WEBVTT - The Monstrefact: Mud Monsters Attack

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind, a production of

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<v Speaker 1>I Heart Radio. Hi, my name is Robert Lamb and

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<v Speaker 1>this is the Monster Fact, a short form series from

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<v Speaker 1>Stuff to Blow Your Mind, focusing in on mythical creatures, ideas,

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<v Speaker 1>and monsters in time. Sift around through urban legends and

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<v Speaker 1>hauntings websites enough and you'll come across talk of the

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<v Speaker 1>mud Man of Metz said to haunt Metz Bridge and

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<v Speaker 1>mets Iowa. Websites such as Haunted Places mentioned tales of

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<v Speaker 1>a mud monster in the depths beneath the bridge, perhaps

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<v Speaker 1>a ghost or revenant of a man who died in

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<v Speaker 1>a fatal car accident at the site. Some accounts raised

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<v Speaker 1>the possibility that this individual died while fleeing a crime

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<v Speaker 1>scene and that their bloody crimes doomed them to this

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<v Speaker 1>horrible existence in central Iowa. Haunting men of mud can

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<v Speaker 1>be found elsewhere in the world as well. Specifically, there

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<v Speaker 1>is the do ro Tabo of Japan. The name means

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<v Speaker 1>either mud man or rice patty man. This yokai is

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<v Speaker 1>generally described and depicted as a humanoid of mud, or

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<v Speaker 1>at least a torso of mud emerging from the mud

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<v Speaker 1>of a rice patty, grasping about with its arms and

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<v Speaker 1>staring out of a single wide eye in its head

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<v Speaker 1>as it wails in the night. According to Hiroko Yota

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<v Speaker 1>and Matt Alt in their excellent book Yokai Attack, the

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<v Speaker 1>do Rotabo is not generally believed to be dangerous. It cries,

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<v Speaker 1>it frightens those who encounter it. Some traditions say it

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<v Speaker 1>originated in the spirit of a man who lost his

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<v Speaker 1>hard earned farmland and now haunting those very rice patties,

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<v Speaker 1>cries for its return in the night. The authors share

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<v Speaker 1>that the do Rotabo's origins go back at least as

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<v Speaker 1>far as say can Toriyama's famous eighteenth century your Kai

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<v Speaker 1>book Tales of Monsters then in now, And while it

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<v Speaker 1>might be based on pre existing folk tales, it's more

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<v Speaker 1>likely a creation of Toriyama himself. I'll have to admit

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<v Speaker 1>that this frightening spirit loses some of its appeal given

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<v Speaker 1>that it might have been a little more than the

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<v Speaker 1>embodiment of a crude sexual metaphor quote to stick a

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<v Speaker 1>pole in the rice patty. The door o Tabo's appearance

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<v Speaker 1>is vaguely phallic, and the authors point out that Toriyama

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<v Speaker 1>may have been referencing Brothels that were located north of

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<v Speaker 1>Edo Castle at the time. Mud monsters pop up in

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<v Speaker 1>our modern fictions as well. Just to name a few appearances,

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<v Speaker 1>you'll find them in the goose Bumps book series and

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<v Speaker 1>TV show, as well as the movies Spookies and Terry

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<v Speaker 1>Gilliam's two thousand and five fantasy film The Brothers Grimm.

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<v Speaker 1>Mud Men have also emerged from the muck and such

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<v Speaker 1>role playing games as Dungeons and Dragons, and you'll be

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<v Speaker 1>able to smite them in such video games as Blasphemous.

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<v Speaker 1>In the natural world, many creatures take advantage of mud,

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<v Speaker 1>either as part of their habitat or as an excellent

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<v Speaker 1>cooling and sun productive coating for their skin. Mud can

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<v Speaker 1>also aid in the removal of ecto parasites, provide relief

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<v Speaker 1>from biting insects, and prevent skin from drying out. And yes,

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<v Speaker 1>it can also aid in camouflage. The wart hog is

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<v Speaker 1>a great natural example of this, but of course, if

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<v Speaker 1>you ever find yourself battling invisible aliens in the jungle,

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<v Speaker 1>this trick also comes in handy for muscular commandos as well.

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<v Speaker 1>Tune in for additional episodes of The Monster fact or

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<v Speaker 1>the Artifact each week. As always, you can email us

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<v Speaker 1>at contact at stuff to Blow your Mind dot com.

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