Gerbilling
Gerbilling, also known as gerbil stuffing or gerbil shooting, is an urban legend[1] that describes a supposed sexual practice of inserting small live animals (usually gerbils but also mice, hamsters, rats and various other rodents) into the human rectum to obtain stimulation. Some variations of the legend suggest that the rodent be covered in a narcotic substance such as cocaine prior to being inserted.
Overview
According to folklorist Jan Harold Brunvand, accounts of gerbilling were first recorded in 1984 and initially were said to involve a mouse and an unidentified man. In subsequent versions of the story, the animal was a gerbil and the story applied to several male celebrities.[2][1] Rumors surrounding various male celebrities engaging in gerbilling have become persisted as urban legends over the years.[1][3][4] This is simply an unverified and persistent urban legend, that is, pure fiction.[1]
Mike Walker, a National Enquirer gossip columnist, spent months attempting to verify the gerbilling rumors about a celebrity. "I've never worked harder on a story in my life," Walker told the Palm Beach Post in 1995. After much investigation, he was unable to find any evidence that a gerbilling incident ever happened: "I'm convinced that it's nothing more than an urban legend." [5]
As of the mid-1980s, there were no reports in peer-reviewed medical literature describing gerbilling.[6][7]
In popular culture
A fictional cartoon account appeared in "The Death Camp of Tolerance," episode 93 of South Park.[8]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Barbara and David P. Mikkelson (2001-11-18). "From Gere to eternity". Urban Legends Reference Pages. snopes.com. Retrieved February 8, 2012.
- ^ Brunvand, Jan Harold (2001). "The Colo-Rectal Mouse". Encyclopedia of Urban Legends. W.W. Norton & Company. p. 81. ISBN 978-1-57607-076-5.
{{cite encyclopedia}}: Unknown parameter|isbn13=ignored (help) - ^ Brunvand, Jan Harold (2001). "Gerbiling". Encyclopedia of Urban Legends. W.W. Norton & Company. p. 166. ISBN 978-1-57607-076-5.
{{cite encyclopedia}}: Unknown parameter|isbn13=ignored (help) - ^ "Gerbilling Mishap Injures Two". About.com. Retrieved September 28, 2012.
- ^ Young, Paul (2002). L.A. Exposed: Strange Myths and Curious Legends in the City of Angels. St. Martin's Griffin. p. 20. ISBN 978-0312206468.
- ^ Adams, Cecil (1986). "Is It True What they Say About Gerbils?" The Straight Dope, March 28, 1986.
- ^ Attention: This template ({{cite pmid}}) is deprecated. To cite the publication identified by PMID 3738771, please use {{cite journal}} with
|pmid=3738771instead. - ^ The Death Camp of Tolerance, South Park wiki
Further reading
- Norine Dresser (July 1994). "The Case of the Missing Gerbil". Western Folklore. 53 (3): 229–242. JSTOR 1499810.
- Barbara and David P. Mikkelson (2001-11-18). "From Gere to Eternity". Urban Legends Reference Pages.
- Cecil Adams (1986-03-28). "Is it true what they say about gerbils?". The Straight Dope.
- Becky Vorpagel (1988). "A rodent by Any Other Name: Implications of a Contemporary Legend". International Folklore Review. 6: 53–57.