Podcast Introduction

• Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant hosting "Short Stuff" podcast episode
• Brief discussion about fire department sirens during early recording days
• Transition from closet to office to studio setup over nearly 20 years
• Now podcasting from home basements

Jackalope Overview

• Jackalopes: combination taxidermy of rabbit/hare with antlers
• Not real creatures - kitschy wall art in US
• Common in roadside diners, western hotels, lobby walls
• Wyoming tradition involving convincing people they're real
• Described as "snipe hunt of wall art"

Jackalope Legends & Folklore

• Supposedly have beautiful singing voices
• Legend: join in cowboy songs around campfires from the brush
• Claimed to be cousins to Bigfoot
• Called "cutest mythical creatures"
• Wyoming heavily invested in jackalope identity
  • Wyoming lottery logo features jackalope
  • Legislature attempted 5+ times to make jackalope official state mythological creature (failed)

Herrick Brothers Origin Story (1930s-1940s)

• Douglas Herrick: born Douglas, Wyoming 1920
  • Air Force service WWII
  • Worked as pipe fitter
  • Avid hunter
• Brother Ralph: also involved in taxidermy
• Owned taxidermy shop together
• Origin year disputed: 1932, 1934, 1939, or 1940
• Creation story: brother returned from hunt with jackrabbit
  • Slid rabbit across table
  • Dead rabbit head perfectly aligned with deer antlers
  • Brothers decided to mount them together

First Jackalope Sale & Display

• Roy Ball: hotel owner in Douglas, Wyoming
• Bought original jackalope from Herrick Brothers for $10 (substantial sum for 1930s-1940s)
• Displayed in hotel for 3-4 decades
• Original jackalope stolen from wall, never recovered
• Thief never identified - may still exist unknown to owner

Commercial Success

• Herrick Brothers began mass production after theft
• Sold tens of thousands of jackalopes
• Wall Drug (North Dakota) became major distributor with giant jackalope display
• Douglas Herrick died 2003
• Son reported selling 1,500-2,000 jackalopes yearly just to Wall Drug
• Resulted in deaths of tens of thousands of rabbits and deer

Shope Papilloma Virus Connection

• HPV-related virus affecting rabbits
• Causes horn-like tumors on rabbit faces/heads
• Makes rabbits appear warthog-like with horny spikes
• Smithsonian has specimen in collection
• Historical sightings 16th-17th centuries of "horned rabbits"
• Completely unrelated to Herrick Brothers' jackalope invention

Wyoming Jackalope Tourism

• Douglas, Wyoming: official "Home of the Jackalope" (proclaimed by Governor Ed Herschler, 1985)
• Fake jackalope hunting licenses available
• Hunting allowed sunrise to sunset on June 31st (non-existent date)
• Coincides with Douglas's Jackalope Days festival in June
• Wyoming lottery features jackalope imagery

Personal Anecdotes

• Chuck's college story: stealing stuffed porcupine from Gus Garcia's bar in Athens
  • Kept in apartment 6 months
  • Returned anonymously by throwing at front door with note
• Discussion of Athens, Georgia changes over time
• Mention of Uptown Lounge fishbowl margaritas
• Shout-outs to Van Nostrand's band "The Jackalopes"
• Josh's stay at Jackalope Hotel in Australia during tour