“Grave Mistakes,” MonsterQuest S5, Ep 5

Posted January 31, 2026 by vulpesffb
Categories: anomalies, anthropomorphic, cryptozoology, mysteries, paranormal, speculation, spooky, strange happenings, television, unexplained
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MonsterQuest at times as in the present episode appears conflicted as to whether it wants to be a Monster show, or a Spooky show. As a result, we sometimes are served up a “Monster Mash” of sorts, a mixture of cryptozoology and paranormal recounts. Perhaps though, you like Igor in the novelty song may exclaim, “Mash good!” It’s just that some of these stories you might want to send to Ghostbusters…

Submitted then for your approval is the terrifying tale of two teens in Michigan City in 1997 at kind of an outdoor party by railroad tracks who saw a 7′ shadow person following the passing of a train. They had the sense of something creeping up on them. Leaving, it appeared that something had left with them, with one teen dreaming of the shadow figure. Returning later to the scene of their encounter, one felt that the atmosphere there changed after another train passed, and perceived something pitch black behind him. He challenged the entity to show itself, and later could feel its presence in his dreams, unable to shake its presence. Again challenging the shadow (big mistake!), he felt it jump on his chest, and felt himself levitated before being thrown down. He called out to God at that point, felt a warmth, and heard the shadow entity scream and then depart. His sleep and mental health improved thereafter…

Now in Harrisville, Rhode Island in the early 1970’s, we have a recounting of a story that inspired The Conjuring. A family in 1971 moved into a 200-year-old farmhouse unaware of its dark history. The woman felt a pain in her leg, finding a small wound. Objects were seen to fly across the room, and snarling was heard in the shadows. Well, the Warrens were hired, a paranormal investigation team that held a seance at the house in October of 1973. The woman fell into a deep trance at that seance, and spoke in a foreign language. Paranormal activity spiked after that seance, with the woman feeling her throat squeezed by an invisible hand at one point. By 1980 the family had had enough, and put the farmhouse up for sale. The decision to hold a seance was felt to have intensified spiritual activity…

Now we leave Spooky Town, and go to the Wind River Mountains in Wyoming where in the summer of 1972 , a large hairy primate was seen by 25 people. A wildlife biologist had the misfortune of sleeping in a tent whose previous occupant had spilled bacon grease upon the tent fabric. At 11:30 one night, the biologist heard something outside of the tent which proceeded to lick the bacon grease from outside of the tent! Thinking that the bacon had lured a bear, the plucky biologist bopped the presumed bear on what he thought was its nose from within the tent! This happened twice, but the ‘bear” didn’t retreat far, stood on two legs, and was seen to be taller than the tent. The creature was then determined not to be a bear as it put its hand on the top of the tent, through which an opposable thumb was seen! The top of the tent collapsed under the weight, and the now-presumed Bigfoot creature fell through, apparently on top of the biologist with only tent fabric separating them! Fortunately the Bigfoot was disturbed enough by this experience to simply retreat back to a wooded area…

No physical evidence of the Bigfoot’s presence was found at that time, but upon returning to his supervisor the biologist learned that numerous people had reported a large, hairy primate running around in the area. The biologist did a study, and found a number of hair samples which were sent for analysis. They were found to be primate hair, but of an unknown species…

Then in Silver Springs, Florida in the summer of 1976, a mother and daughter were camped out near a swamp area. The daughter went out to practice animal calls, imitating the call of a baby alligator. Later inside their camper, an unbearable smell heralded the appearance of a small hand with black hair at the window. The hand scratched at the window, and then the camper was shoved; the camper doorknob of the camper door was turned. A second adult creature then appeared and screamed, slapping the juvenile animal who cried, and departing with him. Blood and hair were found on the camper’s license plate, and researchers reported other sightings of the Swamp Ape…

The last story concerned teens who celebrated a birthday party in October of 2007 with a ouija board which reportedly moved over a period of 1-1/2 hours. Three months later, they went to deliver a gift in an isolated section of mountains, experiencing feelings of dread and seeing something 8-1/2′ tall with red eyes and long fingers clawing up the side of a mountain. Standing up, it pursued them, but they were able to escape in a parent’s vehicle. Posting of their experience many years later on social media, other people reported having seen such a creature, which they felt was summoned by the spirit board, or at least made aware of their presence by it…

As the episode warned in closing, when we reach into the darkness, we can’t ever control what reaches back… and who ‘ya gonna call?

Comments: 6 Comments

MonsterQuest, S5 Episode 4 – -“Hunted”

Posted January 25, 2026 by vulpesffb
Categories: anomalies, anthropomorphic, creature features, cryptozoology, furries, furry television, paranormal, speculation, strange happenings, television
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I think that the new MonsterQuest series has hit its stride now, with Episode 4 of Season 5 (“Hunted“) giving us features on the Ohio Dogman, Bigfoot, the Skunk Ape, and the Wisconsin Wendigo. It floated my boat, at least…

In Crawford, Ohio in 1985, a high school runner “Shane” was training by running through a cornfield when he felt that something was staring at him; he didn’t think that it was a bear or wolf as they aren’t indigenous to northwest Ohio. Deciding to flee, the young athlete was paced in his flight by the creature who traveled two or three cornrows to his right, stopping when he did as if toying with him. At the end of the cornfield, the student beheld a canid about 6′ tall with the head of a dog, pointed ears, and long arms…he was felt to be absolutely a predator…

At the end of the cornfield, the young man broke off to the left and sprinted to the house of a friend, finding temporary sanctuary at the bottom of a swimming pool before entering that friend’s house where he spent the night, happily surviving his encounter…

Another Dogman encounter in Green City, Ohio in 1972 was described during which a female teenager out with her boyfriend and others was standing outside their car when she perceived something out in the bushes with almond-shaped eyes. She heard rustling, and saw a silhouette of a large, upright animal which gradually came closer. Mesmerized, she couldn’t break eye contact with the creature, but was urged by her friends back into the car, which fled the scene…

Then in 1924, three miners staying in a hunting cabin heard whistling sounds when about 100 yards from their cabin procuring water. One beheld a large, hairy ape-like creature about 7′ tall, and fired at it, missing three times. That night around midnight, the miners heard a thud against their cabin, and later heard footsteps on its roof. Stones were heard thrown against the cabin, and one of three creatures like the one heard earlier apparently threw its weight against the cabin’s door. The walls were shaking as the assault continued, and many shots were attempted through gaps in the walls at the assailants as the battle continued through the night. Venturing out in daylight, the miners again fired at the creatures seen in the distance. Local newspapers referred to the Bigfoot-type creatures as “Mountain Devils.”

The Florida “Skunk Ape” is kind of a wetlands bog-dwelling Bigfoot of which there have been over 350 sightings over time. In Venice, Florida in 2001, a man while fishing with others heard a roar or howl that was described as being a mix of sounds that a tiger or bear might make. They jumped on their four wheelers, and heard cracking sounds from branches as they hastily departed, apparently being stalked by what they had heard. They went to the house of a girl that they knew nearby, and saw from it something black that stood as tall as a shed that was on the property. The creature later came up to the steps of the house, bringing with it a stench described as being a mix of skunk and road kill. They stayed in the house until the sun came up, and on returning to their camp, found it demolished…

Then in Eastern Wisconsin, we were brought a report of the Wendigo, a gray, gaunt creature described as being a “walking corpse” that often is seen as having the skull of a deer in the 70 to 100 sightings of it from the last century. While filming a movie in the forest towards nightfall, a group of young friends in 2022 heard something stirring beyond their campsite. The white shine of its eyes was seen as the creature approached, and they threw sticks at it, receiving in return a gargling hiss when the apparition was apparently hit. The eyes disappeared to then appear 7′ off the ground. Feeling in danger, the filming group fled, later discovering X-shaped stick structures in the nearby woods. Such structures are regarded to be territorial markers. The Wendigo was felt to be an evil presence, and to have a spiritual aspect to it…

“In the darkness, unknown predators may be on the hunt.”- – Ahahahahaha!

(I’m a predator, too. No pizza is safe around me!)

Comments: 4 Comments

MonsterQuest S5 Ep3, “Trespassers Beware”

Posted January 17, 2026 by vulpesffb
Categories: anthropomorphic, cryptozoology, furry, paranormal, television, Uncategorized, unexplained, unidentified
Tags:

“These are the chilling encounters of people who trespassed into the domain of the unexplained and paid the price.” So intones MonsterQuest, and it reminded me of every month when I get my cable bill...

(Warning: possibly disturbing content for sensitive readers. Discretion advised…)

Ah well! – – The third episode of Season 5 entertained with two features about Bigfoot or Sasquatch-type creatures, one concerning a malevolent spirit, and a fourth about a werewolf-type monster…

The tale was told of a 1981 encounter of a boy in a woodland tree stand told to stay there while his father went back to his cabin to retrieve something. At 5 a.m., the boy repeatedly had his boot lace untied as he dozed off; his father upon returning told his son to run back to his camp! Three years later, the young man returned to the same site with a larger group, and heard a yell in the distance. At nightfall, he heard something moving in their camp, and felt nails dragged across their tent before whatever did it ran off into the woods. Emerging from the tent in daylight, they found their camp destroyed, and found 15″ to 18″ footprints. They heard a scream when leaving the camp, and from the bed of a moving pickup truck saw a large branch flying through the air towards them…

An interjected segment was then made of an audio recording made in 1971 and 1972 called “Sierra Sounds” made by a family of shrieks and screams attributed to Bigfoot creatures.

Then in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, construction workers building a mall in July of 2000 reported seeing a 12′ tall Bigfoot creature, and finding 15″ to 20″ footprints in the area. Authorities claimed that both the sighting and the prints were those of a bear. In Seneca Creek State Park, Maryland, a cultural anthropologist found a bone pile with remains of deer, raccoons, and coyotes present as well as crude tools that may have been used for grinding. In October of 2014, that anthropologist began night camping using just a bedroll. On one occasion, he heard footsteps in the tree line, and reported seeing both an 8-1/2′ and a 7′ creature that made calls at different points as if they were triangulating his position; four or five individuals were judged to be present. They began to yell and scream, and he even heard them using a “clicking”-kind of language. They moved as he moved, but the anthropologist avoided fast or provocative movements, and escaped unharmed. He believed that he did not behold Gigantopithecus, but rather advanced hominid creatures…

Leaving Bigfoot for now, the focus shifted to Puyallap, Washington where ancient Native American burial sites were disturbed. In 2011, two friends encountered a malevolent spirit possibly that of Puyallap tribe members that manifested itself through sounds heard on the roof followed by a black entity moving across the ceiling. The witness felt pressed into his mattress, and the entity then collapsed, going from the ceiling into the wall before disappearing. Sleeping in the same room with the friend the following night, the witness felt something wrap around his wrist and then pull his arms apart. The entity was flat and two-dimensional, but felt aggressive. Feeling that he would be alright if he turned on a light, the observer struggled to reach a switch only to find the light inoperative. The entity then leaped into a three-dimensional manifestation, at which point the two passed out. The “shadow entity” was felt to be part of the indigenous people interred in the area…

Lastly in Iola, Kansas a young woman encountered what was described as a massive, terrifying dog. Walking with a boyfriend in 1977, they encountered an area of flattened grass 14′ in diameter that was apparently where something had bedded. They actually urinated on the area, apparently hoping by doing so to drive away whatever had bedded there. The opposite effect seemed to come to pass as the woman at her home at night heard a deep, guttural growl, calling her boyfriend to report “I think I’m being stalked by a werewolf!” Fearful, she went then to stay with her boyfriend, who locked eyes with the creature that had followed, and began tearing siding off the house. It was described as being a black mass with a black muzzle and yellow eyes. A pit bull outside then jumped the creature, and the noise of the resultant fracas prompted a neighbor to call police. Investigating, the body of the pit bull (“or what was left of it”) was found outside…

(Good nightmare fuel, right campers? The writer does not present the accounts as verifiable truth.)

Comments: 5 Comments

“Active Duty,” MonsterQuest, Season 5, Ep. 2

Posted January 10, 2026 by vulpesffb
Categories: aliens, anomalies, anthropomorphic, creature features, cryptozoology, furry, legends and folklore, television
Tags: ,

In its current incarnation, MonsterQuest defines “monsters” broadly, ranging from long-reported cryptic creatures like Bigfoot to alien encounters with UFO’s, and even supernatural beings like ghosts or jinn. The second episode of MonsterQuest’s season 5 was unified by all of these encounters being experienced and reported by military personnel.

The first installment of episode 2 took place in post-Saddam Hussein’s Iraq in 2003 where a marine went sweeping for explosives with a buddy in the sub-basement of Hussein’s palace. Behind a foreboding boiler room door, the marines encountered a 6′ tall, black figure that passed through him and his companion, and was described as feeling hateful. They felt a “new type of terror,” as if they had released something. A wooden sculpture seen later supposedly resembled what they had seen…

The second installment concerned the experiences of an American air traffic controller serving in Lakenheath, England in 2002. In the house where he lodged, books were stacked not by he or his wife’s hands in the center of a room. Stair and door sounds were heard in the dwelling, even when the couple was absent to visit the U.S. Fearful, the man’s wife took their baby to live elsewhere, leaving the controller living alone. A Bible was moved, the man felt a hand pressing him down in bed, heard doors banged in the nursery, and saw a figure in the doorway of the bathroom. Other airmen also saw spectral presences. It turned out that the housing had been constructed over an old Anglo-Saxon cemetery where 427 people were buried in a situation similar to that seen in the movie Poltergeist.

The third story drew from the 1980 experiences of an airman sent as a second lieutenant for survival training or “fear school” in remote sections of the Colville National Forest in in Washington, that state having had 700 sightings of Bigfoot going back to the 1920’s. The airmen were to head individually in different directions of the forest all lightly equipped, and basically survive the night there. After setting up a primitive camp, one airman wandered off exploring, falling asleep in a comfortable rotted tree stump to awaken after darkness to see eyes beholding him that were centered 7′ to 8′ above the ground. He found his way back to his camp but was pursued by the creature, and had a sleepless night as the presumed Bigfoot circled his camp, getting to within 2′ to 3′ of his shelter. Fortunately, the creature was gone by daylight, and the airman successfully rejoined his companions.

The fourth installment concerned previously classified information regarding a disc-shaped unidentified flying object seen in Franklin, Kentucky in January 1948. Several Mustang F-51D fighters from the Kentucky National Guard were sent to investigate, one flown by a decorated WWII vet, Captain Mantell, who at 15,000 feet reportedly saw a metallic object of tremendous size. He pushed his aircraft up to over 25,000 feet at which point the fighter nose-dived following a spiral pattern, broke apart, and crashed, killing the pilot. While there was wild speculation following the incident, Project Blue Book contended that the pilot passed out from lack of proper oxygen equipment at that high altitude, and died pursuing a Skyhook weather balloon, which he would not have known about…

Lastly, in 2003 in Iraq, the series reported that a USAF serviceman may have seen a Jinn in a shelter. He initially saw Iraqui soldiers who were seen as ghosts or residual energies when he then saw a muscular, 12′ tall figure with beady eyes that charged and passed through him before passing through a wall. A jinn (or djinn) is a supernatural being from Islamic and Arabic folklore that exists alongside humans and angels in a hidden, unseen world. They possess free will, can choose good or evil, and have abilities like shapeshifting and flight. Some are benevolent spirits while others are malevolent…

While monsters are defined broadly here, as the series tells us these servicemen “confronted an enemy beyond their understanding, and lived to tell the tale.”

Comments: 16 Comments

Birthday Greetings, Pepe Le Pew!

Posted January 6, 2026 by vulpesffb
Categories: cartoons, classics, famous furries, humor
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I would be remiss if I did not remind you that January 6th is the birthday of Pepe Le Pew, by my estimation his 81st as the character was introduced in 1945 in the cartoon, Odor-able Kitty. My question is what to buy Pepe for the occasion…an industrial-strength can of Glade room freshener, perhaps?

While Pepe now languishes in what I’ve heard referred to as Horny Prison due to unwanted romantic advances towards one Penelope Pussycat, I curse cancel culture and the fact that Elmer Fudd and Yosemite Sam are allowed to freely brandish and discharge guns while Pepe is not allowed to pursue his natural instincts, even if they are unwelcomed and misguided…

His birthday is an appropriate time to remember our romantically self-deceived skunk, and appeal for the reformation and re-appearance of his character in some form. I know that males foistering their unwanted romantic intentions on another is wrong, and that times have changed enormously since 1945…but surely a reconstituted version of the character is possible, and that fans would welcome his return in some form…

Although it’s entirely possible that in light of his age, Pepe may have entirely lost interest in the Game of Love to begin with…

So celebrate and remember Pepe Le Pew on his natal day, N’est-ce pas?

Comments: 2 Comments

“Cops vs. Cryptids” on MonsterQuest, S5 Ep. 1…

Posted January 3, 2026 by vulpesffb
Categories: anomalies, anthropomorphic, creature features, cryptozoology, furry, furry television, legends and folklore, mysteries, paranormal, strange happenings, television, unexplained, urban legends
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Well, MonsterQuest is back after a hiatus so long that most fans assumed the show was gone forever, so never say never, right? In the first episode of Season 5 Cops vs. Cryptids airing Jan. 2nd, 2026, we were treated to treatments of essentially four different cryptids, the episodes united by the theme that all had police investigation or involvement with them. The Beast of the Land Between the Lakes in Kentucky was first considered, with people missing or having been found dead in the area by 1980. The Beast was described as walking on two legs, and having glowing eyes. In a wooded area, one hunter, a fireman, paused to tell another turkey hunter, a cop, that he had experienced something circling his camp. The second hunter later heard growling and saw something massive 6′ to 8′ tall at his camp perimeter. He discharged his firearm at it, and heard a scream before the creature withdrew. The camp of the fireman was later found with his body in it. AI technology was used to generate scenes in this and other segments of the show...

The second installment rather stretched the definition of what a cryptid is, which is usually considered to represent an animal whose existence or survival is disputed or unsubstantiated. Centering on a “Shadow Person” manifestation seen in Monmouth County, New Jersey, these manifestations are mysterious, dark, humanoid figures reported in paranormal experiences, often seen as fleeting silhouettes described as featureless, black solid shapes, possibly being spirits. An officer was investigating a breaking and entering or home invasion call made by an old man, but didn’t see anything. An identical call came through the following night, and the same officer investigated it, this time finding a 7′-8′ black shadow looming over the resident. The entity disappeared at the end of a hallway. The officer called the sister of the man, who related that she had also experienced the shadow person, and that its presence constituted the reason for her moving from the premises. Spooky, yes…but an unknown animal, no…

Then we came to reports on the Goatman, a massive half-human, half-goat creature that walks on its hind legs. In 2006 a Colorado policeman collided with one on the road, but apparently didn’t damage it or his vehicle, although he could hear it moving around in the brush after the collision. Sturdy beast, that Goatman!

The last police encounters with cryptids were reported from the state of Washington, where numerous “Bigfoot” type creatures have been seen, also known as the “Forest Giant” or the “Wildman.” An 8′ tall Bigfoot supposedly dashed in fromt of a police cruiser in 2010, and 14″ and 17″ footprints were later found in the area…

All in all, it’s great to have MonsterQuest back on the air again, and the second episode will reportedly cover military encounters with cryptids. We may at Foxsylvania report on episodes as they continue to roll out from The History Channel, because inquiring minds want to know…

(Please, gentlemen, I can only listen to one of you at a time! And no, Goatman, you may not play Candy Crush on my tablet!)

Comments: 3 Comments

“MonsterQuest” Returns!”

Posted December 27, 2025 by vulpesffb
Categories: animals, anomalies, anthropomorphic, controversial, creature features, cryptozoology, furry, legends and folklore, mysteries, speculation, strange happenings, unexplained, unidentified, urban legends
Tags:

Wow!– -This is quietly awesome! After a long hiatus following its cancellation in 2010, the show MonsterQuest is coming back with new episodes, beginning January 2, 2026 at 10 p.m. on The History Channel!

In my humble opinion, MonsterQuest was one of the best shows on cryptids, the paranormal, and the unexplained out there. The series had generally good production values, and commentators who were actual researchers and scientists rather than hillbillies with guns running around in the wilderness. I thought that the show was gone forever, but it’s coming back, and soon! Hopefully the quality will be there as well…

The first episode will supposedly cover encounters that law enforcement and others have had with unexplained phenomena, including “classic” creatures. I just wanted to give all readers of this blog a “heads up,” then we all can get “our minds melted!” The available previews as below look good…

Comments: 3 Comments

South Park’s “Woodland Critters” Return!

Posted December 15, 2025 by vulpesffb
Categories: absurdities, alternative realities, anthropomorphic, fantasy, furry, furry television, humor, imaginary animals, strange, television, twisted reality
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We haven’t seen the Woodland Critters on South Park in 21 years, and although many thought that we’d never see them again, they make a roaring return to the finale of South Park’s Season 28!

Now the Critters were originally created as part of a Xmas story dreamed up by 4th grader Eric Cartman for a twisted Xmas story that he wrote, and while they appear cute, lovable, and child-like are really satanic creatures with dark powers including the ability to summon demons and hellfire. They engage in murderous and sadistic acts, including the torture and murder of Strawberry Shortcake.

There are a dozen Woodland Critters that include a bear, deer, rabbit, squirrel, and a fox. All are named simply by adding a “y” to their species name, so here we have Foxy the fox. (We foxes do struggle to control our dark side, you know.) Despite their apparent innocence, the Critters are quite sadistic, and use their dark powers to engage in violent and despicable acts that I don’t wish to even describe in a blog that tries hard not to venture beyond PG-13 territory. This time, the Critters are all excited because Donald Trump has impregnated Satan, who is going to give birth to the Anti-Christ. Things get very strange in a show that includes a talking towel prone to getting high, Towelie…

I know of no other show that has an anthropomorphic, marijuana-addicted talking towel as a recurring character. In Towelie’s defense, however, the government created him, and he’ll do the right thing when he knows what’s going on. He’s actually saved the boys from an evil towel on one occasion…

South Park at its best reverses and confounds our expectations, and the re-appearance of the Woodland Critters after a long absence from the series is an example of that, mixed in with the saga of satirizing the Trump administration and its key players for several seasons.- – Y’all have a Merry Xmas now, ‘ya hear?

Comments: 6 Comments

NJM’s Backlot “Mascots” Commercial…

Posted December 3, 2025 by vulpesffb
Categories: advertising, anthropomorphic, Brilliant but twisted, commercials, furry, furry commercials, fursuits, television
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NJM Insurance had earlier in a commercial shown us a tourist tram pulled aside in a backlot to observe a mascot commercial being filmed that involved costumed shark mascots, and now we are shown the same busy backlot where a number of mascot commercials are being filmed, necessitating a kind of traffic control function to stop pedestrians in order to allow mascots to pass…

…and a glorious and diversified mascot parade it is, too! There’s some kind of roller skating flamingo, what appears to be a catfish, my favorite, a fox, and a number of others. The mascot handler shouts corrections and admonishments to the mascots as they pass, such as “missing a fin,” and “get to it, fox!” Normally, we foxes would consider such comments rude, but work is hard to find…

The NJM commercial of course is to proclaim the fact that their company does not have mascots or jingles, but just great insurance…

Comments: 3 Comments

Xfinity’s “Imagine That: Rabbits

Posted November 27, 2025 by vulpesffb
Categories: advertising, anthropomorphic, furry, furry commercials, television
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Rabbits sure can multiply; employ algebra and calculus, not so much. And so when Papa Rabbit enters his home, he finds it jam-packed with his progeny, all moving about and enjoying internet-dependent activities like gaming, streaming, and on-line learning. Papa Rabbit desperately needs to run an internet search on “birth control…”

When Papa Rabbit manages to weave his way around the legion of offspring and trudge upstairs to see his missus, she is knitting tiny infant outfits, a universally-understood sign that she has a “bun (pun intended) in the oven,” three actually…but then, Momma Rabbit flips the top row to show that she has prepared six tiny outfits!

Papa Rabbit is devastated, his eyes big as saucers and his jaw dropping! Guess it’s too late for a vasectomy now. Good thing that Xfinity will lock in his internet price for five years, because he’ll need every bit of money he can muster to maintain his growing brood…

The commercial is rendered in the stop-motion style of Fantastic Mr. Fox, which lends a certain charm. Other ads in the Imagine That series have featured the Frankenstein monster and Jeff Goldblum. The song playing is The Green Grass Grows All Around, performed here by Louis Jordan…

Comments: 1 Comment

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