Have you ever heard the story about Humphrey Bogart being the baby on the Gerber Baby food jars? Or the one about Frank Zappa’s father being Mr. Greenjeans from the Captain Kangaroo television show. Then there was the one about the computer HAL from the movie “2001” being so named to show that he was one step ahead of IBM. If you have heard these stories, then today’s FamSite is one you will be sure to enjoy, for all of the above are urban legends.
Called The AFU & Urban Legends Archive, this site is a collection of stories that over the years have become accepted as fact, when in truth, they are usually false. The AFU stands for the newsgroup alt.folklore.urban where these type of items are an ongoing discussion. According to the site, an urban legend is : appears mysteriously and spreads spontaneously in varying forms, contains elements of humor or horror (the horror often “punishes” someone who flouts society’s conventions), makes good storytelling, does NOT have to be false, although most are. They often have a basis in fact, but it’s their life after-the-fact (particularly in reference to the second and third points) that gives them particular interest.
This site is one that is fun to spend some time at. Be sure to share it with a friend, I am sure they will enjoy it as much as you did. Enjoy your stop here today.
