The Box of Oddities

The Box of Oddities

The Webby Award-winning “Box of Oddities" is a podcast that delves into the strange and mysterious aspects of our world, exploring topics ranging from bizarre medical conditions to unsolved mysteries, and from paranormal phenomena to strange cultural practices from around the world. With a focus on oddities, curiosities, and the macabre, each episode is a journey into the unknown, where hosts Kat and Jethro Gilligan Toth share their love for unusual stories and inject their humor and commentary. From the strange history of medical practices to chilling true crime stories, to natural (and unnatural) events, "The Box of Oddities" satisfies your thirst for the weird and the unusual, offering an informative and entertaining look into the dark and mysterious corners of our world. JIMMY KIMMEL, ABC-TV says, "Should you be the type who has an interest in weird stuff, this is a fun thing to allow in your head!" “Truth is stranger than fiction, and the Box of Oddities is the strangest of all!” -SLUGGO, SIRIUS XM LITHIUM “Kat & Jethro wring humor from bizarre, macabre and perplexing places.” -BOSTON MAGAZINE

Episodes

July 4, 2025 54 mins
Box of Oddities Live Tour Tickets! Learn more! Resurrecting George Washington, the First Lady Freak Files, and other patriotic tales. This Independence Day, Box of Oddities declares its independence from boring history. In this explosive episode, Kat and Jethro crack open two patriotic oddities you won’t find in your middle school textbook. First: the bizarre true story of how George Washington’s doctors tried to bring him back f...
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The Box Of Oddities Live Show Tickets Here! In this episode of The Box of Oddities, things get combustible—literally. First, we unravel the baffling tale of New Zealand's 1931 exploding pants epidemic, where farmers' trousers mysteriously burst into flames thanks to one very misunderstood chemical. Spoiler: it’s not spontaneous combustion, but it is hilarious. Then, we pivot from pants to valor with the jaw-dropping story of Desmo...
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June 30, 2025 32 mins
See The Box of Oddities Live! Get Your Tickets! In this deeply strange and oddly inspiring episode of The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro unearth the haunting tale of Lalloo Ramparsad, a man born in 19th-century India with a parasitic twin attached to his body. Lalloo spent his life navigating a world that saw him as a curiosity, not a person—touring sideshows while quietly fighting for dignity and acceptance in a time that offere...
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June 27, 2025 26 mins
Live Show Tickets Here! Buckle in, Founding Freaks — it’s an all-you-can-eat buffet of bizarre in this Inbox of Oddities episode! A 12-year-old safety patrol captain gets launched into an out-of-body experience so intense it features a white light, a mystery needle, and an Oprah-induced spiritual comeback. One listener’s grandma may or may not have ripped open the fabric of spacetime in 1954 to snag a Paula Abdul casset...
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June 26, 2025 31 mins
See The Box of Oddities Live! Learn More Here! Is that the Virgin Mary in your waffle, or are you just hungry for divine intervention? In this episode of The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro explore the crispy corners of culinary miracles—from grilled cheese apparitions to religious revelations in a waffle. But that's just the appetizer. For the main course, we uncover a chilling truth: your vintage fridge may have been plotting yo...
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June 23, 2025 38 mins
The Box of Oddities Live! Learn More Here! Stranded, forgotten, and surprisingly resourceful—this week on The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro unearth the astonishing tale of the Tromelin Island survivors: enslaved people abandoned on a desolate speck in the Indian Ocean who managed to outwit fate for 15 years. Then, brace yourself for a prehistoric predator with a flair for theatrics—meet the galloping crocodile of the Cretaceous....
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June 20, 2025 57 mins
In this edition of Freak Family Favorites, Kat and Jethro peel back the powdered wig to reveal Ben Franklin’s freakier side—lightning rods and diplomacy were just the beginning. Then, it's off to Arizona, where a bizarre cryptid roams the cactus-laced landscapes, defying explanation and probably sunscreen. Finally, a fiery detour into the past with St. Anthony’s Fire: a hallucinogenic medieval nightmare served with a side of rye br...
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LIVE SHOW TICKETS HERE! What do a vanished German tourist and an indestructible socialite have in common? Absolutely nothing—except they’re both ridiculously fascinating. In this episode of The Box of Oddities, Jethro dives headfirst into the chilling and baffling case of Lars Mittank, the man who ran out of a Bulgarian airport... and into thin air. Was it paranoia, foul play, or something far stranger? Buckle in, because this on...
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June 16, 2025 36 mins
LIVE SHOW TICKETS HERE! The Brainiac Butcher & Presidential Plot Twists In this delightfully disturbing episode of The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro dig up the brain of Edward H. Rulloff—literally. Once hailed as a linguistic genius, Rulloff also had a slight… homicidal streak. Turns out, being brilliant doesn’t mean you aren’t also a total sociopath. Come for the criminal mastermind, stay for the post-mortem brain measurements...
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June 13, 2025 33 mins
Live Show Tickets! Father’s Day Bonus: The Relentless Father – The André Bamberski Story When 14-year-old Kalinka Bamberski died under mysterious circumstances in 1982 while visiting her mother and German stepfather, authorities dismissed her death as unfortunate, but natural. One person refused to believe that. Her father, André Bamberski, embarked on a 30-year odyssey of obsession, investigation, and international scandal in pu...
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June 11, 2025 41 mins
Get your tickets for The Live Show here! Beneath the stone floors of a London church, a chilling discovery sent Victorian society into a frenzy—and now you get to peek inside this hidden vault. In this episode of The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro unearth the grotesque 1849 mystery hidden under the Church of Holy Trinity in the Minories. Was it a forgotten crypt, or something far more disturbing? Then, buzz into the bizarre with...
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June 9, 2025 36 mins
Fall 2025 Tour Tickets Here! What do you get when you cross a brain surgery patient with an out-of-body experience and a ghost-repelling paint color? This episode of The Box of Oddities, naturally. Join Kat and Jethro as they dive into the astonishing near-death experience of Pam Reynolds—a woman who, while clinically dead during a high-risk procedure, claims to have seen and heard what no one should be able to. Then, things get…...
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June 6, 2025 34 mins
🎧 "THE POSSESSED CAT & THE BATHROOM SQUIRREL” 🐈🧀🧻 In this utterly unhinged installment of Inbox of Oddities, we tackle the most important questions of our time: Can a shower grout demon be reasoned with? Why does Alexa giggle during arguments like a passive-aggressive poltergeist? Is IKEA just a Scandinavian liminal plane with meatballs? Join Kat & Jethro as they dive headfirst into a haunted ceiling squirrel invasion, a Chee...
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Live Show Tickets Here! Ever shared a delusion so hard it needed a group chat? In this episode of The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro explore the truly mind-bending case of folie à trois. In this rare psychological phenomenon, three people spiral into the same shared psychosis. It's like synchronized swimming, but with hallucinations and existential dread. Then, buckle up for the harrowing and awe-inspiring true story of Alison Bo...
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June 2, 2025 36 mins
LIVE SHOW TIX HERE! Time Travel Insurance and Unusual Post-Funeral Food Traditions: Ever worried about getting stuck in the 17th century without proper coverage? In this episode of The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro unearth the curious 19th-century phenomenon of time travel insurance—yes, that was a real thing, and yes, people actually bought it. Spoiler: it did not cover paradoxes. Then, journey into the comforting yet curious ...
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May 30, 2025 34 mins
⁠Tickets to The Live Shows Here! The Inbox of Oddities #049: “The Tooth Collector of Apartment 3B” 🚨BREAKING: Squeaky hiccups have been entered into the official U.S. court record. Democracy survives—barely. Meanwhile, in this week’s INBOX episode of The Box of Oddities: Confirmation of the haunted Texas park where monkey cages move themselves. A refurbished La-Z-Boy that came with free nightmares. Teeth. In wa...
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See The Box Of Oddities Live! In this delightfully peculiar episode of The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro explore two phenomena that are equal parts baffling and brilliant. First, the "Angels of Mons"—were they divine warriors, hallucinations, or just an epic case of wartime wishful thinking? Either way, something peculiar happened over those World War I trenches. Then: behold the annual crustacean apocalypse of Christmas Island,...
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Tickets to The Live Shows Here! In this episode of The Box of Oddities, we chip away at the icy mystery of Marcelin and Francine Dumoulin, a Swiss couple who vanished into thin air—only to reappear 75 years later like a very slow RSVP. Then, we time-travel to 18th-century Russia for the hilariously tragic reign of Peter III, a czar whose six-month stint makes your worst temp job look like a lifetime achievement. And finally, we ti...
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May 23, 2025 32 mins
Live Show Tickets Here INBOX OF ODDITIES: - “The Ghost in the Toothbrush Cup” In this kaleidoscopic journey through the wonderfully weird, Kat and Jethro crack open the mailbag and unleash a cavalcade of listener tales that range from hilariously haunted to just plain chewy. A lazy terrier named Morris becomes an anti-hero during a rodent emergency, a haunted hearing aid refuses to let the afterlife be silent, and a fridge appear...
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May 21, 2025 38 mins
Fall Tour 2025 Tickets Here! Imagine controlling tech with your mind and watching a Viking ship burst through a flaming amphitheater — no, you're not dreaming. In this episode of The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro plug into the brain-bending world of Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs), where thought alone can type, move, and maybe even speak. It’s sci-fi made science — Elon wishes. Then, pack your imaginary passport for Puy du Fou...
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