Encyclopedia of Urban Legends

by Brunvand, Jan Harold; Hickman, Randy

• ISBN13: 9781576070765
• ISBN10: 157607076X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-06-01
• Publisher: Abc-Clio Inc

Summary

This exhaustive and compellingly readable reference work offers alphabetical entries on every aspect of the subject, including descriptions of hundreds of individual legends and their variations, legend themes, and scholarly approaches to the genre.

Author Biography

Jan Harold Brunvand is professor emeritus of English at the University of Utah.

Table of Contents

Preface	xxi
Introduction	xxv
A
Academe, Legends of	1	(2)
``The Accidental Cannibals,''	3	(1)
``The Accidental Stickup,''	3	(1)
Accidents	4	(1)
``The Acrobatic Professor,''	5	(1)
``AIDS Harry,''	5	(1)
``AIDS Mary,''	6	(1)
``The Air-Freighted Pet,''	7	(1)
``All That Glitters Is Not Gold,''	8	(1)
``Alligators in the Sewers,''	8	(1)
Amusement Park Dangers	9	(2)
Analysis and Interpretation	11	(2)
Animals in Urban Legends	13	(1)
``The Animal's Revenge,''	14	(1)
Ants or Termites Invade the Body	14	(1)
Architects' Blunders	15	(1)
Argentina	16	(1)
``The Arrest,''	17	(1)
Atrocities	18	(1)
``The Attempted Abduction,''	19	(1)
Australia	20	(2)
Automobiles	22	(2)
``The Avon Flasher,''	24	(1)
B
Babies	25	(1)
``The Baby-Roast,''	26	(1)
``The Baby Train,''	27	(1)
``Baby's Stuck at Home Alone,''	27	(1)
``The Baby-sister and the Man Upstairs,''	28	(1)
Backward Buildings and Statues	29	(1)
``The Bargain Sports Car,''	30	(1)
``The Barometer Problem,''	30	(1)
``The Barrel of Bricks,''	31	(1)
``The Bedbug Letter,''	32	(1)
Belgium	32	(1)
Belief Legend	33	(1)
Big Cats Running Wild	34	(1)
``Bikers Versus Somkers,''	35	(1)
``The Bird-Foot Exam,''	36	(1)
``The Blind Date,''	36	(1)
``The Blind Man,''	37	(1)
``The Blood Libel,''	37	(1)
``Blue Star Acid,''	38	(1)
``The Body in the Bed,''	39	(1)
``The Body on the Car,''	40	(1)
Bogus Warnings	41	(1)
``The Bosom Serpent,''	42	(1)
``The Bothered Bride,''	43	(1)
``The Boy Who Played Superman,''	44	(1)
``The Boyfriend's Death,''	44	(1)
``Bozo the Clown's Blooper,''	45	(1)
``The Brain Drain,''	46	(2)
``The Bug Under the Rug,''	48	(1)
``The Bullet Baby,''	49	(1)
``The Bump in the Rug,''	50	(1)
``The Bungled Rescue of the Cat,''	50	(1)
Bungling Brides	51	(1)
``Buried Saint Sells Property,''	51	(1)
Business Legends	52	(1)
``The Butcher's Prank,''	53	(1)
``Buying Tampax,''	54	(3)
C
``The Cabbage Patch Tragedy,''	57	(1)
Cadavers	58	(1)
Campus Rumor Scares	58	(1)
``The Can of Snakes,''	59	(1)
Canada	60	(2)
``Car Stolen During Earthquake,''	62	(1)
``Career Decisions,''	63	(1)
``The Cat (or Dog) and the Nude Man,''	64	(1)
Celebrities	65	(1)
``The Celebrity's Car Breakdown,''	66	(1)
``The Celebrity's Telephone (or Phone Card) Number,''	67	(1)
Child Ballad	68	(1)
Children	68	(2)
Chinese Restaurants	70	(1)
``The Choking Doberman,''	71	(1)
Church's Chicken Rumors	72	(1)
Cigar Insurance (``Cigarson'')	73	(1)
Classifying Urban Legends	73	(3)
``The Clever Baby-sister,''	76	(1)
``The Climax of Horrors,''	77	(1)
Cokelore	77	(1)
``The Colander Copier Caper,''	78	(1)
Collecting Urban Legends	79	(2)
``The Colo-Rectal Mouse,''	81	(1)
``Come and Get It!,''	81	(1)
Comics and Urban Legends	82	(1)
Communal Re-creation	83	(1)
``The Communist Rules for Revolution,''	83	(1)
Companies	84	(1)
Comparative Approach	85	(1)
Computers	86	(2)
Conspiracies	88	(1)
``The Contaminated Comforter,''	89	(1)
Contamination	90	(1)
Contemporary Legend	91	(1)
Contemporary Legend (Journal)	92	(1)
Context	93	(2)
``The Corpse in the Car,''	95	(1)
``The Corpse in the Cask,''	96	(1)
CPR Annie Legend	96	(1)
The Craig Shergold Legend	97	(1)
Crime	98	(2)
``Cruise Control,''	100	(1)
``The Crushed Dog,''	101	(1)
Culture-Clash Legends	101	(1)
``Curses! Broiled Again!,''	102	(1)
``The Cut-Off Finger,''	103	(1)
``The Cut-Out Pullman,''	104	(1)
D
``The Daughter's Letter from College,''	105	(1)
``The Day Trip,''	106	(1)
``The Dead Cat in the Package,''	106	(1)
``The Death Car,''	107	(1)
``The Death of Little Mikey,''	108	(1)
Decapitated Riders and Drivers	109	(1)
``The Deer Departed,''	110	(1)
``Define `Courage',''	110	(1)
Definition of ``Legend,''	111	(3)
Denmark	114	(1)
Dental Death	115	(1)
``The Devil in the Dance Hall,''	115	(1)
``Dial 911 for Help,''	116	(1)
``The Dishonest Note,''	117	(1)
Dissertation Legends	117	(1)
``Do You Know Who I Am?,''	118	(1)
``The Dog in the High-rise,''	119	(1)
``Dog's Corpse Is Stolen,''	119	(1)
``The Dog's Dinner,''	120	(1)
``The Dolly Parton Diet,''	121	(1)
``Don't Mess with Texas,''	121	(1)
``The Dormitory Surprise,''	122	(1)
``The Double Theft,''	123	(1)
Drug Horror Stories	124	(1)
``Drugged and Seduced,''	124	(3)
E
Earthquake Stories	127	(1)
Earwig Stories	128	(1)
``The Eaten Pets,''	128	(1)
``The Economical Car,''	129	(1)
``The Elephant That Sat on the VW,''	130	(1)
Elevator Accidents	131	(1)
``The Elevator Incident,''	131	(1)
Embarrassment	132	(1)
England	133	(3)
The Escalating Medical Problems	136	(1)
Exploding Animals	136	(1)
``The Exploding Bra,''	137	(1)
``The Exploding Butane Lighter,''	137	(1)
``The Exploding Toilet,''	138	(3)
F
``The Failed Suicide,''	141	(1)
``The Fallen Angel Cake,''	142	(1)
``The Fart in the Dark,''	142	(1)
Fast Food	143	(1)
``The Fatal Boot,''	144	(1)
``The Fatal Golf Tee,''	144	(1)
``The Fatal Initiation,''	145	(1)
FBI Stories	145	(1)
``Fifi Spills the Paint,''	146	(1)
``Filmed in the Act,''	146	(2)
Film and Urban Legends	148	(2)
``Find the Hat,''	150	(1)
``The Finger in the Pickle Jar,''	151	(1)
Finland	151	(1)
``Fixing the Flue,''	152	(1)
``The Flying Cow,''	153	(1)
``The Flying Kitten,''	154	(1)
FOAF	154	(1)
FOAFtale News	155	(1)
Folklore	155	(1)
Folktale	156	(1)
Fortean Approach	157	(1)
France	158	(2)
Freudian Approach	160	(3)
G
``The Gay Roommate,''	163	(1)
Generation Gap Legends	164	(1)
The Gerber's Settlement Hoax	164	(1)
``The Gerbil-(or Snake-) Caused Accident,''	165	(1)
Gerbiling	166	(1)
Germany	167	(3)
``The Ghost in Search of Help,''	170	(1)
``The Ghostly Videotape,''	171	(1)
``The Giant Catfish,''	171	(1)
``The Girl on the Gearshift Lever,''	172	(1)
``The Golf Bag,''	173	(1)
The Goliath Effect	173	(1)
``The Good Old Days,''	174	(1)
``The Good Times Virus,''	175	(1)
Government Legends	175	(1)
``Grandma's Washday,''	176	(1)
``The Graveyard Wager''	177	(1)
``Green M & Ms,''	178	(1)
``Green Stamps,''	179	(1)
The Gremlin Effect	180	(1)
``Grenadians Speak English,''	180	(1)
``The Grocery Scam,''	181	(1)
``The Grumbling Groom,''	181	(1)
``The Gucci Kangaroo,''	182	(1)
``The Guilty Dieter,''	182	(1)
H
Hair Turned White	183	(1)
``The Hairdresser's Error,''	183	(1)
``The Hairy-Armed Hitchhiker,''	184	(2)
Halloween Sadists	186	(1)
Handwriting on the Wall	187	(1)
``The Hapless Water-skier,''	188	(1)
``The Hare Dryer,''	188	(2)
``The Heel in the Grate,''	190	(1)
``The Helpful Mafia Neighbor,''	191	(1)
``The Heroic Hacker,''	191	(1)
Hilarious Reports,''	192	(1)
Historical Approach	193	(1)
Hoaxes	194	(1)
Holland	195	(2)
``The Holy Place,''	197	(1)
``The Homemade Lie Detector,''	197	(1)
Homosexuality	198	(1)
``The Hook,''	199	(2)
Horror Legends	201	(1)
Human Nature	202	(1)
``The Hunter's Nightmare,''	203	(1)
Hunting	204	(1)
I
``I Believe in Mary Worth,''	205	(1)
``The Ice-Cream Car,''	206	(1)
``The Ice-Cream Cone Caper,''	207	(1)
``The Improved Product,''	208	(1)
``The Incautious Swimmer,''	208	(1)
``Indecent Exposure,''	209	(1)
``The Ineradicable Bloodstain,''	210	(1)
International Society for Contemporary Legend Research	210	(1)
International Urban Legends	211	(1)
Internet Resources	211	(2)
Ireland	213	(2)
Israel	215	(2)
Italy	217	(4)
J
Japan	221	(1)
``The Jewish Secret Tax,''	222	(1)
Joke	223	(1)
Jumping to Conclusions	224	(1)
K
``The Kangaroo Thief,''	225	(1)
``The Kentucky Fried Rat,''	226	(1)
``The Kidney Heist,''	227	(2)
``The Killer in the Backseat,''	229	(1)
``Kitty Takes the Rap,''	230	(1)
Ku Klux Klan Rumors	231	(2)
L
``La Llorona,''	233	(1)
``The Last Kiss,''	234	(1)
``The Laughing Paramedics,''	234	(1)
Law Legends	235	(1)
``The Lawn-Mower Accident,''	236	(1)
Leaning Towers	236	(1)
``The Leashed Dogs,''	237	(1)
Legal Horror Stories	237	(1)
Legend-Tripping	238	(1)
``The Lesson in Compassion,''	239	(1)
``A License to Practice,''	240	(1)
``The Licked Hand,''	240	(1)
``Lights Out!,''	241	(1)
Linguistic Approach	242	(1)
Literature and Urban Legends	243	(2)
``The Loaded Dog,''	245	(1)
``The Locked-Out Pilot,''	246	(1)
``The Lost Wreck,''	247	(1)
``The Lottery Ticket,''	247	(1)
``The Lover's Telephone Revenge,''	248	(1)
M
``The Madalyn Murray O'Hair Petition,''	249	(1)
Malpractice Stories	250	(1)
``The Man on the Roof,''	251	(1)
Masturbating into Food	252	(1)
McDonald's Rumors	252	(2)
Medical Student Pranks	254	(1)
Memetics	254	(2)
Mercantile Legends	256	(1)
``The Message Under the Stamp,''	257	(1)
``The Messenger Boy,''	258	(1)
``The Mexican Pet,''	258	(2)
``The Microwaved Pet,''	260	(2)
Military Legends	262	(1)
Mint-Condition Vintage Vehicles	263	(1)
``Miracle at Lourdes,''	264	(1)
``The Misguided Good Deed,''	264	(1)
``The Missing Day in Time,''	265	(1)
``The Missionaries and the Cat,''	266	(1)
Mistaken Indentifications	267	(1)
``The Modem Tax'' and ``The E-Mail Tax,''	268	(1)
Mongolia	269	(1)
``The Mother's Threat Carried Out,''	270	(1)
Motif	271	(1)
``The Mouse in the Coke,''	272	(1)
``The Mrs. Fields Cookie Recipe,''	273	(1)
Music and Urban Legends	274	(1)
Musicians and Urban Legends	275	(2)
``The Mutilated Boy,''	277	(1)
``The Mystery Trip,''	278	(1)
Myth	279	(2)
N
Naive Computer User Stories	281	(1)
Naive Hunter Stories	282	(1)
``Nasty Legends'' and ``Nastier Legends,''	283	(1)
Native American Contemporary Legends	283	(2)
Needle-Attack Legends	285	(2)
``Neiman Marcus Cookies,''	287	(1)
New Zealand	288	(2)
Norway	290	(2)
``Not My Dog,''	292	(2)
``The Nude Bachelor,''	294	(1)
``The Nude Housewife,''	294	(1)
``The Nude in the RV,''	295	(1)
Nudity	296	(1)
``The Nut and the Tire Nuts,''	296	(3)
O
``The Obligatory Wait,''	299	(1)
``Octopus Eggs Impregnate Swimmer,''	300	(1)
``Old Versus Young,''	300	(1)
``The One-Word Exam Question,''	301	(1)
``The Open-Book Exam,''	302	(1)
Organ Thefts	302	(1)
Ostension (or Ostensive Action)	302	(2)
``Out of the Mouths of Babes,''	304	(3)
P
``The Package of Cookies,''	307	(2)
Parodies of Urban Legends	309	(1)
``Pass It On,''	310	(1)
``Paul Is Dead,''	310	(1)
Penis Captivus	311	(1)
Performance of Urban Legends	311	(2)
``The Pet Nabber,''	313	(1)
``The Phantom Clowns,''	313	(2)
``The Phantom Coachman,''	315	(1)
``The Philanderer's Porsche,''	316	(2)
``The Pig on the Road,''	318	(1)
``The Plant's Revenge,''	319	(1)
Poetic Justice	320	(1)
``The Poinsettia Myth,''	321	(1)
``The Poison Dress,''	322	(1)
``The Poisoned Pussycat at the Party,''	323	(1)
Poisonous Tomatoes?	324	(1)
Poland	325	(3)
Police	328	(1)
Popular Culture and Urban Legends	329	(1)
``Postcards for Little Buddy,''	330	(1)
Pranks	331	(1)
``The Pregnant Shoplifter,''	332	(1)
``The Procter & Gamble Trademark,''	333	(1)
``The Proctological Examination,''	334	(1)
``The Promiscuous Cheerleader,''	335	(1)
Proto-Legend	336	(1)
``Push-Starting the Car,''	336	(3)
Q
Queensland Folk	339	(2)
R
```R' Is for Race,''	341	(1)
Racism in Urban Legends	342	(1)
Radio and Urban Legends	342	(1)
``The Rat in the Rye Bread,''	343	(1)
``The Rattle in the Cadillac,''	344	(1)
Razor Blade Sabotage	344	(1)
``Red Velvet Cake,''	345	(1)
Redemption Rumors	346	(1)
Reebok Rumors	347	(1)
``The Relative's Cadaver,''	348	(1)
Religion and Urban Legends	349	(1)
``The Resubmitted Term Paper,''	350	(1)
Revenge in Urban Legends	351	(2)
``Roaming Gnomes,''	353	(1)
``The Robber Who Was Hurt,''	354	(1)
Rolls-Royce Legends	355	(1)
Romania	356	(2)
``The Roommate's Death,''	358	(1)
``The Roughneck's Revenge,''	359	(1)
Rumor	360	(1)
``The Runaway Grandmother,''	361	(2)
``The Runaway Patient,''	363	(1)
Russia	364	(3)
S
Satanic Panic	367	(3)
``The Sawed-Off Fingers,''	370	(1)
SCA Legends	370	(1)
Scandal	371	(1)
Scary Stories	372	(1)
Scotland	373	(2)
``The Scuba Diver in the Tree,''	375	(1)
``The Second Blue Book,''	376	(1)
``The Second Death,''	377	(1)
``The Secret Ingredient,''	378	(1)
``Sex in Disguise,''	378	(1)
Sex in Urban Legends	379	(1)
``Sex in Classroom,''	380	(1)
``The Sheriff's Daughter,''	380	(1)
``The Shocking Videotape,''	381	(1)
``Shooting the Bull,''	382	(1)
``The Shoplifter and the Frozen Food,''	383	(1)
Shopping Malls in Urban Legends	383	(1)
``Shrink-to-Fit Jeans,''	384	(1)
Sinking Libraries	384	(1)
Sinking Shopping Malls	385	(1)
``The Ski Accident,''	386	(1)
Slapstick Comedy in Urban Legends	387	(1)
``The Slasher Under the Car,''	388	(1)
``The Small World Legend,''	389	(2)
``The Smashed VW Bug,''	391	(1)
``The Snake (or Spider, etc.) in the Bananas (or Greens, etc.),''	392	(1)
``The Snake in the Store,''	393	(1)
``The Snake in the Strawberry Patch,''	394	(1)
Snakes	394	(1)
``Snakes in Playland,''	395	(1)
``Snakes in the Tunnel of Love,''	396	(1)
Social Class in Urban Legends	396	(2)
Sociological Approach	398	(2)
``The Solid-Cement Cadillac,''	400	(2)
South Africa	402	(3)
Spain	405	(2)
``Sperm in the Swimming Pool,''	407	(1)
``The Spider Bite,''	408	(1)
``Spider Eggs in Bubble Yum,''	408	(1)
Spiders	409	(1)
``Spiders in the Cactus,''	409	(1)
``Spiders in the Hairdo,''	410	(1)
State Police ``Balls,''	411	(1)
``The Stolen Specimen,''	412	(1)
``The Stolen Speedtrap,''	413	(1)
``The Stolen Wallet,''	414	(1)
``Stripping the Car,''	415	(1)
Structural Approach	416	(2)
``The Stuck Couple,''	418	(1)
``The Stuck Diver,''	419	(1)
``Stuck on the Toilet,''	419	(1)
``The Stuck Santa,''	420	(1)
``The Stuffed Baby,''	420	(2)
Stupid Pet Rescues	422	(1)
Style of Urban Legends	423	(3)
``The Suicide Rule,''	426	(1)
``Superglue Revenge,''	427	(1)
``Superhero Hijinks,''	428	(1)
Supernaturalism in Urban Legends	429	(1)
``The Suppressed Product,''	430	(1)
``The Surpriser Surprised,''	430	(1)
Sweden	431	(2)
``Swiss-Charred Poodle,''	433	(1)
Switched Campus Buildings	433	(1)
Symbolic Approach	434	(3)
T
Tabloids and Urban Legends	437	(2)
``Take My Tickets, Please!,''	439	(1)
Tale Type	439	(1)
Talk Show and Urban Legends	440	(1)
Tapeworms in Diet Pills	441	(1)
Technical Incompetence	442	(1)
``The Technology Contest,''	443	(1)
Telephones in Urban Legends	443	(1)
Television and Urban Legends	444	(1)
``The Telltale Report,''	445	(1)
Theft in Urban Legends	446	(1)
Toll-Booth Pranks	447	(1)
Tourist Horror Stories	447	(1)
``The Trained Professor,''	448	(1)
Tricky Questions and Answers	449	(1)
``Truckers and Bikers,''	449	(1)
True Urban Legends	450	(1)
``The Tube on the Tube,''	450	(1)
``The Turkey Neck,''	451	(1)
``The Two Hitchhikers,''	451	(2)
U
``Uncle Don's Blooper,''	453	(1)
``The Unexpected Inheritance,''	454	(1)
``The Unfortunate Gas Thief,''	454	(1)
``The Unlucky Contact Lenses,''	455	(1)
``The Unlucky Driver's Examination,''	455	(1)
``The Unsolvable Math Problem,''	456	(1)
``The Unstealable Car,''	456	(1)
``The Unzipped Fly,''	457	(2)
``The Unzipped Plumber or Mechanic,''	459	(1)
Urban Belief Tales	459	(1)
Urban Legend	460	(1)
Urban Myth	461	(1)
``Urine in Corona Beer,''	461	(2)
V
``The Vanishing Hitchhiker,''	463	(2)
``The Vanishing Lady,''	465	(1)
Variants and Versions	466	(1)
``The Veterans' Insurance Dividend,''	467	(1)
``The Videotaped Theft,''	468	(1)
Violence in Urban Legends	469	(1)
Viper-Release Legends	469	(4)
W
``Waiting for the Ice Man,''	473	(1)
``The War Profiteer,''	474	(1)
``The Welded Contacts,''	475	(1)
``The Welfare Letter,''	476	(1)
``The Well to Hell,''	476	(1)
``What Is Jazz?,''	477	(1)
``Which Tire?,''	478	(1)
White-Slavery Legends	478	(1)
``The Wife Left Behind,''	479	(1)
``The Wife on the Flight,''	480	(1)
``The Wildcat in the Suitcase,''	480	(1)
``The Will,''	481	(1)
``The Witness's Note,''	482	(1)
``The Wordy Government Memo,''	483	(1)
Written or Printed Traditions	484	(1)
``The Wrong Car,''	485	(1)
``The Wrong Rattler,''	485	(1)
``The Wrong Rest Stop,''	486	(1)
``The Wrong Teeth,''	486	(3)
X
Xenophobia in Urban Legends	489	(1)
Xeroxlore	490	(3)
Y
``The Youngest Fan,''	493	(2)
Z
Zipper Stories	495	(1)
``The Zoo Section,''	496	(1)
Selected Bibliography	497	(4)
Index	501	(24)
About the Author	525