the current editor of MU magazine.And here's the MU magazine article I mentioned about Turbo Granny (in Japanese).

The book on Japanese mountain witches I mentioned.

And here's an article by Japanese folklorist and manga translator Zack Davisson on Dandadan. 

Additional: 
Dan Da Dan (Netflix)

Karen's book Missed Conceptions is mentioned in the episode - get it here.

And her latest book too:  Bitch: The Journey of a Word

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As Valentine's day bears down upon us, we turn to the monsters whose origins lie in passion, betrayal, and tragedy. If love is the strongest human emotion, surely rage at betrayal is its nightmarish mirror - and such emotions are embodied in a variety of creatures around the world and throughout history.

Content Warning - this episode contains stories of child death, suicide, murder, and other unplesantness. And also some discussion of candy. So there's that.

Don't forget to pick up Karen's latest Book: Bitch: The Journey of a Word

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Cemeteries Cleaning and Grave Rubbing - Karen and Blake are joined by Matt Baxter to discuss the ethics and best practices around maintaining and preserving graveyards. 

Links for Grave Rubbers from CyberSpace:
The article that inspired this conversation (via The Conversation)

Ken Feder (friend of the show and emeritus professor of archaeology) sent along this helpful article about grave preservation.

The woman with the pink foam (Kaeli Mae McEwen - aka "Clean Girl") has a site where she sells the stuff.

In Atlanta - at historic Oakland Cemetery - they have community cleaning projects.  They list this under an article titled "Pro Team Field Notes on Scrubbing the Surface"

Thoughts on Grave Rubbing from a blogger.

Additional Links:

Since we mentioned The Conversation, by coincidence Jeb Card got interviewed about his paranormal course at University of Ohio - check it!

Karen's book Bitch: The Journey of a Word is out now - grab a copy! (affiliate link)

Don't forget to grab a copy of Joe Nickell's The Science of Monsters: Tracking the Real-Life Creatures - every sale helps MonsterTalk! (affiliate link)


And if you want to meet me at sea in the Bermuda Triangle, sign up for the Skeptoid Adventure - there's still a few cabins left! (as of 2/1/2025)

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

This week we're welcoming back historian Dr Joseph Gagne to tell us about a ghost story that straddles North America and Scotland.  He was last with us to tell us about the legend of La Corriveau in episode 181. 

Appearances of the Dead: A Cultural History of Ghosts by Ronald C. Finucane - mentioned by Joseph as his introduction to this story. This is an affiliate link and the book is out of print, so be advised it's PRICEY.

But wait!  You can read it for free at Archive.org.
Joseph asked me to be sure and share links to:

Bibliothèque et Archives Nationales Du Québec

Also to his blog: Curieuse Nouvelle France

And of course the official site of Fort Ticonderoga 

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Today we're discussing the strange story of The Houdini Seance and Arthur Ford the Spiritualist.  

  The last Houdini Seance (1936) - Audio + Story
  Bess Houdini 
  Arthur Ford - Spiritualist
  Arthur Ford - Obituary
  The Houdini Code
  The Bishop James Pike
  Was Pike Seance Hoax?
The Skeptics Dictionary: Arthur Ford

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In the mountains of North Georgia on a spooky civil war battlefield there is a legend of a green eyed monster. This is not that story. This is the story of the new festival set up to commemorate the monster, but also bring people and revenue to this rural southern town. We'll be talking with Nate Tucker and Dillan Whisenant about their experience kicking off the first Green Eyes Festival of Chicamauga, Georgia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Chickamauga

https://www.greeneyesfestival.com/

Phil's Primetime Pizza

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This is the audio from our 2024 livestream (http://youtube.com/monstertalk).  If you saw that live, this is the same audio without the moving picture bits. If you didn't see it but want to see our mugs waggin' synchronously to our voices, you can find this particular episode here.

Otherwise - happy new year! We'll be back next week talking about how to make a successful monster festival with some guys who just did it for the Green Eyes Festival.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

We're joined by fellow podcaster and friend of the show, Andy Driscoll, to introduce a peculiar region in Massachusetts said to be home to concentrated high strangeness. We'll definitely be coming back to deep dive in these swamps for more details on particular claims but Andy gives us a great "hometown" introduction to this fascinating area.

Video Segment with Jeff Bellanger introducing the topic (CBS News)
The popular podcast Lore's coverage during their first season (2015)
Pukwudgie
Maushop
Dighton Rock
Larry Kusche Obituary and his Wiki Page
More with Andy Driscoll:
The Old Colony Cast (YouTube) or Apple Podcasts

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One of the most "Christmas Ghost Story" ghost stories for Christmas that I've ever come across. Smee tells of a night of holiday revelry turned chilling and mysterious by the appearance of an unexpected attendee at the festivities.

You can read along with the ebook by purchasing it here. (affiliate Link)
Read more about A. M. Burrage if you like. (Wikipedia)
Art for this episode is by one of my progeny. -B

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We're excited to have Laura Krantz back to talk about her latest book - a youth-focused look at how to distinguish between magical and scientific thinking: Do You Believe in Magic?

Laura's very entertaining and informative podcasts:  LINK

Laura's other writings (affiliate LINK)

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

An interview with writer, researcher and podcaster Aaron Gulyas - host of the UFO themed history podcast The Saucer Life.

Gulyas is also the author of many books (affiliate link) including some likely to be of particular interest to MT listeners:
Extraterrestrials and the American Zeitgeist: Alien Contact Tales Since the 1950s
Conspiracy Theories: The Roots, Themes and Propagation of Paranoid Political and Cultural Narratives
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If you like the 1970s In Search Of... why not check out our sister show In reSearch Of...

Blake (and his wife Kathleen) will be participating in the 2025 "Skeptoid Bermuda Triangle Adventure" - details here if you want to come along and explore Robert the Doll, the Bimini Wall, or to look for the missing planes of Flight 19...

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.