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Outside/In: Dark Magic Rabbit

A child's colored pencil drawing of a brown bunny in a field of grass. Snow softly falls.
Drawing by Gwyne Henke, self-described “rabbit girl.”

A magician spins a black top hat to show their audience it’s empty. Then, with the wave of a wand and a few magic words, PRESTO: a snow white rabbit pokes its ears over the brim.

Compared to sawing a person in half, pulling a rabbit out of a hat is a joyful bit of magic that entertainers have been doing for more than 200 years. But after the applause dies down, one is left wondering: Where did the rabbit come from? And where did it go?

Today, in honor of the Easter Bunny (who doesn’t actually appear in this episode), we’re pulling a handful of rabbit stories out of our proverbial hat. But be warned: These are dark tales of disappearing pets, occult eugenicists, and animal sacrifice. The secrets behind some magic tricks are more shocking than others.

Featuring Nicole Cardoza, Gwyne Henke, Suzanne Loui, Sally Master, Ana DiMaria, Tanya Singer, and Meg Crane. 

A full transcript of this episode is available here.

SUPPORT

To share your questions and feedback with Outside/In, call the show’s hotline and leave us a voicemail. The number is 1-844-GO-OTTER. No question is too serious or too silly.

Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In. 

Follow Outside/In on Instagram or join our private discussion group on Facebook.

ADDITIONAL MATERIALS

Join us for NHPR’s 3rd Annual Climate Summit! The theme is “Healthy Connections,” and we’ve got a great lineup of speakers and breakout sessions PLUS a trivia night. And the best part? It’s all FREE. Learn more and register here.

Check out this video of magician and storyteller Nicole Cardoza performing for a group in Chicago in 2024.

Tanya Singer reported on the history of Project Angora for Tablet. You can also learn more about Helena Weinrauch and her blue sweater here.

Read more about the history of pregnancy testing in this paper on Egyptian grain method, rabbit tests, and more, and in A Woman’s Right to Know by Jesse Olszynko-Gryn, available as a free ebook from MIT Press.

The story of Meg Crane’s Predictor test can also be found in the excellent Designing Motherhood, a book and exhibit on human reproduction through the lens of design.

Pagan Kennedy’s New York Times story, which prompted Meg Crane to start sharing her story — and Pagan’s follow-up, which does include Meg.

CREDITS

Host: Nate Hegyi

Reported, produced, and mixed by Nate Hegyi, Kate Dario, Marina Henke, and Justine Paradis

Edited by Taylor Quimby, with help from Rebecca Lavoie.

Our staff also includes Felix Poon

Special thanks to Emily Valencia, Jesse Olszynko-Gryn, and David Bowser.

Executive producer: Taylor Quimby

Rebecca Lavoie is NHPR’s Director of On-Demand Audio

Music by Blue Dot Sessions, Chris Zabriskie, Dozeoff, and Cody High

Outside/In is a production of New Hampshire Public Radio

Before joining New Hampshire Public Radio in February 2022, Nate covered public lands, federal agencies and tribal affairs as a reporter for the Mountain West News Bureau, a consortium of NPR member stations in the region. Nate's work has aired on NPR, BBC, CBC and other outlets.
Marina Henke is a producer and reporter for NHPR’s Creative Production Unit, including Outside/In and Civics 101. Before NHPR she helped produce Classy from Pineapple Street Studios and contributed to publications including The New Territory with work exploring the Midwest.
Justine Paradis is a producer and reporter for NHPR's Creative Production Unit, most oftenOutside/In. Before NHPR, she produced Millennial podcast from Radiotopia, contributed to podcasts including Love + Radio, and reported for WCAI & WGBH from her hometown of Nantucket island.
Outside/In is a show where curiosity and the natural world collide. Click here for podcast episodes and more.

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