Secret Histories of Nerd Mysteries

In 2001, one of Disneylands most beloved attractions, the Haunted Mansion, was visited by the Pumpkin King himself, Jack Skellington, and the holidays would never be the same again.  But why doesn't Disney World receive this festive seasonal overlay?  And what lengths did imagineers have to go to make this crossover possible in the first place?  

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In this haunting episode, Host Brenda talks about one of the oldest video game Urban Legends, the Curse of Evil Otto, and shares the real life stories that inspired it.  Then, Host Brenda talks about digital cryptids and one creepy creature that gave her for real goosebumps! 

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In the 90's, right in the middle of "mummy-mania" an action cartoon featuring super powered mummies protecting the reincarnation of a child pharaoh should have been a sure-fire hit, right?  That's what everyone working on it thought, and honestly, they should have been right.  So what happened?  

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In the 80's when Universal Studios Orlando was just in the planning stages, it only made sense to base one of the rides off of the first ever summer blockbuster:  JAWS.  But making a ride where a 25 foot animatronic shark jumps out of the water to attack a real boat of real people is easier said than done.  

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Today Host Austin and Host Brenda are joined by comedian, television writing, and hopefully soon to be best-selling author Joey Clift to talk about that lasagna-loving orange cat, Garfield.  

Pre-Order Joey's Book "We've Been Here the Whole Time!  A not-so-sacred Guide to All Things Native America" Here!

And find Joey on social media:  

https://www.instagram.com/joeycliiiiiift/

https://bsky.app/profile/joeytainment.bsky.social

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How does a simple carpet pattern come to be known and loved by thousands of convention attendees?  When the Atlanta Mariott made the decision to replace their aging hotel carpet in 2015, they had no idea how important it was to a whole community, and how far people would go to keep its memory alive.   

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The greatest themepark in the United States isn't Disneyworld.  It isn't Cedar Point.  It's Dollywood, a family run passion project born from the remains of a defunct railway.  

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In the wake of the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, Turkish citizens found a new way to make their voices heard:  Cinema.  Despite extreme poverty in a nation that was cut off from the rest of the world, Turkish filmmakers found a way to make movies using what they had on hand.  

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We've still got ducks on the brain it seems.  This week, Host Brenda tells the long story of Duck, or Donald, or Puddles, the Oregon University Mascot.  It has something to do with Nerd Stuff we swear!  Walt Disney is involved!  

"I Found Oregon's Lost Mascot RoboDuck" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GziJMqZKXts

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Quack! Quack! Quack! Quack!

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