Oddity Shop

Welcome To The Oddity Shop, Where The Bizarre is Always on Sale.  This week, your Curator Kara is talking all things Wendigo, Listen at your own Risk!

Ever felt that chill down your spine while alone in the woods? That primal instinct warning you something's watching from just beyond the tree line? You might have narrowly avoided one of the most terrifying entities in indigenous folklore.

The line between natural fear and supernatural threat blurs as we dive deep into the Wendigo – a creature born from humanity's darkest moments of desperation. This cannibalistic entity stands at the crossroads of spirit and flesh, a transformation that begins with an unthinkable act and ends with eternal, insatiable hunger. 

What happens when hunger drives someone to the unthinkable? How does a Wendigo hunt its prey? Can you truly survive an encounter? We answer these questions and more!Listen with the lights on, and join us next week for part two where we'll complete our examination of these supernatural predators with an in-depth look at Skinwalkers. The woods will never feel quite the same after this two-part journey into what waits between the trees.

References:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendigo
• https://www.britannica.com/topic/wendigo
• https://allthatsinteresting.com/wendigo
• https://www.facinghistory.org/ideas-week/more-monsters-deeper-significance-wendigo-stories#:~:text=In%20most%20traditions%2C%20the%20wendigo,from%20possession%20by%20a%20spirit.
• https://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/strange-creatures/wendigoes3.htm 
• https://real-supernatural-and-mythical-world.fandom.com/wiki/Wendigo#:~:text=The%20Wendigo%20craves%20human%20flesh,brittle%20bones%20of%20the%20elderly.
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skin-walker
• https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/religion-and-philosophy/skinwalker-mythology#:~:text=Skinwalkers%20are%20mythological%20figures%20in,dark%20forces%20for%20malevolent%20purposes.
• https://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/strange-creatures/skinwalker.htm#:~:text=However%2C%20some%20believe%20that%20unusual,unease%20when%20they%20are%20near.
• https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/windigo
• https://www.native-languages.org/
• https://www.sacred-texts.com/nam/index.htm
• https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/a-definition-of-smudging?utm_source=chatgpt.com
• https://telusworldofscienceedmonton.ca/learn/indigenous-history-month-smudging/?utm_source

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Welcome to a Very Special Episode of The Oddity Shop! In The Shop This Week we have a special guest and Crop Circle Maker under the alias, Citizen D

What happens when you discover that crop circles are made by humans—but the mystery only gets deeper? In this riveting conversation  we're taken behind the veil of one of modern folklore's most enduring enigmas. 

For decades, elaborate patterns appearing overnight in farmlands have sparked theories ranging from alien visitation to earth energies. D reveals what it's actually like to create these magnificent formations under cover of darkness—and the inexplicable phenomena that often accompany their creation. His testimony challenges both the skeptic's dismissal and the believer's extraterrestrial theories.

"When you take UFOs out of it and actually insert humans as just pawns, the mystery becomes a thousand times more interesting than flying saucers landing," D explains. Far from debunking the phenomenon, acknowledging human involvement reveals a startling landscape of synchronicities, time anomalies, and unexplained lights that regularly accompany circle-making.

If you've ever been fascinated by mysterious patterns in fields, prepare for a perspective that will transform how you view not just crop circles, but the relationship between humans, earth energies, and the unexplainable experiences that have accompanied us throughout history.

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Welcome To The Oddity Shop, Where The Bizarre is Always on Sale.  This week, your Curator Zach is chatting all about the mysteries of Crater Lake.

 Join us as we plunge into the mysteries of Crater Lake, Oregon – a place where the veil between worlds seems eerily thin.

We explore the lake's many enigmas: the Old Man of the Lake (a tree that has inexplicably floated upright for over a century), mysterious islands where phantom campers appear without boats, and countless Bigfoot encounters surrounding its shores. We'll share the disturbing story of Charles McCuller, whose remains were found in a way that defies explanation, and the heartbreaking disappearance of six-year-old Sammy Boehlke who vanished without a trace.

From military planes that seemed to slip through reality to UFO activity that indigenous people have documented for generations, Crater Lake collects strange phenomena like the precipitation that feeds its crystal-clear waters.

Whether you're fascinated by cryptids, ghosts, disappearances, or ancient spiritual sites, Crater Lake offers a perfect storm of high-strangeness. Have you ever visited? We'd love to hear your experiences?

Refs:

• https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2009/10/more-few-ghost-stories-swirl-about-crater-lake-national-park4821
• https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/nature/oregon/sinister-story-crater-lake-or
• https://www.ancienthistoryfangirl.com/2023/07/27/the-haunting-of-crater-lake-the-show-notes/
• https://coffeehousewriters.com/oregons-crater-lake-mysteries/
• https://ghostedtravel.com/crater-lake-lodge/
• https://www.southernoregontours.com/blog/myths-and-legends
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crater_Lake

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Welcome To The Oddity Shop, Where The Bizarre is Always on Sale.  This week, your Curator Kara has the Famous Mystery of D.B. Cooper.

"I have a bomb." These four words, scribbled on a note passed to flight attendant Florence Schaefer on November 24, 1971, launched the most famous hijacking case in American history. 

The mysterious passenger in seat 18E ordered bourbon and soda before revealing his demands: $200,000 in unmarked bills, four parachutes, and a flight plan to Mexico City. 

After the passengers were safely released in Seattle, the hijacker – who purchased his ticket as "Dan Cooper" but would become immortalized through a media error as "D.B. Cooper" – ordered the plane to take off with just the flight crew aboard. Somewhere over the Pacific Northwest, in pitch darkness and stormy weather, Cooper lowered the Boeing 727's rear staircase and jumped into legend with the cash strapped to his body. Despite one of the largest manhunts in FBI history, Cooper's identity and fate remain unknown. 

What's your theory about D.B. Cooper's fate? Call our voicemail line with your ideas about who he was and whether he survived that fateful jump into darkness.

Refs:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D._B._Cooper
• https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/db-cooper-hijacking
• https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/nov/30/db-cooper-plane-hijacking 
• https://skydivecalifornia.com/blog/skydiving-statistics/#:~:text=You%20are%2C%20after%20all%2C%20jumping,1%20fatality%20in%20200%2C000%20jumps. 
• https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/db-cooper-tina-mucklow-untold-story-1111944/ 
• https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/tag/florence-schaffner/#:~:text=Shortly%20after%20takeoff%2C%20Cooper%20gave,demands%20to%20the%20flight%20crew.
• https://www.reddit.com/r/dbcooper/comments/1et8lyz/what_is_your_theory_on_what_happened_to_db_cooper/ 

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Welcome to a Very Special Episode of The Oddity Shop! In The Shop This Week, Sam Baltrusis stops by to talk about his books, relationship to Lizzie Borden, Men in hats, and so much more!

The conversation with Sam Baltrusis begins with an unexpected spectral scream—just seconds before our recording starts—setting the perfect tone for an exploration into the world of a man who walks confidently between realms. As a journalist, author of 18 paranormal books, and psychic medium, Sam brings a unique combination of investigative rigor and psychic sensitivity to his work.

The discussion takes fascinating turns through America's most haunted locations, from the elemental energies to the stone tape theory explaining why certain buildings retain spiritual energies. Sam's upcoming 19th book explores haunted castles of New England, examining these architectural vessels of paranormal activity.

Perhaps most riveting is Sam's revelation about his genealogical connection to Lizzie Borden, forever changing his perspective on the infamous case. Rather than viewing her as a cold-blooded killer, Sam now serves as her advocate, believing she's been misrepresented by historical narratives controlled by those with agendas. through a more compassionate lens.

Sam's experiences offer a compelling glimpse into what happens when we dare to communicate with what lies beyond our understanding. Join us for this unforgettable journey through hauntings, history, and the healing power of truth.

It Can't Be People! 

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Welcome To The Oddity Shop, Where The Bizarre is Always on Sale.  This week, your Curator Zach, As promised has the solved tale of the Identity of Jack The Ripper

The mystery that has perplexed investigators and captivated true crime enthusiasts for over a century has finally been solved. Jack the Ripper, the shadowy figure who terrorized London's Whitechapel district in 1888, now has a name backed by science: Aaron Kosminski.

We journey through the fog-covered streets of Victorian London, where five women—Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, and Mary Jane Kelly—met their brutal ends at the hands of a killer with surgical precision. 

We travel forward to the breakthrough that came when researcher Russell Edwards acquired a blood-stained shawl found near victim Catherine Eddowes. After years of forensic testing, mitochondrial DNA analysis in 2019 matched genetic material on the shawl to living descendants of Aaron Kosminski, a Polish barber who had been among the original suspects!

References:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_the_Ripper
• https://xaviernewswire.com/2025/02/25/ripping-up-the-truth-how-detectives-finally-found-jack-the-ripper/
• https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14234461/Descendants-Jack-Rippers-victims-DNA-breakthrough.html
• https://nypost.com/2025/02/15/world-news/jack-the-rippers-identity-revealed-after-dna-breakthrough-historian/
• https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/ripper_jack_the.shtml#:~:text=Between%20August%20and%20November%201888,took%20place%20on%2031%20August.
• https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jack-the-Ripper
• https://www.history.com/topics/european-history/jack-the-ripper
• https://www.jack-the-ripper.org/kosminski.htm

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Welcome To The Oddity Shop, Where The Bizarre is Always on Sale.  This week, your curator Kara has the tale of the cursed Iceman.

Two German hikers made a startling discovery in the Ötztal Alps in 1991 that would forever change our understanding of the Copper Age—and potentially unleash a deadly curse.

This remarkably intact mummy (The Iceman) provides an unprecedented window into prehistoric life. But the story takes a darker turn when we examine what happened after Ötzi's discovery. Seven people connected to the Iceman have met untimely deaths—from car accidents and avalanches to rare diseases. Most chilling of all, the rescue team leader who recovered Simon's body suffered a fatal heart attack at Simon's funeral.

Could these deaths represent a modern manifestation of an ancient protective curse? Or simply coincidence magnified by our human tendency to find patterns? Join us as we examine the evidence, explore the science of natural mummification, and contemplate whether some historical discoveries are better left undisturbed.

References:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%96tztal_Alps
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%96tzi
• https://www.iceman.it/en/the-iceman/
• https://www.penn.museum/sites/expedition/otzi-the-iceman/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mummy
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catacombe_dei_Cappuccini
•  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chalcolithic
• https://www.ripleys.com/stories/the-curse-of-otzi-the-iceman
• https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/paranormal/creatures-and-monsters/the-curse-of-otzi-the-iceman.html
• https://hungrygen.com/typesofcurses/

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Welcome To The Oddity Shop, Where The Bizarre is Always on Sale.  This week, your curator Zach is finally covering the case of Lizzie Borden

The infamous Lizzie Borden axe murders stand as one of America's most enduring unsolved crimes—a bloody double homicide that shocked the nation and continues to fascinate more than a century later. We dissect the gruesome events of August 4, 1892, when Andrew Borden and his second wife Abby were brutally slain in their Fall River, Massachusetts home.

Delving into the complex family dynamics, we examine how Andrew's frugal nature and his daughters' resentment toward their stepmother created a household filled with tension

But the story doesn't end with the Murders. The Borden house has become notorious as one of America's most haunted locations, where paranormal investigators regularly document disembodied voices, phantom footsteps, and objects moving on their own.

Who was the killer? Was Lizzie indeed responsible but influenced by supernatural forces? Listen as we weigh the evidence both forensic and paranormal, and decide for yourself what really happened at 92 Second Street.

Refs:

• https://ghostwalks.com/articles/lizzie-borden-house-ghost-stories
• https://www.novelsuspects.com/excerpts/the-lizzie-borden-house/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lizzie_Borden
• https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lizzie-Borden-American-murder-suspect
• https://lizzie-borden.com/
• https://www.reddit.com/r/Ghosts/comments/oxy2j2/creepy_experience_at_the_lizzie_borden_house/
• https://www.reddit.com/r/ParanormalEncounters/comments/18rw9tj/my_time_investigating_the_lizzie_borden_axe/
• The Curse Of Lizzie Borden SHOCK DOC on Discovery+

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Welcome To The Oddity Shop, Where The Bizarre is Always on Sale.  This week, your curator Kara has a story for you dear deer oddballs

Something watches you from the edge of the forest. At first glance, it's just a deer—but look closer. Those legs bend wrong. Its eyes face forward like a predator's. And it's looking right at you.

The "Not Deer" phenomenon has been terrifying travelers on dark rural roads across America, from the Appalachian mountains to the forests of Oregon. These entities appear to be deer upon first glance, but something is fundamentally wrong—disproportionately long limbs, joints that bend in impossible directions, and movements that suggest something trying to imitate a deer without fully understanding how deer move.

What makes these encounters particularly haunting is the overwhelming sense of dread reported by witnesses before they even consciously register what's wrong. Military veterans, paranormal enthusiasts, and self-described skeptics all describe the same visceral reaction—a primal fear that something dangerous is watching them. Unlike normal deer that scatter at human presence, these creatures maintain unnervingly direct eye contact, sometimes rising to stand on two legs before making jerky, unnatural movements toward observers.

Refs:

• https://www.reddit.com/r/Appalachia/comments/est8f2/not_deer_stories/ 
• https://www.reddit.com/r/skinwalkers/comments/my4vi9/possible_skinwalkernot_deer_sighting/
• https://www.reddit.com/r/skinwalkers/comments/l8zpcs/skinwalker_not_deer_encounter_what_did_i_see/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncanny_valley 
• https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Not_Deer 
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Not-deer 
• https://www.cdc.gov/chronic-wasting/animals/index.html 

It Can't Be People! 

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Welcome To The Oddity Shop, Where The Bizarre is Always on Sale.  This week, your curator Zach is taking you on a wild goose chase....Or should we Say Saucer Chase??

Take a ride with us through the 1960s as we relive the high-speed pursuit of an egg-shaped UFO by officers Spauer and Neff. Picture the scene: a mysterious object darting across state lines at 85 mph, leaving a trail of bewildered officers from Ohio to Pennsylvania. The fallout from this encounter was significant, altering the lives of those involved and sparking heated debates about the validity of UFO sightings. 

 From the iconic chase in Portage County, Ohio, to the film "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," we delve into how these encounters have shaped public perception and influenced pop culture. Along the way, we'll discuss J. Allen Hynek's shift from skeptic to believer and the challenges faced by those who dared to report the unknown.

References:

• https://medium.com/on-the-trail-of-the-saucers/the-ufo-chase-you-saw-in-close-encounters-649637923267
• https://www.timesonline.com/story/news/local/2018/10/18/famous-86-mile-ufo-chase/9513751007/
• https://thepennsylvaniarambler.wordpress.com/2022/02/20/the-great-ufo-chase-part-one/
• https://medium.com/the-portager/seeing-a-ufo-ruined-dale-spaurs-life-f86bab152368
• https://www.clevescene.com/news/strangers-in-the-night-1485939
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_RFPnaIItY&t=2032s
• https://medium.com/on-the-trail-of-the-saucers/something-happened-to-dale-68c2ac39d5a8
• https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=RMD19661016-01.2.10&e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxCO%7ctxTA--------0------

It Can't Be People! 

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