Jackalope Carnival: A Sideshow of Stories

Jackalope Carnival banner

Come one, come all to the Jackalope Carnival! Marvel at our sideshow of stories! Wonder at the depths of human belief! Gaze in astonishment at how Bekah has fumbled with our logo design over the years!

 

The episode that started it all, asking the profound question: “How you doin’ Mothman?”

Jackalope Carnival explores the paranormal through the history and lore of contacting the spirit world. Warning: detailed accounts of a 7-11 in Baltimore with Ouija board connections and a ham sandwich eating medium.

Can we hear ghosts? This episode explores EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena) and early pioneers in the field. Bekah records at Dix Park, a former insane asylum, while Eric shares his strange judgments about parakeets.

Who was the man from Taured? What is the Mandela Effect and why does Good Housekeeping care? How can you find cheap inter-dimensional travel? Does facial hair have any moral significance?

Come  hear the sorry tale of Colorado’s infamous Alfred “Alferd” Packer and find out which university dining hall bears his name.

Learn an ancient incantation cursing a musician’s “little buttocks” (direct quote). Eric and Bekah muse on why they’d be the worst version of the Wonder Twins ever, plus paranormal tomfoolery you expect from the show.

This week Jackalope Carnival talks about the lore of everyone’s favorite American hairy bipedal cryptid (besides Zach Galifianakis). Our stalwart scholars comb the archives specifically to find pre-Patterson/Gimlin accounts including one from President Theodore Roosevelt. Take the quiz and find out if you’re a “Mulder” or a “Scully” , all on this week’s circus of the absurd.

Step right up and uncover a colonial era conspiracy! Weigh in on whether or not  the Jersey Devil should be an official U.S. mascot like Ben Franklin believed of the turkey. Plus, which American state grows the most aubergine?

For the love of all that is healthy and holy do not take health advice solely from a podcast, especially this one. Talk to medical professionals instead.

The leech farm sponsor didn’t work out, but this episode closes season 1 with a deep dive into the mysterious Lizard Man of Scrape Ore Swamp and Mr. Pearl Fryar’s mystical topiary gardens. Road trip!

The stories of two fascinating stage magicians from the late 19th and early 20th centuries: Chung Ling Soo, a con man bigamist and fake-Asian who learned karma the hard way, and a snake oil salesman from the Harlem Renaissance who may or may not have died on stage.

Explore two of history’s most well-documented werewolf sightings: the Beast of Gévaudan from cave-ripened France and the Beast of Bray Road from nutty and aromatic Wisconsin. How did Barry Manilow get involved? Hold on to your leisure suit!

Hot on the trail of one of America’s most enduring urban legends, with monkeys loose in Manhattan, a zebra cobra surviving Carolina winters, alleged Chuck Norris urban safaris, and questionable feline choices.

We tried something here, a “Choose Your Own Adventure” episode where you can go about investigating stories of North Carolina’s Moon-Eyed people and Hawaii’s Menehune. How far back do these stories go? Can you figure out their mystery? Are aliens always an option? You decide!

No, really, it’s all in there. Every single bit of it and more…
Join Jackalope Carnival as we investigate UFO religions and answer your burning questions. Were early UFO religions in league with Nazis? Are the Unarians the best dressed UFO group? Should Jello Biafra have been an investigative reporter? Find out!

Our first holiday episode! Join us for a slice of fruitcake as we countdown 12 Christmas tales, traditions, and trivia from around the world. Thank you for all the support! Happy Holidays! xox The Carnival Crew

Put on your spelunking gear, we’re about to go subterranean, exploring hidden tunnels and passageways. Can you dig it?

If you came looking for Zeppelin or The Beatles… well, it’s more sandstone and quartz here. But we do have the Scotland’s famous Stone of Destiny and monkeys tasked with keeping an empire intact. Take that, Jagger.

Two monster sightings blamed on owls, owl lore, and the question: owl or not owl? Owlman, Hopkinsville Goblins, Eurasian Eagle Owls, Barred Owls, Barn Owls & carnies, you can’t tell the players apart without a program! Who? Jackalope Carnival, that’s who!

This all totally happened to my friend’s cousin back in the 80s… stories that sound unbelievable but aren’t. Lederhosen bars, a real-life murderer, a man in a bunny suit, a nun in go-go boots, squirrels stealing purses, and THAT WOMAN WITH NO PANTS IN THE CROSSWALK!

Are werewolves and ghosts only for Halloween? What are the “stretchy pants days of December” and why do mischievous little men crawl from underground to sour milk? Happy holidays from Jackalope Carnival!

 

More international Christmas folklore and fun. Bekah tries to convince Eric that beating a log with a stick while screaming at it will poop candy into your bed. Results are inconclusive. Happy holidays!

 

Did the government open doors it couldn’t close? Do dangerous aliens wear hot pants in the produce aisle? Why do they wave artichokes about? The Men in Black got there just in time! 1950s Yogis, radio executives doing astral projection, and all the normal Jackalope Carnival random abnormality.

 

Get ready to take to the high seas in search of ghost ships, haunted vessels, and maritime mysteries. This episode dives into abandoned ships, missing crews, and legends like the Flying Dutchman and the Carroll A. Deering. Plus: what do Edgar Allan Poe, Richard Wagner, and SpongeBob all have in common?

 

This R-rated, historically accurate, and definitely not family-friendly episode explores the bizarre dietary crusades of Sylvester Graham and John Harvey Kellogg. These two pioneers of bland food were determined to prevent self-love, spankin’ the monkey, shaking hands with the bishop (you know what we mean). Cereal history has never been so weird or repressed.

 

DOOOM! Were Chernobyl and the eruption of Mt. St. Helens foretold by terrifying winged omens? This episode dives into the Black Bird of Chernobyl and the legendary Batsquatch (yes, Bat + Sasquatch). When weird history and folklore take to the skies, it gets real dramatic.

 

In this episode, we talk Ouija boards, automatic writing, and voices from beyond. One famous poet gets ghosted… literally, by spirits encouraging him to move on from his ex. Also includes (probably) poorly pronounced Mandarin. Weird history and folklore? Check. Psychic drama? Double check.


Keep the Jackalope fed (and mildly caffeinated)

If you’ve enjoyed our strange little sideshow of haunted ships, cryptid bats, and spiritually frustrated poets, help us keep the tent open!

And if you’re feeling generous, shout us out online or tell a friend who loves folklore, phantoms, and general weirdness. May your nights be ghost-free and your cryptids well-behaved.