How many people are familiar with the urban legend involving a family gone on vacation, a robbery, and a developed roll of film that reveals the burglar doing unpleasant things to the family’s toothbrushes?
I thought this was part of our shared cultural heritage, but maybe I’m wrong.
“informal” poll, eh? Well, me plus the thirty or so people sitting near me all say we haven’t heard of it (what? you’re not even tracking my cookies, you can’t prove anything)
I heard in reference to a car at a rest stop, but yeah, it’s part of my cultural heritage.
I read about it on snopes one long, boring day, but I’d never heard about it before that.
Nope, never heard it.
*raises hand*
Huh, I thought that was a pretty standard tale too.
ditto Ficke. never heard this one.
Yeah, never heard of it either.
I can’t believe this! I thought this was universal schoolyard lore.
I just hope you all have been taking adequate toothbrush-related precautions.
Never heard of that one. Maybe someday you can tell it to me.
I’ve heard of it. I don’t remember where, though.
Heard it, I think at summer camp as a kid (but possibly in The Vanishing Hitchhiker or the like).
Definitely haven’t heard it.
Can’t place the source, but I’ve definitely heard it. Though we more or less shared a childhood, so I’m not sure how much ammo me agreeing with you provides.
I’ve heard of it but I was really into alt.folklore.urban when I was in high school.
Nope.
Not me, neither, but my childhood was in England, and I believed all burglars wore striped sweaters and carried bags marked “swag” and therefore wouldn’t be interested in toothbrushes.
Definitely heard it many times, the first from someone who supposedly knew a friend of the person it happened to (the ever-popular FOAF, or “friend of a friend”) … I heard it as a honeymoon the first time.
Definitely a classic urban legend in the Jan Brunevald tradition though not quite on the level of the serial killer with the hook arm and the couple making out in the car.
Also heard it many times. Usually set in Jamaica, for some reason. And it’s not a burglar, it’s a bellboy in the hotel who’s not been tipped.