On the Trail of the Jackalope: How a Legend Captured the World's Imagination and Helped Us Cure Cancer

Three chapters follow with a survey of jackalope motifs in art, film, music, literature, and kitsch; an overview of monsters and cryptobiology; and an introduction to the German Wolpertinger along with trickster rabbits and horned rabbits in world mythologies. The chapters that survey jackalope moti...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of American Folklore 2023, Vol.136 (541), p.347-348
Main Author: Marsh, Moira
Format: Review
Language:English
Subjects:
Anthropology
Cancer
Ethnic Studies
Folklore
Hoaxes
Polls & surveys
Rabbits
Taxidermy
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Three chapters follow with a survey of jackalope motifs in art, film, music, literature, and kitsch; an overview of monsters and cryptobiology; and an introduction to the German Wolpertinger along with trickster rabbits and horned rabbits in world mythologies. The chapters that survey jackalope motifs drag somewhat, but most of the book sparkles with wit and thoughtfulness, prompting intriguing questions about the nature of hoaxes and related folkloric forms. In the opening pages, Branch contrasts the ubiquity of the jackalope—free from any intellectual property rights—with Disney products: “Nobody owns the jackalope, and no corporation or person is entitled to control its production, distribution, consumption, or interpretation. .
ISSN:0021-8715
1535-1882
DOI:10.5406/15351882.136.541.17