Eight Elaborate Parables and Illustrious Urban Legends
by The evolution of Urban Legends is due to a gross misunderstanding of the stories of folklore. The legends have circulated through the internet, via word of mouth, and at parties while people are severely under the influence or just need a conversation piece to feel more comfortable.
The Frozen Chicken Caper
This story has been told all over parts of Europe during the 1970’s. A person is caught stealing a frozen chicken which they have stuffed down their pants or under a hat. The person is caught only when the blood from the chicken starts running down their face or down their legs. Sometimes, they faint when the cold takes over their skin or chills their brain.
The Tapeworm Diet Pills: Possibly true
Diet pills that suppress ones appetite are said to contain tapeworms which basically stick to your intestinal walls with their heads. Many of these international pills not approved in the states will put your body through a free colon cleansing, in the mean time destroying your organs and tissues. You will experience stomach cramps and then diarrhea for several hours.
Shrink Fit Levi’s
Several years ago a rumor circulated that a girl had purchased a pair of jeans and they just didn’t fit as snug as she had hoped. She proceeded to the bathroom where she filled up the tub with water and got in wearing the jeans, hoping that they would shrink to fit her body perfectly. Ultimately, she was squeezed to death and her family was awarded a huge settlement from Levi’s.
AIDS “Mary”
Hollywood had glorified it, however history has proven it to be true in some small sense. A women finds herself vacationing in a tropical destination where she meets a man that she falls for instantly. They make love the entire time she’s on vacation, and when it’s time to take her to the airport, the man gives her a gift and instructs her to open when she’s alone. When she returns home she opens up the package and it’s a small coffin containing a bag of coffee. On the top of the coffee is a note that says “Welcome to the World of AIDS”. As for the coffee, it simply symbolizes the fact that the woman will be spending many lonely nights by herself.
Reebok Parable
During the 1980’s, African Americans believed that Reebok was owned and operated by the Ku Klux Klan and it used most of it’s profits for the white minority in South Africa. Of course, we are once again dealing with the anti-corporate ideal.
The word “Reebok” is associated with a gazelle in South Africa which is where people believe the stories came from, especially considering the company doesn’t manufacture their shoes in South Africa. The rumors got so bad that African Americans stopped wearing Reebok shoes until the company launched a campaign to dismiss the rumors.
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Post CommentMichael Degenhardt
On October 14, 2009 at 8:27 am
Very interesting, I never heard of any of these before.
Lostash
On October 14, 2009 at 10:01 am
Great stuff! I love urban legends and the like!
Patrick Bernauw
On October 14, 2009 at 10:16 am
Always in for an urban legend! Good stuff!
Glynis Smy
On October 14, 2009 at 10:42 am
some of those were quite sad. Interesting topic.
Melody SJAL
On October 14, 2009 at 10:49 am
Very interesting, have not heard about a few of these.
Will Gray
On October 14, 2009 at 10:54 am
Very cool article! That hamburger sure looks good!
thestickman
On October 14, 2009 at 11:16 am
Those ’shrink pants’ might actually come from a 50s(??) type of pants that women had to soak in a tub and ’slide into’ while in the tub. The material stretches when wet, shrinks when dry. Supposedly, the skin-tight jeans that Olivia Newton-John wore in the the movie “GREASE” were these type.
Fortunately, -Spandex same alone a few decades later… ;->
Mark Gordon Brown
On October 14, 2009 at 12:36 pm
ha ha ha the Levis jeans was the funniest.
ken bultman
On October 14, 2009 at 2:15 pm
The stuff good reading is made of. Great.
Chris Stonecipher
On October 14, 2009 at 7:30 pm
Excellent article Lauren! I have never heard of the lady in the shrinking Levi or the tape worm in diet pills. I found this very interesting. I found this one on facebook. thumbed, dugg and tweeted
Joe Dorish
On October 14, 2009 at 8:04 pm
Great article Lauren! Remember as a kid a certain type of bubblegum supposedly contained spider eggs and if you chewed the gum the eggs would hatch in your mouth and the baby spiders would crawl out through your cheeks.
Yusuf2554
On October 16, 2009 at 7:58 am
Nice artical yet so sad
CaSundara
On October 16, 2009 at 10:00 am
Hmmm… sad, silly, funny, but most of all plain weird! Here in the UK, when I was a teenager, Malboro were said to be owned by the KKK – this was supposedly proven by the K shapes printed on the pack.
Vikram Chhabra
On October 16, 2009 at 11:10 am
This was a very interesting writeup as usual. I always enjoy your articles Lauren. You have a great style!
Karen Gross
On October 16, 2009 at 12:22 pm
Great collection! Most of these I had not heard before.
Re: spandex – before the invention of spandex, women were often sewn into their clothes, and then the stitches had to be pulled out later. I wore a dress for a historical parade when I worked at a museum, and some of the pieces had to be sewn on after I put it on.
Darla Cooke
On October 16, 2009 at 2:24 pm
A very interesting article.
marin
On October 16, 2009 at 2:30 pm
really kl
Lauren Axelrod
On October 16, 2009 at 4:17 pm
@Karen that sounds horribly uncomfortable
Debra.
On October 16, 2009 at 4:55 pm
I absolutely enjoyed this article, Lauren. My favorites were the, “AIDS Mary” and the “Reebok Parable”. I was unfamiliar with a few of these.
Frosty Johnson
On October 16, 2009 at 7:40 pm
Mmm worm burger my favourite.
James DeVere
On October 17, 2009 at 12:01 am
What about the one where the gal order Kentucky Fried Take away. She then goes into the dark cinema placing the box on the floor…
Casually watching the film she reaches down and munches away at the, “Chicken,” later only to discover it was a rat that had crawled into her two peice feed – or some such.
Thanks a million, xxoo j
AeDechavez
On October 17, 2009 at 1:47 am
yup, things that the human mind can come up with.. but you know stories like this also come from real people and real life experiences.. great share ^^
goindia
On October 17, 2009 at 2:36 am
Great and interesting stories from you.
http://www.WorkFromHomeJobs.webnode.com
Jo Oliver
On October 17, 2009 at 2:57 am
You know I am such a sucker for an urban legend
athena goodlight
On October 17, 2009 at 3:41 am
I love this! It’s such a unique read.
historigal
On October 17, 2009 at 4:13 am
Urban legends are always interesting for me. You’ve written about them so well!
Teves
On October 17, 2009 at 4:24 am
Nice one…
Rosettaartist1
On October 18, 2009 at 2:09 am
I like it! My husband works in McDonalds and we never heard that one and my late mother told me she had ‘tapeworm diet pills’ and threw them away when she heard what was in them.
infonaturale
On October 18, 2009 at 7:45 pm
Great article, I enjoyed reading it. Keep it up, Lauren.
Auron Renius
On October 19, 2009 at 5:10 pm
Great article, very interesing
Ruby Hawk
On October 29, 2009 at 8:30 pm
These legends are everywhere. some are almost believable.interesting subject.
Ariel Avenasa
On December 6, 2009 at 8:23 am
Second Death is hilarious, Sheriff’s Daughter is tragic, while AIDS “Mary” is just plain sad on the girl’s part. Good stuff !