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The Box of Oddities

The Box of Oddities

Author: Kat & Jethro Gilligan Toth

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The Webby Award-winning “Box of Oddities" is a podcast that delves into the strange and mysterious aspects of our world, exploring topics ranging from bizarre medical conditions to unsolved mysteries, and from paranormal phenomena to strange cultural practices from around the world. With a focus on oddities, curiosities, and the macabre, each episode is a journey into the unknown, where hosts Kat and Jethro Gilligan Toth share their love for unusual stories and inject their humor and commentary. From the strange history of medical practices to chilling true crime stories, to natural (and unnatural) events, "The Box of Oddities" satisfies your thirst for the weird and the unusual, offering an informative and entertaining look into the dark and mysterious corners of our world.

JIMMY KIMMEL, ABC-TV says, "Should you be the type who has an interest in weird stuff, this is a fun thing to allow in your head!" 


“Truth is stranger than fiction, and the Box of Oddities is the strangest of all!” -SLUGGO, SIRIUS XM LITHIUM


“Kat & Jethro wring humor from bizarre, macabre and perplexing places.” -BOSTON MAGAZINE

861 Episodes
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Inbox Of Oddities #66

Inbox Of Oddities #66

2025-12-1232:32

Inbox of Oddities: Holiday Hauntings, Freak Flags & Fiery Volcanoes In this festive Inbox of Oddities, Kat and JG unwrap a sleigh-load of eerie encounters, laugh-out-loud listener mishaps, and heartwarming Freak Fam moments just in time for the holidays. From a funeral home organ that plays itself long after burial (yes, really) to a mysterious roadside prophet who triggers a time-slip radio broadcast in the desert, this episode is packed with true stories that are as strange as they are unforgettable. Listeners share everything from a ghost calmly straightening sheet music hours after her service, to hot-coffee courtroom déjà vu, to the world’s most enthusiastic quilter recommending alien-language movies. We’ve also got community favorites: what your Spotify Wrapped reveals about your listening obsession, how kids describe the hosts’ voices (“nice on my ears”), and how one Freak Fam member accidentally taught her child to shout “butthole water” in a grocery store. You’ll hear about chicken prosthetic arms gifted for the holidays, a listener’s pivotal tip that made its way to the RCMP, and touching tributes to beloved pets who helped their humans through hard times. Plus: live-volcano videos from Hawaii, a cave that stores Gone With the Wind and The Wizard of Oz, and tales of freak flags waving proudly at 11:11. Whether it’s paranormal activity, bizarre coincidences, unlikely emotional support from podcasts, or stories that push Kat to cry and JG to consider wearing a cardigan and pipe on Christmas Eve, this episode celebrates everything weird, wonderful, heartfelt, and Freak-Fam-approved. This Box contains the following ingredients: True paranormal stories, funeral-home ghost encounters, eerie organ music, bizarre coincidences, listener-submitted mysteries, UFO-friendly anecdotes, holiday oddities, emotional pet tributes, viral Spotify Wrapped stats, and heartwarming Freak Fam messages. Perfect for fans of strange phenomena, supernatural stories, weird history, spooky listener emails, and comedy-meets-creepy storytelling. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Season’s Creepings

Season’s Creepings

2025-12-1044:44

On this festive but delightfully off-kilter edition of The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro return from an impromptu cruise with a pocketful of overheard conversations, a temporarily abandoned “walking rock,” and the kind of people-watching moments that make you wonder if Thin Mints are actually the glue holding society together. Then Jethro descends—figuratively—into the chilling depths of Sweden’s historic Falun copper mine to uncover the true story of Fat Mats, the perfectly preserved miner whose body was found in 1719 after vanishing four decades earlier. Why did he look freshly deceased after 40 years? Why were his legs missing? And how did a simple silver coin become a family heirloom that still survives today? Kat follows with a world-tour of wonderfully unsettling holiday traditions: a rhyming duel with a Welsh dead horse named Mari Lwyd, a frog-eating, piggyback-demanding winter demon lurking in the Balkans, and Frau Perchta—an Alpine holiday enforcer who rewards the tidy and industrious while punishing the lazy with… well, creatively aggressive disembowelment. It’s a globe-spanning celebration of strange seasonal folklore, preserved miners, questionable cruise-ship conversations, and precisely the kind of merry madness you’ve come to expect from The Box of Oddities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A buried bone pit filled with dismembered skeletons. Glowing underpants. Flying squirrels that light up like neon signs. Welcome back to The Box of Oddities, where Kat and Jethro dive into the wonderfully disturbing corners of archaeology, biology, and… their own questionable childhood traditions. In this episode, JG uncovers the shocking truth behind Pottery Mound, a quiet rise of earth outside Albuquerque that revealed one of the most unsettling archaeological finds in the Southwest. When excavators cracked open what they assumed was an ordinary pit, they found instead a layered mass of dismembered human remains—meticulously cut, sorted, painted, burned, and arranged over generations. Thanks to modern forensic anthropology, the truth of this centuries-old ritual practice is finally coming into focus. Was it violence? Worship? A conversation with the dead? Jethro explains how new scanning technology has rewritten what we know about Puebloan mortuary traditions. Then Kat swoops in with something equally strange but significantly furrier—bioluminescent animals hiding in plain sight. From glow-in-the-dark fox squirrel bones to flying squirrels that fluoresce bubblegum pink, we explore the weird, luminous world seen only under ultraviolet light. Throw in scorpions, platypuses, sharks, frogs, and one unforgettable pair of glowing Haunted Mansion underpants, and you’ve got yourself classic BOO chaos. Plus:– The gateway dangers of sniffing blueberry-scented markers– Why ancient vending machines dispensed holy water– The mystery of “vomit/popcorn bowls– And the latest inductees into the Order of Freaks If you love unsettling archaeology, strange science, fluorescent wildlife, and the occasional underwear confession, this episode is for you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Inbox Of Oddities #65

Inbox Of Oddities #65

2025-12-0525:04

Inbox of Oddities: When Pigeons Gossip, Alexa Gets Emotional, and Black Ice Attacks In this Inbox of Oddities, the Freak Fam delivers one of the strangest collections of BOO Effects and real-life weirdness yet. A Milwaukee listener befriends a strangely insightful pigeon who may—or may not—be delivering messages from Mom. An Orlando vacationer steps into an Uber only to be ambushed by two Black Ice air fresheners after hearing Kat and Jethro rant about their toxic power... proving the BOO Effect stops for no one, not even on family trips to the Mouse. Then: an Alexa suddenly confesses, “I miss your grandmother,” unprompted. A Rockville festival fanatic discovers she accidentally witnessed the infamous “Brass Against incident” long before hearing it on the show. A listener bingeing hundreds of episodes finds herself unintentionally neighbors with Kat and Jethro. And from corporate dropouts to Dutch cyclists, you’ll hear confessions, synchronicities, strange tech glitches, and enthusiastic fact-checks on Santa, hot coffee lawsuits, Hermetic philosophy, and why TikTok may be the new occult library. Plus—EVPs with Jack the Ripper vibes, mysterious bottle caps, mummified funhouse props, suspicious air fresheners, The Kybalion, and a pair of loyal listeners whose “aureolas are exploding” for reasons we probably shouldn’t ask about. This episode is full of eerie coincidences, hilarious freak-outs, paranormal glitches, and heartfelt Freak Family moments that make the Inbox one of our favorite corners of the BOO universe. This Box Contains The Following Ingredients: Box of Oddities, BOO Effect, paranormal stories, listener submissions, synchronicity, creepy tech moments, Alexa weird response, Black Ice air freshener, pigeon synchronicity, Rockville festival story, EVPs, Hermetic philosophy, The Kybalion, Santa Claus Coca-Cola history, McDonald’s hot coffee case facts, true weird stories, comedy podcasts, Freak Fam. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this unforgettable episode of The Box of Oddities, JG and Kat swing wildly from accidental lizard rescues to one of the most astonishing near-death survival stories in medical history. First, Kat confesses a very unexpected moral crisis involving her patio plants, gnat traps, and several surprisingly curious lizards. Then the pair shift into the gripping true account of radiologist Anna Bågenholm, the Norwegian skier who survived being trapped under the ice for 80 minutes without a heartbeat—and lived to tell the story. Through a cinematic retelling backed by medical reports and firsthand accounts, JG explores how Anna slipped into a freezing mountain stream, found a tiny air pocket, remained conscious for 40 minutes, and later entered deep hypothermic cardiac arrest with a body temperature of 56.7°F… only to be revived hours later by a medical team who refused to give up. Her strange sensations, out-of-body perspective, and quiet detachment blur the line between physiology and the extraordinary. Then it's Kat’s turn with a delightfully bizarre deep-dive into America’s government cheese caves—the multi-million-pound dairy stockpile the U.S. accidentally created, stored in massive underground limestone caverns, and quietly funneled into fast-food menus through a network of embedded “dairy scientists.” From the Reagan-era giveaways to the cheesy innovations of Taco Bell and Domino’s, learn how policy, politics, and processed cheddar shaped American eating habits. Plus: hidden Beatles audio Easter eggs, mysterious backward messages, and the conspiracies that still won’t die. If you love true survival stories, strange government programs, and the gloriously weird overlaps of science, history, and pop culture, this episode hits every craving. This Box Contains The Following Ingredients: Anna Bågenholm, near-death experience, hypothermia survival, trapped under ice, government cheese caves, SubTropolis, Missouri, dairy surplus history, Got Milk campaign, Taco Bell cheese innovations, Beatles backward messages, Paul is dead conspiracy, weird history podcast, Box of Oddities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode of The Box of Oddities, Jethro and Kat dive deep into the mind-bending story of Michel Siffre, the French researcher who willingly descended into total darkness—twice—to learn what happens when humans are cut off from time itself. With no sunlight, no clocks, and no sense of day or night, Siffre’s body drifted into bizarre 30- to 48-hour “days,” entire memories vanished, and even astronauts later admitted they’d felt the same disorienting effects in space. His experiments reshaped our understanding of circadian rhythms, aging, mental endurance, and the mysterious internal clocks that tick inside us all. Then, the show shifts from inner space to inner hauntings with the chilling tale of the Joy Hotel’s haunted electric player piano in Pittsburg, Kansas. This wasn’t your typical whispered-once urban legend—its eerie late-night melodies were documented in the 1930s by the WPA Folklore Project and confirmed by hotel employees who watched its keys move with no power and no player roll turning. Desk clerks, housekeepers, and even the handyman swore they saw it come alive…sometimes humming along…always cheerful at the worst possible moments. A piano that played only when it wanted to—and stopped the moment someone got too close. It’s isolation, time distortion, ghostly ragtime, and the unsettling reminder that the world gets weirdest when nobody’s watching. If you love psychological mysteries, paranormal folklore, and the beautifully bizarre, this one’s a can’t-miss. human circadian rhythm experiment, Michel Siffre cave study, internal clocks, time perception research, astronauts' sleep cycles, haunted player piano, Pittsburg, Kansas ghost stories, Joy Hotel haunting, WPA folklore ghost accounts, paranormal piano story, Box of Oddities episode This Box Contains The following Ingredients: human circadian rhythm experiment, Michel Siffre cave study, internal clocks, time perception research, astronauts' sleep cycles, haunted player piano, Pittsburg, Kansas ghost stories, Joy Hotel haunting, WPA folklore ghost accounts, paranormal piano story, Box of Oddities episode Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The feast continues! Volume 2 of our Thanksgiving Cannibal Special delivers another helping of the most jaw-dropping, unsettling, and weirdly compelling cannibal stories we’ve ever told on The Box of Oddities. In this second collection, Kat and Jethro unwrap: Infamous cannibal crimes that shook entire communities Documented anthropological cases of ritual cannibalism Stranger-than-fiction historical accounts from explorers, shipwreck survivors, and medical archives Bizarre cravings, peculiar diets, and legendary “man-eaters” The unexpected parallels between cannibal folklore and modern psychology This dark, hilarious, and highly bingeable curated special is perfect for listeners who love weird history, true crime oddities, and the most unbelievable stories human behavior has ever produced. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This Thanksgiving, The Box of Oddities serves up the strangest feast imaginable: a curated collection of our wildest, weirdest, and most unbelievable stories involving real cannibals, bizarre survival tales, and historical accounts that are far too dark for the dinner table—but perfect for Freak Family listening. In Volume 1, Kat and Jethro revisit fan-favorite episodes featuring: True stories of cannibalism throughout history Shocking cases of survival cannibalism in the world’s most unforgiving places Macabre cultural lore that blurs the line between myth and horrifying reality Odd historical figures whose appetites landed them in the pages of medical journals The psychology of cannibals and what makes these cases so deeply fascinating Expect dark humor, unbelievable facts, and the signature BOO blend of horror, history, and hilarity. Whether you’re prepping a turkey or hiding from your relatives, this specially curated Thanksgiving collection is the perfect way to indulge in something truly twisted. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this mind-bending episode of The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro dive into two stories that push the boundaries of communication, perception, and the very nature of time itself. First, Jethro unpacks the extraordinary modern effort to build the world’s first dolphin chatbot—a real AI project inspired by a quirky 1960s SETI club called The Order of the Dolphin. From Carl Sagan and Frank Drake’s early theories to Google DeepMind’s modern neural networks decoding dolphin whistles, this segment explores how scientists hope communication with dolphins may become the training wheels for future alien contact. With signature humor and scientific wonder, we explore dolphin intelligence, their complex acoustic “language,” and what the first dolphin-to-human conversation might actually sound like. Then Kat takes us into the freezing darkness of the Scarassin Abyss, where French speleologist Michel Siffre spent 63 days isolated from all clocks, sunlight, and human contact to study how humans perceive time. As his internal world unraveled, Siffre made discoveries that reshaped chronobiology—and revealed how fragile our sense of reality truly is. From hallucinations to distorted time cycles to the stunning moment he emerged believing he still had a month left underground, Kat tells the story in vivid detail with plenty of Oddity-level dread and fascination. Plus: bizarre YouTube ads, Thanksgiving confusion, and a rapid-fire tour of wild historical events—from Einstein’s famous paper to a meteor that turned night into day. It’s science, strangeness, humor, and existential questions—all in one episode.Keep flying that freak flag, you beautiful freak. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this special interview episode of The Box of Oddities, Jethro sits down with acclaimed science journalist Becky Ferreira—author of the new book First Contact: The Story of Our Obsession with Aliens. Together they explore humanity’s oldest question: Are we alone? Ferreira, whose work has appeared in The New York Times, WIRED, Popular Science, MIT Technology Review, and NPR’s Science Friday, guides us through the deep history of alien speculation—from ancient Greek and Roman philosophers to Hopi star-people traditions to the modern UAP debate. Jethro taps into his inner UFO enthusiast as they dive into:• Why ancient cultures believed the sky itself was communicating with them• The earliest “alien life” theories from Christian and Muslim scholars• The Fermi Paradox, Drake Equation, and what science gets wrong about “Where is everybody?”• Water worlds like Europa and Enceladus, and why alien life may be hiding inside dark interior oceans• Whether interdimensional phenomena at places like Skinwalker Ranch could explain UAP encounters• How humans might emotionally—and chaotically—respond if we picked up an alien signal• The surprising ways religion is preparing for extraterrestrial discovery• Whether we’ll make contact in our lifetime… and what form it might take Ferreira’s insights blend cutting-edge astronomy with anthropology, psychology, and the strange human tendency to project our own fears and hopes onto the stars. Equal parts science, myth, and cosmic mystery, this conversation asks why the idea of alien life has been with us since the beginning—and why we can’t stop looking up. Becky Ferreira’s book First Contact is available now in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook wherever books are sold. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What lies beneath the Great Sphinx of Giza—and why does it continue to fuel global obsession? In this episode of The Box of Oddities, Jethro uncovers the strange history, disputed radar scans, ancient legends, and modern controversies surrounding the Sphinx. From Edgar Cayce’s “Hall of Records” prophecy to seismic anomalies beneath the limestone, this deep dive explores why some experts insist it’s just geology while others believe an untouched vault—or even a lost city—still waits beneath those ancient paws. Then, Kat flips the script on the animal kingdom with a celebration of Earth’s rule-breakers—creatures that defy everything we expect from their species. Meet the herbivorous jumping spider, the underwater-breathing diving bell spider, mudskippers that drown in water, axolotls that never grow up, the egg-laying electrified platypus, the “Jesus Christ” lizard that walks on water, the immortal jellyfish, and more. These misfit marvels prove evolution has a wonderfully weird sense of humor. If you love ancient mysteries, bizarre biology, strange science, and the delightfully unexpected, this episode delivers maximum oddity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode of The Box of Oddities, JG resurrects one of America’s strangest carnival legends: the so-called “Mummy of John Wilkes Booth.” What begins with a mysterious deathbed confession unravels into a 60-year sideshow tour involving embalmed drifters, Civil War conspiracy theories, broken limbs, arsenic preservation, and a carnival circuit that cashed in on America’s morbid curiosity. Was the assassin of Abraham Lincoln secretly living under an alias in Texas? Or was his mummified “corpse” just another brilliant piece of ballyhoo? JG digs into eyewitness accounts, bizarre examinations by 1930s physicians, and the odd legacy of Memphis lawyer Finis L. Bates—whose obsession might have created the blueprint for modern macabre tourism. Then, Kat travels to Bern, Switzerland, to explore one of Europe’s most unsettling—and surprisingly misunderstood—public monuments: the 16th-century Kindlifresserbrunnen, the “Child-Eater of Bern.” Is this towering baby-devouring ogre a warning rooted in antisemitism? A Renaissance reinterpretation of the Greek titan Cronus? Or simply a nightmare-inducing way to keep children from misbehaving? Kat dives into competing theories, Renaissance symbolism, and the long, strange history of fear-based folklore carved into stone. Stick around for weird Google search stats, existential cat-judgment queries, and why Icelandair may be your gateway to ogre-themed tourism. It’s history, horror, hilarity, and human oddness—exactly what you come here for. This Box contains the following ingredients: John Wilkes Booth mummy, Finis L. Bates, David E. George, carnival sideshow history, American oddities, Kindlifresserbrunnen, Child-Eater of Bern, Swiss folklore, Cronus statue, Renaissance sculpture, weird history podcast, bizarre monuments, true oddities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Inbox Of Oddities #64

Inbox Of Oddities #64

2025-11-1431:33

This week’s Inbox of Oddities brings a rapid-fire mix of weirdness, heartfelt moments, and full-blown BoO Effects. A listener questions whether Kat’s chicken-arm pistol props make a rooster “half-cocked,” another finds community through the story of activist Brownie Mary, and someone offers a critical PSA about the flavor of gummy anatomy. We get a dream-driven BoO Effect involving an unsolicited testicle donation, a listener who spots cosmic parallels between Robert Temple and The Kybalion, and a powerful message from someone who found comfort in the show on the day her father passed. Plus, a musician shares a chilling paranormal encounter in a Salt Lake City apartment filled with sentient breezes, phantom smells, and one final eerie goodbye. Short, strange, heartfelt, and perfectly Freak Fam. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Donuts for the Dead

Donuts for the Dead

2025-11-1249:57

In this chilling and hilarious episode of The Box of Oddities, Jethro unwraps the eerie legend of Albuquerque’s haunted KiMo Theatre and its resident ghost—a little boy named Bobby whose tragic death in a 1951 boiler explosion left more than scorch marks behind. From phantom footsteps to mysteriously vanishing donuts, discover why local performers never dare take the stage without leaving sweets for Bobby. Then, Kat dives headfirst into one of pop culture’s most persistent conspiracies: Is Elvis Presley really dead? From DEA badges and bathroom mysteries to witness protection plots and alien abduction theories, this deep dive separates fact from fever dream. Join The Box of Oddities for an unforgettable mix of history, hauntings, and hilarity, where the paranormal meets pop culture. This Box contains the following ingredients:KiMo Theatre ghost story, Albuquerque haunted theater, Bobby KiMo ghost, Elvis Presley conspiracy, Elvis is alive theory, haunted theaters, ghost legends, paranormal podcast, The Box of Oddities, Jethro and Kat Tabor, ghost stories, pop culture mysteries, Elvis death theories, weird history podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this mind-bending episode of The Box of Oddities, Jethro dives into Robert Temple’s electrifying theory that the universe might actually be alive—and trying to talk to us. Could plasma—the same substance that fills stars, powers lightning, and glows in neon lights—be a living intelligence? Temple suggests that the mysterious orbs, pillars of fire, and UFO-like lights seen throughout history might all be manifestations of the same cosmic consciousness reaching out across the galaxy. Kat and Jethro explore the parallels between deep-space structures and the human brain, the eerie beauty of ball lightning, and how ancient prophets may have witnessed plasma phenomena long before science had a name for it. Then, Kat switches gears to set fire to your curiosity—literally—by investigating the latest in fire science. From sound-wave extinguishers to DARPA’s plasma-bending experiments, she reveals how modern tech is rethinking the way we fight flames. Plus, we discover what happens when your upstairs neighbor doubles as a weight-lifting thunder god, why Kat owns a crystal vase for questionable reasons, and how chickens got arms for Christmas. This Box contains the following ingredients: Robert Temple, plasma intelligence, ball lightning, crop circles, afterlife physics, intelligent universe, sound-wave fire extinguisher, DARPA fire suppression, Box of Oddities podcast, Kat and Jethro, paranormal science, weird science, cosmic consciousness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Inbox of Oddities #63

Inbox of Oddities #63

2025-11-0731:05

Poltergeist burritos, haunted pants, divine toast, and a skeleton named Orge — it’s another delightfully deranged Inbox of Oddities! From Tucson to Milwaukee, the Freak Family shares spine-tingling tales and wonderfully weird coincidences. One listener’s burrito unrolls itself in a supernatural act of culinary shame, and another’s Alexa picks fights with vintage corduroys. There’s also a toast that channels either Jesus or Kenny Loggins (jury’s still out), battery-free toys that come to life, and a heartwarming letter from a medium who first saw a ghost in bright blue coveralls at age ten. Plus, we learn about Kat’s evolving Chambord cocktails, Brian’s possibly undead venison, and a listener’s lifelong confusion about the Poconos being tropical. It’s proof that the Freak Family never disappoints — from supernatural snacks to spectral fashion choices, this Inbox is packed with laughter, goosebumps, and glorious absurdity. This Box contains the following ingredients: paranormal stories, listener submissions, Box of Oddities podcast, ghost encounters, funny paranormal podcast, spooky listener stories, BOO effect, haunted objects, and weird coincidences. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
DNA Says What Now?!

DNA Says What Now?!

2025-11-0529:31

Want to listen to The Box of Oddities ad-free and early? ⁠Become a patron ⁠by joining The Order of Freaks! Episode 750: The Man Who’s Older Than Time & The Babies Born Without Bits In this mind-bending episode of The Box of Oddities, JG delves into the incredible genetic history of one man whose lineage stretches back further than anyone else alive—revealing what ancient proteins can tell us about humanity’s earliest roots. Meanwhile, Kat explores a strange evolutionary twist: the modern baby body parts that are quietly disappearing! From prehistoric proteins to future humans, this episode connects the oldest of us to the newest in ways that are both hilarious and humbling. This Box contains: Ancient DNA, human evolution, disappearing body parts, vestigial traits, genetic ancestry, proteins, evolution of humans, bizarre science, the box of oddities podcast, Kat and Jethro, weird facts, human adaptation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this darkly fascinating episode of The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro explore the bizarre world of Victorian starvation contests and the tragic tales of the Starving Brides of Blackpool—young women who became public spectacles in a disturbing blend of endurance, showmanship, and societal obsession with purity. Then, Jethro takes us back to 17th-century England for the unsettling trials of Thomas Hogg and George Spencer, where superstition and Puritanical paranoia turned alleged sin into criminal conviction. Were these men victims of early witch-hunt hysteria—or living symbols of a community’s moral panic? Expect laughter in the darkness, uncomfortable truths, and that signature Box of Oddities blend of macabre history, weird culture, and unexpected humor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
🎃 A chilling Box of Oddities Halloween celebration!Kat and Jethro rewind time to revisit the very first Halloween Special, recorded on a dark and stormy Halloween night years ago. In this fright-packed collection of true listener encounters, we dive into some of the most unsettling paranormal moments ever shared by the Freak Family — including ghostly apparitions, haunted highways, Civil War spirits, and the terrifying Grey Lady of Tasmania. 👻 Featured encounters include: A spectral homeowner still roaming the halls after a fatal accident 😨 A “Utah backroad” where vengeful ghosts try to run travelers off the road A haunted Gettysburg field echoing with wagon wheels and marching soldiers San Diego’s notorious Whaley House — footsteps from beyond the grave Tasmania’s Grey Lady — and a night of screams, possession, and rotting-orange phantom stench With creepy first-person recordings, eerie real-life locations, and that signature blend of humor and horror, this is the perfect Halloween audio ritual. Whether you believe in ghosts or not… these stories just might believe in you. Grab your candy, dim the lights, and enjoy this spooky trip down memory lane with Kat and Jethro — and the ghosts who came with them… 👁️👁️ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Box of Oddities: 8th Annual Halloween Special Step into the shadows for our 8th Annual Halloween Special—where the veil thins, the lights flicker, and the stories come straight from you, the Freak Family. This year, listeners share their most chilling real-life encounters: a music box that plays from beyond the grave, a midnight sprint through a haunted cemetery, a towering white figure that defies explanation, a windowless room hiding something unspeakable, and a Tucson hotel room that fights back. From eerie coincidences to full-blown paranormal panic, these tales remind us why October is our favorite time of year—and why some things are better left unexplained. Lock the doors, dim the lights, and prepare for a night of true listener-told horror—because in this episode, you are the Box of Oddities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Comments (2434)

Mrs. Kaety J. West

WHICH 'Cast is THE VERY BEST Podcast?! Why, it's non-other-than The Wonderful Kat (NotToth) & her Dapper Jethro-Gilligan Toth w/ their BOXofODDITIES, Of Course!!!!!!

Nov 24th
Reply

Mrs. Kaety J. West

Hi KaT-n'-j.G.!!!! 🥰👍😎p.s.-THiS's-Been-X-pstd. Let it be my civic duty to intro'ce y'all 2some AWESOMEassTUNES!!! Meet Rob U. Blynd & the gang!!! https://youtu.be/Szn3ml8l4BM?si=xcueMJRXcFOFmg1f https://youtu.be/AeUnbvy1QDs?si=-WpNdvGX0dr_QTgC

Nov 6th
Reply (1)

Allen Wilson

retrospector

Oct 30th
Reply

Abby Mercer

"His name was Ron. It still is." This got me good. I was laughing so hard! 😂

Oct 27th
Reply

Denise Nichols

Thank you for the nip story !!! About 2015 I went with my Mother to her Doctor.She doesn't hear well so I've always been her back up. the Doctor & Nurse were in the room.I was telling my Mom that all babies have like a basic blue print .That's why men have nipples and sexual organs could go either way until a certain time during gestation when the the hormone makes the difference. This crusty ol Doctor got so mad at me and said it was baloney !!! Nurse agreed!! I couldn't believe it!

Oct 25th
Reply (1)

Denise Nichols

I'm so depressed lately. seems like the laughter has gone out of my life for some time now So sad. My GF and I have been together for 33 yrs .I love so very much,we've laughed, we never fought like many couples do..

Oct 15th
Reply (1)

sean the dracunyan

there is a Japanese ghost that has that slit mouth smile. her name is Kuchisake-Onna she carries scissors and if you answer the wrong answer to her question "am i pretty " yes or no kills you as she opens her target's mouth with that horrifying bloody smile like she has.Kuchisake-Onna is terrifying the only thing you can do to make her not slit your mouth say "eh so so" so basically call her mid. then she just walks off. so yeah slit mouth woman. Kuchisake-Onna one of many very specific ghosts

Oct 10th
Reply

Abby Mercer

Potluck or Paranoia. Great band name lol

Oct 9th
Reply

Denise Nichols

I know everyone probably went over to Himalaya when you guys were lured away from this site but I've been with you on here since I found y'all on your 2nd episode. I took a look at Himalaya but it said there was a different set up now.pppff ! Staying here. I remember all the excitement when you did your first live show. Amber was your camera girl.😁 I've enjoyed your humor, sad at the loss of your babies, cheered your rescues. You are loved by so many ! ❤️❤️

Oct 2nd
Reply

Ariella Gibson

It's eerie listening to this post-pandemic, knowing they were only about a year away from COVID.

Sep 25th
Reply

Denise Nichols

I grew up in Pacific Northwest !!! It was amazing.🤗❤️

Sep 13th
Reply

sean the dracunyan

i would love more stuff from maine maybe a civil war or like some old 1600s 1700s story in maine would be cool

Aug 28th
Reply

Abby Mercer

"Ghosts or not, moose'll getcha." - Words to live by from Kat. Too true too true lol

Aug 27th
Reply

andrew ward

marble needs lube

Aug 19th
Reply

Chesca

no rhyme to this podcast. you don't feel like it's anything other than background noise you'd get on a bus

Aug 8th
Reply

Denise Nichols

Didn't we do this story a long time ago ? I remember this one,or did I miss something. I've been away for a min and catching up. I've been with BOO since 2nd episode. hmmm....

Aug 7th
Reply (2)

🤧Sneezy🏥

kat.... YOU are the trigger. 0 stars. sorry-ish Jethro, low rating by association

Jul 28th
Reply

Happy⚛️Heretic

YES! Prairie Fires were my go to shot when I was younger - but I added an extra "fire" component of taking a bite of a peronchini after downing the shot. ... Now I'm not sure... but these shots COULD be the reason I don't have a stomach lining anymore???? Perhaps , suppose I'll never know.

Jul 24th
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Abby Mercer

Aaaaawww like getting pug snortles again 😊🥲

Jul 14th
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Denise Nichols

what is fake meat ?? anyone still on castbox with me???

Jul 11th
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