Ripley Entertainment Inc.'s Blog, page 11
August 23, 2023
August 22, 2023
Mystery Animal In Texas Stokes Cryptid Speculation
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
In 1955, cryptozoology — the study of legendary, unknown, or extinct critters — officially became a thing. But interest in mysterious animals stretches back much further to at least the 15th century B.C. The field remains as controversial as it does intriguing. It also comes with plenty of misnomers. Like the notion cryptozoologists spend most of their time scouring “squatchy” woods, hunting down vampires and werewolves, or dealing with sea monsters.
So, what do they do? For starters, they analyze biological data and folkloric and anecdotal information to better understand the world. And when weird critters show up in photos or videos? They often step in to solve cases of mistaken or unknown identity.
Thanks to a bizarre sighting recently caught on tape in Texas, they may soon be working overtime on a new case of unsolved identity. Here’s everything you need to know.
Mystery Animal Makes an AppearanceIt all started with a bizarre daylight animal sighting. Tina Kahlig was immediately stumped, so she reached for her camera to get a few pictures for closer examination. But the photos did little to clarify the critter’s identity. Instead, they opened a Pandora’s box of cryptid theories.
All Kahlig knows for sure is that the animal enjoyed chowing down on berries that had fallen from a bush in her Hill Country Village backyard. In an interview with KENS-TV, she later recalled, “I was inside, and I looked out into the yard. And I saw an animal right here and thought, ‘Wow, what is that?’”
Mystery creature lurking in Texas backyard baffles residents: ‘Chupacabra’ https://t.co/q7g2ILPHDZ pic.twitter.com/OhCtBuxnX2
— New York Post (@nypost) August 17, 2023
After getting the images, she uploaded them to NextDoor for a little local feedback. But her neighbors proved equally stumped. That’s about the time some rather outlandish theories started. They included everything from a coyote-dog mix to the mystical Chupacabra. Some also evoked the legend of an area mountain lion that people have long sighted but never caught on camera.
Piecing Together the Identity of an Unknown AnimalThis isn’t the first time Texas Parks and Wildlife officials have proven stumped by something caught on camera. In April, a wildlife camera in the Rio Grande Valley revealed a never-before-seen animal.
As with the case of Kahlig’s unknown species, people who watched the video had plenty of guesses about what they were seeing. Some declared it a wolverine, while others called it a bush dog or even an optical illusion, the result of two wild hogs passing by one another.
Back on the case of Kahlig’s beast, opinions remain mixed. Rachel Malstaff of the San Antonio Zoo weighed in, theorizing it may be a dog or canine dealing with mange or other skin conditions. Without better photos, getting to the bottom of this case remains a challenge. But also one that has stoked renewed interest in cryptozoology.
By Engrid Barnett, contributor for Ripleys.com
EXPLORE THE ODD IN PERSON! Discover hundreds of strange and unusual artifacts and get hands-on with unbelievable interactives when you visit a Ripley’s Odditorium!August 21, 2023
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Unlock Level 20 With Ripley’s Brand-New Interactive Book
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Looking for a challenge? Ready to push the limit? It’s time to pride yourself on what makes you stand out and take things to the next level! Ripley’s Believe It or Not! is inspiring readers to do just that with the 20th edition of our annual book, Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Level Up — where truth is always stranger than fiction!
The 20th edition showcases all-new, all-true stories and features interactive elements you don’t want to miss.
A World Beyond ImaginationRipley’s Believe It or Not! Level Up presents readers of all ages with 256 pages filled with stories of extraordinary people, talented animals, incredible places, and beyond!
Level up your reading experience by scanning QR codes throughout the pages of Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Level Up. Unlock interactive challenges and bonus content like mini games, quizzes, videos, and more!
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Level Up will be released September 19, 2023, and available at major retailers and on Amazon. To see even more, check out Ripleys.com/LevelUp.
Source: Unlock Level 20 With Ripley’s Brand-New Interactive Book
Archaeologists Unearth 400-Year-Old “Vampire” Child In Poland
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Archaeologists in Pień, Poland, have recently found a child’s burial from the 17th century. The child was found buried face down with a padlock around its foot. The padlock would have prevented the child from leaving the grave after death. Located near the northern city of Bydgoszcz, the graveyard was designed for “abandoned souls” and poverty-stricken individuals who could not pay for a plot in a churchyard, according to Live Science.
A Fear of the Child After Death?“The padlock shows people were afraid of this child after its death,” Dariusz Poliński, an archaeologist at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, told the publication. Those who were scared of corpses rising from the dead may have benefited from a vampire defense kit, which Ripley’s houses within its own warehouse.
Poliński has been excavating the area for several years, and his team has found approximately 100 graves. The vampire child, sex unknown, was between the ages of five and seven.
The child’s remains were located next to a “vampire” woman who was unearthed in 2022 with a similar burial date. She too had a padlock on her foot as well as a sickle over her neck. People used padlocks to make sure bodies stayed in their graves. Archaeologists also found a third padlock near bones but not connected to a body.
A Grave For Lost SoulsPoliński stated that this child skeleton is the only one buried in this way in the graveyard. There are no other children buried like this anywhere else in Europe. He also pointed out that the cemetery in Pień was not the usual burial spot because it wasn’t on church property.
Church burials were more expensive and apparently not inclusive. It appears that the graveyard with the “vampire” skeletons was also a final resting place for abandoned souls. The archaeologists believe the “vampire” woman with the sickle was wealthy. The woman had gold thread in her clothing as well as flecks of gold on the palette of her skull. The gold flecks indicate she likely ingested medicine with gold.
Archaeologists have taken DNA from the woman’s bones to learn more about her life. Experts think she might have been very ill. They might also test the child vampire’s DNA in the future.
Not The Kind of Vampire We Are ThinkingDuring the 1600s, people were afraid of dead children, particularly if they passed away suddenly or due to unusual circumstances.
Even though the word “vampires” is thrown around, the concept of vampires as we understand them today didn’t exist in the 17th century.
The site has bones from other children, but no complete skeletons. They also found a piece of a child’s jaw that was green. Experts think a copper coin might have caused the green stain. It was once common to bury people with coins in their mouths.
The archaeologists are in the process of examining the remains they have uncovered and hope to excavate further in the upcoming year.
By Noelle Talmon, contributor for Ripleys.com
EXPLORE THE ODD IN PERSON! Discover hundreds of strange and unusual artifacts and get hands-on with unbelievable interactives when you visit a Ripley’s Odditorium!Source: Archaeologists Unearth 400-Year-Old “Vampire” Child In Poland
August 17, 2023
A Doomsday Missile Silo Is For Sale In Nebraska
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Interested in purchasing and living in a renovated missile silo? Well, look no further! You can now buy one in Nebraska for the not-so-bargain price of $750,000! YouTube star Andrew Flair purchased the 2,500-square-foot decommissioned Atlas-F Missile Silo in 2022.
More On The Missile SiloThe Missile Silo has a history in the United States. The Army Corps of Engineers built silos during the 1950s nuclear missile arms race with the Soviet Union. They designed them to endure a nuclear attack.
Construction of 1960 missile silo. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.
Flair, who has 2.6 million subscribers on YouTube and posts videos about fishing, hunting, and other outdoor activities, told The National Desk: “Jokingly, I text my real estate agent, and I was like, ‘We should go look at this and make YouTube videos, and it would be sweet to have a place like this.”
That joke became a reality for Flair, who knew it would take a lot of work to make the underground bunker a livable space. “My initial thoughts were, like this is a nightmare, a disaster,” he explained, noting that it was a bit of a challenge financing the silo and dealing with the banks, appraisal process, and insurance company.
Adding some mystery to the structure, Flair heard that a body was hidden inside the silo from a 1990s murder narcotics case. Law enforcement purportedly could not find it because the bunker was filled with so much debris.
Flair told Fox 11 News his mission was to sell it as a turnkey property. It took some creativity because the bunker has a different shape than the average home. For example, they needed to cut rectangle laminate into a circular shape while avoiding gaps on the floor. Flair also added a movie theater popcorn machine and foosball table to entertain future residents.
The Ultimate Underground HouseThe entire renovation process took Flair and his team just 45 days. They gutted the entire structure, cleaned it, and built a bathroom and full kitchen. Afterwards, they painted the structure and added appliances and furniture. He dubbed it the “ultimate underground house.”
The real estate listing for the silo describes it as “an opportunity to own a piece of cold-war military history and the ultimate survivalist retreat, weekend escape, or perhaps an Airbnb.” The silo includes electricity, hot and cold running water, a septic system, and a water purification system. While the price is steep, annual taxes are only $432.
Realtors Polly and Mike Figueroa mention that buyers intrigued by distinctive properties like this former nuclear missile silo have already contacted them.
The sale of the silo coincides with the release of the new film “Oppenheimer” on July 21, 2023. The film, directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, and Matt Damon, centers on theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer’s role in developing the atomic bomb.
Interested in learning more about nuclear artifacts? Well, you’re in luck! Ripley’s has recently purchased a piece of nuclear history!
By Noelle Talmon, contributor for Ripleys.com
EXPLORE THE ODD IN PERSON! Discover hundreds of strange and unusual artifacts and get hands-on with unbelievable interactives when you visit a Ripley’s Odditorium!Ripley Entertainment Inc.'s Blog
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