Ripley Entertainment Inc.'s Blog, page 190
August 2, 2020
August 1, 2020
July 31, 2020
Down The Dark Alleys Of Sesame Street
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Our beloved friends on Sesame Street have always given us sunny days and swept every cloud away. But, of course, in 50 years of airtime, there’s no surprise that even Sesame Street has a few dark alleys.
Can You Tell Him How To Get, How To Get a Space Shuttle Seat
Perhaps one of the most iconic characters on the Street, aside from our red puppet friend Elmo, is the 8-foot 2-inch, yellow giant we lovingly call Big Bird. Your friend and mine, Big Bird is one of the original puppets on the Street and still graces our television screens with love, compassion, and happiness. But, should he be a few inches shorter, this happy-go-lucky friend may not be around today.
In the early 1980s, NASA reached out to the creators of Sesame Street with an interesting proposal. As space travel was still new and uncertain, the NASA team was eager to gain some public attention and affection for their newly developed space shuttle. The Challenger mission was sure to be one for the books, and what better way to get young children excited about space than by sending their good friend, Big Bird, up into the galaxy.
Luckily, Big Bird and his puppeteer, Caroll Spinney were unable to join the Challenger mission. While the exact reasoning is not quite defined, it’s safe to say that the puppet’s towering heights were the main contributing factor. Let’s be real, an 8-foot, 4000-feathered bird is not quite an essential when it comes to compact space travel. As we know today, the tragic mission of The Challenger would have resulted in the devasting loss of our yellow friend, and Sesame Street as we know it would never be the same.
Big Bird and Snuffy
So Big Bird continued his residency on Sesame Street with all of his friends—real, and once imaginary. From 1971 to 1985, the shaggy brown monster, Mr. Snuffleupagus, was a totally ambiguous character. He was introduced to the show as an imaginary friend that only Big Bird could see. The two became extremely close during this time. In fact, when other characters appeared on-screen, Snuffy shuffled off or totally missed everyone’s arrival each and every time. Big Bird insisted that Snuffy was real, but no one ever believed him.
This tricky friendship raised an eyebrow or two after some disturbing storylines started hitting the front page. In the early 1980s, an episode of 60 Minutes gave the showrunners a reason to think twice about the portrayal of Snuffy as Big Bird’s imaginary friend. The issue of child abuse became particularly prominent. The last thing writers wanted was kids thinking that they couldn’t come to their parents with important or difficult information in the fear that they wouldn’t be believed.
The Executive Producer of Sesame Street, Carol-Lynn Parente said “The fear was that if we represented adults not believing what kids say, they might not be motivated to tell the truth.” And so, with careful planning and storytelling techniques, the writers developed a two-year “scheme,” introducing Snuffy as a real character to the rest of the members on Sesame Street. In this iconic episode, Bob McGrath, one of the human residents, tells Big Bird: “From now on, we’ll believe you whenever you tell us something,” driving home the main point of this storyline change.
The Cloak-Wearing Count: Vampire Vs. Dracula
While Big Bird and Snuffy maintained their friendship on the Street, they’re accompanied by a whole melting pot of characters: Elmo, Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch, and the cloak-wearing Count.
While Count von Count was originally modeled off of Bela Lugosi’s Count Dracula, we do have some reason to believe that this cape-wearing, castle-dwelling puppet is a vampire. According to many claims on the Muppet Fan wiki page, the character has been described as a “number-friendly vampire” and a “Numerical Vampire.” However, according to The Count’s official biography, he is not specifically listed as such. But, why is Sesame Street so set on their Dracula-inspiration?
Perhaps it’s because, in traditional folklore, vampires are said to have severe arithmomania—a type of compulsive disorder where individuals become obsessed with counting absolutely everything around them. Aside from the fact that vampires also, quite obviously, have huge fangs and are known to puncture humans and drink their blood, this wouldn’t be a good look for our friend The Count. To be safe, we’re going to stick with his official “About Me,” and opt for the Dracula inspiration—but hey, you be the judge!
Don Music Rocks On To Retirement
If near-death explosions, imaginary friends, and OCD weren’t enough, a few characters are worth mentioning for other eyebrow-raising reasons. While only on screen for a short period of time, Don Music, became a quick fan favorite. Writing hit songs like “Mary Had a Bicycle,” and “Drive, Drive, Drive Your Car,” he was quite the clever lyricist. However, as a musician, he was bound to make a few frustrating mistakes at the piano. And to voice this frustration, he often began shouting and throwing his head against his instrument. Naturally, kids at home began to follow this behavior leading to some headaches and injuries. Needless to say, Don Music was retired from the screen.
Sesame Street will always be a sunny place we can call home. With an eclectic group of residents, they’ve certainly made bright turns out of dark alleys or crooked storylines and it continues to be a place of acceptance, learning, and joy for viewers today.
Emus Banned For Bad Behavior
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
This Week
[July 27-August 2, 2020] A 99-year-old pilot, spectators in the sky, and the great Australian pub emu ban—all round-up in this week’s weird news from Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
Let’s Give This Farmer a Hand (or a Leg?)
Vermont farmer Joe Marszalkowski discovered a peculiar object out in his 110-acre soybean field last week—a prosthetic leg! On a skydiving adventure, double amputee Chris Marckres realized shortly after the jump that one of his prosthetics was missing. Marckres took to social media in search of his lost limb and, to his delight, Marszalkowski answered the prayer. “You’ve always got to keep an eye out,” said Marszalkowski. Undamaged and untouched by the farm’s harvest machine, the prosthetic was returned in near-perfect shape to its rightful owner, despite falling nearly 10,000 feet.
Reindeer Herders Make a Mammoth Discovery
In the shallows of Pechevalavato Lake of Siberia, a group of reindeer herders came across a very rare discovery: the skull, the lower jaw, several ribs, and a foot fragment from a wooly mammoth. Unlike many other previous finds, this particular skeleton still has some ligaments attached to it. Following the initial report, scientists have retrieved more bones and located additional massive fragments from the silt. They said it would take significant time and special equipment to recover the rest of the skeleton. A discovery of this magnitude is a huge stepping stone in allowing scientists to deepen their understanding of this over 10,000-year-old animal.
Reaching New Heights at 99
99 years young and still ready for adventure, Robina Asti just broke the world record for the oldest flight instructor and the oldest active pilot. Asti claimed the title (previously held by a 98-year-old man in Iowa) when she gave her final flight lesson last week. After decades of flying, Asti says she wanted to show seniors are strong, vital, and can still contribute. Her students have always been impressed with her knowledge and enthusiasm. In fact, she brought one of her students, Brandon Martini, along with her during her record attempt. “She taught me some things up there that I haven’t learned in well over 1,000 hours,” said Martini. “It was neat getting a new perspective from somebody who’s been flying so long.”
How AWESOME!
July 30, 2020
Do Piranhas Really Make Mincemeat Of Humans?
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Who can forget Helga Brand’s demise? Eaten alive by starving piranhas in SPECTRE’s volcano lair during the Bond flick You Only Live Twice? Her death helped perpetuate the myth of piranhas as man-eaters. The fish’s razor-sharp teeth and ravenous “hunting” formations sealed the deal. Today, many people think of piranhas as the marauders of the Amazon, always on the quest for their next meal. If it’s “human?” So be it.
After sharks, alligators, and crocodiles, piranhas are among the most feared aquatic predators on the planet. But do these little guys deserve the bad rap? Let’s take a closer look at the hype associated with piranhas and whether it’s safe to get back in the water.
Piranhas 101
To say that misconceptions about piranhas exist is an epic understatement. A freshwater fish, they live in the rivers, floodplains, lakes, and reservoirs of South America’s Amazon basin. Although the total number of piranha types continues to expand as new ones get discovered, anywhere from 40 to 60 different species exist, classed in 12 scientific families.
Most inhabit single river systems. But others, like the red-bellied piranha, can be found in several. Some piranha species coexist in the same waterways such as the Caño Maporal, a stream in Venezuela, that hosts seven.
Piranhas grow anywhere from five to 14 inches long. Some get even bigger, such as the red-bellied piranha, which can reach lengths of up to 20 inches. No matter the species, they’re distinguished by rows of sharp teeth in their upper and lower jaws. Menacing dentition, coupled with one of the strongest bites among bony fish, have helped secure the piranha its lethal reputation.
These facts beg a couple of questions. Just how fearsome are these fish in the wild? And can they render a flesh-and-blood human into a skeleton in a matter of minutes?
Human Experimentation
Dr. Herbert Axelrod wanted to get to the bottom of these questions once and for all. So, in an unorthodox move, he decided to experiment on himself. (Apparently, he had trouble locating volunteers.) The doctor waded into a pool filled with aggressive red-bellied piranhas wearing little more than swim trunks.
To the astonishment of many, Axelrod didn’t sustain a single bite. The same reaction happened when he waded into the water along with a hunk of fresh, bloody meat. Although the fish eventually devoured the bait, they left the doctor alone.
What does Dr. Axelrod’s research prove? Contrary to popular belief, piranhas are far from the velociraptors of the water. Instead, these toothy omnivorous (in some cases, vegetarian) fish prefer feeding on plant material, small fish, and worms. Large, living prey is off the menu. Why? Because, like other fish, piranhas remain preoccupied with getting eaten themselves.
Nervous Fish
What about their famous “hunting formations”? Far from organized massacres, piranhas swim in schools or shoals to protect themselves from predators. And they’ve got many to watch out for. Predators include river dolphins, caimans, various bird species, and humans.
CC: Tiia Monto
As it turns out, piranhas are a downright nervous fish. And can you blame them with a predator list like that? A study in 2005 concluded that piranhas act nervous and fearful when left alone in a tank. Researchers had to start covering their enclosures to keep the fish from stressing out.
The same holds true with aquarium-raised piranhas. They tend to hide, even during feedings. Of course, in larger groups, they become less timid. Nonetheless, they still prefer flight over fight when it comes to large prey. So much for Blofeld’s evil plan to deflesh traitors and secret agents fishy-style!
Sorry to break the 007 spell, but as Dr. Anne E. Magurran notes, “[Piranhas are] basically like regular fish. With large teeth.”
Piranhas Behaving Badly
About 100 piranha “attacks” get reported each year in rural parts of South America. On rare occasions, fatalities are splashed across newspaper headlines. For example, in 2015, a six-year-old girl in Brazil was partially eaten by piranhas after her boat capsized. So, what gives?
When it comes to the grisliest piranha attacks, coroners’ reports almost always conclude the bites occurred postmortem. Of course, by the time these findings come out, the media has already moved onto the next big story. After all, piranhas-eating-people stories sell. But piranhas nibbling on cadavers? Not so much. Moreover, there’s a history to these tales that preconditions audiences to accept them. President Theodore Roosevelt first perpetuated the genre in his book Through the Brazilian Wilderness (1913).
Despite these observations, there are situations where you might garner a piranha bite if you’re not careful. During mating season, piranhas will give people warning nibbles when they get too close to their eggs. And during the dry season, when hundreds of piranhas congregate in shallow pools? Hunger does make the fish more aggressive.
To the point of cannibalism.
Yet, even during this “perfect storm” of circumstances, piranhas remain more likely to flee large, living animals than take a hunk of their flesh. How the fish behave ultimately depends on whether hunger overrides fear. Since far more humans eat piranhas than piranhas eat humans, the fish have more reason to worry.
Piranha Feeding Frenzies
Although we’re all familiar with the notion of piranha feeding frenzies that leave clean-picked bones where cattle or humans once swam, your chances of getting devoured by these aquatic predators remain infinitesimally slim.
But what if you starved a shoal of piranhas to the point of brazen action? It would take between 300 and 500 to devour an adult human. Sure, they could do it with startling rapidity (in about five minutes) because of their nasty rows of teeth and powerful jaws. But is it natural behavior? Nope. And good luck with the starving bit. Piranhas are adapted to survive for weeks without food, and they’d much prefer fruit, small fish, and worms to lost explorers or British superspies.
By Engrid Barnett, contributor for Ripleys.com
EXPLORE THE ODD IN PERSON!
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July 29, 2020
Spinning With Rubik’s Cube Speedcubers
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
A simple game with over 43 quintillion ways to solve, the Rubik’s Cube has come quite a long way since its early years. Now an art form, a friendly puzzle, and even a competitive sport, there’s not much the Rubik’s can’t do.
Ever wonder where the name “Rubik’s Cube” came from? A professor from Budapest, Erño Rubik, wanted to help his architecture students understand three-dimensional problems using a movable art piece. In 1974, he created the first working prototype of the cube, which at the time was made out of wood! Rubik, himself, took over a month to solve the first invention. Once he added 54 colorful stickers to the six sides, the new “Magic Cube” caught the eyes of many. He decided to turn his educational invention into a puzzle for anyone in Hungary to buy and solve.
Speedcuber Anthony Brooks pictured with Rubik’s Cube inventor Erno Rubik (center) and Hungarian President Janos Ader (right) at the VIP opening of Beyond Rubik’s Cube at the Liberty Science Center. || CC: Galbo lsc
By 1977, there was to doubt that Rubik had created a puzzle with great potential. However, due to Hungary being a communist country in the 70s, imports and exports were very controlled at this time. So, he took to International Toy Fairs.
By 1978, the Magic Cube was found in fairs from London to Paris and New York. At an event in Nuremberg, toy specialist Tom Kremer had a vision to commercialize the cube and sell it to the world. He negotiated with Rubik and the two signed a worldwide distribution license.
Because of Tom Kremer’s passion for the cube, the Ideal Toy Company agreed to distribute the “Magic Cube” under one condition—a name change. In 1980, the new-and-improved “Rubik’s Cube” was globally launched. Designed to be half the weight of earlier models, this efficient iteration of the Rubik’s Cube was much easier and quicker to solve.
Packaging of Rubik’s Cube, Toy of the year 1980–Ideal Toy Corp., made in Hungary || Photo by Jpacarter at English Wikipedia
Spinning with the Speedcubers
It takes the average person about three hours to solve a Rubik’s cube for the first time, but it can take a speedcuber only seven seconds. As the name implies, speedcubing is a sport in which participants solve, most commonly, the 3x3x3 Rubik’s Cube as quickly as possible.
Every two years, the World Cube Association Rubik’s Cube World Championships are held with thousands of competitors traveling to race with their fingers around the Cube. Participants travel from all ends of the globe to compete against the best of the best, hopefully, setting their ultimate speed Cube time, and even be crowned the King or Queen of Cubing.
The art of rapid solving dates back to 1982 when Minh Thai (USA) shocked the world as the inaugural winner of the first speedcubing World Championship in Budapest, Hungary. Thai solved his cube in just 22.95 seconds. And while this may seem most impressive to many, in 2009, Breandan Valance (UK) beat the record with an average time of 10.74 seconds. Then, in 2011, Michal Pleskowicz (Poland) beat that with 8.65 seconds.
Cutting Pleskowicz’s time nearly in half, the next record holder was Luas Etter in 2015 with an average of 4.9 seconds. Just when the world didn’t think the cube could go much faster, Feliks Zemdegs beat that time with 4.22 seconds. And today, Yusheng Du (China) holds the Guinness World Record for the fastest time to solve a Rubik’s Cube in a very measly 3.47 seconds!
Feliks Zemdegs at the Swisscubing Cup Final 2018 in Lucerne, Switzerland. || CC: Christophe Grosjean
And as if human hands weren’t quick enough, a robot, created by two men named Ben Katz and Jared DiCarlo, was able to complete the cube in 0.38 seconds. Though rather impressive, the human hands of speedcubers are far more awe-inspiring to watch.
While the traditional speedcubing contest takes place with a 3x3x3 Cube and the use of both hands, this hasn’t stopped competitors from trying out some out-of-the-box spinning techniques. Many speedcubers have developed a bit of a niche in their methods, straying from the traditional two-handed solve. From one-handed solving to behind the back and some fancy finger tricks, speedcubers don’t mess around.
If you’re interested in learning more about speedcubers, check out “The Speed Cubers,” now on Netflix. This documentary takes a dive into the extraordinary twists and turns in the journeys of Rubik’s Cube-solving champions, Max Park and Feliks Zemdegs.
By Michela Pantano, contributor for Ripleys.com
EXPLORE THE ODD IN PERSON!
Discover hundreds of strange and unusual artifacts and get hands-on with unbelievable interactives when you visit a Ripley’s Odditorium!
July 28, 2020
Hair-Raising Facts About The Queen Of Country, Dolly Parton
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
When it comes to crowning the Queen of Country, there’s no competition for America’s own, Dolly Parton. While her chart-topping hits are hard to miss, along with her iconic blonde hairdo, there are plenty of lesser-known facts about this music sensation. Let’s take a break from that “9 to 5” to learn a some Believe It or Not! tidbits about Dolly.
Dolly Parton’s parents paid for her birth with a sack of Oatmeal.
On January 19, 1946, in a one-room cabin in Sevierville, Tennessee, Dolly was the fourth of 12 children born to Robert and Avie Lee Parton. Her family was so poor that a sack of grains was all that her family had to give to the doctor that delivered her. Her father worked as a sharecropper before starting his own tobacco farm.
As Dolly became more successful, she never forgot where she came from and was extremely generous to her family, especially the ones who raised her.
Dolly wrote “Jolene” about a bank teller.
Although the 200-word song revolves around being jealous of another woman, the original idea for “Jolene” came from a more innocent event. While on stage one night, Dolly’s eyes were drawn to a little red-head girl, around 8 years old, who was holding a sign for her to autograph.
Dolly said, “Well, you’re the prettiest little thing I ever saw. So what is your name?” And she said, “Jolene.” Dolly replied, “Jolene. Jolene. Jolene. Jolene. That is pretty. That sounds like a song. I’m going to write a song about that.'”
While she used the girl’s name for her new song, the storyline came from her own life. Soon after Dolly married Carl Dean, an attractive red-headed bank teller supposedly was a bit flirty with Dolly’s husband.
This encounter prompted Dolly to write out her feelings, later becoming the hit song. As Dolly said, “Had it not been for that woman, I would have never written “Jolene” and I wouldn’t have made all that money, so thank you, Jolene.”
Dolly Parton once lost a Dolly Parton lookalike contest.
Without revealing her identity, Dolly decided to enter a celebrity impersonator contest in Los Angeles pretending to be a drag version of herself. She told ABC, “They had a bunch of Chers and Dollys that year, so I just over-exaggerated—made my beauty mark bigger, the eyes bigger, the hair bigger, everything. All these beautiful drag queens had worked for weeks and months getting their clothes. So I just got in the line and walked across, and they just thought I was some little short gay guy…but I got the least applause.”
Dolly has named each and every one of her wigs!
In an interview with James Corden and Jennifer Aniston, Corden pulls out this iconic photo of Dolly asking about her wig—being that it’s his favorite and “an absolute triumph.”
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Dolly Parton (@dollyparton) on Oct 26, 2018 at 11:44am PDT
“Oh lordy. That’s Dragzilla.” She admitted to giving her wigs different names so her wig master extraordinaire, Cheryl Riddle—also known as Cheryl Curl—knows what look she’s going for. Her favorites include the “Twist and Spout” and the “Chunky Monkey,” which refers to hair crimping.
When asked how many wigs she owns, Dolly mentioned she wears one every day, so she must have at least 365. Dolly doesn’t shy away from the reality of her love for beauty enhancements, but when it comes to the wigs, her natural hair just doesn’t hold the lift and volume it used to after years of bleaching and teasing.
The University of Tennessee offers a Dolly Parton history course and inspired the podcast, “Dolly Parton’s America.”
The University of Tennessee offers a course entitled History 307: Dolly’s America, which explores her impact on culture and history. According to UTK’s website, this course looks at how a “hillbilly” girl from Appalachia grew up to become an international sensation. It is a thesis seminar for history students in the honors program, and it’s meant to give students a new way of understanding Appalachia’s modern history and Dolly’s role in it.
After an article was released in the New York Times about the Dolly class, RadioLab reached out to Professor Lynn Sacco to interview her and the students taking this course. Soon after, RadioLab took on the name and became Dolly Parton’s America.
Following the name change, the podcast was filled with information from students, faculty, and staff, so much so that it became a nine-part series examining the life and cultural influence of Dolly. Podcast host, Jad Abumrad and his co-writer and producer, Shima Oliaee, had more than 12 hours of interviews and followed Parton for two years. Dolly Parton’s America podcast even received a Peabody Award!
From the girl voted in High School ‘least likely to succeed’ this sure is a blessing! https://t.co/3EnB8ixB4f
— Dolly Parton (@DollyParton) April 10, 2017
Dolly’s breasts are insured for $300,000 each.
Measuring in at a reported 40DD, Dolly took out a policy to cover herself in case anything were to happen to her girls. Each is worth $300,000, making just her chest valued at $600,000.
Dolly has made it known that she is not afraid of being branded as someone who is fake, as she’s confident that her fans respect her authentic personality and artistic talents. She told CBS in an interview, “It is true that I look artificial, but I believe that I’m totally real. My look is really based on a country girl’s idea of glam. I wasn’t naturally pretty, so I make the most of anything I’ve got.”
She doesn’t ride the rides at her own theme park, Dollywood.
Aside from her general fear of theme park rides, there’s one other reason why Dolly doesn’t hop onboard her very own Tennessee thrills. Her reasoning stems from the simple fact that doesn’t want to mess up her iconic look—she prefers that her wig, makeup, and shoes stay intact.
She told the New York Times, “I’m going to have some handsome man mess it up, I don’t want some rides doing it.”
Dolly turned down The King of Rock and Roll.
Not many women in the 70s would turn down Elvis Presley, but Dolly had to make the hard decision to do just that. Shortly after her chart-topper, “I Will Always Love You,” was released, Elvis reached out to Dolly asking to do a cover of her song.
Elvis’s manager continued to push for at least half the publishing rights, but the song was already such a hit for Dolly and her publishing company that she denied Elvis the opportunity.
In 1992, Whitney Houston covered the song and went on to earn Dolly $30 million in royalties. She told Event magazine, “People say it’s Whitney’s song, and that’s all right as long as they send the cheques to me!”
Dolly Parton is worth $600 million.
Aside from earning her high net worth over the past 50 years in the industry, Dolly has had 25 number one hits and sold more than 130 million records internationally.
Dolly has received nominations 49 times for the Grammy Award, twice at the Academy Awards, two at the Emmy Awards, two Tony nominations, and many others throughout the award show community.
Dolly Parton at the 51st Academy of Country Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena
Does Dolly have secret tattoos?
If you’ve taken notice of Dolly’s style and trends, they nearly always include long-sleeved outfits and fingerless gloves. According to her creative director, Steve Summers, she wears them to hide certain features like her hands and elbows. Naturally, many fans started rumors that she was hiding a sleeve of tattoos.
When interviewed by Jad Abumrad, the host of Dolly Parton’s America, Dolly confirmed those rumors. “I have a few tattoos on my body. They are not meant to be tattoos for the sake of tattoos. So I, when I first started gettin’ a few little things done, I had a few little tattoos to cover up the scarring. But I’m not tattooed all over like a bike woman or anything. They’re very delicate.” She describes them as pastel-colored instead of darker inks like an average tattoo. “I have some butterflies, I have some lace and some little bows—a couple of things like that.”
Although Dolly, herself, confirmed the tattoo rumors, many fans still have a hard time believing it, as her tattoos have never been publicly shown. We’ll leave this one up to you to ponder!
By Michela Pantano, contributor for Ripleys.com
EXPLORE THE ODD IN PERSON!
Discover hundreds of strange and unusual artifacts and get hands-on with unbelievable interactives when you visit a Ripley’s Odditorium!
Source: Hair-Raising Facts About The Queen Of Country, Dolly Parton
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