Remember the days when urban myths spread through school playgrounds like wildfire, unchallenged by the instant fact-checking power of smartphones? Those pre-internet tall tales had a special kind of magic – they lingered in our collective imagination, growing more elaborate with each retelling.

In this nostalgic deep-dive, we unpack some of the most persistent urban legends that many of us once accepted as gospel truth. From the supposed ghost boy haunting Three Men and a Baby to Captain Pugwash's crew with their allegedly rude names, these myths survived for decades before being easily debunked by a quick Google search.

We explore the psychology behind why these stories had such staying power, examining how the "friend of a friend" nature of urban myths made them particularly believable. The hand-licking murderer tale that terrified sleepovers, the elaborate car theft/theater tickets burglary scheme, and the persistent warning that swans can break your arm – each reveals something about our pre-internet relationship with information and our willingness to believe extraordinary claims.

Some myths were harmless fun, others played on deeper fears, but all were part of a shared cultural experience that seems increasingly distant in our age of instant verification. The episode also features personal stories of myths we believed and even perpetuated, including a particularly convincing (but entirely false) rumor about the final episode of children's show Bagpuss that's had one of us questioning reality for decades.

Join us for this entertaining journey through the urban legends that shaped our understanding of the world before we could simply ask Siri if they were true. What myths did you believe? Share your stories with us on social media or via email at whorememberspod@outlook.com.