This episode deals with pedophilia, child sexual abuse materials, and the case includes fantasies of murder and cannibalism.

If this subject matter is triggering, please listen with caution or consider skipping this episode.

If you are a child in need of help or an adult seeking help for a child, contact Child Help National Child Abuse Hotline.

Call or text 800 for a child. That's 800 422-4453.

Hey, true weirdos. At the end of this episode, stick around if you want for a little bonus content and conversation.

Pupophobia. Not the fear of razor sharp puppy teeth. No, it's the fear of puppets. Don't laugh.

It's real. Sweating, tremors, racing heartbeat, panic, nightmares, depression. If you have

pupapophobia, puppets can seem like the worst possible unholy marriage of clowns and dolls.

A thing presented is just harmless good fun.

A thing with a paint-it-on smile.

But a puppet is a thing that has the power to come alive and speak to you.

And this little puppet right here, it just wants to eat you up.

And they got a small beam of light against the mirror. True. stuff.

Puppetry is an ancient art.

There's some debate on the origins, but China and India are the frontrunners with evidence suggesting that

puppets were helping humans tell their stories as far back as 1,000 BCE. Those early puppets were simple

creations made from whatever was at hand. And at first, puppets were part of sacred, religious, and

cultural rituals.

It took the ancient Egyptians to give the world its first taste of puppet theater.

Their first creations were made of wood and operated by strings.

These primitive puppets were designed to simulate everyday sorts of tasks,

cooking, carrying water, that sort of thing.

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