1 00:00:04,200 --> 00:00:06,440 Speaker 1: Hey, and welcome to the Short Stuff. I'm Josh, and 2 00:00:06,440 --> 00:00:10,720 Speaker 1: there's Chuck and this is Short Stuff the Urban Legend 3 00:00:10,800 --> 00:00:13,920 Speaker 1: from Chihuahua Edition. Yeah, I've never heard of this. This 4 00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:17,440 Speaker 1: is kind of fun. You found this. I think La 5 00:00:17,480 --> 00:00:23,400 Speaker 1: Pascualita colon bridal shop mannequin or embalmed course, And that's 6 00:00:23,440 --> 00:00:26,600 Speaker 1: from Lauren David at How Stuff Works. Yeah, for sure. 7 00:00:27,240 --> 00:00:31,640 Speaker 1: And so La Pasqualita is a bridal shop mannequin and 8 00:00:31,760 --> 00:00:34,840 Speaker 1: has been keeping up her side of the bargain since 9 00:00:34,880 --> 00:00:38,120 Speaker 1: the nineteen thirties by being a mannequin. Yeah, that's a 10 00:00:38,240 --> 00:00:41,440 Speaker 1: long lived mannequin. I mean, how many mannequins do you 11 00:00:41,479 --> 00:00:44,920 Speaker 1: think are at Macy's that were put into into work 12 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:47,600 Speaker 1: put to work in the nineteen thirties? Just the old 13 00:00:47,640 --> 00:00:53,320 Speaker 1: Marge Okay, one out of thousands, right, So that in 14 00:00:53,400 --> 00:00:56,160 Speaker 1: and of itself is pretty impressive. But what makes La 15 00:00:56,200 --> 00:01:00,280 Speaker 1: Pascualita even more impressive, or more interesting even is that 16 00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:03,880 Speaker 1: a lot of people, especially in the Chihuahua area, believe 17 00:01:03,960 --> 00:01:06,320 Speaker 1: that she's not a mannequin at all, that she's actually 18 00:01:06,600 --> 00:01:11,280 Speaker 1: an embalmed corpse, specifically the embalmed corpse of the original 19 00:01:11,360 --> 00:01:17,160 Speaker 1: owner of La Popular bridal dress shop in Chihuahua, Mexico. 20 00:01:17,560 --> 00:01:21,120 Speaker 1: That's right. I urge you to go when you can 21 00:01:21,160 --> 00:01:25,119 Speaker 1: safely do so. Look up pictures of La Pascualita and 22 00:01:25,240 --> 00:01:29,200 Speaker 1: specifically just put in as your search term La Pascualita 23 00:01:29,360 --> 00:01:35,360 Speaker 1: mannequin hands, Yeah, because that is one of the creepiest 24 00:01:35,400 --> 00:01:39,280 Speaker 1: parts of this mannequin. Are these? I mean, it looks 25 00:01:39,319 --> 00:01:41,679 Speaker 1: like no mannequin hands that I've seen. They look like, 26 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:48,640 Speaker 1: at worst, like a Madame Tussau's dummy hands. I would 27 00:01:48,720 --> 00:01:51,640 Speaker 1: say even more detail than that. I've never seen more 28 00:01:51,760 --> 00:01:56,120 Speaker 1: life like non life hands in my life. You ever 29 00:01:56,160 --> 00:01:59,040 Speaker 1: been to Madame Tussau's I have, and I'm telling you 30 00:01:59,360 --> 00:02:04,760 Speaker 1: this mannequin hasn't beaten well. The story of Lo Pascualita, Um, 31 00:02:04,840 --> 00:02:06,680 Speaker 1: you know, it's an urban legend, and usually when there's 32 00:02:06,680 --> 00:02:11,640 Speaker 1: an urban legend, you can't pinpoint like any head cannon. Uh. 33 00:02:11,840 --> 00:02:13,720 Speaker 1: It's usually just a story kind of passed around that 34 00:02:13,760 --> 00:02:16,880 Speaker 1: morrison changes. And that's probably the case here. But as 35 00:02:16,880 --> 00:02:21,919 Speaker 1: the story goes in the nineteen thirties, the she's known 36 00:02:21,919 --> 00:02:25,840 Speaker 1: as the corpse Bride, was going to get married and 37 00:02:25,960 --> 00:02:29,560 Speaker 1: her mom. Uh. There's a couple of different versions. One 38 00:02:29,680 --> 00:02:32,399 Speaker 1: was her mother was not in favor of the marriage 39 00:02:32,880 --> 00:02:35,880 Speaker 1: and the daughter it like broke her heart, so she died. 40 00:02:36,520 --> 00:02:38,679 Speaker 1: I saw other versions where she was bitten by a 41 00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:41,720 Speaker 1: black widow or there are other sort of like bug 42 00:02:41,760 --> 00:02:44,519 Speaker 1: stings and bites that killed her, depending on who's telling 43 00:02:44,560 --> 00:02:47,920 Speaker 1: the story separately, not all at once, right, depending on 44 00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:53,640 Speaker 1: the story. Right. And that mama was so distraught that 45 00:02:53,720 --> 00:02:59,000 Speaker 1: she had this her daughter's body mummified or and or embalmed, 46 00:02:59,120 --> 00:03:02,639 Speaker 1: and said you're gonna live in my window as the 47 00:03:02,720 --> 00:03:07,560 Speaker 1: corpse bride forevermore right, Yeah, which is kind of sweet 48 00:03:08,160 --> 00:03:11,919 Speaker 1: in a lot of ways. Kind of The woman, by 49 00:03:11,960 --> 00:03:14,560 Speaker 1: the way, that you're speaking of who had her daughter 50 00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:19,160 Speaker 1: embalmed is named Pasquala Esparza, the owner of the Bridle 51 00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:22,639 Speaker 1: shop in the thirties when La Pasqualita made her debut 52 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:26,600 Speaker 1: and local people said, look at those hands. I don't 53 00:03:26,600 --> 00:03:30,320 Speaker 1: know what Madame Tousseau is it yet, but this beats them. Yeah, 54 00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:32,880 Speaker 1: never seen hands like that in my entire life. But 55 00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:37,280 Speaker 1: also doesn't that mannequin bear a very strong resemblance to 56 00:03:37,440 --> 00:03:41,280 Speaker 1: Pasquala's daughter who's now dead. I think that's really odd. 57 00:03:41,480 --> 00:03:44,560 Speaker 1: Did you think she did? I didn't think she looked 58 00:03:44,560 --> 00:03:47,200 Speaker 1: a whole lot like her. No, but we'll get to 59 00:03:47,240 --> 00:03:49,640 Speaker 1: that in a minute. There's a reason why she didn't 60 00:03:49,640 --> 00:03:51,440 Speaker 1: look a whole lot like There's a picture that you're 61 00:03:51,480 --> 00:03:54,240 Speaker 1: referring to, I think on the internet where it shows 62 00:03:54,280 --> 00:03:57,080 Speaker 1: a picture of Pasquala's daughter and then a picture of 63 00:03:57,240 --> 00:04:00,040 Speaker 1: La Pascualita the mannequin. Right, yeah, that sounds like a 64 00:04:00,040 --> 00:04:36,360 Speaker 1: great cliffhanger. Okay, all right, we'll be going back stout. 65 00:04:36,440 --> 00:04:38,839 Speaker 1: Stop you shouldn't, I should know, all right, I'm hanging 66 00:04:39,120 --> 00:04:44,560 Speaker 1: let's hear it. Oh, okay, Well, the reason that the 67 00:04:44,600 --> 00:04:49,760 Speaker 1: mannequin La Pasqualita doesn't look anything like the daughter of 68 00:04:49,839 --> 00:04:52,919 Speaker 1: Pasquala that has shown in that picture is that the 69 00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:56,960 Speaker 1: woman of pictures not the daughter of pasqual There was 70 00:04:57,040 --> 00:05:00,040 Speaker 1: no daughter of Pasquala as far as okay, has that 71 00:05:00,279 --> 00:05:04,360 Speaker 1: been super confirmed? Because this all how stuff works, dug up. 72 00:05:04,920 --> 00:05:10,960 Speaker 1: A woman named Teresa Cordova, who did a dissertation in 73 00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:14,000 Speaker 1: twenty twelve from the University of New Mexico that had 74 00:05:14,040 --> 00:05:17,000 Speaker 1: to do with this, went down to the shop to 75 00:05:17,040 --> 00:05:20,080 Speaker 1: interview them. I don't know if it is still the 76 00:05:20,080 --> 00:05:22,520 Speaker 1: same family. That's one thing I couldn't find. I don't 77 00:05:22,520 --> 00:05:25,040 Speaker 1: believe it is, but it's it's the shop's been open 78 00:05:25,120 --> 00:05:27,520 Speaker 1: the whole time, but I believe it's changed hands, all right, 79 00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:32,400 Speaker 1: changed creepy mummified hands that had an interview lined up 80 00:05:32,440 --> 00:05:34,479 Speaker 1: with the manager. The manager did not show up for 81 00:05:34,480 --> 00:05:37,760 Speaker 1: the interview, and they said that, you know, she got 82 00:05:37,800 --> 00:05:39,200 Speaker 1: back in touch and they said, no, we think it's 83 00:05:39,279 --> 00:05:41,520 Speaker 1: bad luck, so we're not going to do this interview. 84 00:05:42,040 --> 00:05:46,000 Speaker 1: And she proposed, Hey, this is all just a marketing 85 00:05:46,080 --> 00:05:50,640 Speaker 1: thing because I have done some pretty extensive public record 86 00:05:50,680 --> 00:05:53,719 Speaker 1: searching and I have not found that this daughter exists, 87 00:05:53,760 --> 00:05:56,520 Speaker 1: So they're not gonna do this interview because this negative 88 00:05:56,560 --> 00:06:00,320 Speaker 1: publicity and missing is a great marketing tool. Yeah, that's 89 00:06:00,320 --> 00:06:03,240 Speaker 1: what I was basing it on. Cordova's research. Okay, she 90 00:06:03,440 --> 00:06:09,480 Speaker 1: searched for obituaries church documents at the local church historical 91 00:06:09,560 --> 00:06:14,840 Speaker 1: records and found no record of Pasquala A. Sparza having 92 00:06:14,880 --> 00:06:17,640 Speaker 1: a daughter or at all, let alone one that died. 93 00:06:17,800 --> 00:06:21,120 Speaker 1: That's that's how I take it. Okay, As far as 94 00:06:21,160 --> 00:06:26,479 Speaker 1: whether or not this could be a embalmed human being, 95 00:06:27,440 --> 00:06:31,200 Speaker 1: not only did how stuff works interview some embalmers and 96 00:06:31,279 --> 00:06:34,279 Speaker 1: people in the funeral industry, but I got on Reddit 97 00:06:34,560 --> 00:06:37,599 Speaker 1: the source for all information, and there were quite a 98 00:06:37,640 --> 00:06:41,599 Speaker 1: few embalmers who weighed in, and all of them said, 99 00:06:42,080 --> 00:06:47,960 Speaker 1: there's just no way, like the most super plus plus 100 00:06:48,040 --> 00:06:51,440 Speaker 1: two point zero embalming that you could ever do on somebody, 101 00:06:51,880 --> 00:06:54,400 Speaker 1: if you really wanted someone to last a long time 102 00:06:54,440 --> 00:06:56,920 Speaker 1: for some weird reason, there's just no way it would 103 00:06:57,000 --> 00:07:01,080 Speaker 1: last seas long this long, especially in these conditions like 104 00:07:01,800 --> 00:07:05,240 Speaker 1: La Pascualita, if it were an embalmed corps. First of all, 105 00:07:05,960 --> 00:07:08,799 Speaker 1: this is like has been standing in a sunny, bright 106 00:07:08,880 --> 00:07:13,520 Speaker 1: window for ninety years. That all that alone says nope, 107 00:07:13,560 --> 00:07:15,480 Speaker 1: not a corpse. Thing would have rotted by now. It 108 00:07:15,520 --> 00:07:18,160 Speaker 1: would certainly not look like it does today, which is 109 00:07:18,280 --> 00:07:22,200 Speaker 1: in pretty good shape. Right. The second thing is there 110 00:07:22,200 --> 00:07:25,040 Speaker 1: are corpses out there that have been embalmed and kept 111 00:07:25,120 --> 00:07:29,560 Speaker 1: preserved for very long time, like Lennon's corpse. I don't 112 00:07:29,560 --> 00:07:31,120 Speaker 1: remember when he died, but I think it was the 113 00:07:31,120 --> 00:07:33,720 Speaker 1: thirties as well. And if you look at him, he's 114 00:07:33,720 --> 00:07:37,520 Speaker 1: still looking okay, that's clearly a corpse. But also he's 115 00:07:37,560 --> 00:07:43,920 Speaker 1: kept under extremely specific conditions. There's a team of people 116 00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:46,960 Speaker 1: who whose job it is is to keep him, you know, 117 00:07:47,080 --> 00:07:50,720 Speaker 1: up to snuff. Yeah. Yeah, essentially, and over the years, 118 00:07:50,840 --> 00:07:55,080 Speaker 1: through all of these updates and like freshen ups, he's 119 00:07:55,120 --> 00:07:59,240 Speaker 1: basically been turned into rubber. Yeah. So you couldn't just 120 00:07:59,440 --> 00:08:03,160 Speaker 1: embalm the corpse wants standed up in a dress shop 121 00:08:03,200 --> 00:08:05,840 Speaker 1: window for ninety years and it would look like that. 122 00:08:06,080 --> 00:08:09,320 Speaker 1: It just wouldn't. So, Yes, if you're a professional or balmer, 123 00:08:09,360 --> 00:08:11,480 Speaker 1: you're like, this is not a corpse. It's just not 124 00:08:11,560 --> 00:08:15,680 Speaker 1: a corpse. Yeah, much less change the clothes on this thing, right, 125 00:08:16,120 --> 00:08:18,440 Speaker 1: I mean I didn't. I didn't find any information on that. 126 00:08:18,520 --> 00:08:21,560 Speaker 1: But unless she's wearing the bridal dress from the nineteen thirties, 127 00:08:22,440 --> 00:08:26,760 Speaker 1: is that true? I found um that there's so she 128 00:08:26,840 --> 00:08:30,280 Speaker 1: supposedly has vericoast veins in her legs. I'd try to 129 00:08:30,280 --> 00:08:32,800 Speaker 1: find a picture of that, but I couldn't find one. Okay, 130 00:08:32,840 --> 00:08:36,320 Speaker 1: here's why, because that piece of information that's bandied about 131 00:08:36,440 --> 00:08:39,319 Speaker 1: is evidence that she's actually not TRPs came from I 132 00:08:39,360 --> 00:08:41,040 Speaker 1: don't know if it's true or not, but it's It 133 00:08:41,080 --> 00:08:44,000 Speaker 1: really fits into the idea of an urban legend where 134 00:08:44,320 --> 00:08:48,439 Speaker 1: a woman unnamed who supposedly worked in the dress shop 135 00:08:48,840 --> 00:08:53,080 Speaker 1: when who knows and was responsible for changing law. Pascuelita 136 00:08:53,280 --> 00:08:56,280 Speaker 1: is the one who said that she had vericoast veins. 137 00:08:56,320 --> 00:09:00,080 Speaker 1: That woman might not exist either, right, So again, and 138 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:02,600 Speaker 1: we're just following the steps of a great urban legend 139 00:09:02,640 --> 00:09:05,160 Speaker 1: where it just over time, somebody said it, it it became 140 00:09:05,200 --> 00:09:08,920 Speaker 1: a really interesting thing. It's way more interesting than that's 141 00:09:08,920 --> 00:09:13,520 Speaker 1: a really strange mannequin that they've had since the nineteen thirties. 142 00:09:13,840 --> 00:09:16,920 Speaker 1: And the dress shop itself is like, no, we're not 143 00:09:16,960 --> 00:09:19,760 Speaker 1: going to We're not going to rebuke this or dispute it, 144 00:09:19,800 --> 00:09:23,840 Speaker 1: like it's great. It brings people to our bridal shop. Yeah, 145 00:09:23,840 --> 00:09:25,960 Speaker 1: did they ask a lady when she said and she 146 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:28,600 Speaker 1: also has vericos veins. I've seen them where they like, 147 00:09:28,760 --> 00:09:34,080 Speaker 1: is that a bluepin in your front pocket? What pocket? Apparently, also, 148 00:09:34,280 --> 00:09:36,640 Speaker 1: there was another thing that's frequently said, like, oh well, 149 00:09:36,679 --> 00:09:40,280 Speaker 1: this is great evidence too, that the owner requires that 150 00:09:40,400 --> 00:09:43,880 Speaker 1: La Pascualita be changed from dress to dress behind a 151 00:09:43,960 --> 00:09:47,400 Speaker 1: drawn curtain. Well, sure, so if she were a mannequin, 152 00:09:47,440 --> 00:09:50,520 Speaker 1: why would you care? Right? But there is one question 153 00:09:50,559 --> 00:09:54,720 Speaker 1: I have, Chuck, that I find fascinating. Nowhere on the internet, 154 00:09:54,880 --> 00:09:59,920 Speaker 1: is there even a suggestion of the manufacturer of that mannequin? 155 00:10:00,080 --> 00:10:03,400 Speaker 1: Oh right, or mention of any other mannequins that have 156 00:10:03,640 --> 00:10:06,200 Speaker 1: hands like that. Nobody's stepped up and been like, look, 157 00:10:06,400 --> 00:10:10,360 Speaker 1: she comes from the line of crazy hands from you know, 158 00:10:10,840 --> 00:10:14,520 Speaker 1: Nerveco that made mannequins back in the thirties. There's nothing 159 00:10:14,600 --> 00:10:17,440 Speaker 1: like that. Yea, So I really do wonder who made 160 00:10:17,480 --> 00:10:21,079 Speaker 1: that mannequin. It's it's really interesting, and I think that too, 161 00:10:21,240 --> 00:10:24,280 Speaker 1: is helping keep things going. Maybe it was Vincent Price. 162 00:10:25,520 --> 00:10:30,040 Speaker 1: It could have been very creepy. Look at those hands, everybody. 163 00:10:30,040 --> 00:10:32,720 Speaker 1: I'm telling you, I think to make it even more creepy, 164 00:10:32,720 --> 00:10:35,000 Speaker 1: we should just sit here in silence for thirty seconds 165 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:41,640 Speaker 1: before we finish. Really all right, I guess we're doing this. 166 00:10:43,480 --> 00:10:45,160 Speaker 1: I'm gonna say short Stuff's out, and then I'm just 167 00:10:45,160 --> 00:10:51,520 Speaker 1: gonna sit here. Short Stuff's out. Stuff you Should Know 168 00:10:51,640 --> 00:10:55,120 Speaker 1: is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts my Heart Radio, 169 00:10:55,400 --> 00:10:58,760 Speaker 1: visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen 170 00:10:58,840 --> 00:10:59,800 Speaker 1: to your favorite shows.