Video games have become a big part of our lives. They exercise our motor skills and problem solving abilities, help us build community and relationships, and more than anything...they're just fun! But did you know that in the early days of gaming technology many people actually feared video games and the arcades that housed them? There were rumors of mind control, injury, and even disappearances surrounding one game in particular...Polybius. We look into this mysterious arcade game's history and the conspiracies it birthed on this episode of Unspookable.

There are many tales of monsters throughout history - stories that come and go. But, in the Scottish Highlands, there is a legend of a creature whose first recorded sighting in the sixth century A.D. has only grown larger and gained more interest as the years go by. When we asked our listeners what stories we should tell this season, the single most requested tale was that of... the Loch Ness Monster. Prepare to hear about the origins, hoaxes, and possible explanations for everyone's favorite cryptid on this episode of Unspookable.

Have you ever heard a story about your hometown that you questioned whether or not it was true? Maybe there's a story about a famous person, or something that was invented in your hometown... or maybe there's a legend of a creature that has lurked in the local woods for over one hundred years. If you've ever heard of the New Jersey Pine Barrens ,these are exactly the kinds of stories that have been told locally for generations. Prepare to question local folklore with us today as we talk about The Jersey Devil on this episode of Unspookable.

This week, Unspookable is excited to share the first episode of Of Fae & Fiends. New episodes released weekly starting March 23, 2021. You can find Of Fae & Fiends wherever you get podcasts. Lizzie (10) returns to her ancestral home in Maine to make an amazing discovery: the woods behind the farmhouse contain a doorway to the mystical realm of Faerie. But a dark storm looms over the horizon of Fae: Lizzie’s Great-Uncle Carlow has enlisted a goblin army to conquer the World Tree, and has set his sights set on our world after… All that stands in Carlow’s way is Lizzie and her unlikely friends: Kyle, a talking goat, and Garrett, a swashbuckling weasel. Written and produced by audio drama pioneer Fred Greenhalgh, OF FAE & FIENDS is a Faerie Tale with teeth - a place where monsters sometimes eat children, but the courageous can fight back. This lavishly produced modern faerie tale features 30+ actors, cinematic sound design, and an original orchestral score. For families and kids at heart, ages 7 – 177.

Have you ever heard of Area 51? What about Roswell, New Mexico? What if the supposed alien-related events and conspiracies surrounding these two locations were actually true? As we close out our time looking at the existence of aliens, it's time to look at what we believe versus what we want to believe - all of that on the season finale of Unspookable.

Think about the last time you saw an alien. Was it in a book? Watching a movie? What did it look like? Now, it’s impossible to say exactly when the idea of aliens first occurred to humans on Earth and even more impossible to trace exactly how we conjured up the little green humanoid creatures with big eyes that you're most likely imagining, but today we're going to try and do just that. We’ll be talking about all things extra-terrestrial on this special two-part episode of Unspookable.

You see a crew-less vessel approaching through the fog on a moonless night at sea.. can you trust that your eyes were telling you the truth? Is there really a ship sailing with no one aboard? We've talked about the creatures that lurk in the ocean's depths, but what about the traces of the humans that have crossed those same waters? We'll look at these questions and the legend of Ghost Ships on this episode of Unspookable.

A lot of us have heard the word Illuminati, but what does it mean? Is there really a secret group of people controlling society from the shadows? There are conspiracy theories in the world today about these very questions and so much more, but where do these ideas come from? And why do people keep spreading them? Finding and agreeing on the truth can be hard sometimes and we'll talk about that and more on this episode of Unspookable.

Whether you find them cute or creepy, it's hard not to have a strong feeling about this week's topic...Spiders. Why are so many of us afraid of these arachnids? And what does it say about us as humans that something so small can be so terrifying? We'll unravel this web and more on this episode of Unspookable.

What do you think of when you hear the word mummy? Some of us may imagine a bandaged figure, arms outstretched, stumbling through the desert, but did you know that mummification of the dead served another purpose? Mummification is just a small part of a sacred ritual of Going Forth By Day as captured in something we call The Egyptian Book of the Dead. But this is no book at all as we will find out on this episode of Unspookable.

This week Unspookable presents REACH: A Space Podcast for Kids a weekly, family friendly exploration of our galaxy (and beyond!) with hosts Brian Holden and Meredith Stepien. Built for kids and based on questions from kids, REACH educates with entertaining segments, fun at-home experiments, and interviews with subject matter experts & thought partners from leading institutions like the Adler Planetarium, Cosmosphere, and more. Subscribe today, and get knowledge...within your Reach. A co-production between Soundsington Media and Sandy Marshall. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

Did you know that more than eighty percent of our ocean is unexplored? Is that why just thinking of the oceans vastness leaves some of us feeling uneasy? Or is it something more? What lurks in its dark, unmapped depths? We look to uncover this mystery and more as we discuss the Kraken on this episode of Unspookable.

Have you ever heard a story that left you wondering whether or not it was true? Have you ever wondered how some local legends became legends in the first place? We'll look at one of these stories and the actions that amplified it as we discuss the Mothman on this episode of Unspookable.

Greek mythology is full of amazing characters and creatures, but maybe none so much as those that share both human and animal characteristics. What can those that have one foot in one world and one foot in another teach us about ourselves? We will look back at Centaurs, Minotaurs, Pan, and more on this episode of Unspookable.

When you think of a Unicorn, what words come to mind? Beautiful? Gentle? Majestic? What if we told you that our current perception was a recent phenomenon and that history may tell a very different tale of this amazing creature. On this episode of Unspookable we track over 2000 years of Unicorn lore to get to the bottom of its origins.

Have you ever heard of a Chupacabra? Legends of this creature that attack goats and other livestock exist in Puerto Rico, Chile, Brazil, Mexico, and the American southwest. On this episode of Unspookable we look to uncover the origins of these legends and the thoughts that aid in shaping our fears.

How are stories created? What makes a story worth sharing? Would you be surprised to find out that people are telling the same stories all over the world? That's certainly the case with this week's topic of Dragons. Dragons exist in stories dating all of the way back to the beginnings of recorded history and on this episode of Unspookable we set out to answer why.

On this special episode of Unspookable we look back at The Black Plague and other historical pandemics to see how working together and trusting science can help in times of confusion. We also hear from our child contributors who discuss social distancing and how they're handling being home from school.

Have you ever been judged or judged others because they weren't like you? While some part of this is natural, our differences are what make us interesting and give us great opportunities to learn about others. Now have you ever heard of the Salem Witch Trials? On part two of a very special two part episode of Unspookable we look at the history of witchcraft, how acceptance of these practices has changed over time, and what happens when people's judgment goes too far.

Do witches really exist? If so, what does it mean to be a witch? And are witches inherently good or bad? The answers to these questions have changed over time and you might be surprised to find out some of the answers. Give a listen to part one of a very special two part episode of Unspookable.

What comes to mind when you hear the word clown? Is it the amusing character intending to make you laugh? Or is it something else - something scarier? We look at why so many have a fear of clowns and what that says about us on this episode of Unspookable.

Why is it that we both fear and yet are drawn to the idea of vampires? How have media and modern medicine changed our thoughts about their existence? And what does all of this say about humans? We'll sink our teeth into all that and more on this episode of Unspookable.

Dolls are most often seen as simply toys, yet so many of us harbor a secret fear of what they do while we slumber. On this episode of Unspookable we look at why these inanimate objects may creep us out and how it may have more to do with us than with them.

Stories of the walking dead permeate many cultures, but have you ever wondered if zombies could actually exist? On the new season of Unspookable we'll look at this and the origins of some of the most famous monsters in the world that just may or may not be real.

On the season conclusion of the family friendly Unspookable we look at the phenomenon of Momo. Why did this creepy sculpture go viral? What is the responsibility of the media in reporting these viral scares? And how can we protect ourselves from falling victim to these hoaxes?