Modern Folktales: Some Strange Goings-on

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Modern Folktales: Some Strange Goings-On

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In the 1930’s a curious craze swept across the United States. Americans started to buy baby alligators, which they reared as pets in their city apartments. But the novelty soon wore off, and as the pets grew too large and fierce, they were flushed down the toilet.

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As a result, some people claim that a race of giant sewage-feeding alligator-probably albino, since they live in permanent darkness-is thriving in the sewers of many a city.

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This may be a familiar story. But although it has been circulated as true for decades, there is very little truth in it. There is some evidence that a few small alligators were found in the New York City sewers during the 1930’s but the authorities soon eradicated them-at least that is what we are led to believe. The notion that subterranean tunnels are teeming with monstrous reptiles has very little foundation in fact.

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The alligator story is one of many modern folktales (frequently with an ironic or horrific twist) that are retold as true, with embellishments to make them seem plausible. They appear in varying forms in different parts of the world and, like many stories, travel rapidly on the grapevine. Certain modern folktales have become classics. Among the most frequently recited:

Spiders in Bubble Gum

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The story once spread that Bubble Yum, a brand of bubble gum, contained spiders’ eggs, and that children who chewed it would wake up to find spiders crawling on them. In the 1970’s the manufacturers of the brand, E.R. Squibb & Sons, launched a $100,000 advertising campaign to reassure all customers that their gum was “clean, wholesome, pure, and great fun to chew.”

Hong Kong Surprise

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A European couple dining out in Hong Kong went to a restaurant where they had difficulty making themselves clear. Only after much sign language did they make their choice of meal understood.

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Next came the problem of getting food for their dog, which was also hungry. The couple pointed to it and to their mouths. That seemed to convey the message, and the dog was led away. A few hours later the high point of the meal arrived when a large platter was brought to the table and the cover removed with a flourish. Beneath the lid: their succulently roasted dog.

The Disappearing Matriarch

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A British couple, their children, and a grandmother were on a camping vacation in Europe when the grandmother passed away. Reluctant to have her buried in a foreign country, or to bear the expense of having the body shipped home, the family decided to keep the corpse with them until the end of the vacation. Bundling the deceased in a rug, they strapped her to the roof rack of the car.

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After stopping at a restaurant for lunch one day, they returned to discover that the car, with their late grandmother on top, had been stolen. They never saw either again. Continue some versions of the story: since the body was never found, the family could not claim the proceeds of a substantial life insurance policy.