strange stuff

From strange crimes to strange celebrity deaths, read all of the latest weird and strange stuff news stories on Newser.com

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This Lizard Somehow Survived a RI Snowstorm

New England Wildlife Center doesn't know if 'lizard in a blizzard' escaped or was ditched by owner

(Newser) - Wildlife officials say a "lizard in a blizzard" has been rescued after a man discovered the large cold-blooded reptile buried in snow in Rhode Island, somehow surviving the frigid temperatures. According to the New England Wildlife Center, the Providence man spotted the tegu lizard from his driveway on Tuesday....

You've Never Seen a House Like 'Florida Man's Home'

Buyers plan to turn Pinellas Park residence with 22 themed rooms, including a pirate cove, into Airbnb

(Newser) - A house that looks ordinary from the curb but is anything but ordinary inside has found a taker. The Pinellas Park, Florida, property—nicknamed the "Florida Man's Home" after the meme-ready archetype, per People —is under contract after being listed in December for $500,000, according to...

Factory Mistake Turns Sad Horse Into Smash Hit

Assembly line error in China turns a smile into a frown, and young workers love it

(Newser) - A factory mistake in eastern China has turned a $4 plush toy into an unlikely symbol of workplace burnout—and a runaway hit. The stuffed horse, produced in Yiwu International Trade City for the Year of the Horse, is designed to wear a cheerful smile, explains China Daily . But in...

Her Long-Neglected Crock Sells for $32K

Nebraskan Lois Jergens nearly put Red Wing Stoneware crock up for $20

(Newser) - For nearly 30 years, a big stoneware crock on Lois Jurgens' back porch in Nebraska was little more than a sturdy spot on which to park grilling tools. But earlier this month—on her 91st birthday, in fact—that same 30-gallon crock sold at auction for $32,000, reports the...

Shark Tank Star Faked Own Funeral for Her 70th Birthday

Barbara Corcoran staged a full mock funeral to prank her guests

(Newser) - Barbara Corcoran didn't just throw herself a 70th birthday party—she staged her own funeral and lay "dead" in a coffin for 10 minutes to kick things off. The Shark Tank investor, now 76, recently recounted on the Boardroom podcast that she found out her friends were planning...

Cop Under Investigation After Fatally Shooting Raccoon

Raccoon was on NYC beach, had been reported as aggressive

(Newser) - A New York police officer who fatally shot a raccoon at a New York City beach has been placed on modified duty while the matter is reviewed, according to officials. The shooting occurred Thursday morning at Rockaway Beach, after someone called 911 to report a vicious animal, a police department...

Coyote Swims Across Bay to Alcatraz Island, a First

Rare visitor prompts questions about how it arrived and survived

(Newser) - Tourists expecting prison lore at Alcatraz instead got a wildlife mystery: a lone coyote churning through San Francisco Bay toward the island once billed as "escape-proof." Alcatraz City Cruises employee Aidan Moore says a visitor flagged him down late Sunday afternoon with iPhone video of the animal paddling...

In Malawi, a Fierce Fight Over the Fate of 4 Dogs

It all boils down to custody

(Newser) - In Malawi, a tug-of-war over four elite guard dogs has turned into a full-blown political drama. The Wall Street Journal reports that former President Lazarus Chakwera had the animals moved from the presidential palace in Lilongwe to his private home after losing last year's election, insisting they're part...

On the Go This Winter? Suck on a Soup Drop

Progresso drops 2 new flavors for its limited-edition 'soup you can suck on' candies

(Newser) - Soup fans who like their broth in unconventional formats have another chance to suck on it instead of sip it. Progresso is bringing back its oddball Soup Drops hard candies and adding two new varieties, the company said in a press release . Joining the returning Chicken Noodle flavor are Tomato...

On Rural Irish Road, a 'Very Unusual Scene'

15K crabs worth $70K spill out of truck after crash in Ireland's Donegal, then make a run for it

(Newser) - Drivers on a rural Irish road were confronted with an unusual traffic problem this week: thousands of live crabs scuttling toward nearby fields after a seafood truck crashed into a ditch. The McLaughlin Transport trailer was hauling an estimated 15,000 crabs from Inishowen, in County Donegal, bound for restaurants...

'In My 25 Years, I've Never Handcuffed an Emu'

That changed Friday when a Fla. deputy captured one of the large flightless birds that had escaped

(Newser) - A Florida deputy has captured a runaway emu and safely returned the large flightless bird to its home. A St. Johns County deputy responded last Friday to a rural area west of St. Augustine following reports of the bird's escape, the sheriff's office said in a Facebook post...

Tennis Player Celebrates Victory, Promptly Loses

Nishesh Basavareddy takes advantage of Sebastian Ofner's apparent choke

(Newser) - A tennis player learned Wednesday not to celebrate victory before the match is really won. Before Sebastian Ofner lost in Australian Open qualifying, the 29-year-old Austrian had raised his arms and walked toward the net after taking a 7-1 lead in the decisive tiebreaker against Nishesh Basavareddy, per the AP...

LA to Repeal Law Threatening Jail for Playing Catch

Council vote targets decades-old ban on ball games in streets, parks

(Newser) - An odd law in Los Angeles bans playing catch or kicking a soccer ball on many city streets, sidewalks, even in many public parks—but perhaps not for long. City council voted unanimously Tuesday to direct the city attorney to draft a repeal of Municipal Code Section 56.16, on...

'Joe Dirt' Wannabe Wins Farm Show's Mullet Contest
Contest Brings
Mullets Out in Force
Jan 13, 2026 11:08 AM CST

Contest Brings Mullets Out in Force

Drew Fleschut, 10, carried a Joe Dirt -style mop to win top prize at hair-centric Pennsylvania competition

(Newser) - A packed crowd celebrated the much-maligned but enduring mullet on Monday in a competition at the Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg. The contest celebrating the short-in-the-front, long-in-the-back coiffure, once the province of Canadian hockey players and hair metal bands, attracted about 150 competitors and more than a thousand spectators for...

Man's Crazy Immune Reaction Tied to Red Tattoo Ink
Man's Crazy Immune Reaction
Tied to Red Tattoo Ink
CASE STUDY
Jan 13, 2026 7:16 AM CST

Man's Crazy Immune Reaction Tied to Red Tattoo Ink

Patient's flower tat caused skin on entire body to became inflamed, killed his ability to sweat

(Newser) - A Polish man's decision to get a red-ink tattoo turned into a yearslong medical mystery that ultimately cost him every patch of skin containing the pigment. Roughly four months after receiving a flower tattoo featuring red ink on his right forearm, the man, said to be in his 30s,...

Monkeys Have Been Roaming St. Louis for Days

Residents warned to avoid the primates as the search intensifies

(Newser) - Monkeys have been running loose in St. Louis for days amid an effort to track them down and figure out where they came from. The city's Animal Care and Control Division said Friday that multiple monkeys had been spotted near O'Fallon Park, after initial reports Thursday indicated four...

Homeowner Finally Boots Bear From Crawl Space

Wildlife group clears out ursine intruder from underneath Ken Johnson's California residence

(Newser) - For one Southern California homeowner, the thumping under the floorboards has finally stopped—and it wasn't pipes. Ken Johnson of Altadena says a 550-pound black bear that slipped into the crawl space beneath his house just before Thanksgiving was finally evicted this week, ending more than a month of...

NJ Bar Just Wants Its Walrus Penis Back

Customer swiped antique walrus bone from Donkey's Place

(Newser) - A South Jersey cheesesteak landmark is missing one of its stranger attractions. Donkey's Place in Camden, praised by Anthony Bourdain for serving what he called the best cheesesteak in the Philadelphia area, says someone walked off with the bar's beloved walrus penis bone, NJ.com reports.

Cops Probing Cemetery Theft Make Horrific Find

DA describes Pennsylvania man Jonathan Gerlach's home as a 'horror movie come to life'

(Newser) - Bones and skulls visible in the back seat of a car near an abandoned cemetery on Philadelphia's outskirts led police to a basement filled with body parts, which authorities say were hoarded by a man now accused of stealing about 100 sets of human remains. Officers say a Tuesday...

New Docs Detail RFK Jr.'s Role in Central Park Bear Dump

NYC documents show investigation into black bear cub's corpse that Kennedy ditched in 2014

(Newser) - Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s long-ago Central Park bear stunt has resurfaced, thanks to city records that show how baffled officials were by the mystery cub he dumped under a bush near West 69th Street. Documents obtained by Wired from New York City's Parks & Rec Department, including...

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