We doubt many people would argue with us when we say 2021 has been weird. Just how weird though might surprise you. That is until you see how many strange, bizarre, unsettling, and confounding stories we covered over these twelve months. These are the very best weird news, stories, and random things we reported on this year.
“UFOh No”
The Best Alien Stories of 2021
The only thing odder than the strangest story of the year has been the lack of response to it. The U.S. government cannot stop telling us that UFOs might be real. The CIA released thousands of pages on UFO-related sightingsOpens in a new tab. Former officials and pilots shared their stories and footage of unexplained aerial phenomena they encountered at Virginia BeachOpens in a new tab for years. There’s even a new official task forceOpens in a new tab looking into this.
We might not be as worried if not for the fact that NASA detected an FM radio signalOpens in a new tab from one of Jupiter’s moons. As well as radio emissions from VenusOpens in a new tab and an unexplained “hut” on the far side of the MoonOpens in a new tab. (We probably need to reconsider sending six million egg and sperm samplesOpens in a new tab to our lunar neighbor. Good thing NASA was smart enough to only send dummies thereOpens in a new tab.)
With all of that going on it’s no wonder our astronauts are aging their very own wineOpens in a new tab in space. Especially after they voluntarily took on a slime mold blobOpens in a new tab to assist them on the ISS. Also, maybe we should be extra careful with that 24,000-year-old organismOpens in a new tab found alive in Siberia’s permafrost. We really don’t need a real-life The ThingOpens in a new tab situation.
“Real-ly Estate?”
The Strangest Real Estate Listings and Places of 2021
Like us, you might spend way too much time looking at Zillow listings you’ll never be able to afford, but that’s no weirder than some homes that went up for sale this year. That includes unlikely options like the real-life Conjuring houseOpens in a new tab, Tom Hanks’ 30-year-old “movie home” trailerOpens in a new tab, the prison where Mindhunter was filmed,Opens in a new tab and Prince’s actual Purple Rain tour bus.Opens in a new tab Those seem like typical real estate options compared to this home inexplicably full of creepy mannequinsOpens in a new tab. Or the house that has an entire Western ghost town for a backyardOpens in a new tab. Now that is weird news worthy. But none of them are as scary as the old abandoned jail that hit the marketOpens in a new tab in Florida. Oh, and don’t forget the unsettling former Macy’s that become a high schoolOpens in a new tab in another great sign of late stage capitalism.
This year also provided plenty of opportunities to spend the night in a unique locale. From a massive Idaho potatoOpens in a new tab and a Willy Wonka-themed hotelOpens in a new tab, to a UFO AirbnbOpens in a new tab and Stu Macher’s Scream homeOpens in a new tab, you could get real weird with your rentals. But we recommend staying away from the creepy forest with all the dolls nailed to treesOpens in a new tab. (It’s probably not as much fun as the house with the giant Monopoly boardOpens in a new tab under the carpet.) And definitely make sure you don’t run into any glow-in-the-dark sharks along the coast of New ZealandOpens in a new tab. Or get hurt on any of the LEGO pieces that keep washing ashore in CronwellOpens in a new tab.
However, it might be fun to see the impossible-to-escape intersectionOpens in a new tab that caused so many problems in Paris. Or the fifth oceanOpens in a new tab the world somehow just got. We doubt any sailors there will accidentally send out an Amber Alert for Chucky the killer doll the way Texas accidentally didOpens in a new tab.
The future looks just as strange. When rich guys weren’t flying to the edge of spaceOpens in a new tab on phallic ships,Opens in a new tab they started making plans for luxury manmade islandsOpens in a new tab, pricey utopian citiesOpens in a new tab, and hotels in spaceOpens in a new tab. Hopefully scientists make their space settlement near CeresOpens in a new tab affordable for the rest of us. Especially so we can use that space elevator.
“Curious Cuisine”
The Weirdest Food News of the Year
Why eat well when you can eat weird? Oh, wait. That’s absurd. But 2021 provided plenty of opportunities to do just that…and we have the weird news stories to prove it. You had the chance to spend Valentine’s Day dining on candy-flavored Kraft Macaroni & CheeseOpens in a new tab. Some lucky (?) people in Iowa could order a Fruit Loops covered pizzaOpens in a new tab. Cheez-it turned its iconic snack into an actual cakeOpens in a new tab. Nissin took pumpkin spice too far and served up a fall Ramen dishOpens in a new tab we’ll unfortunately never forget. Nor will we stop thinking about the company’s ramen-flavored sodasOpens in a new tab anytime soon. Those still sounded more appetizing than a candy corn hot dogOpens in a new tab and hot dog-flavored candy canesOpens in a new tab. And while they probably taste delicious, these NSFW (and most homes) sexual waffles almost seem too inappropriateOpens in a new tab to eat.
Strange foods also overtook freezers. Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream began selling a breakfast-inspired Everything Bagel flavorOpens in a new tab. While Kraft turned its Mac & Cheese into a sweet icy (mis)treatOpens in a new tab. Neither of which is as bizarre as the U.S. government looking into why McDonald’s ice cream machinesOpens in a new tab never work. This is enterally weird and vital news that we need updates on stat.
Those unusual dishes came with plenty of equally bewildering concoctions too. Arby’s started selling French fry-flavored vodkaOpens in a new tab. Grey Poupon used mustard seeds to make its very own white wineOpens in a new tab and we couldn’t wait to try itOpens in a new tab. And Hidden Valley decided eggnog needed ranchOpens in a new tab to add some extra stress to the holiday season.
Away from the table, scientists started turning plastic into vanillaOpens in a new tab. A virtual candy tasting inexplicably hosted by Jaleel WhiteOpens in a new tab invited us as a guest, which was almost normal compared to our ill-fated Thanksgiving feast made out of turkey dinner candy cornOpens in a new tab. But the big weird food news of the year was also the funniest. A Polish neighborhood fearful of a strange tree creature was actually being haunted by a croissantOpens in a new tab.
“Money Isn’t Real Anyway, Right?”
The Most Bizarre Products and Purchases 0f 2021
This year once again made clear some people clearly have too much money, not enough discretion, or both. Otherwise stiletto crocs wouldn’t existOpens in a new tab. Nor the Thomas Kinkade Mandalorian collectionOpens in a new tab. Both of which are sensible items compared to the $25,000 custom drone bedOpens in a new tab that looks awesome but doesn’t even fly. Neither does the pricey $39,000 Louis Vuitton airplane purseOpens in a new tab. At least they don’t respond to “close butthole” commandsOpens in a new tab like Tesla cars. A silly automobile is still a real car you can use for real reasons. That’s more than can be said for this ludicrous “statue” of nothing that sold for $18,000Opens in a new tab. All that money for air and pieces of tape on the ground.
Whoever bought that hopefully wore someone else’s face, which is possible thanks to this Japanese artist’s realistic visagesOpens in a new tab that will haunt your nightmares. Those masks are still a better deal than the outrageous moneyOpens in a new tab spent on NFTSOpens in a new tab. As well as the custom iPhone X that can’t even make calls yet still went for $86,000 on eBayOpens in a new tab. Money that could have been spent on the giant David Hasselhoff statueOpens in a new tab from the SpongeBob Squarepants movie.
Once again though, it was Pokémon fans who showed money is no object when you care about something. For “just” $250 you can wrap your head up in a bizarre Gengar tongue pillowOpens in a new tab. A pittance compared to the $26,000 limited-edition crystal PickachuOpens in a new tab sculpture that went on sale in 2021. That piece doesn’t seem that absurd when you remember Pokémon fans spent thousands at eBay on OreosOpens in a new tab.
At least fans limited that chaos to their computers. Unlike when they began hoarding McDonald’s Happy Meals toysOpens in a new tab meant for kids. Or forced companies like Target to stop selling trading cards in their storesOpens in a new tab because of violent outbursts. Hopefully the new Pokémon fossil museumOpens in a new tab, which will feature the “bones” of Pokémon, can avoid such calamity.
“But, Like, Why Science?”
The Year’s Strangest Science Stories
Science made some great breakthroughs this yearOpens in a new tab, even beyond the miraculous vaccines and COVID treatments. But as always, science also gave us plenty of strange discoveries, weird news, bizarre creatures, and robots that have us ready to invest in Skynet before things get bad.
The ocean is still scary AF. Sea slugs can detach and regrowOpens in a new tab all their body parts. Sea worms with multiple buttsOpens in a new tab can detach their brains. Those things are disturbing, but not scary like this eight-jawed monster roaming deep seasOpens in a new tab. There’s also space, where no one can hear us scream about space hurricanesOpens in a new tab. (Fortunately “dancing space ghostsOpens in a new tab” are pretty cool.) But you can hear us howl in delight at astronauts making The Lonely Island’s dreamOpens in a new tab of space Olympics a realityOpens in a new tab.
Science also got real weird with animals. We now know why wombats have cubic poopsOpens in a new tab and that crows understand the concept of zeroOpens in a new tab. Also, pigs can play video gamesOpens in a new tab while a neuralink lets monkeys play pongOpens in a new tab. For some reason, researchers also reconstructed a dinosaur buttholeOpens in a new tab. Robots learned to hear using the ears of dead locustsOpens in a new tab. Scientists figured out mice and pigs can breathe via their anusOpens in a new tab. And cicadas woke up from a 17-year nap and started having too much sex because of a fungusOpens in a new tab.
Flesh-eating bacteria helped save priceless Michelangelo sculpturesOpens in a new tab in Florence. A submarine spotted SpongeBob and PatrickOpens in a new tab living in the actual Bikini Bottom. The movie Frozen helped solve a mysterious avalanche collapseOpens in a new tab after decades. And California condors went and learned asexual reproductionOpens in a new tab.
Oh yeah, researchers who have clearly never seen a single sci-fi horror movie also made the first-ever human/monkey hybrid embryoOpens in a new tab. What could go wrong there!
There’s still plenty to be worried about with artificial life too. In 2021, we got closer to a Westworld reality with a hyper-realistic androidOpens in a new tab. Xenobots started reproducing on their ownOpens in a new tab. Robot origami started folding itselfOpens in a new tab. Our own sweat can now power wearable batteriesOpens in a new tab. You can clean your teeth with a contraptionOpens in a new tab that looks like it came from Jigsaw’s shop. Deepfake tech can now animate your ancestorsOpens in a new tab in a way that is not natural. Human brains no longer need wires to connect to computersOpens in a new tab. And all of this is going on while Samsung has plans to “copy and paste” our mindsOpens in a new tab to computers for what will definitely be safe keeping.
“The Weird Wide Web”
The Wackiest in 2021 News Reports
That’s a whole lot of weird news and stories for just twelve months. And yet, there’s more. We watched eels work together to electrocute a fishOpens in a new tab. A gemologist opened up a rock to find Cookie Monster smiling back at himOpens in a new tab. Everyone went gaga watching Pee-wee Herman replace the dinosaursOpens in a new tab in Jurassic Park and listening to rubber chickens play the movie’s themeOpens in a new tab. Meanwhile, we found out dinos might have actually been cuddly silly animalsOpens in a new tab rather than fierce monsters.
Also in 2021 weird news, the world got a SpongeBob ASMR videoOpens in a new tab for some reason. Somebody got hit with felony charges for a VHS rentalOpens in a new tab 20 years overdue. Chicken tenders became an acceptable flavor of lip balmOpens in a new tab. And ravens declared war on coffee-delivering dronesOpens in a new tab in Australia.
Like we said, it was a really bizarre year. And we have no doubt 2022 will be just as strange. Especially if UFOs show up and steal that human/monkey hybrid embryo to develop on their secret Moon base.
