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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

822 Episodes
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DEAD GUY TALKS Against all odds (and several known laws of biology), Thomas Morelli, who died in a car crash in the late 1970s, joins us in the Box to chat about the minor inconvenience of being deceased. Yes, he died. But he got better. Tune in for a jaw-droppingly bizarre tale of life after death and why being pronounced dead isn’t always the end of your public speaking career. The Box of Oddities. Where dying is just a plot twist. #BoxOfOddities #WeirdPodcast #LifeAfterDeath #ParanormalHumor #GhostGuest #DeadButChatty #TrueWeird #OddityOfTheDay Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Step right up, oddity enthusiasts! In this episode of The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro unpack a carnival curiosity, an uncontacted tribe, and maybe—just maybe—aliens. First, meet Schlitzie the Pinhead, the sideshow legend whose life was stranger and more poignant than the posters ever revealed. Then, we sail (metaphorically, of course) to the forbidden shores of North Sentinel Island, home to the Sentinelese people—an isolated tribe whose fierce independence has baffled explorers for centuries. And finally, we peer into the cosmos to ask: are those weird signals really signs of extraterrestrial life, or just our toaster acting up again? Equal parts bizarre, fascinating, and hilarious, this episode will have you marveling at humanity, mystery, and the universe itself. Tickets to the live fall tour here! #WeirdHistory #TrueCrimeAdjacent #PodcastLife #AlienLife #CarnivalHistory #UnexplainedMysteries #BoxOfOddities Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We're on our way to opening night for our live fall tour. It all kicks off in Seattle on Wednesday Night at Emerald City Comedy Club. Tickets and all location info available here! Step into the strange corridors of history, science, and the downright unsettling in this episode of The Box of Oddities. We begin with chilling first-hand accounts of modern-day psych wards—stories so bizarre you’ll wonder if they belong in a horror film rather than medical records. Then, travel to Japan, where researchers once tried to create a mouse-human hybrid (spoiler: nature was not impressed). Finally, dig into the dirt—literally—as we uncover the weird and unsettling artifacts unearthed beside the old London Hospital, where history refuses to stay buried. Equal parts creepy, hilarious, and fascinating, this episode is a perfect storm of the macabre, the curious, and the completely inexplicable. Buckle up—because reality is much stranger than fiction, and we’re handing you the shovel. #WeirdHistory #StrangeScience #OdditiesPodcast #MouseHumanHybrid #CreepyDiscoveries #PsychWardHorrors #TheBoxOfOddities Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Inbox Of Oddities #57

Inbox Of Oddities #57

2025-09-0528:53

Tickets and info for our live fall tour here! In this gloriously chaotic edition of The Inbox of Oddities, Kat and Jethro dive face-first into the mailbag, where listeners spill the weirdest tea — from traumatic boardwalk entrapments to unsettling yardwork sexism. You'll hear tales of: 💔 Newly-minted relationship arguments (20 years single and diving in headfirst? What could go wrong?)🦷 A near-death experience inside the mouth of a giant shark… on purpose📿 The glow-up of the "booger green" birthstone Peridot🔥 An alcoholic beverage so chaotic it involves fire, suction, and danger (a drink or a curse?)🎢 Baseball mascots, birthday BOO effects, emotionally complicated yard tools, and a former hot dog dog named Jack Also featured: thunder envy, Johnny Eck feels, and listener arguments about listening to BOO while falling asleep. (Is it a comforting lullaby or auditory chaos gremlins in your dreams?) This is what happens when your audience is as delightfully weird as your podcast. And we wouldn't have it any other way. 🧠 Oddities, empathy, and emotional damage — all in a tidy digital package. 🎧 Listen now and fly your freak flag high! #BoxOfOddities #InboxOfOddities #FreakFlagFlying #BOOEffect #WeirdPodcast #SharkMouthTrauma #PeridotPower #StrangeButTrue #CouplesTherapyWithLaughTracks #OddlyComforting #PodcastRecommendations #TrueWeirdness Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
n this episode, Kat and Jethro sprint headfirst into the shadows—twice. First, they investigate the chilling legend of the Black Flash of Provincetown—a mysterious, caped figure that terrorized the streets of Cape Cod in the late 1930s. Was it a prankster in a leotard or a supernatural harbinger of doom? Why did it smell like ammonia and make jumps that defied Newtonian physics? And most importantly: who keeps giving cryptids Olympic-level track abilities? Then, they shift into far darker territory with the haunting story of Lonnie Franklin Jr., better known as the Grim Sleeper. For decades, he preyed upon the vulnerable and voiceless in Los Angeles, slipping under the radar due to chilling indifference and systemic failure. How did one of the most prolific serial killers in U.S. history go unnoticed for so long—and what finally led to his capture? From shadowy specters to real-life horrors, this episode explores the thin, fraying line between folklore and fear, myth and monster. Listen now—if you dare. Get tickets and information for our live shows here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We Did a Live Show and Nobody Stopped Us (Part II)” The chaos continues. This is Part Two of our very first live Box of Oddities show, recorded at the iconic Zanies Comedy Club in Nashville—and it only gets weirder from here. In this half of the show, we answer burning questions like:🔹 Can The Box of Oddities ruin a perfectly good comedy club?🔹 What happens when Jethro's hat meets a deeply confused audience member?🔹 And why didn’t anyone give us a time limit? With unscripted detours, real-time gasps, and possibly illegal levels of audience participation, this episode captures everything you didn’t know you needed from a live podcast event. 💀 And remember: this is just a taste of what’s to come. Our fall tour kicks off September 10th in Seattle, then we’re storming through:Portland • Oklahoma City • Atlanta • Philly • Appleton, WI • Louisville • and we close it all out with a haunting Halloween night show in Chicago. Come see what all the strange noise is about. 🎟️ Tour dates & tickets here! #BoxOfOddities #LivePodcast #WeirdAndLive #HauntedComedy #PodcastTour #ZaniesNashville #TrueCrimeWithWeirdVibes #FallTour2025 #PartTwoWeirder #OddityOverload #BoxOfOdditiesLive Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Step right up, Freaks—our fall tour is upon us! To celebrate the fast-approaching Opening Night on September 10th in Seattle, we’re cracking open the dusty crypt of our very first live show ever, recorded at the legendary Zanies Comedy Club in Nashville. This is Part One of that historic, slightly unhinged evening—complete with spontaneous crowd reactions, bizarre true tales, and the kind of peculiar energy that can only come from telling weird stories into a microphone in front of a room full of strangers who voluntarily came to hear them. (What were they thinking?) Part Two drops Monday, but for now, consider this your exclusive backstage pass into the traveling circus of the Box of Oddities Live Tour. And yes—we’re coming to a city near(ish) you:🎤 Seattle • Portland • OKC • Atlanta • Philly • Appleton, WI • Louisville • and we wrap it all up Halloween Night in Chicago (costumes encouraged, hauntings possible). Come for the live show weirdness, stay because you forgot how to leave. 🎟️ Get tickets and tour info here: TICKETS! #BoxOfOddities #LivePodcast #WeirdHistory #OddFacts #TrueCrimeComedy #ParanormalPodcasts #SeattleEvents #PodcastTour2025 #CuriouslyWeird #ZaniesLive #BoxOfOdditiesLive #FallTour #HalloweenInChicago Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A Tombstone Every Mile

A Tombstone Every Mile

2025-08-2740:25

The Box Of Oddities Live Fall Tour. Get your Tickets Here! Deep in northern Maine, the Haynesville Woods hold more than just trees—they harbor chilling tales of phantom hitchhikers, eerie roadside encounters, and a legend that makes even seasoned locals uneasy. But that’s only half the weirdness. This episode of The Box of Oddities also dives into the surprisingly destructive world of stone stacking in national parks. Sure, it looks “Zen” on Instagram, but it’s wreaking havoc on delicate ecosystems and confusing wildlife who didn’t sign up for your rock art project. From haunted highways to misguided cairn enthusiasts, this episode proves once again that the world is stranger (and funnier) than you think. 👉 Listen now and get your fix of paranormal chills, environmental oddities, and the kind of stories that make you the most interesting person at dinner parties. #HauntedWoods #ParanormalPodcast #NationalParks #BoxOfOddities #TrueWeird Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Our Live Fall Tour Starts on September 10th! More Info Here! The Circus of Lost Children & The Drunken Battle of Karansebes Step right up for one of the strangest rides in history—this episode of The Box of Oddities brings you the hauntingly peculiar tale of the Circus of the Lost Children, a traveling show with mysteries darker than the big top shadows themselves. Were these wandering performers guardians of misfits, or something far more unsettling? Then, hold onto your bayonets (and maybe your Schnapps ®) as we march straight into the Battle of Karansebes—arguably the most disastrously hilarious military blunder ever recorded, where an army accidentally defeated itself before the enemy even arrived. From eerie carnival lore to slapstick battlefield chaos, this episode proves truth really is stranger than fiction. Tune in, laugh, shiver, and marvel at the oddities history tried to sweep under the rug. New episodes twice a week—subscribe to The Box of Oddities wherever you get your podcasts! #WeirdHistory #Oddities #PodcastComedy #CircusOfTheLostChildren #BattleOfKaransebes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Inbox Of Oddities #056

Inbox Of Oddities #056

2025-08-2226:05

Fall Tour Info And Tickets Here! Inbox of Oddities: Shopping Cart Poltergeists, Boo Fuel & Other Listener Oddventures In this listener-fueled episode of The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro wade waist-deep into the beautifully bizarre world of freaks, phantoms, and fuel price coincidences. A rogue shopping cart with a vendetta. A gas station receipt that channels numerological energy. A haunted laundry hamper that eats only left socks. Oh, and someone may or may not be living with a phantom roommate obsessed with dish duty. We also hear from a listener who nearly lost their lunch to Kat’s discussion of PUS, meet a comedy-loving ghost lurking near a lady-part sculpture, and discover that “Box of Oddititties” might be the next big merch drop. Plus: hot booze from Alaska, an invitation to drink in Salisbury, and urgent metaphysical questions about what happens if you fall through the center of the Earth (spoiler: you bounce). It’s an entire spectrum of listener weirdness—from haunted carts to heartfelt duck farts—all lovingly unboxed by your fellow freaks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Death And Desert

Death And Desert

2025-08-2031:30

Box of Oddities Live Fall Tour Info And Tickets Here Step into the delightfully strange with this episode of The Box of Oddities Podcast, where death and dessert collide in the most unexpected ways. First, explore the eerie world of Victorian funeral mourning practices—a time when grief wasn’t just worn on your sleeve but woven into jet-black dresses, elaborate rituals, and some downright unsettling traditions. Some even killed the mourners. Then, discover how tuberculosis and other infectious diseases didn’t just change medicine—they helped give birth to the ice cream cone. Yes, you read that right: deadly epidemics paved the way for your favorite summer snack. It’s a journey from sorrow to sprinkles, as Kat and Jethro unwrap history’s weirdest intersections of mortality and milkfat. Perfect for fans of bizarre history, dark humor, and unexpected origin stories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Details for the Live Box of Oddities Fall Tour Here! What separates a stroke of brilliance from a spectacularly bad idea? In this episode of The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro dive headfirst into history’s most baffling tightrope walk between genius and ridiculousness—where “visionary” and “what were they thinking?” become disturbingly interchangeable. Then, things get even weirder: scientists are turning spinach leaves into functioning human hearts through tissue engineering. Yes, the same greens in your salad could one day pump blood through your veins. From questionable intentions to leafy life support, this episode blends the bizarre with the groundbreaking in ways only The Box of Oddities can. Tune in for strange science, hilarious commentary, and stories that prove reality is stranger than fiction. #WeirdScience #TissueEngineering #OdditiesPodcast #GeniusOrMadness #TheBoxOfOddities Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Inbox Of Oddities #055

Inbox Of Oddities #055

2025-08-1523:43

Live Fall Tour Information! Inbox of Oddities: Hands, Spirits, and Shoes Full of Baileys This week, your favorite weird mailbag is overflowing. From mysterious body parts masquerading as “1920s décor” to ghosts who fold your jeans into swans, our listeners bring the oddities straight to our inbox—and we read them all. Hear the heartwarming tales of pets, plants, and fellow freaks connecting across the globe, like a listener in Berlin who calls JG her safety voice and a Texan discovering that Baileys and flip-flops are not a perfect mix. We dive into dreams of tropical disappearances, 4H champions with freaky talents, and the strange yet delicious snacks of yesteryear. Plus, we get a peek at haunted laundry habits, haunted hearts, and the obsessive kindness of four-legged friends saved from terrible odds. By the end, you’ll laugh, gasp, and maybe even wonder if your own house—or shoes—are hiding secrets you’ve yet to discover. Tune in for another wild, heartwarming, and totally unpredictable trip through the weirdness our listeners live—and dream—through every day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
TICKETS FOR THE LIVE FALL TOUR HERE! Somewhere in the shadows of the 1990s UK, an unsettling rumor spread: men and women posing as social workers, knocking on doors, asking questions they had no right to ask… and then vanishing. Were they government agents, criminals, or ghosts with clipboards? JG investigates the eerie phenomenon of the Phantom Social Workers — a case file that manages to be equal parts unnerving and confusingly bureaucratic. Meanwhile, Kat takes us to the dizzying streets of Bolivia, where the Tinku Festival blends dance, ritual, and a fair bit of consensual face-punching. In a centuries-old tradition meant to honor the Earth Mother, participants exchange blows not out of malice, but in hopes of a good harvest. Think of it as a county fair where the pie-eating contest could give you a black eye. From mysterious door knockers to cultural haymakers, this episode packs enough intrigue and oddity to make your curiosity tap out. #PhantomSocialWorkers #TinkuFestival #WeirdHistory #StrangeButTrue #TheBoxOfOddities #Podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Party After Death

The Party After Death

2025-08-1134:561

The Box Of Oddities Live Fall Tour Starts Sept. 10 In Seattle and Ends Halloween Night In Chicago! Learn More Here! In this delightfully morbid Box of Oddities episode, we literally put the “fun” back in funerals. From coffin-themed dance-offs to wakes that feel more like weddings, discover real-life funerals where joy took center stage over sorrow—because nothing says “rest in peace” quite like a conga line. Then, we plunge into the darkly fascinating tale of King Charles II of Spain, a man so cursed by royal inbreeding they called him El Hechizado—“The Bewitched.” From his bizarre ailments to the superstitions that shaped his doomed reign, it’s history with a side of “what on earth just happened?” Packed with bizarre history, morbid curiosity, and irreverent humor, this episode proves that the afterlife—and life itself—are far stranger than fiction. #WeirdHistory #TrueStories #FuneralTraditions #BoxOfOddities #Podcast If you would like to advertise on The Box of Oddities, contact advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Freak Family Favorite: “Would You Like Guac With That Foot?” In this Box of Oddities classic, we revisit one of the most disturbingly delicious tales ever told: a man, a severed foot, and a taco night that will haunt you forever. (Yes, this really happened.) Then, Kat unpacks the incredible life of Johnny Eck — sideshow legend, half-man, and full-on badass. Finally, why has humanity laughed for over a century at people slipping on banana peels? The answer is slipperier than you'd expect. Prepare your ears for an all-you-can-eat buffet of the bizarre: cannibalistic curiosity, sideshow superstars, and fruit-based pratfall propaganda. 📦 It’s everything you never asked for and somehow still needed. #BoxOfOddities #TrueWeird #WeirdHistory #JohnnyEck #BananaPeelMyth #CannibalCurious #FootTaco #FreakFamilyFavorite #OddCast #BizarreButTrue #HistoryIsWeird #PodcastRecommendations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Learn More About Our Upcoming Live Shows! In this episode, Jethro dives face-first into one of the most perplexing murder investigations in modern history—complete with bizarre circumstances, inexplicable evidence, and a twist so jaw-dropping it left seasoned detectives cross-eyed. It’s a true crime story that starts strange and somehow gets stranger. Meanwhile, Kat digs up the mystery of Attenborough’s long-beaked echidna—a creature that sounds like it was designed by a committee of science fiction writers and hallucinating zoologists. It has a beak. It lays eggs. It’s covered in spines. And it hasn’t been officially spotted since 1961. Is it extinct, mythical… or just extremely introverted? It’s true crime meets cryptid chic in a brand new episode of The Box of Oddities—where the inexplicable isn’t a bug, it’s the main feature. If you would like to advertise on The Box of Oddities, contact advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A Salad That Eats You

A Salad That Eats You

2025-08-0433:43

Tickets for the Live Tour Here! What do you get when a carnivorous plant develops a taste for rodents and a whole country uploads itself to the cloud? Just another day inside The Box of Oddities. In this episode, Kat and Jethro peer into the leafy maw of Nepenthes rajah—the world’s largest meat-eating plant, known to snack on mice, lizards, and anything foolish enough to slip into its botanical death trap. It’s basically a salad that eats you. Then, we voyage to the disappearing island nation of Tuvalu, where rising sea levels have inspired an unprecedented plan: become the world’s first digital nation. Yep, they’re scanning their culture into cyberspace like a high-stakes sci-fi Dropbox folder. It's a tale of natural horror and geopolitical innovation—served up with the usual twisted humor and curiosity. Step into the weird. #NepenthesRajah #CarnivorousPlants #Tuvalu #DigitalNation #ClimateChange #WeirdNature #BizarreNews #BoxOfOdditiesPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Live Show Tickets Here! In this special Inbox of Oddities episode, Kat and JG open the floodgates of freaky listener tales—and what flows out includes bisexual ghost grandmas, haunted Roombas, bloody Marys topped with entire chickens, and one particularly vengeful jar of pickles. Jesse shares a deeply moving dream visitation from her long-passed grandma. Meanwhile, emails pour in featuring cursed karaoke nights in Alaskan dive bars, “Cockfinder Generals,” and a proposed reality show called Extreme Embalming. Yes, it’s a competition. No, there are no tools. Also: A haunted underground tour, the horrors of organic chemistry correction, a taxidermied squirrel causing electromagnetic chaos, and a jar of pickles that clearly had an axe to grind. Whether it’s grief, giggles, or ghostly grandmas—we're unsealing every oddity in this jam-packed episode of listener gold. #BoxOfOddities #QueerGhosts #DreamVisitation #InboxOfOddities #HauntedRoomba #CockfinderGeneral #ExtremeEmbalming #BisexualGrandma #BloodyMaryMadness #PickleRevenge #TrueWeird #ComedyPodcast #FreakNation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Learn More About The Box of Oddities Live Tour! In this spine-tingling episode of The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro dive headfirst into two tales that are equal parts baffling and bone-chilling. First: the strange disappearance of the Clark family from Detroit. One minute they’re living their quiet, suburban life—next minute, poof—gone without a trace. Is it an unsolved mystery, urban legend, or the world’s most elaborate game of hide-and-seek? Then, brace yourself for the harrowing true story of Aloha Airlines Flight 243, the mid-air disaster that turned a routine trip over Hawaii into a surreal nightmare. Imagine a convertible plane… 24,000 feet in the air. Packed with dark humor, weird history, and wildly inappropriate jokes, this episode will make you question what’s real, what’s myth, and whether you ever want to fly again. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Comments (2420)

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)

Lori

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
Reply

Abby Mercer

Aaaaawww like getting pug snortles again 😊🥲

Jul 14th
Reply

Denise Nichols

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

Jul 11th
Reply

Mel

Still kills me that they missed referencing Wild Wild West for the eye image thing

Jul 9th
Reply

Shawna

loved hearing about all the similarities between Lincoln and JFK. although a bit creepy

Jul 8th
Reply

Abby Mercer

"oceanic murder roombas" - JG 2025 Love it JG love it lol

Jul 2nd
Reply

GodsWatchmen

A flurry of emotions.... yea I hope I don't crash and kill all these people because I can't see wtf you trying to pull trying make people believe blind people flying planes.

Jun 27th
Reply

Lori

oooooooh, Jethro & Lindsey??? yay yay yay!!!

Jun 21st
Reply

Lori

oh, so nice to have Nan across from JG instead of kat!!!! more like this, please!!

Jun 16th
Reply

GodsWatchmen

Kat gets so old, oh this strong woman......like dude we get it your a feminist. You made your husband get his beans cut before you'd get you tubes ties. Just tell an interesting story with no bs agenda behind it #southparkStrongWoman

Jun 15th
Reply

Shawna

really enjoyed the content about the Civ War!!

Jun 6th
Reply

GodsWatchmen

That story sounds fake......why didn't he include the recording?

Jun 5th
Reply

Elvia Bierbaum

fantastic episode. Well said.

Jun 5th
Reply