Ripley Radio

In celebration of Freaky October, we return to Ghoul School this week and welcome back its tenured professor, Barry Anderson. Bram Stoker Award horror writer and cemetery caretaker Owl Goingback joins us and talks about the horror genre of writing and about his haunting experiences at Central Florida’s spookiest resting place. We also talk with Mick Gooch of the United Kingdom who explains how he has set several world records by performing one finger pushups – most recently - on top of a nail! Believe It or Not! Additional Weird, Wild and Wacky Stories on the October 14 Halloween Episode of Ripley Radio, the official radio show of Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, includes: Rick Davis, director and co-founder of the Darkride and Funhouse Enthusiasts group requests the help of all Halloween lovers to help the initiative to have Congress create a National Haunted House Day; In her Weird Medical Malady segment, Jodi Pliszka introduces us to a young woman who can’t gain, or maintain her weight, no matter how much she

It’s October and that means a month made for Ripley’s! This week we broadcast from Orlando’s Ghoul School and kick the month off right - sitting amongst some of the creepiest creations a human can make. Ghoul School proprietor and horror make-up artist Barry Anderson and horror film writer and director Steven Shea are our in-studio guests and they tell us why people love horror and what is so intriguing about the horror genre. Additional Weird, Wild and Wacky Stories on the October 7 Episode of Ripley Radio, the official radio show of Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, includes: we hear from a San Francisco photographer who specializes in capturing frames of artistic fire while risking damage to himself as well as his camera equipment; manager of Ripley’s Believe It or Not! in St. Augustine, Fla., Kim Kiff explains how she uses a live, two-headed turtle to help teach school kids about the badness of bullying; and a man who has been honored by four presidents for his part in helping clean up inland rivers talks ab

TWe salute the seductive sirens of the sea this week on Ripley Radio, the official broadcast program of Ripley’s Believe It or Not! We ask the question, are they real? Although she hasn’t seen one, Varla Ventura believes there are live mermaids in the vast depths of the seas. We talk with her about her new book, “Among the Mermaids,” in which she presents a wide array of stories, myths, and legends. Stayce McConnell, a “live” mermaid who has performed at Florida’s Weeki Wachee State Park for 14 years, stops by and tells us how cool it really is to be a working mermaid every day of your life. Additional Weird, Wild and Wacky Stories on the September 30 Episode of Ripley Radio includes: Jessica Mula of Ripley’s Aquarium in Myrtle Beach, SC, tells us about the live mermaid shows at her aquarium as well as Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies, in Gatlinburg, Tenn.; Angela reports on a new Nike store in Japan that was built from the ground up with up-cycled garbage; Florida TV personality Scott Fais joins us in the s

Been to the Devil’s Rope Museum lately? Or have you seen the huge Blue Whale? This week on Ripley Radio, the official broadcast program of Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, Chad Lewis takes us on a funky road trip that the entire family will recollect forever. Also, we hear about a few of the new phobias found within our modern day culture. How about Nomophobia, the fear of losing one’s mobile phone. Additional Weird, Wild and Wacky Stories on the September 23 Episode of Ripley Radio includes: Cops in Seattle handed out Doritos to the stoners at the recent Hempfest in that city and the spokesman for the police department joins us to explain why it was a successful way to communicate the new marijuana law; In her segment, Weird Medical Maladies, Jodi Pliszka talks about a young woman who sees everything upside down and how she has coped with it since birth; Orlando and Tampa TV personality Scott Fais visits our studios this week and takes us on a few of his favorite road trips in Florida; and co-host Ralf (with a

The fall is a great time to take a family road trip and visit a bunch of weird and wacky festivals, fairs or events. This week on Ripley Radio, the official broadcast program of Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, Chad Lewis visits three such festivals, all set for late September. He visits a Bugfest, Mayberry Days, and a Road Kill Cook-off. Meanwhile, we hear from a popular saloon in the Great Northwest Territory of Canada, that someone swallowed the revered sour toe, which was supposed to remain in the glass after that shot of Yukon Jack was gone. Additional Weird, Crazy, Bizarre and Strange Stories on the September 16 Episode of Ripley Radio includes: Ripley’s own Solutionologist, Jodi Pliszka, explains the weird medical malady in which a young girl cries tears of blood, at least twice a day; we hear of a tipper gone wild in Utah who leaves tips that equal 2,000% of the restaurant and bar tab; and Florida TV personality Scott Fais relates a couple fun stories of weird road trips he took within Florida – all in

This week on Ripley Radio, the official radio program of Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, we celebrate our fourth year anniversary of broadcasting. We begin our fifth weird and wacky year hearing from Don Donderi, a scientist who believes in the research that crews from UFOs landed on Earth and abducted humans and released them after who knows what took place. We also take a very humorous look at the worst song titles ever created. How about the country ditty entitled, “She Flushed me from the Bathroom of Her Heart?” Additional Weird, Crazy, Bizarre and Strange Stories on the September 9 Episode of Ripley Radio includes: Chad Lewis visits and tells us of his latest adventure – an expedition to find Peppy, the Lake Monster; Historian James Taylor explains what a pickled punk is and why they were such a popular exhibit on carnival midways as well as legitimate museums. They were also called Monster Baby shows, he explains; Florida TV personality Scott Fais joins us and shares some of his personal experiences trac

Disneyphile Chad Emerson has compiled a book of essays from Disney aficionados around the world to celebrate the four decades of Florida’s Walt Disney World. This week on Ripley Radio, the official radio program of Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, Chad shares with us some of the more unusual and amazing and unbelievable stories from his book. Additional Weird, Wacky and Wonderful Items Discussed on the September 2 episode of Ripley Radio: Intern Abby reports on a Knife Throwing Breast Surgeon; Author Dan Schlossberg covers some of the strange things we’re likely to experience during the Major League Baseball Season; Huffington Post’s Buck Wolf reveals what a lot of families are doing with the ashes of their dearly departed; We hear strange stories from Ripley’s Believe It or Not! book on Baseball Oddities; Edward Meyer tells us that fruitcakes play an important part in British family customs.B. Bumble and the Stingers provide our musical egress this week with “Baby Mash.”

Jody Pliszka visits us this week on Ripley Radio, the official radio program of Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, and explains what the Chinese Year of the Rabbit means to all of us and what we should expect if we were born under one of the five signs of the rabbit.Additional random amazements discussed this week on the August 26 Edition of Ripley Radio: Well-known TV writer and author David Bickell has an unusual and somewhat kooky book and website called Creepiosity. He talks with us about what he finds really creepy in this already strange world; Sideshow veteran and entrepreneur Ward Hall explains why he feels that freaks are still a viable entertainment option on today’s carnival midway; We meet Father John, the Carny Priest who travels across America tending to his flock of itinerant circus and carnival people; Intern Kyle introduces us to a man who has run 365 full marathons in 365 days; Ripley’s archivist Edward Meyer explains how the marathon got its name and describes the amazing collection of Olympic to

“Bats Sing, Mice Giggle” is the name of the new book by Dr. Karen Shanor, a researcher who reveals some amazing and surprising facts about the way animals communicate. This week on Ripley Radio, the official radio program of Ripley's Believe It or Not!, Dr. Shanor shares some amazing research that is totally unbelievable. Additional random amazements discussed during the August 19 Episode of Ripley Radio: UFO Phil, perhaps one of the most unusual and fun guests ever on Ripley Radio unveils his plan to build a huge pyramid on the top of Pike’s Peak in Colorado so the aliens will have a place to land. He also sings for us and very secretively lists ways for us to tell the good aliens from the bad; Intern Abby provides a tale of a dog being elected as the mayor of a small Kentucky town; We hear about parrots that are trained to prevent crime; and we learn that Ripley’s has an amazing collection of weird, strange (and stuffed) animals in its vast archives. The Twelve Girls Band provides the musical egress this we

Gail Rubin’s slightly irreverent but quite practical look at death and funerals led her to be a part of this year’s Frozen Dead Guy Festival where she unveiled her new game, the NewlyDead Game. This week on Ripley Radio – An On-Demand Oddcast, the official radio station of Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, she talks with us about how to plan for your own funeral in a fun way.Other Unbelievable items discussed on the August 12 edition of Ripley Radio: Ripley’s favorite witch, Judika Illes talks about the recent edict from the Catholic Church about witches; Intern Kyle examines the Doomsday Seed Bank in Norway; Tim visits with sideshow legend 83-year old Ward Hall (seen at right in this amazing photo taken by Norman Blake) who talks about the importance of the sideshow talker, or the Bally, in any midway show; We find out what happened to the 100,000 t-shirts that were printed listing the wrong Super Bowl Champion (sorry Pittsburgh); We learn about the extensive collection of Ripley’s Believe It or Not! death-orie

There are still mysteries and controversy surrounding what many feel is the day the music died, Feb.3, 1959, when Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Richie Valens died in a plane crash. This week on the official radio station for Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, we talk with Gary Moore, author of the book “Hey Buddy” and he unveils what has not been told to us through the years. Additional random amazements discussed on the Aug. 5 Episode of Ripley Radio, the official radio program of Ripley’s Believe It or Not! include: We visit with a security guard in Nashville and hear about his Elvis sighting; Chris Epting explains what happened to the pyramid that traveled with rocker Todd Rundgren during the 1970s and in who’s backyard it is now standing; Edward Meyer, Ripley’s archivist tells us about a very large chunk of Elvis’s hair in the archives; Intern Abby unveils a very odd map of the US in which each state is identified by its biggest fault; Tim talks with the quirky CBS News correspondent Bill Geist as they walked

Weird Animal Month continues on Ripley Radio, the official radio program of Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, this week as Jack Kassewitz, the world-famous modern day Dr. Doolittle, explains the value behind being able to talk with animals and we hear of a very strange Kangaroo round-up in Florida. Additional Weird, Crazy, Bizarre and Strange Stories on the July 29 Episode of Ripley Radio includes: James Taylor reports on the famous Hubert’s Museum on Times Square in New York City, a hotspot of variety entertainment during the first half of the 20th century; Chad Lewis returns and tells us we should start getting in physical shape for two very off-beat festivals this fall – the Outhouse Races in Kentucky and the Coffin Races in Colorado; Ripley archivist Edward Meyer talks about the success of Ripley’s acquisition summer road show – The Bizarre Buying Bazaar; and TV personality and comedian Mitch English wraps up his month-long run with us by sharing more of his off-beat sense of humor. Ronnie Spector, former l

Imagine having a weird medical malady that turns your entire family BLUE! Jodi Pliszka tells us all about that group of blue people this week on Ripley Radio, the official radio program of Ripley’s Believe It or Not! You’ll also learn of a real-life, modern day Dr. Doolittle who successfully talks to the animals. Additional Weird, Crazy, Bizarre and Strange Stories on the July 22 Episode of Ripley Radio includes: a big-time Barbie Doll collector whose home has been over-run by the 3,000 Barbies in her collection; Chad Lewis hits the road again this week and tells us about two non-mainstream family festivals – John Dillinger Days and the Garlic Festival; Angela reports on modern day cannibals, and Ripley’s archivist Edward Meyer talks about items in the Ripley collection pertaining to cannibalism, including two different heads of proven cannibals; and TV personality and comedian Mitch English’s attempt at trying to think of a cannibal joke is much funnier than the joke he comes up with!The family pop act fro

It’s mid-summer and Ripley Radio, the official broadcast station of Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, is taking you on a road trip to a couple unusual destinations this week. Chad Lewis is joining us to report on an underwater music festival and a Mothman fest. Dan Harmon, author of Super Pop, a book of Top 10 pop culture hits, will stop by and tell us why his new book will make its readers smarter, happier and more likely to survive a shark attack. Additional Weird, Crazy, Bizarre and Strange Stories on the July 15 Episode of Ripley Radio includes: Jodi Pliszka tells us about a weird medical malady that caused fingernails to grow out of a young woman’s pores over her entire body; National Geographic writer Jennifer Holland , author of Unlikely Friends, tells us about strange animal friendships; Dale Palzet, principal of an Illinois middle school reveals his school has a new Guinness World Record in the making - 24 sets of twins enrolled!; TV personality and comedian Mitch English is back with more zany, but tru

Our month-long series of weird animal stories starts this month on Ripley Radio with the story of how a veterinarian saved the life of seven baby squirrels whose tails had been fused together and our U.S. National Park expert Mike Oswald returns to tell us some strange and unbelievable stories about the animals that live in our parks. Additional Weird, Strange, and Unbelievable Stories in the July 8 Edition of Ripley Radio, the official broadcast station of Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, include: Jodi Pliszka, Ripley’s own guru of weird medical maladies reports on some of the most unbelievable body-part re-attachments in medical history; Kirk Demarais, author of Mail Order Mysteries, explains the items that he highlights in his book -the small items once available for order from the back of cereal boxes and comic books; Mitch English, TV personality and comedian joins us in the studios for some fun and frolic; and sideshow and carnival fan extraordinaire Wayne Keyser joins us to talk about his radio show, Bal

It truly is a scary thought. Believe It or Not!, the woman who became notoriously known as the Tanning Mom is now an action figure! A toy and doll company in Connecticut is now selling the figure for $29.95. And what’s more, the company president tells Ralf, that his company can customize an action figure that looks like you! Tune in to this week’s Ripley Radio Oddcast for this truly bizarre story. Power to the People! is more than an anthem. Floor tiles are being installed In London, in time for the Olympics that can generate electricity when people step on them! Angela reports on this unbelievable new and efficient way to create energy! Additional Weird, Bizarre, Unusual and Unbelievable Stories Featured on the July 1 episode of Ripley Radio, the official broadcast program of Ripley’s Believe It or Not!: The Flea Circus was a big draw in Dime Museums and on carnivals for years and yes, they really used fleas as tiny little actors. Sideshow historian James Taylor explains the show and tells us briefly ho

Picture this. A giant bat-like creature, with glowing eyes comes out of a cave and terrorizes an Iowa town by night. It has a foul breath that seems to erase memory. Gun shots won’t stop it. Is it real or mythical? Tune in, Chad Lewis has the story of the Van Meter Visitor on the June 24 edition of Ripley Radio, the official broadcast partner of Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Other intriguing, weird, bizarre and absolutely unbelievable things we discuss this week: Jodi Pliszka, Ripley’s Weird Medical Maladies ingénue reports on severe accidents in which severed body parts were re-attached successfully; A motorcycle crashes into the back of a truck and is demolished, broken into several pieces. There is no way a person could walk away from it. But the police could not find the motorcycle driver anywhere. We hear about the mystery this week; and author Jim Murphy wraps up a four-week series on hoaxes, as told from his new book, The Giant and How He Humbugged America. This week’s timely musical egress is a true

Believe It or Snot, we have a story this week about a person who just thought he had a runny nose, but that run-off proved a little more critical than the common every-day drippage. It was brain fluid! We also hear from Chad Lewis who reports on one of the oldest community festivals in the US – the Hobo Festival in Iowa. Additional, amazing, unbelievable and bizarre stories on the June 3 edition of Ripley Radio, the official radio station of Ripley’s Believe It or Not! include: Historian James Taylor explains how important it is for all successful shows to have bright, colorful and descriptive signage; Ripley’s official cartoonist John Graziano joins us again this week and describes his unusual drawing techniques; and noted author Jim Murphy joins us again and tells us more tales of the modern day hoaxes he writes about in his new book, The Giant and How He Humbugged America.

We take a look into the great American Hoax this week on Ripley Radio, the official radio broadcast of Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Sideshow historian James Taylor talks about the great fakes of all times that were presented as real in museum and circus shows, Ripley archivist Edward Meyer takes a look at the fakes and labeled as such, in the Ripley collection and we continue our series with author Jim Murphy who reveals some of the more contemporary hoaxes contained in his book, The Giant and How He Humbugged America. More amazing, unbelievable and bizarre stories on the June 10 episode of Ripley Radio include: Chad Lewis uncovers a controversy in which the owners of four different balls of twine claim theirs is the largest; Tim O’Brien promotes World Juggling Day, set for this Saturday, June 15 at 14 Believe It or Not! Odditoriums in three countries; the weird and wacky UFO Phil comes down from space long enough to talk with Ralf about being appointed the president of the planet by friendly aliens; and Rip

What does the Cardiff Giant and the Feejee Mermaid have in common? They are both major deceptions that have fooled millions over the years. This week on Ripley Radio, we begin a four-part series on the art of the hoax as we interview Jim Murphy, author of the new book, The Giant and How He Humbugged America. We also hear from Chad Lewis about the curse of the Porsche in which movie star James died. Additional, amazing, unbelievable and bizarre stories on the June 3 edition of Ripley Radio, the official radio station of Ripley’s Believe It or Not! include: Princess Tarinan van Anhalt explains her specialty art work, created with the use of jet engines; the viral video of the bumbling would-be thief at Kent’s Meats and Groceries in Redding, Calif., has been turned into a successful TV commercial, which has also gone viral; Ripley archivist Edward Meyer talks about the well-known hoaxes and fakes that Ripley has collected for its archives; and official Ripley cartoonist John Graziano explains how anyone on th