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The Box of Oddities

The Box of Oddities

By: Kat & Jethro Gilligan Toth
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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© 2023 Eleven Eleven llc Social Sciences True Crime
Episodes
  • Inbox Of Oddities #90

    Inbox Of Oddities #90
    Jun 12 2026
    Welcome back to Inbox of Oddities, where the Freak Family takes over the show. This week, Kat and JG dive into a collection of hilarious, bizarre, and unexpectedly heartfelt listener stories. You'll hear about a hidden message painted beneath a bathroom floor declaring that Toby is not the Scranton Strangler, a dog-grooming boo effect involving unfortunate timing and an even more unfortunate canine gas attack, and a listener who uses a real human skull named Esther to motivate children to do their chores. The Freak Family also shares strange sandwich creations, debates the wisdom of squeeze jelly versus homemade preserves, discusses eerie stories from hospice care and apparent returns from the dead, and explores the odd psychological phenomenon of imagining what podcast hosts look like before seeing them in real life. Along the way, there are stories about haunted houses, Dorothea Puente's infamous Sacramento boarding house, hidden messages left for future generations, anglerfish romance, ghost writers becoming actual ghosts, and a surprisingly successful rhyme for "gaping flesh wound." As always, Inbox of Oddities delivers a strange mix of humor, weird history, listener oddities, accidental paranormal moments, and the wonderfully peculiar stories that make the Freak Family unlike any audience on Earth. If you enjoy unusual true stories, weird listener experiences, dark humor, paranormal curiosities, folklore, strange history, and delightfully odd human behavior, this episode is for you. The Box of Oddities is hosted by Kat and JG, celebrating the weird, the wonderful, and the unexplained one odd story at a time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    23 mins
  • The Ice House Deaths

    The Ice House Deaths
    Jun 10 2026
    Before refrigeration changed the world, entire communities depended on winter itself. Every year, workers ventured onto frozen lakes and rivers to harvest massive blocks of ice destined for ice houses, homes, and businesses across America. The work was brutal, dangerous, and often deadly. Men drowned beneath the ice, vanished into freezing waters, and were crushed by shifting blocks weighing hundreds of pounds. Over time, those tragedies gave rise to haunting legends of ghostly figures beneath frozen rivers, phantom footsteps in abandoned ice houses, and eerie encounters that still linger in local folklore. Then, discover one of the strangest and most heartwarming stories of World War I. Amid the mud, artillery fire, poison gas, and unimaginable hardship of trench warfare, hundreds of thousands of cats found themselves serving alongside soldiers. Some hunted rats, some reportedly provided early warning of gas attacks, and many became cherished companions who brought comfort to men living through one of history's darkest conflicts. From haunted ice harvests in Maine to feline heroes on the battlefields of Europe, this episode explores two remarkable stories where history, hardship, folklore, and unexpected companionship collide. The Box of Oddities is a podcast for those who know that the strangest stories are often the true ones. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    29 mins
  • The Sea Monster & The Last Citizen

    The Sea Monster & The Last Citizen
    Jun 8 2026
    For a few strange weeks in the summer of 1817, hundreds of New Englanders gathered along the Massachusetts coast to watch something moving through the Atlantic. Experienced fishermen, ship captains, and merchants all described a massive creature unlike anything they had seen before. Some compared it to a giant serpent. Others insisted it resembled a turtle, a snake, or even a horse. More than two centuries later, the mystery of the Gloucester Sea Serpent remains one of America's most fascinating unexplained sightings. Then, journey to the tiny Nebraska village of Monowi, where one woman keeps an entire town alive. Meet Elsie Eiler—the mayor, clerk, librarian, tax collector, tavern owner, and sole resident of America's smallest incorporated community. While most ghost towns fade into history, Monowi survives through the determination of one remarkable woman who literally votes for herself in every election. From legendary sea monsters and historical mysteries to disappearing towns and extraordinary human perseverance, this episode explores two stories that prove reality is often stranger than fiction. The Box of Oddities is a podcast for the curious, the weird, and those who know that the world's most fascinating stories are often the hardest to explain. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    27 mins
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