Review - Ripley's Believe It or Not! Reality Shock!

Ripley's Believe It or Not! Reality Shock!
by Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Publisher: Ripley Publishing
Pub. Date: September 9, 2014
ISBN: 978-1609911096
Pages: 256
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Ripley's Believe It or Not! was founded by Robert Ripley as a cartoon in 1919 in the New York Globe. When Globe folded, Robert moved it to the New York Evening Post in 1923 and later moved it to the New York American in 1930 before heading into syndication. The cartoons all featured unusual and bizarre facts from all over the world. Several short films were released in the 1930s and there have been several television shows over the years as well.

2005 marked the release of the first Ripley's Believe It or Not! Annual featuring hundreds of unusual stories and articles with glossy photographs throughout each edition. The 2015 installment titled Reality Shock! was released back in September and includes the newest collection of unbelievable stories, crazy photographs and wacky facts.

Reailty Shock! is spilt into 11 different chapters:

Believe It!

The first chapter features some of the strangest things that you will ever see, such as a skateboarding mouse, the world's tallest man and a village full of dolls.

World

Take a trip around the world to climb the "Death Zone," step across the see-through path or climb the stairway to heaven.

Lazarus is an unusual looking feline with a lovable disposition. Born with a cleft palate that makes him look like almost vampiric, this cat is so warm and cuddly that his owner is using him as a therapy cat.

Animals

Chapter Three proves that animals can be strange too, such as the fluffy cows, the trapdoor spider, the flat face cat and the freaky lobster.

Sports

Chapter Four features the craziest sports and activities imaginable, from bubble soccer to berry boarding.

Body

Learn about several unique humans, such as Larry the Leopard, the young man that grew a new nose on his forehead and the Two-Headed Nightingale.

Pop Culture

Brush up on your pop culture knowledge with a brief history on the world's smallest lady, meet an obsessed Barbie fan, learn about Doctor Who and get a little freaked out by the "living dolls."

Transport

You may think twice about parking your car on the street after learning about a few weird accidents. Plus, get to see the first life-size Play-Doh car in this chapter!

Feats

Humans have accomplished many feats over the years, but I bet you have never heard about fire jumpers, the wheelchair jumper or the barnstormers.

Art

From tattoos, graffiti artwork to body writing, you may get goosebumps after flipping through this chapter.

For a month long Halloween Fest held in Hong Kong, master carvers Ray Villafane and Andy Bergholtz carved over 400 unusual scary pieces out of pumpkins, ranging from goblins to gorillas. Using only spoons and scalpels these incredibly detailed pumpkins were dipped in vinegar to preserve them for the length of the event.

Food

This chapter gives you a glimpse into the world of pumpkin carvering, beheading cakes and pizza portraits.

Beyond Belief

Try to believe these strange facts: an alligator ride, a frozen Niagara Falls and the sumo marathon.

I recall visiting the Ripley's Believe It or Not! Odditorium in Branson, Missouri on a family vacation when I was a kid and I have been fascinated with the anything related to the franchise ever since. I was sent and advanced copy of Reality Shock! during the late summer, but it didn't get around to reviewing it until this week. The 2015 Annual has some amazing pictures in it and some really weird stories to go along with them. Overall, I have enjoyed reading and looking at the pictures in Reality Shock! and I recommend it to others.

*Disclaimer - I received a complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.



About the Author:

Believe It or Not! As a world authority on all that is unbelievable, the company offers up its vast collections of the strange and unusual through books, television shows, tourist attractions, motion pictures, merchandise and the worldwide syndication of its daily newspaper cartoon.

Ripley Publishing produces a wide range of titles all filled with extraordinary facts, weird figures and incredible pictures. Our books appeal to all ages, from elementary children just starting to learn about the world, to adults who want some more weird in their lives. If you love extraordinary facts and stories, or finding out about weird places and people, these titles are just for you!

All of the titles at Ripley’s publishing are geared towards keeping Robert Ripley’s legacy thriving. The research team is dedicated to finding the newest oddities around the globe, both through user submissions, auctions, or just crazy random happenstance! Ripley’s tirelessly catalogues and publishes these finds so that everyone can be amazed, whether they Believe It or Not!

Visit Our Webpage www.ripleybooks.com for more information.