This is a rerelease of last year's holiday special! Find our new merch at americanhysteria.com/merch

They 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.

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American Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith

Co-produced and co-edited by Miranda Zickler

Co-researched and co-edited by Riley Smith

Sound design by Clear Commo Studios

Voice acting by Will Rogers

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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.

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Producer/Edited by Miranda Zickler

Music by Emily Westman

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(explicit content warning) This *Urban Legends Hotline* episode dives deep into the viral myth that 90s shock rocker Marilyn Manson had ribs surgically removed so that he could perform autofellatio. We'll look at two other famous and controversial artists who also had this rumor attached to them, learn about another related tale that went around during Victorian times, and see how the rib removal story became perhaps the most widely told pop culture urban legend of the Millennial generation.

Call our Urban Legends Hotline and share a teenage tale you heard growing up

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This episode was written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith

Sound design by Clear Commo Studios

Research Assistant: Riley Swedelius-Smith

Producer and Editor: Miranda Zickler

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To celebrate five long years of American Hysteria, our producer Miranda Zickler interviews Chelsey about the origins of the podcast and how their own life has impacted the content. Chelsey also answers questions that listeners have sent in over the years and gets into feelings around queerness, solidarity, faith, and death. And we celebrate you, our dear listeners, who have made all of this possible. Thank you <3

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Leave us a message on our Urban Legends Hotline

Produced, edited, and hosted by Miranda Zickler

Sound design by Clear Commo Studios

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For our very special two-part Halloween conversation, Sarah Marshall and I are going to be sharing the less serious things that scare us: our favorite phobias, eerie feelings, and uncanny upsets. In this episode, I share the things that freak me out, from stilts and spiders to giraffes and medieval art. in order to hear all about what freaks Sarah out, head to the You're Wrong About feed, do not miss it my ghouls!

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Or subscribe to American Hysteria on Apple Podcasts

Leave us a message on our Urban Legends Hotline

American Hysteria is produced and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith

Edited by Miranda Zickler

Sound design by Clear Commo Studios

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Home Depot's 12 ft. Skeleton decoration first premiered in the fall of 2020 and sold out immediately, the nationwide obsession fueling an underground black market. Memes and tweets made 'Skelly' the hottest Halloween fad of the last three years, and for some reason, the internet's biggest crush. For this episode, we will not only explore how the craze around this big old bone daddy unfolded, but we will also take you through our centuries-long bizarro relationship with human skeletons, both the fake and the very real, and we will consider the role they have played in the development of dark humor, the kind that made Skelly a massive star.

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Tell us your teenage tale on our Urban Legends Hotline!

Get your tickets for our live show with You're Wrong About

American Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith

Sound design by Clear Commo Studios

Research Assistant: Riley Swedelius-Smith

Producer and Editor: Miranda Zickler

Voice Acting by Will Rogers

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Our Halloween special will cover the 12 ft. Skeleton craze and the history of skeleton decorations in America. This episode will give some extra context using segments from:

Haunted Attractions

Death

Horror Movies pt. 1

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Call into our Urban Legends Hotline and share your teenage tale!

This episode was produced by Riley Swedelius-Smith

Produced and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith

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Please enjoy this rewind of last year's Halloween special called Haunted Dolls. Coming up next week we'll start our Halloween series called 'The 12 ft. Skeleton.' Then we'll be teaming up with our sibling podcast You're Wrong About for another Halloween special!

For this rewind, we'll see how possessed playthings have crept their way into the dark attic of America: Thomas Edison's little monsters, a demonic Raggedy Ann, a living ventriloquist dummy, a deadly voodoo curse, and an online market where you can buy yourself a soul trapped in the body of a doll.

Become a Patron and support our show! Or subscribe on Apple Podcasts!

American Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith

Co-produced and co-edited by Miranda Zickler

Co-researched and co-editing by Riley Smith

Sound design by Clear Commo Studios

Voice Acting by Will Rogers

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Justin McHenry, author of the forthcoming book Lemuria: A True Story of a Fake Place, tells me an expansive tale of an alleged long lost continent first written about in early scientific works, then harnessed by esoteric eccentrics and new age mystics, mutating over the decades into fantastical fuel that is embedded in the strangest of conspiracy theories and cults to this very day.

Preorder Lemuria: A True Story of a Fake Place

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Or subscribe to American Hysteria on Apple Podcasts

American Hysteria is produced and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith

Edited by Miranda Zickler

Sound design by Clear Commo Studios

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