The Hidden Zoo

Episode 104 - Whaler, Whaler, Wally Gator

Fri, 13 Aug 2021 21:44:23 -0400

Blake is on a movie again, so Don is joined by former co-host Ryan! Back again! Our subject is a Nebraska Lake monster with a very...interesting physiology. Also, trans rights are human rights!

Further Reading

https://history.nebraska.gov/blog/flashback-friday-nebraskas-lake-monster-giganticus-brutervious

https://history.nebraska.gov/blog/chadrons-petrified-man

https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Alkali_Lake_Monster

https://web.archive.org/web/20200821025456/http://magazine.outdoornebraska.gov/2014/04/throwback-thursday-monster/

https://books.google.com/books?id=dqPfdfE1LNkC&pg=PA104&lpg=PA104&dq=John+G.+Maher+hoaxes&source=bl&ots=Vn05jJ_NTs&sig=ACfU3U2kgG3yJTM5-JgMNYi53u0w4_iUcg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjR3NrjranyAhWRKM0KHdi0D6UQ6AF6BAgIEAM#v=onepage&q=John%20G.%20Maher%20hoaxes&f=false

Episode 103 - Get a Rope

Mon, 31 May 2021 07:00:00 -0400

This week, Don convinces Blake to download a bad app called Paranormal Map so he can troll the other users. And he also tells the tale of the Altamaha-ha, a river cryptid from Georgia. Also, violent 90s salsa commercials!

Episode 102: Mammal Teeth

Mon, 26 Apr 2021 22:01:35 -0400

This week, Blake and Don review/ridicule a deeply mediocre cryptid movie: Legendary, starring Dolph Lundgren and some other people. It's free on Amazon Prime video if you, too, want to spent two hours watching a bunch of interchangeable characters chase a humongous lizard.

Also, a quick review of the Hulu documentary Sasquatch!

Episode 101 - Get Your Tribal Band, Graduate, and Go See Creed

Tue, 06 Apr 2021 22:14:54 -0400

This week Blake brings a seriously fascinating cryptid that is in more military history books than it is cryptozoology books, by a wide margin: the Rock Ape. Also, Rambo!

Episode 100 - Nazi Monkey

Mon, 15 Mar 2021 07:00:00 -0400

This week Blake and Don are joined by special guest Garrison Davis (@hungrybowtie on Twitter) of Behind the Bastards and Uprising: A Guide from Portland to discuss a cryptid they have been dancing around since the very beginning of this show. That's right, we're finally giving the full show treatment to that creepy MFer DeLoys' Ape, and hoo boy does it take a turn at about the halfway point.

Also, lots of Star Wars bookending the creepy monkey on a box!

Further Reading

https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidbressan/2016/01/31/de-loys-ape-was-a-well-played-anthropological-fraud/?sh=585a1674d257

https://books.google.com/books?id=R_om6jVeaiAC&pg=PA79#v=onepage&q&f=false

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/tetrapod-zoology/de-loys-8217-ape-and-what-to-do-with-it/

https://bigfootbase.com/blog/geologists-odd-ape-history-de-loys-ape

https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Dey_Loy%27s_Ape

https://allcryptid.fandom.com/wiki/De_Loys%27_Ape

http://historyofgeology.fieldofscience.com/2011/02/de-loys-ape.html

Episode 99 - Too Hot to Handle, Too Cold to Hold

Tue, 09 Mar 2021 23:31:12 -0500

This week Don's research gets away from him, so he runs Blake through another AI Dungeon! Sorry for two so close together, but this one goes whackadoo. We promise you'll like it.

Episode 98 - Bigbury

Mon, 22 Feb 2021 22:46:50 -0500

This week, Blake is back! He tells us a bit about the movie he worked on and then goes into detail about the cadborosaurus, a Canadian sea monster. Also, ficus plants!

Episode 96 - Clearly Sasquatches Should be Power Rangers

Mon, 15 Feb 2021 07:00:00 -0500

This week Don and his friend Cameron play an AI Dungeon that begins with an Albert Ostman-inspired scenario and quickly goes sideways. And violent. And a little psychotic.

Episode 96 - Keep on Basque Truckin'

Mon, 08 Feb 2021 07:00:00 -0500

This week, Don invites his old friend Aaron to guest host and they discuss life, the universe, and Octo-Squatch. Don and Aaron do incredibly cool science shows that teach science while also blowing things up! Find them on http://www.explosionsinc.com. They don't swear this much during a science show, unless you request it.

Also, a short history of the Basque region!

Further Reading

https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Octo-squatch

https://www.cryptopia.us/site/2015/01/octo-squatch-spain/

https://non-aliencreatures.fandom.com/wiki/Octo-Squatch

https://thecreaturecodex.tumblr.com/post/176000643182/octosquatch

Episode 95 - Only the Squatchiest

Mon, 01 Feb 2021 07:00:00 -0500

This week Don and special guest Jeff wax nostalgic about their shared hometown, discuss shitty rust belt economies, and then cover the Ohio Grassman, Ohio's very own sasquatch. Also, Bruce Springsteen!

Episode 94 - Mansion, Nunnery, Prison, Asylum

Mon, 25 Jan 2021 07:00:00 -0500

This week Don and special guest host Sean (Blake is still shooting a movie) discuss Star Wars (of course) and then dig into the wonderful world of the Michigan Melonheads. Also, the death of Wolverine!

Episode 93 - Butter Beast's Big Beautiful Bodacious Bubble Butt

Mon, 11 Jan 2021 22:27:17 -0500

This week, Don tells Blake all about a beast from Kentucky, the Beast of the Land Between the Lakes! It's very silly. Also, Blake has a big Hollywood job!

Episode 92 - Amy Good Gorilla

Tue, 08 Dec 2020 22:11:36 -0500

We are back after a bit of a hiatus to learn about the agog we, an African cryptid, but mostly we talk about great ape language and cognition and the 1995 cinema classic Congo. Also, corvids!

Episode 91 - Half Man, Half Goat, Half Man

Mon, 02 Nov 2020 22:51:24 -0500

This week we talk about the new season of The Mandalorian (of course)! Then a quick DC-area cryptid, and then Blake navigates the Amazon looking for DeLoy's Ape in another AI Dungeon! It gets sexy, then it just gets weird.

Episode 90 - Stalin's Yetis by Arthur Dyatlov, Winner of the Caldecot Medal

Mon, 26 Oct 2020 20:36:52 -0400

It's time for another Halloween special! in 2018 we told you about cryptids that legitimately creeped us out, and this year we do the same! Kind of! Really, they're more cryptid-adjacent. Also, Tomb Raider!

Episode 89 - Your Time Life Operator

Wed, 14 Oct 2020 22:08:28 -0400

This week Blake has been digging through his collection of Time Life hardbacks...And he found the one about cryptids! We meander through the pages of a classic cryptozoology book. Also, we try to make a Will Smith rap about Jaws!

Episode 88 - Randy Sparxxxxxx

Tue, 29 Sep 2020 23:10:14 -0400

This week, Don tells Blake the tale of the Tennessee Wildman! Which turns out to not be much of a tale, but man does the one guy who claims to have seen it have a pathetic paranormal research group. Also, labor uprisings!

Episode 87 - Budget Reynolds

Mon, 14 Sep 2020 21:45:32 -0400

This week we discuss a phenomenal bigfoot horror movie called Night of the Demon! It's available on Prime Video, it has lots of cheap blood and mayhem, some nudity, rampant breaking and entering by Bigfoot hunters, and all sorts of other insanity. Watch it! Watch it now! Also, bulbous organic alien spaceships!

Episode 86 - Dutch Angles

Mon, 31 Aug 2020 07:00:00 -0400

This week we review a very bad movie that you can watch on Amazon Prime Video this very moment: Rise of the Chupacabras! Strap in, kids, cause it ain't good.

Episode 85 - Deli 5

Mon, 24 Aug 2020 22:30:46 -0400

This week Blake tells Don about the Monkey Man of Delhi, and we speculate about generational naming conventions in the Star Wars universe. Also, an accidentally racist Wolverine comic!

Episode 84 - Cryptid Fanfic: The Legendary Journeys

Mon, 10 Aug 2020 07:00:00 -0400

This week we are proud to present our second virtual Gen Con 2020 panel, in which we stage dramatic readings of cryptid erotica! The show is always tagged explicit, but this one is ESPECIALLY explicit. Thanks to guests Denise, Jon, and Tom.

Episode 83 - Mythical Monsters and Folktale Fauna Live at Virtual Gen Con 2020

Mon, 03 Aug 2020 07:00:00 -0400

This week we are coming to you with a recording of the Facebook lifestream we did for Gen Con 2020! It's a survey of why we think cryptozoology is silly and some of the silliest cryptids we've covered in the years we've been doing this show. Blake and Don are joined by friends of the show Denise, Jon, Josh, and Tom.

Episode 82 - Monghost

Mon, 27 Jul 2020 21:47:03 -0400

This week Blake and Don are back to their old tricks, with the story of Gef the talking mongoose from the Isle of Man. Also, and update from the Centre of Excellence!

Episode 81 - Hitler Zombies?

Mon, 13 Jul 2020 22:12:20 -0400

Blake is back! As promised, it's time for a Blake-centric AI Dungeon, and he's on a mission from Bigfoot in...TEAM BARF TEAM ACTIVATE!

Episode 80 - Murder, Mystery, and Mothmen

Mon, 06 Jul 2020 06:00:00 -0400

This week Blake is out of town, so Don got his blessing to invite his friend Julia to guest on the show, and he takes her on a wild ride through our old friend AI Dungeon! She and Mothman have a surprisingly compelling adventure!

Episode 79 - Bigfoot: Alien Ghost?

Mon, 15 Jun 2020 06:00:00 -0400

This week Blake and Don are joined by returning guests Tom and John to discuss the Amazon Prime documentary "The Bigfoot Alien Connection Reveled." It is somehow more ridiculous than it sounds. Also, updates from Don's cryptozoology class!

Episode 78 - Stop Strumming Your Bass, Danny

Tue, 02 Jun 2020 21:48:41 -0400

This week Blake and Don tear the hell out of the 2012 Asylum Films production "Bigfoot," starring Danny Bonaduce. Also, updates from the Centre for Excellence!

Episode 77: P is for Pants

Mon, 25 May 2020 21:33:27 -0400

This week Blake and Don are joined by returning guest Denise to discuss the Fresno Nightcrawler, the world's creepiest pair of pants! Also, Don signs up for an online course in cryptozoology!

Episode 76 - Spocamel

Mon, 18 May 2020 21:29:06 -0400

This week Blake and Don offer a lake monster double feature with Ogopogo and Igopogo, Canadian lake monster with silly names. Also, they invent a small town cryptid for Spokane and discuss Star Wars blasters.

Episode 75 - Ducktales, A-Woo-Hoo

Mon, 11 May 2020 22:37:05 -0400

This week, Don and Blake discuss a couple of cryptic-adjacent weird stories: the disappearance of the USS Cyclops and Indrid Cold. Also, the dark, racist history of Duckburg!

Episode 74 - All The Squatch News You Can Use

Mon, 27 Apr 2020 22:42:11 -0400

This week Blake and Don are joined by their friend Alexe, last heard telling us about the Grootslang, and they surprise her with silly Bigfoot news. Also, weird stuff from Catholic school!

Episode 73 - 5/5 Sasquatches

Mon, 20 Apr 2020 22:15:07 -0400

This week Blake and Don give a full SPOILERiffic review of Max Brooks' upcoming sasquatch-centric novel "Devolution." SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS!

Also, jobs we had as kids and weird crimes!

Episode 72 - Peepers

Mon, 06 Apr 2020 21:34:34 -0400

This week Don brings Blake the tale of the Albatwitch, a Pennsylvania cryptid that likes to steal apples. Also, history!

Episode 71 - Butt Cameras

Mon, 30 Mar 2020 06:00:00 -0400

This week, we dig into SPOILERS for Tiger King because we just can't stop talking about it, and then we cover three more fake diseases in another Pandemic Special! Do you hate windmills and love having your bones cracked? Then this episode is not for you!

Episode 70 - Bawitaba

Mon, 23 Mar 2020 22:35:55 -0400

This week we spend a whole lot of time discussing Tiger King and laughing our asses off about it. Then we do a Pandemic Special: diseases that people think exist but really don't. Skin fibers!

Episode 69.5 - Yowie on Ice

Mon, 02 Mar 2020 06:00:00 -0500

This week, in the back half of our epic two-parter, we finish off the list of the 69 sexiest cryptids! Also, we get confused about sorftcore erotic manga!

Episode 69 - Dudes!

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 06:00:00 -0500

It is our long-awaited 69th episode spectacular, coming to you in two parts! In part one, Blake gives us a spoiler-free review of an upcoming Max Brooks novel about squatches, and we cover the first half of our list of the 69 sexiest cryptids known to mankind.

Episode 68 - Squatchnapped

Mon, 03 Feb 2020 06:00:00 -0500

This week Don tells Blake the story of Albert Ostman, who claimed, in 1957, to have been kidnapped by sasquatches in British Columbia in 1924. We hear his own words, because it was just easier than summarizing them. Plus we get to hear his odd fascination with assigning the squatches clothing measurements.

Episode 67 - I'm Not Gonna Say It's Yetis, But It's Yetis

Mon, 27 Jan 2020 06:00:00 -0500

This week Blake and Don discuss the strange lack of mysterious disappearances attributed to cryptids after learning that some weirdos think the Dyatlov Pass incident was all Yetis. Then we have a lightning round of which cryptid caused which mysterious disappearance!

Episode 66 - This One Weird Trick Will Make You An Owlman - Cryptids Hate It!

Mon, 20 Jan 2020 06:00:00 -0500

This week Blake takes in the story of the Owlman, a beast from Cornwall whose story is inextricable from that of Tony "Doc" Shiels, a magician/artist/cryptozoologist/probable charlatan/guy who hangs out with naked witches. Also, CATS!

Further Reading
Owlman Pictures
Thought Catalog - 12 Facts About Owlman
Fortean Wiki - Owlman
Crytpid Wiki - Owlman
Magonia Magazine - Monstrous Tales

Episode 65 - Bigfoot Justice

Mon, 13 Jan 2020 06:00:00 -0500

This week Don makes up for his lack of a real animal in the Elephant Humanoid episode, and then he takes Blake on a neural network generated adventure courtesy of AI Dungeon! Blake has to hunt down Bigfoot and bring him to justice, with help from an ornery AI dungeon master.

Check out AI Dungeon! https://www.aidungeon.io/

Episode 64 - Jizz Wailin'

Mon, 23 Dec 2019 06:00:00 -0500

This week Don covers the Elephant Humanoid, which is, surprisingly, not actually exactly what it sounds like. And, of course, we talk about Star Wars, but we also go off on tangents about DB Cooper and Ghostbusters!

Further Reading
CryptidWiki - Elephant Humanoid
Mysterious Universe - The Strange Elephant Humanoids of Australia

Episode 63 - Orang Batman

Mon, 16 Dec 2019 22:07:19 -0500

This week Blake tells us about the Orang Bati, a giant bat cryptid from Indonesia, who is somehow distinct from the Ahool, another giant bat cryptid from Indonesia. Also, more Star Wars and a survey of New Zealand Cryptids!

Episode 62 - Hair Breadth Escapes of Railroad Employees and Passengers

Mon, 02 Dec 2019 06:00:00 -0500

This week Don tells Blake the tale of the Crawfordsville Monster, which is, believe it or not, a monster from Crawfordsville, Indiana. It was only seen once before, but has the distinction of being the first cryptid we have covered with official D20 system stats. Also, Star Wars!

Further Reading
Hoosier State Chronicles - The Crawfordsville Monster
Anomalies -1891, September 5: The Crawfordsville Monster
The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 10 September, 1891
Indianapolis Journal, 7 September 1891
The Crawfordsville Monster's official D20 Modern stats

Episode 61 - Go Fouke Yourself

Mon, 18 Nov 2019 06:00:00 -0500

This week Blake regales us with the tale of the Fouke Monster, source of the Boggy Creek film series. Also, The Mandalorian. SPOILERS!

The video we talk about up top:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stISzPngwh4&feature=emb_logo

Episode 60 - Bigfoot Conference Roundup

Tue, 05 Nov 2019 06:00:00 -0500

This week we are back with a double dose of Bigfoot conferences! We have special guest Emma, who happened to attend the Arkansas Paranormal Conference the week before Don attended the Bigfoot Toledo and Paranormal Conference. We cover them both, and have a lot to say about a speaker who talked at both of them while wearing a weird hat. Also, Epstein didn't kill himself. Bigfoot did it.

Episode 59 - Impossible Burger

Mon, 30 Sep 2019 07:00:00 -0400

This week we're back in the saddle with a cryptid. A ghostly cryptid. It's from New Jersey, and it's just plain silly...And also possibly real.

Episode 58 - Space Mummies

Mon, 23 Sep 2019 07:00:00 -0400

We are back! Don and Blake return after a long hiatus to cover some life stories and bigfoot news that they missed. Topics include the FBI, Bigfoot in North Carolina, Skunk Ape III, and Bigfoot conferences. Also, Sindey Poitier! He is still alive!

Episode 57 - Always a King or Queen in Narnia: Garden Hermit's Greatest Hits

Mon, 22 Jul 2019 07:00:00 -0400

This week we tackle the yeti and learn all about how bumbles bounce and Jimmy Stewart's side hustle as a cryptid smuggler. Also, we invent a C.S. Lewis-based prog rock band while exploring weird European traditions.

Episode 56 - Two-Stroke Terror

Mon, 15 Jul 2019 07:00:00 -0400

This week Don tells Blake about the batsquatch, which is exactly what it sounds like. Somehow we completely miss the opportunity to talk yet more about Bigfoot Nixon Batman. Also, car repair!

Episode 55 - The Man Who Killed Don Quixote and Hitler and The Bigfoot but Mostly Just Hitler And the Bigfoot (A Film Review)

Mon, 03 Jun 2019 07:00:00 -0400

This week we recap the vacation we went on together, including a tale of an extraordinarily dumb man. We then give a review of The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot, which was weird. Next episode whenever we have time, as Blake is working on a movie in Seattle. Woohoo!

Episode 54 - To The Footmobile!

Mon, 29 Apr 2019 07:00:00 -0400

This week Don is on vacation in Alaska, so once again we gift you with a blast from the past. This is Shortcast episode 50, a weekly followup to Spocast, and in this episode we further expanded the idea of Bigfoot Nixon we had just invented to include Bigfoot Nixon Batman. Come, old chum, and listen to us 6 years younger!

Episode 53 - Bigfoot Nixon: Origins

Mon, 22 Apr 2019 07:00:00 -0400

Blake is at Sakuracon in Seattle this weekend, so we have dug into the archives of our friendship to gift you with a taste of the past. In 2013, Don guest-hosted Blake's podcast Spocast when the regular co-host Russel was indisposed. Spocast gave birth to one of our favorite characters: Bigfoot Nixon! This week, you will listen to us talk about the "Cum for Bigfoot" series of ebooks, the Australian Drop Bear, and just how in the hell Bigfoot and Nixon become combined in our minds. Enjoy!

Episode 52 - CATS

Mon, 08 Apr 2019 07:00:00 -0400

This week the topic is anomalous big cats, specifically the beasts spotted (and occasionally actually caught) around Great Britain. Also, an old-timey Cockney circus and the further adventures of BARF Team!

Episode 51 - Laserdactyl

Mon, 01 Apr 2019 07:00:00 -0400

This week the guys discuss Iowa cryptic the Van Meter Visitor, a creature that's way more f'ing metal than its name lets on. Then we get a little socially conscious and try to raise awareness of a devastating plague on North American bat populations. Also, Pure Moods!

Further Reading
CryptidWiki - The Van Meter Visitor
The Des Moines Register - Van Meter remembers 1903 visit from winged monster
The Daily Mail - The unsolved mystery of the Van Meter Visitor
Mysterious Universe - The Bizarre Case of the Van Meter Visitor
CryptoMundo - The Van Meter Visitor
KDAT - The ancient winged creature that terrorized Van Meter Iowa in 1903
The Van Meter Visitor Festival Facebook page
White-Nose Syndrome Response Team

Episode 50 -Turtles in Time

Mon, 18 Mar 2019 07:00:00 -0400

This week our special guest Jess makes our 50th episode extra special with the absolutely wonderful tale of the Kappa all the way from Nippon. They have water in the tops of their heads, their limbs detach, and they really, really want your shirikodama. Strap in, kids, cause this one gets weird.

Episode 49 - Phil McKraken

Tue, 12 Mar 2019 20:42:24 -0400

This week Blake, Don, and special guest Jess discuss the true fake history of the mythical kraken. Also, Fremen with a pot grow op!

Episode 48 - Pigfoot

Mon, 04 Mar 2019 06:00:00 -0500

This week we are off to Merrie Olde Englande to ridicule the Pig-Man of Cannock Chase and the Brit who has made the Pig-Man his life's mission.

Further Reading
Spooky Isles - The Pig-Man Roams Cannock Chase
The referenced Pig-Man photo
CryptidWiki - The Pig-Man of Cannock Chase
Birmingham Live - Pig-man of Cannock Chase? It's the Army telling porkies!
Cryptozoology News - The legend of the Pig-Man in Cannock Chase
Lee Brickley's Pig-Man blog

Episode 47 - Team B.A.R.F. Team Activate!

Mon, 25 Feb 2019 06:00:00 -0500

This week we bring you a bigfoot news item from America as interpreted by an Asian independent news source, a short update on the Hastings, NE bigfoot conference, and GIANT SALAMANDERS! Also, we discuss the prospects of hunting bigfoot with Jason Momoa, Chris Hemsworth, and The Rock.

Episode 46 - Bigfoot: Crossroads of America

Mon, 11 Feb 2019 06:00:00 -0500

This week Don and Blake get real excited to maybe go to the Hastings, Nebraska Bigfoot Conference in 2019, because this year's catalogue sounds so freakin' sweet. Then Don tells the bizarre tale of Ape Canyon. You know, from the theme song.

Further Reading
The Oregonian's July 13th, 1924 coverage (scroll down the page a bit)
The Oregonian's July 16th, 1924 coverage (with a link to their July 17th followup)
Fred Beck - I Fought the Apemen of Mount St. Helens, WA
Ape Canyon "excavation"

Episode 45 - Lumber Cruisin'

Mon, 28 Jan 2019 06:00:00 -0500

This week special guest Alex gives us a cryptid from the town of her birth, Rhinelander, Wisconsin: it's the Hodag! Yes, we know it's a hoax. Also, Paul Bunyan gets it on.

Further Reading
https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS1628
http://www.lumberwoods.com/hodag1.htm
http://www.lumberwoods.com/pg29.htm
https://curbarchive.journalism.wisc.edu/2004/Leisure/Articles/hodagprint.htm
https://www.milwaukeemag.com/what-is-a-hodag/
https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/11962
https://www.flickr.com/photos/41960506@N02/4085007941/in/photostream/
http://explorerhinelander.com/what-is-the-hodag/ https://www.pbs.org/video/in-wisconsin-hodag-history/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/komodo-dragon-blood-might-save-human-lives-getting-it-isnt-easy/2017/10/06/5d6506cc-7d27-11e7-83c7-5bd5460f0d7e_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.6ad3c3574a8f
https://www.livescience.com/9460-female-komodo-dragon-virgin-births.html

Episode 44 - Rainbow Poop

Mon, 21 Jan 2019 06:00:00 -0500

This week our special guest Spall tells us about the history of the unicorn. It has a very fucking metal Zoroastrian variant (seen in this episode's cover art). He also gives us a list of incontrovertible unicorn facts provided by his daughter.

Episode 43 - Tasty Sea Meats

Mon, 14 Jan 2019 17:32:24 -0500

This week our topic is Steller's Sea Ape, a curious creature only really sighted one time by one guy who may have been screwing around in a most excellent way.

Episode 42 - Ace of Spades

Mon, 07 Jan 2019 09:20:05 -0500

This week Blake, Don, and special guest Spall discover the magic of Bessie/Lemmy, the monster of Lake Erie, whose modern resurgence is curiously correlated with the opening of Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio.

Further Reading
Cryptid Wiki - Bessie
Rock the Lake -The myth of Bessie, the Lake Erie monster: Remember When
Ozy - The mysterious lake monster you've never heard of
Paranormal Papers - Bessie

Episode 41 - Almas Babies, They Make Your Dreams Come True

Mon, 31 Dec 2018 06:00:00 -0500

Blake takes the reins this week and tells us all about the Almas, one of the many purported ape-men of Asia, including a tale of one who was apparently captured and had multiple children with a human man.

Happy New Year, and may New Years Kevin leave only the finest old toothbrush in your sack! And check out the sneurat archive at Mythical Beast Wars!

Episode 40 - Fly High

Mon, 24 Dec 2018 06:00:00 -0500

Special guest Denise gives us a special Christmas-themed episode as we examine the scientific and anthropological plausibility of a very famous Christmas Chreature. Also chihuahuas!

Further Reading
Gizmodo - Can Santa Claus exist according to the laws of physics?
LiveScience - Magic Mushrooms May Explain Santa & His 'Flying' Reindeer
Mental Floss - Why Did NORAD Start Tracking Santa?
The dodo - Yes, These 'Vampire Deer' With Fangs Really Exist

Episode 39 - No Visible Reproductive Organs

Mon, 17 Dec 2018 06:00:00 -0500

This week Don tells Blake and returning guest Denise about the Beast of Bray Road and just how...Mmm...Sexy it is.

You know it. Don't lie.

Further Reading
CryptidWiki - The Beast of Bray Road
The Walworth County Week archive
Linda Godfrey's Leprechaun cartoon
Linda Godfrey's original 1991 article
Linda Godfrey's official website
The 1987 sighting of the sexy beast
The Elkhorn Chamber of Commerce

Episode 38 - Uma Thurmaid

Mon, 10 Dec 2018 06:00:00 -0500

This week Blake gets the order wrong and tells us about his real animal first because he's just so excited about it. But after that we learn about the history and heritage of mermaids, and then discuss why Quentin Tarantino would be the worst person to make a live-action Little Mermaid movie. And it's not just because nobody needs to hear Sebastian say the n-word.

Episode 37 - GHWB's Revenge

Mon, 03 Dec 2018 06:00:00 -0500

This week it's no more Bigfoot and no more politics. We're back to New Jersey as Don covers Mantis Man! ALSO: Politicians vs. Kaiju, more damn circuses, and an accidental stab at topicality discussing Neil DeGrasse Tyson's creepery!

Further Reading

Mantis Man on CryptidWiki
Mantis Man sighting on the M'cong... this is no joke - HackettstownLIFE
Praying Mantis Humanoid Encounter - Greenville, SC - Phantoms and Monsters
Tall 'Mantis' Guardian Angels? - Phantoms and Monsters
Humanoid Sighting Reports Archive: Insectoids - Phantoms and Monsters
Proof that a small-time circus passed through Hackettstown in 1955

Episode 36: Post-Election Bigfoot Analysis

Mon, 19 Nov 2018 06:00:00 -0500

It's time for a super-sized election follow-up! Blake and Dona re joined by friend of the show Jon to discuss four people with ties to Bigfoot and how they fared in the 2018. We also discuss some weird patents found during the search for acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker's "Masculine Toilet" at the US Patent Office. Are you a man whose junk is too big for a standard toilet? Well, on this episode of The Hidden Zoo, we present you with a multitude of patented solutions!

The Hidden Zoo Episode 35 - Teeners

Mon, 12 Nov 2018 06:00:00 -0500

It's the Dover Demon this week, as Don regales Blake with the story of a weird thing that 3 teenagers saw 40 years ago! Also, we pitch a show about a crashed German circus zeppelin!

Further Reading
Dover Demon - CryptidWiki
http://cryptidz.wikia.com/wiki/Dover_Demon
Decades Later, the Dover Demon Still Haunts - Boston Globe
http://archive.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/10/29/decades_later_the_dover_demon_still_haunts/
12 Creepy Facts About the Dover Demon - Thought Catalog
https://thoughtcatalog.com/christine-stockton/2018/07/dover-demon/
The Mystery of the Dover Demon - Exemplore
https://exemplore.com/cryptids/The-Mystery-of-the-Dover-Demon
The Dover Demon - Singular Fortean Society
https://www.singularfortean.com/singularjournal/2017/11/13/the-dover-demon
Teeners report ‘creature’ - Bangor Daily News, May 16th 1977
https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2457&dat=19770516&id=6g00AAAAIBAJ&sjid=qCMIAAAAIBAJ&pg=1296,52869

Episode 34 - Bigfoot: Blood Trap: Bigfoot For School Board: A True Story

Mon, 05 Nov 2018 06:00:00 -0500

You read that overly long title correctly: we're talking about a school board race. In New Jersey, a man named Edward X. Young is running for school board. He is also the star of a low budget horror movie where bigfoot rapes and murders people and impregnates a lady! Cool! Learn all about it in this week's episode, and also Smashmouth and ICP's beef with Fred Durst!

Further Reading
The 'sex with Bigfoot' movie starring an N.J. school board candidate is even worse than it sounds - NJ.com
https://www.nj.com/expo/news/erry-2018/11/33578cc1ab8779/the-sex-with-bigfoot-movie-sta.html
Shaggy 2 Dope attempting to dropkick Fred Durst
https://youtu.be/NpNIA-iYF4g
The Bigfoot: Blood Trap trailer
https://vimeo.com/223721131

Episode 33 - Creepy Cryptids

Mon, 29 Oct 2018 07:00:00 -0400

It's time for a special Halloween episode! Don tells Blake why the Grey Man of Ben MacDhui creeps him out so much, and it has something to do with sleep paralysis. Then Blake talks about a creepy immortal Russian Slenderman. We spice things up by making fun of ghost hunting shows and pitch yet another TV show: Ghostsquatch!

Episode 32 - The Great Pterosaur Hunt of 1862

Mon, 15 Oct 2018 07:00:00 -0400

People have been claiming to see pterosaurs in the skies for decades, and white people have been conflating pterosaur sightings with Native American Thunderbirds for almost as long. This week Blake takes us on a journey through the world's various large prehistoric bird things, and we decide what type of hoax we would do if we ever did a hoax.

Episode 31 - Down-Home Cryptid BBQ

Mon, 08 Oct 2018 07:00:00 -0400

This week Don tells Blake about Raystown Ray, a lake monster that lives in a man-made lake! How did he get there? Where does he hide? Why does the Visitors' Bureau care so much? All this and our painful half-recollections of the Problem Child franchise.

Further Reading
The Huntingdon County Visitors' Bureau 2006 Press Release (scroll down)
http://www.raystownray.com/index.asp?section=Home
List of Raystown Ray sightings
http://www.raystownray.com/index.asp?section=Sightings
CryptidWiki - Raystown Ray
http://cryptidz.wikia.com/wiki/Raystown_Ray
CryptoMundo - How did Raystown Ray Get in the Lake?
https://cryptomundo.com/bigfoot-report/how-did-raystown-ray-get-in-the-lake/
Ray's theme song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCo_SR6Vg4M
Scientific American - Why the Long Neck?
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/laelaps/why-the-long-neck/
Pic of long-neck Ray
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/cryptidz/images/8/8c/Raystown_ray.png/revision/latest?cb=20140518021724
Pic of nothing claimed to be Ray
http://www.raystownray.com/raystownray/images/RAY0.jpg
Pic of the black swallower
http://r.ddmcdn.com/s_f/o_1/DSC/uploads/2015/12/blackswalloer-banner-1223.jpg

Episode 30 - Lumpers and Splitters

Mon, 01 Oct 2018 07:00:00 -0400

This week Blake digs into the past for what turns out to be the first cryptid for both him and Don: Mokele Mbembe, a still extant dinosaur supposedly roaming the Congo. Also we talk about paleontology, thagomizers, and the 90s sitcom "Dinosaurs."

Here's a link to the painting by Peter Paul Rubens we talk a bit about.
http://www.peterpaulrubens.net/images/gallery/the-hippopotamus-and-crocodile-hunt.jpghttp://www.peterpaulrubens.net/images/gallery/the-hippopotamus-and-crocodile-hunt.jpg

Episode 29 - Possibly The Dumbest One Yet

Mon, 24 Sep 2018 07:00:00 -0400

This week Blake and Don discuss the recent court case lost by Bigfoot hunter Todd Standing and Don introduces Blake to the terrible Sheepsquatch, which is pretty much as dumb as it sounds. Also, we decide to pitch a cryptid anime to Netflix.

Further Reading

Cryptidwiki - Sheepsquatch
http://cryptidz.wikia.com/wiki/Sheepsquatch
Cryptidwiki - White Things
http://cryptidz.wikia.com/wiki/White_Things_(Devil_Dogs)
Cryptoville - Wicked, White and Toothy
http://visitcryptoville.com/2013/06/10/wicked-white-toothy-mysterious-beasts-of-west-virginia/
Cryptopia - Sheepsquatch
http://www.cryptopia.us/site/2011/07/sheep-squatch-virginia-west-virgina-usa/
Mysterious Universe: Beware the Sheepsquatch
https://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/02/beware-the-sheepsquatch-and-other-truly-bizarre-mystery-monsters/
The Singular Fortean Society - Sheepsquatch
https://www.singularfortean.com/singularjournal/2018/2/17/sheepsquatch
The Mountain Monsters clip we used
https://www.destinationamerica.com/tv-shows/mountain-monsters/videos/appalachian-hunter-has-video-evidence-of-the-sheepsquatchs-existence

Episode 28 - Mean Bigfoot

Mon, 17 Sep 2018 07:00:00 -0400

This week Blake's up and he brings the Yowie, hunted by a fabulous fellow in a wonderful hat who had a cameo in our Bunyip episode: Tim the Yowie Man! Don and special guest Denise also discuss anime porn and Japanese WWII holdouts.

Pictures!

The Yowie lookin' like a DnD Monster Manual Garfield
http://lach-land.blogspot.com/2010/11/australian-yowie.html

The Yowie lookin' like a Gary Gygax DnD Monster Manual sad vampire sasquatch
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/villains/images/6/6c/Yowie.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/304?cb=20180614193304

Episode 27 - Down On The Bayou

Mon, 10 Sep 2018 07:00:00 -0400

Don takes the reins this week to tell the tale of the Honey Island Swamp monster, a weird bigfoot-like cryptid from Louisiana, except it's also a reptile?

Don and Blake are joined by special guest Denise, who is surprised by how easily we can start talking about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Further Reading

The Honey Island Swamp Monster on CryptidWiki
http://cryptidz.wikia.com/wiki/Honey_Island_Swamp_Monster

Joe Nickell's Take in Skeptical Inquirer
https://www.csicop.org/si/show/tracking_the_swamp_monsters

The Honey Island Swamp Monster: Bayou Bigfoot
https://exemplore.com/cryptids/The-Honey-Island-Swamp-Monster-Bayou-Bigfoot

Dana Holyfield's official website
https://swampmonster.weebly.com/

A Bizarre Tripod page that talks about MK Davis
http://jmichaelms.tripod.com/HIS/

The Ted Williams video (direct download)
http://jmichaelms.tripod.com/HIS/ted.mpg

The Guardian on the nutria
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/oct/31/louisiana-swamp-rat-hunters-rodents-of-unusual-size

Episode 26 - Canadian O-Face

Mon, 03 Sep 2018 07:00:00 -0400

This week, the boys sit back and listen as their special guest Eib tells tale tales about the Bunyip, a fearsome something-or-other from the Australian outback. Complete with very strange sound effects!

Listen past the outro music for some bonus content!

Further Reading
The Bunyip at Cryptid Wiki
William Buckley
Scaly giant ground sloth Bunyip stamp
Devil Bunyip stamp
Dildo horns Bunyip stamp
In Search of The Bunyip documentary
The Bunyip music video
Tim The Yowie Man hunts the Bunyip (sound effects at about 5:00 and about 12:10)

Episode 25 - Chimp Face Lady

Mon, 27 Aug 2018 07:00:00 -0400

This week Don and special guest Eib learn a bit about the Orang Pendek from Indonesia, and Blake tells us about his love for the Jason Statham vehicle Crank 2.

Episode 24 - The Dark Carnival

Mon, 20 Aug 2018 07:00:00 -0400

This week Don and Blake are joined by Don's hetero-lifemate Eib, and Don tells the story of the Pope Lick Monster, one of the few cryptids with a confirmed body count.

Further Reading
Local "slow news day" coverage
Coverage of the 2016 death on the Pope Lick trestle
Ol' PopeLicky at Cryptid Wiki
Some coverage with the best version of the Evil Circus origin story
Ol' PopeLicky and another goatman

And finally...

The Legend of the Pope Lick Monster on Amazon Prime! Free for nothing!

Episode 23 - The Wonder Hole

Mon, 13 Aug 2018 07:00:00 -0400

This week Blake, Don, and special guest Alexe go over the bizarre story of the half-elephant, half-snake Grooslang and its future as a beloved muppet.

Further Reading
The Grootslang: Guardian of Treasure
Grootslang on Cryptidwiki
Lots of awesome Grootslang art
The amazing magical Grootslang ring

Sweet Pictures

Episode 22 - #BigfootErotica

Mon, 06 Aug 2018 07:00:00 -0400

This week Blake and Don clear their schedules to discuss the most pressing issue of the upcoming midterm elections: Virginia 5th Congressional District candidate Denver Riggleman and his love of Bigfoot's wiener.

Further Reading
CNN's coverage
Gizmodo's later coverage
The video from which we quote extensively

Episode 21 - Enigma

Mon, 23 Jul 2018 07:00:00 -0400

This week Blake and Don look at a very specific category of cryptic sightings that surprisingly has more than 1 sighting in it: German U-boat encounters with sea monsters! And Blake tells us all about his real animal: World War II itself.

Episode 20 - Pineys

Mon, 16 Jul 2018 07:00:00 -0400

This week Don covers the New Jersey Pine Barrens and their most famous resident: The Jersey Devil himself. No, not Kevin Smith. We make that joke in the show.

Further Reading:
The Kallikak Family graphic mentioned in the show
The Kallikak Family (Wikipedia)
The silly goat sighting video
Pine Barrens Ghost Towns
The 13th Child
Weird NJ: The Jersey Devil
The Jersey Devil on Cryptid Wiki

Episode 19 - Crypto Con

Mon, 09 Jul 2018 07:00:00 -0400

This week the boys take a look at the upcoming International Cryptozoology conference in Portland, Maine. It will presumably be attended by an evil eldritch horror in the guise of a clown, in addition to Dr. Jeff Meldrum.

You can find more information (and register!) here!

Episode 18 - On Wings of Steak

Mon, 02 Jul 2018 07:00:00 -0400

Jon and Tom join us again, and Tom tells us the tale of the Piasa "bird," in all its startling (and sexy) incarnations.

Also: a news update about the Montana mystery canid!

The first picture we talk about is this week's episode image.

Image links:
The one that looks like a tardigrade
The one with a righteous neckbeard
The one that someone has definitely wanked to

Episode 17 - Wienerclaws

Tue, 26 Jun 2018 20:52:29 -0400

This week Ryan and Don are joined by friends of the podcast Jon and Tom. Jon tells us the tale of the Enfield Monster, and we pitch a sweet TV show about its travels.

The picture we make fun of at length is this week's episode image.

Episode 16 - Forbidden Love

Mon, 18 Jun 2018 09:00:00 -0400

This week Blake and Don talk about the TV show that Blake works on and then delve into the seedy world of the Mexican Goat Sucker, El Chupacabra.

Episode 15 - I Love Trash

Mon, 11 Jun 2018 09:00:00 -0400

This week, Don regales Blake with the not-at-all stupid tale of the Flatwoods Monster, AKA "Braxie." It looks real stupid.

Further Reading:
The Flatwoods Monster on Cryptid Wiki
Joe Nickel's Skeptical Inquirer Article
The Flatwoods Monster Museum
The Flatwoods Monster Chairs
Braxton County's Flatwoods Monster Info Page
Roadside America on The Flatwoods Monster
The crazy-ass Flatwoods Monster/UFO/POW-MIA site

Episode 14 - Bail Jumpin' Bigfoot

Sun, 03 Jun 2018 09:00:00 -0400

This week, Don and Ryan (still sans Blake) discuss some recent cryptid news and Ryan tells us the story of HIS real-life run-in with a cryptozoologist, including a dramatic reading of a blog post he wrote in the halcyon days of 2005.

Further Reading:
The Montana dog-thing
The DNA survey for (not) Nessie
The blog post in question
Wienerschnitzel's sweet-ass UFO site
Wienerschnitzel's sweet-ass merch

Episode 13 - Skunk Ape HQ

Mon, 28 May 2018 09:00:00 -0400

This week Blake takes a break to work, like a tool, and Don tells Ryan the story of the time he met Dave Shealy, the world's foremost Skunk Ape researcher.

Further Reading:
The Skunk Ape Headquarters

Episode 12 - Sharknado

Mon, 30 Apr 2018 10:00:00 -0400

This week we learn that those terrible Sharknado movies may be based on a real piece of folklore: the Lusca, said to roam the Blue Holes of the Caribbean and be half shark, half octopus, and all maneater.

Episode 11 - Shadow Puppets

Mon, 23 Apr 2018 10:00:00 -0400

This week's topic is The Surgeon's Photo, the most famous picture of the Loch Ness Monster ever taken. Spoiler alert: it's fake as hell.

For your viewing pleasure:
The Oarfish on River Monsters
The Surgeon's Photo as Normally Seen
The Surgeon's Photo as Originally Taken
The Surgeon's Second Photo

Episode 10 - Eyeshine

Mon, 16 Apr 2018 10:00:00 -0400

This week Don takes the helm with a special treat for Blake. He complained so much about Mothman the last few weeks that this week's topic is...Mothman! Perhaps the dumbest cryptid story of all time! But don't tell that to the residents of Point Pleasant, West Virginia.

Further Reading:
Cryptid Wiki Page
The Mothman Wiki
The Mothman Festival
Contemporary Newspaper Coverage 1
Contemporary Newspaper Coverage 2
Full Text of the Second Major Sighting Coverage
The Mothman Museum

Episode 9 - You're Gonna Need a Bigger Cryptid

Mon, 09 Apr 2018 10:00:00 -0400

This week Blake gives us a handful of cryptids that are, much like the Beast of Busco, animals that are larger than real animals, including a giant spider, a giant snake, and the fearsome megalodon.

Episode 8 - Cuff That Roo Take 2

Mon, 02 Apr 2018 12:03:14 -0400

We done fucked up and posted the wrong audio file as this week's episode. Please forgive us and download this one instead.

Episode 8 - Cuff That Roo

Mon, 02 Apr 2018 10:00:00 -0400

This week we explore a topic that two of us actually have some personal experience with: phantom kangaroos, hopping around towns and cities all over the United States!

Episode 7 - CryptoNuge

Mon, 26 Mar 2018 10:00:00 -0400

This week, we look to Michigan and it's bizarre history of sightings of what could be a werewolf, or could just be a series of large dogs. It's the Michigan Dogman!

Further Reading:
The Dogman Song lyrics
The Dogman Song video
Michigan Dogman Encounters
HuffPo coverage of the Dogman
Skeptoid podcast “Wag the Dogman”
Cryptid Wiki for the Michigan Dogman
Grand Haven Tribune coverage of the Dogman

Episode 6 - Goodbye, Snuffleupagus

Mon, 19 Mar 2018 10:30:00 -0400

This week Blake regales us with a list of globsters throughout history and we make fun of Victorians.

Episode 5 - Heironomous Bob

Mon, 12 Mar 2018 10:30:00 -0400

This week we dissect the world-famous Patterson-Gimlin Bigfoot film and throw in an art history lesson as a bonus!

Episode 4 - Under the Bridge

Mon, 05 Mar 2018 09:30:00 -0500

This week we move east from Indiana to Ohio, to dig for the truth about the magical Frogmen of Loveland, a town of paper mills, gravel pits, and boot factories.

The Bigfoot news we mention right up top.

The video of the Frogman we mention late in the show.

SOURCES:

https://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/hamilton-county/loveland-community/did-pokemon-go-players-encounter-the-legendary-loveland-frogman

https://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/hamilton-county/loveland-community/officer-who-shot-loveland-frogman-in-1972-says-story-is-a-hoax

Episode 3 - Stovepipe Neck

Mon, 26 Feb 2018 09:30:00 -0500

This week we look to the Midwest, and examine the Beast of Busco from Churubusco, Indiana, and we invent an excellent new system of measurement.

Episode 2 - Fast as Fast Can Be

Mon, 19 Feb 2018 19:35:40 -0500

This week we cover the terror of the American Frontier, the mighty Jackalope! We also discuss rabbit herpes and just how uncreative Americans really are.

As mentioned in the show, here is a link to a picture of the unfortunate rabbit disease suspected of creating the idea of jackalopes in the first place. Warning: it's pretty gruesome.

Episode 1 - Silver Bullet Special

Sun, 11 Feb 2018 23:11:47 -0500

This week, in our inaugural outing, we tackle the subject of our podcast's cover art. The dreaded Black Beast of Gevaudan! It totally ravaged France for years in the 1770s, and now we will totally ravage your eardrums talking shit about it.