Comedy, Cryptids, and Kiwis

The sighting! Rhys Darby wearing the Thrills Ville shirt on his Cryptid Factor podcast.

This is our newsletter so I am going to allow us to nerd out for a minute. Late last year, Joe and I were lucky enough to catch Rhys Darby’s stand up at Helium in St. Louis. After the set, there was no time for a meet and greet but Rhys hung around for just a minute shaking hands. As Joe cut through the tables, he caught Rhys just before he retreated to the green room. Joe gave Rhys a Thrills Ville shirt said a few things and walked away with a huge smile.

Now, fast forward 3 months to the other day when, to our surprise, Joe caught a glimpse of something on a recent episode of Rhys’s podcast The Cryptid Factor. Rhys was sporting the Thrills Ville shirt! Our little logo made it all the way to New Zealand and probably caused more than one or two people watching Cryptid Factor to go “huh, wonder what that shirt is?” Joking aside, it was really cool to see the shirt make an appearance. But enough about that, let’s talk cryptids!

So, if you don’t know what a cryptid is, from Wikipedia:

Cryptids are animals or other beings that cryptozoologists believe may exist somewhere in the wild, but whose present existence is disputed or unsubstantiated by science.

A cryptozoologist is, basically, someone who searches for or studies cryptids. The Cryptid Factor is a podcast they describe as “Three best buddies dedicated to all things weird that are yet to be defined by science.” Basically, it is three pleasant kiwis talking about whatever and being pleasant. You shoud really do yourself a favor and check it out. They started in 2013, so there is plenty of backlog to chew on if are looking for something new to listen to for several hours a week!

Back in our part of the globe, if you don’t know, the Piasa Bird is a famous local cryptid. Originally discovered as a Native American painting on the bluffs outside of Alton, Illinois, the Piasa Bird is a legendary dragon that patrolled the Mississippi. If you haven’t, head to the Great River Road and behold the restored painting on the bluffs.

Speaking of cryptids, did you know that Thrills Ville has a wide selection of cryptid merch? And not just Bigfoot-related. Stop on by for all your “not yet confirmed by science” merch needs or maybe just a Thrills Ville shirt to match your new favorite podcaster!