Boy bands pretty much ruled the 1990s and early 2000s. On stages everywhere, groups of young men crooned while doing synchronized dance steps, dressed in all-white suits or long, dramatic trench coats. There were some successful boy bands before the 90s explosion and after the 2010s with the massive popularity of One Direction and lately the even more popular band BTS. This list is a throwback to the golden age of boy bands and their peppy songs.
I dare you to defy the urge to hum that very well-known East 17 tune or dig out your forgotten Backstreet’s Back album and put the title track on full blast.

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10 The Ink Spots

In 1934, The Ink Spots were formed in Indianapolis. The band consisted of Hoppy Jones, Deek Watson, Jerry Daniels and Charlie Fuqua, and would become one of the first so-called boy bands, even though the term was only established in the late 1980s. Their song “If I Didn’t Care” became the 8th bestselling single of all time and sold over 19 million copies. It never reached number 1 one on the US Pop Charts however, hovering at 2 for a number of weeks. The Ink Spots were also one of the first African American groups to demolish the racial barrier when it came to radio airplay and live performances, and broke attendance records wherever they performed.

9 New Kids on the Block

NKOTB have sold more than 70 million records worldwide, and the band is as well known for their music as they are for having had Mark Wahlberg as a member in its early days when it was called Nynuk. Wahlberg was 13 when he joined the group and left after only a few months. The name Nynuk was taken from the name of the dog in the movie, The Lost Boys. The band’s new name, The New Kids on the Block was inspired by Mark’s brother, Donnie Wahlberg, who was the first member to be recruited.

In 1989, then governor of Massachusetts, Michael Dukakis, designated 24 April as ‘New Kids on the Block’ Day and by 1991 the band had beat out Michael Jackson to top Forbes’ list of highest paid entertainers. In 2010, NKOTB joined up with the Backstreet Boys to form a boy band supergroup called NKOTBSB.

8 Take That

‘Kick It’ might not be a name that anyone recognizes today, but it was the original name of popular group Take That. Robbie Williams became part of the band after his mother responded to an advert looking for members for a new boy band. He left the band in 1995 after a struggle with drugs and went on to enjoy a hugely celebrated solo career. Williams briefly rejoined Take That from mid-2010 to the end of 2011 before once again focusing on his own music career.

Take That enjoyed massive success in the 90s, with the vast majority of their fan mail going to one member, Mark Owen. Bizarrely, Mark and fellow band member Howard once got stuck in the hands of a giant mechanical robot on stage during a performance. Mark was freed, but Howard had to sing most of their next song while stuck.

7 East 17

The Christmas song, Stay Another Day, had many East 17 fans reaching for the tissues after its release in 1994. The single became the Christmas number 1 of 1994 and was the band’s only number one hit on the UK Singles Chart. While on the face of it the lyrics seemed to be about a sad breakup, the song was in fact inspired by lead songwriter Tony Mortimer’s personal loss when his brother committed suicide. Mortimer later said that hearing the song on the radio all the time was like a nightmare because he was reminded of the tragedy constantly.

What fans may not know is that East 17 still exists with Terry Coldwell as the only original member alongside new member Robbie Craig who joined in 2014, and Joe Livermore.

6 Boyz II Men

“Although we’ve come to end of the list… erm… road.”

Just kidding, we’re not even half-way yet.

Boyz II Men was formed in 1988 and remains the most successful boy band on the US Hot 100 and Australian Singles Chart. The band has earned itself four Grammy Awards and they became the third artists after The Beatles and Elvis Presley, to replace themselves at No. 1 of the Billboard Hot 100.

“I’ll Make Love to You” was released on 26 July 1994 and ended up holding the number one spot on the chart for fourteen weeks. It is one of their most well-known and popular songs, to this day. However, the song almost wasn’t recorded by the band, as they very nearly passed on it. Saying that it sounded too much like “End of the Road”, the band wanted to try something different, but were ‘somewhat forced’ into recording it.

Suffice it to say, they never regretted doing so.

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5 Backstreet Boys

Back in 1992, a bunch of then-not-so-famous-yet youngsters all lived in one apartment building. They included AJ Mclean, Britney Spears, Ryan Gosling, Christina Aguilera, and Justin Timberlake. Mclean and Gosling used to shoot hoops on the basketball court adjacent to the building and Mclean once asked Gosling if he would like to join his new band, the Backstreet Boys. Gosling simply nodded in amusement, but never took Mclean up on his offer, saying “it’s not gonna happen, bro.”

Backstreet Boys happened in a big way after their debut album hit the stores in 1996 and the boy band achieved superstardom by 2000. They’ve sold more than 100 million records worldwide and earned themselves the title of best-selling boy band of all time. They are also the only boy band to have their first 10 albums reach the top ten on the Billboard 200.

The band is still performing today with concerts planned into 2021.

4 Boyzone

While Backstreet Boys were formed in 1993, Irish boy band Boyzone were also being formed that same year. Boyzone was the brainchild of Louis Walsh. Their original and most well-known lineup included Keith Duffy, Ronan Keating, Shane Lynch, Stephen Gately, and Mikey Graham. The group made a comeback in 2007 after breaking up in 1999. Tragedy struck two years later when Gately died during a holiday on Majorca. After celebrating their 25th anniversary in 2018, the band announced that it would be splitting for good in 2019.

Boyzone had a lot of problems, as alluded to by its members years after the band was no longer performing. Ronan Keating was 16 when he joined the group and later admitted he took life too seriously as a boy band member and didn’t enjoy most of it because he was trying too hard to be perfect. By the time they split in 1999, Shane Lynch said he hated Keating and there had been many screaming matches, affairs, and more disharmony.

After re-forming in 2007, the band were out drinking alongside Westlife’s Brian McFadden when they got into a fight with members of Rihanna’s band. Afterwards Stephen Gately said that it was a difference of opinion caused by too much alcohol. Apparently, they wanted to chat up the girlfriend of one of Rihanna’s band members, after which the man threatened to beat them up. Security had to be called in to break up the ensuing fist fight.

3 NSYNC

There was a lot more to NSYNC than bubbly frontman, Justin Timberlake. Other than the fact that the band’s name was formed from the last letters of each of the original members’ names, the group also sold one million copies of their No Strings Attached album in one day and over 2.14 million copies in 1 week. Overall, NSYNC has sold more than 70 million records.

The boy band’s manager, Lou Pearlman, made himself the sixth member of the group (without their consent) which saw him taking a sixth of the profits they made. This was on top of the commission and fees he was already earning. Pearlman went on to steal millions from NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, LFO, O-Town and more. He died in prison in 2016 while serving a 25-year sentence for organizing a $300 million Ponzi scheme.

Over and above this, NSYNC made a real dent in the music industry after starting out as an opening act for Janet Jackson. They also appeared on an episode of Touched by an Angel, had a cameo in the movie Longshot (which was never released in theatres) and two band members, Joey and Lance, starred in the feature film, On the Line.

2 Westlife

Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, and Shane Filan attended school together in Sligo, Ireland and had just performed successfully in a school musical production of Grease when they decided to form a band. They were known as ‘6 as 1’ and then ‘I.O.YOU’. Under the latter name, the band of boys released a single called “Together Girl Forever” in Ireland in 1997 after which Filan’s mother contacted Louis Walsh and asked him to sign the group.

Louis was hesitant because of his limited time, but Ronan Keating agreed to co-manage the band under a newly established company, Rolo Management. Kian, Mark, and Shane originally had three other members in their group, but they were asked to leave and were eventually replaced with Nicky Byrne and Bryan (originally Brian) McFadden. Keating changed the band name to Westside, and they toured with Boyzone in 1998. After having to change their name yet again, to Westlife, in 1999 the boy band released ‘Swear it Again’ which became the biggest-selling debut single ever in Ireland.

Westlife went on to sell more than 55 million records and become the only band to have their first 7 singles enter the UK chart at number one. They sold out their Croke Park Stadium show in five minutes and overall have sold 5 million concert tickets.

1 One Direction

The seventh season of British singing competition, The X Factor, produced one of the biggest boy bands the world has ever seen. One Direction enjoyed unmitigated popularity between 2010 and 2016, sold more than 70 million records and have won almost 200 awards including seven American Music Awards.

After deciding that their band name would be One Direction, the boys didn’t realize at the time that there was another pop/rock band with the same name in California. The English Irish version’s fans were up in arms and sent the Californian band hate mail and death threats to the extent that they changed their names to Uncharted Shores.

Band member, Louis Tomlinson, decided to take 5 Seconds of Summer along on the 1D tour in 2012, which led to the Australian band becoming mainstream. A massive 1D fan started writing fan fiction about the band, which led to 800 million reads and an eventual book deal for writer, 25-year-old Anna Todd, that comprised of six figures.

The weirdest fact about 1D perhaps is that they clashed with Donald Trump after declining to meet and take a photograph with his daughter in 2012. He then kicked them out of his Trump Tower hotel, where they were residing at the time of their Up All Night tour. Trump even refused to allow the band to leave through the underground garage. Instead they had to leave via the front doors to where hordes of fans were waiting outside.

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Founded in 1910, the Boy Scouts of America currently has over 2.4 million youth participants and about one million adult volunteers. The organization prides itself on instilling a moral compass in its youthful members as well as helping them to participate in various outdoor activities.

See Also: 10 Dark Origins of Beloved Organizations

From camping and hiking to aquatics and fire building, such undertakings come with risks. Through the years, these activities have cost many lives. Here, we’ll look at some horrors that have befallen unsuspecting, adventure-seeking Scouts and their leaders in some of the most unforeseeable circumstances.

10 Freak Accidents

On the first day of the 2005 National Scout Jamboree in Virginia, four Boy Scout leaders took on the physical task of erecting a dining tent. Moments later, a weekend that was supposed to be filled with festivity turned tragic.

As the men were raising one of the metal poles, it tilted and struck a power line, setting ablaze the entire pavilion. While their children and fellow Scouts looked on in horror, the canvas—engulfed in flames—encased the men within the inferno. On that dreadful afternoon, Michael J. Shibe (49), Ronald H. Bitzer (58), Scott E. Powell (57), and Michael Lacroix (42) perished amid their loved ones.

Their deaths were eerily similar to those of three Boy Scouts in 2017 after their sailboat struck an overhead power line in East Texas. The boys—Thomas Larry (11), Heath Faucheux (16), and William Brannon (17)—were just offshore when the incident set their boat on fire.^[1]

Unfortunately, freak accidents among the Scouts are more commonplace than we may realize.

Case in point: In October 2018, a 12-year-old Michigan boy was buried alive while tunneling through a sand dune. Four months earlier, a 14-year-old Scout in Georgia was killed when a tree snapped in 80 kilometer-per-hour (50 mph) winds. It fell on his tent and crushed him.

The teen’s death was nearly identical to the tragedy that befell a 13-year-old boy and a 29-year-old volunteer in July 2016 when high winds caused a tree to fall in their camp. From drunk drivers plowing through hiking expeditions to flash floods sweeping Scout leaders and children to their deaths, exploring the great outdoors undeniably comes with risks.

9 Branding Recreations

In the Boy Scouts, it is common practice for adult leaders (who act as role models and mentors) to create their own activities within the troop. Such recreation can include camping trips, community service, and leadership activities.

In 1982, two Scout leaders from Missouri had a different notion when it came to insightful guidance and growth. While on a weekend campout in Huntsville, J.B. Gatzmeyer, 37, and Kenneth Willard, 19, had the bright idea to leave a lasting impression on seven boys whose ages ranged from 11 to 15.

Armed with a heated coat hanger twisted into the shape of male genitalia, Willard branded the buttocks of six of the boys—with one receiving brands on both arms—while Gatzmeyer sat on their legs. Evidently, the two stooges with an odd sense of humor said that the boys would be banned from future outings if they did not participate in the branding.

Gatzmeyer and Willard topped off the evening by giving each other brands on their own rear ends.^[2]

Of all the Scouts, the 11-year-old refused to participate. Even after threats of castration, the boy stood his ground. Although he left without a new tattoo, he probably arrived home with some psychological damage.

Ultimately, each of the so-called “mentors” was convicted of assault and related charges and sentenced to one year in prison. For unspecified medical reasons, Gatzmeyer was released after serving just three months.

8 Routine Tragedy

In summer 1982, 29 Boy Scouts and adults set out on an expedition around and on the mountain lakes in southeastern British Columbia. Unexpectedly, a storm swept through the region while the boys and their Scout leaders were rowing through the waters of Lake McNaughton.

In the aftermath of the downpour, two canoes were lost along with their occupants. Following a lengthy air search, the bodies of four teenage American Scouts and two adults were pulled from the icy waters. They were still wearing their life jackets.

Sadly, drowning is a common occurrence in the organization. Between 2005 and 2010, several Scouts drowned while partaking in outdoor activities. In fact, within the same time span, a total of 32 boys, leaders, and invited guests were killed.^[3]

The majority of these deaths were attributed to blunt force head trauma due to falling trees, rocks, and even totem poles. Lightning strikes, severe burns, and hyperthermia have also been factors on several occasions. Although the Boy Scouts have taken drastic measures to ensure the safety of their members, freak accidents and unforgiving Mother Nature have continued to produce tragedies over the last 100 years.

7 Nowhere To Run

On June 11, 2008, an EF3 tornado descended on the Little Sioux Scout Ranch in western Iowa with winds of 233 kilometers per hour (145 mph). In a state of hysteria, all Scouts were ordered to take refuge in their cabins because there were no basements or in-ground shelters.

As the tornado hit, one cabin was leveled, causing the brick chimney to collapse onto the boys. Overall, more than 40 individuals were injured. Many sustained broken bones that required multiple surgeries and months of rehabilitation.

Sadly, four teenage Scouts—Ben Petrzilka, Sam Thomsen, Josh Fennen, and Aaron Eilerts—perished after being crushed by falling concrete and debris. The survivors described “scenes of chaos” that attracted the attention of local and national media outlets.

In the months following, the parents of the deceased boys and some of the surviving Scouts were invited to the White House, where they met then-President George W. Bush. Over the next five years, the camp constructed two concrete tornado shelters with steel doors built to withstand an EF5 tornado. Today, a chapel sits on the site where the four boys lost their lives.^[4]

6 Unanswered Heartache

Returning home from a church-sponsored camping trip in Blackstone, Virginia, four Boy Scouts were passengers in an SUV driven by Scoutmaster John Oliver. It was November 5, 2006, and weather conditions were clear and calm with no foreseeable dangers.

For reasons that remain unknown, Oliver, 43, veered off the road and struck a large maple tree in Southampton County. The road was unremarkable other than a slight curve that did not require a car to slow down from the posted “55 mph” speed limit.

The explosion from the crash drew locals out of their homes. They rushed to the scene to find 12-year-old Michael-John Oliver, the son of the driver, lying on the asphalt. With a broken leg, Michael-John had summoned the strength to crawl from the burning vehicle before it burst into flames.

As the boy waited with bystanders for first responders to arrive, Luke Drewry (12), Jackson Fox (13), Carter Stephenson (14), and Michael-John’s father, John, remained trapped inside, where they perished. Parents awaiting the arrival of their children from the retreat were at church when they received the heartbreaking news that their sons would not be coming home.

Reports indicate that Oliver—a former Marine who had survived a 1983 bombing in Beirut that killed 241 of his fellow US servicemen—had no difficulties navigating earlier curves. Authorities “don’t know why he didn’t negotiate the curve.”^[5]

5 Circle Of Fire

Flammable liquids used as fire starters have been prohibited by the Boy Scouts since the organization’s inception. Whenever a fire is necessary, two adults are required to supervise. Such standards were neglected on the evening of July 6, 2008, at the Joseph A. Citta Reservation in Waretown, New Jersey.

That evening, 18-year-old Eagle Scout Brian Lenz was showing off to a group of Scouts a trick he called “circle of fire.” Channeling his inner Houdini, Lenz squirted rubbing alcohol in a pattern on a table and then set it alight. Believing that the flame was dying, the Eagle Scout poured on more alcohol. Within a second, the liquid stream caught fire and found its way back to the bottle he was holding.

Lenz was frantically waving his hand in a futile attempt to extinguish the burning bottle when he released the firestorm onto the other Scouts. An explosion ensued, severely burning three boys. One of them, 17-year-old Sean Whitley, succumbed to his injuries four days later.

In the aftermath, Lenz pleaded not guilty to third-degree aggravated assault and struck a deal allowing him to enter a pretrial intervention program. In doing so, he avoided jail time as well as any criminal record.

When all was said and done, Lenz left the Ocean County Superior Court “smiling and in high spirits.” To add insult to injury, he was not stripped of his status as an Eagle Scout. According to Scout executive Craig H. Shelley, “When a boy earns Eagle Scout, he does that on his own. They maintain it forever, so he is still an Eagle Scout.”^[6]

4 A Wrong Turn

On November 15, 1958, six Boy Scouts set out on a hike in the Santa Rita Mountains south of Tucson. The temperature was comfortably warm with calm winds and no chance of rain. It was supposed to be a scenic, joyous occasion for the kids who were celebrating the 12th birthday of fellow Scout David Greenberg.

At some point in their journey up the mountain, three Scouts decided to head back down due to fatigue. It was the last time that anyone saw them alive. At the time, methods of weather forecasting were unsophisticated and they missed an approaching storm.

It ravaged the terrain and changed the lives of three families forever. As the sun set, the winds kicked up and showers poured from the sky. By midnight, several feet of snow blanketed the trails, the landmarks, and the bodies of the three boys.^[7]

In the days that followed, approximately 700 volunteers scoured the area in a fruitless effort that brought no closure. Nineteen days later, on December 4, a rancher tending to his land confirmed everyone’s worst fear.

Lost and unprepared for the subfreezing temperatures, Mike Early, Michael LaNoue, and birthday boy David Greenberg had frozen to death. Their bodies were carried off the mountain by soldiers from Fort Huachuca who stacked rocks and erected crosses where the boys’ lives had tragically come to an end.

3 Knife-Wielding Paranoid Schizo

In August 2011, Valerie Henson of northern Indiana called 911 to report that her son, 22-year-old Shane Golitko, had assaulted her in the home they shared. With a broken arm, Henson fled to a neighbor’s house while her crazed son grabbed a large knife and took off into the woods.

At that time, 76-year-old Arthur L. Anderson was leading a hiking trip near Bunker Hill when he stopped the young Scouts to discuss a particular tree. Moments later, the knife-wielding lunatic emerged from the brush and plunged the 30-centimeter (12 in) knife into Anderson’s neck.^[8]

As suddenly as he had appeared, Golitko vanished. The boys were physically unharmed yet horrified as they watched their beloved Scout leader bleed to death right before their eyes.

Returning home, Golitko stabbed his two dogs, broke windows, and trashed the entire house before escaping in his mother’s Jeep. A 13-kilometer (8 mi) chase with police ensued before he was finally apprehended.

Diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic, Golitko claimed that he had stopped taking his antipsychotic medications. After pleading guilty but mentally ill to murder, he was sentenced to 45 years in prison.

2 Alone In A Tent

On April 24, 1970, six instructors and 24 boys arrived on the expansive grounds of St. Basil the Great Catholic Church in Pennsylvania. About 183 meters (600 ft) from the church buildings, the group of wide-eyed young children enjoying the beauty of spring had set up camp while blissfully anticipating the weekend ahead.

All innocence ended less than 48 hours later. In the early morning hours of April 26, the lifeless body of 11-year-old Terry Bowers was discovered. Alone in his tent, the boy had been stabbed four or five times while lying in his green sleeping bag. The sheer brutality was almost as incomprehensible as the reason why someone would commit such a monstrous and senseless murder.^[9]

The only break for detectives came from Lawrence Wakely, a former Scout and convicted rapist. Speaking to authorities, the mentally ill Wakely admitted to killing Bowers in retaliation for being kicked out of the Boy Scouts a decade earlier.

Upon further questioning, however, Wakely could not respond to questions that only the killer would have been able to answer. After being ruled out as a suspect, the case went cold again and has remained so for the last several decades.

1 ‘The Killer Was Here’

The night was riddled with eerie happenings. From shadowy figures and strange noises to faint screams and cries, the Girl Scout Camp outside Locust Grove, Oklahoma, will forever be remembered as a place of horrors. Though we’ve focused on the Boy Scouts until now, what happened to three girls in the middle of the night four decades ago continues to haunt countless residents.

In the early morning hours of June 13, 1977, a counselor walking the campgrounds discovered the body of 10-year-old Doris Milner sprawled along a dirt trail. Nearby lay Lori Farmer, 8, and Michelle Guse, 9, dead inside their zipped sleeping bags a short distance from their tent. Two of the girls had been beaten to death while the other had been strangled. All three had been sexually assaulted.^[10]

Three K9s hailed as “wonder dogs” were rushed in from other states to aid in the investigation but were of no help. The sinister atmosphere was compounded when one of the dogs was killed after inexplicably dashing onto the road while another died of heatstroke.

Scrawled on the wall of a nearby cave, searchers discovered the taunting message, “77-6-17. The killer was here. Bye Bye fools.” In the end, the only piece of evidence recovered was a single hair found on the body of one of the girls. Analysis suggested that it was from a Native American.

This led sheriffs to Gene Hart, a Cherokee fugitive with a lengthy rap sheet. In 1966, Hart had received three 10-year sentences for raping two pregnant women, but he was paroled in 1969. Less than three months later, he was back in jail for burglary. But he escaped in 1973.

Hart remained in hiding until April 1978 when police tracked him to a remote tar paper shack. His trial began a year later and ended with a not guilty verdict because the evidence “didn’t add up” to the jury.

Even so, Hart was sent back to prison following his trial to serve more than 300 years for earlier crimes. In June 1979, he died in prison after suffering a heart attack at age 35. To date, the brutal murders of Doris, Lori, and Michelle remain unsolved.

A series of portraits, dubbed the Crying Boy paintings, features a young ragamuffin with large eyes that meet the viewers to establish an instant connection. Complete with fresh tears streaming down his face, the perfectly captured expression of despair evokes a strong emotional reaction. The image was designed to pull at the heartstrings of its viewers, and it did just that.

The Crying Boy series gained fame in the UK, and other parts of the world, with thousands of prints purchased and displayed in homes and businesses. However, when terrifying events accompanied the paintings, many began to question if there was something sinister attached to them. Rumors spread of a curse that was so evil it destroyed its subject and creator and damaged the homes and lives of anyone who purchased one of the prints. Skeptics, on the other hand, provided other explanations. Many seem to have an opinion on this story, from urban legend and a cursed myth to media hysteria and a bid to sell more papers.

Decide what you believe about the curse after hearing these ten unsettling facts about the Crying Boy paintings.

Related: Top 10 Cursed And Haunted Household Items

10 The Artist Used a Pseudonym

The Crying Boy paintings were signed by Giovanni Bragolin, an Italian painter who doesn’t really exist. The true artist was a Spanish painter named Bruno Amadio, although he was also known to go by Franchot Seville on occasion. Amadio was one of the most mysterious artists of the mid-1900s. He painted over 60 portraits in his Crying Boy collection from the ’50s through 1980, with each printed, reprinted, and widely distributed through mass productions. The prints became very popular, with over 50,000 copies purchased in the UK alone.

The Crying Boy series was the only artwork of Amadio’s that saw success. However, it was a double-edged sword for Amadio as the images—depicting horror, suffering, despair, and longing of the innocent—also brought about speculations of abuse. Many questioned whether Amadio “specifically frightened them, terrified them, and then painted them,” with some even going so far as to liken Amadio to the devil himself.^[1]

9 The Subject Was an Orphan

According to Amadio, the subject of one of his paintings was “a little street urchin” that he came across in Madrid in the 1960s. The young boy was a mute orphan with a sorrowful expression that instantly captivated the artist. Amadio had stopped to paint the child when a Catholic priest came over to issue him a stern warning. He said that the boy, named Don Bonillo, had run away after seeing his parents die in a fire.

Since then, fires of unknown origin would break out wherever the boy went. It happened with such frequency that he was given the nickname, “Diablo,” which translates to “devil.” The priest warned Amadio against having anything to do with the child. However, the painter ignored him and adopted the boy. He brought Don Bonillo home to live with him and painted the Crying Boy series.^[2]

8 Amadio’s Studio and Apartment Caught Fire

The unique relationship between the painter and his favorite subject came to a sudden fiery end when Amadio’s studio and apartment mysteriously caught on fire. He lost everything and, as a result, Amadio was ruined. He remembered the priest’s warnings and accused the boy of starting the blaze. He kicked him out and never saw Don Bonillo again.

The situation continued to worsen for Amadio when reports of the curse of the “Crying Boy” paintings started to spread across Europe. His fame quickly turned to suspicion, and he became known as a jinx. No one wanted to look at any of his paintings, let alone commission him to paint something new.^[3]

7 Did the Subject Suffer a Tragic Death?

Unfortunately, Don Bonillo’s life ended much like it began: in a blaze of fire. In 1976, police responded to the report of a car crash on the outskirts of Barcelona. The car exploded after crashing into a wall. When officers arrived on the scene, they found that the driver had been burned beyond recognition. He was the only one in the car at the time of the crash.

Police officers searched the glove box, which survived the fire, and found part of a driver’s license. The name on the license revealed the victim to be Don Bonillo. For many, the fiery manner of his death served to add validity to the Crying Boy curse.^[4]

6 The Prints Survived over 60 House Fires

The first reported house fire occurred at the home of Ron and Mary Hall in Rotherham in 1985. The fire destroyed everything on the first floor of their terraced council home, save for one item: a print of the Crying Boy that hung on their living room wall. During the fire, the painting fell from the wall, landed face down, and, strangely, was only slightly charred. Though the cause of the fire was found to be a chip pan (deep frying pan) that overheated and burst into flames, the couple became convinced that the painting was cursed and that it, not the pan, was to blame for the destruction of their home.

The Halls were not alone in their experience or theory. Many similar fires followed, with homes, and even a pizza parlor, falling victim to the curse. Despite starting from typical causes, each fire left behind a Crying Boy painting. The curse evolved to cause injury and death, with some people reporting accidents after purchasing the print. Many others were horrified to find they could not burn it when they tried.^[5]

5 Firefighters Fail to Explain Why Paintings Did Not Burn

Fire service investigations pointed to discarded cigarettes, over-heated chip pans, and faulty wiring, leading firefighters to believe that the house fires resulted from human carelessness rather than a supernatural curse. Rotherham fire station officer Alan Wilkinson personally logged 50 fires where the Crying Boy paintings survived. Wilkinson was skeptical but could not explain how the artworks survived the flames. His wife, on the other hand, had her own theory: “I always say it’s the tears that put the fire out.”

Wilkinson’s disbelief in the curse did not save him from some superstitions. When presented with a framed print of the Crying Boy upon his retirement, he politely declined the gift. The widespread panic eventually led Chief Divisional Officer Mick Riley of the Yorkshire Fire Service to issue a statement meant to debunk the curse. “The reason why this picture has not always been destroyed in the fire is because it is printed on high-density hardboard, which is very difficult to ignite.” His statement did little to convince the public. Neither did the fact that the paintings were often of different children and even from different artists.^[6]

4 An Article from a British Tabloid Started All the Fuss

On September 4, 1985, the Crying Boy paintings received the first of what would be six weeks of news coverage with an article titled, “Blazing Curse of the Crying Boy.” Published on page 13 by a British tabloid newspaper called The Sun, it detailed the harrowing experience of the recent victims of a house fire: Ron and Mary Hall. A follow-up article on September 5 brought new terrifying stories from readers that claimed to be victims of the curse.

In addition to fires, injuries, and deaths, some accounts included supernatural occurrences, with readers alleging they saw the print sway from side to side on the wall or that it returned to its place after being destroyed. The Sun also claimed that the firefighters believed in the curse, despite conflicting statements by the fire service. Readers were captivated. Due to a wide-reaching audience, awareness of the “Crying Boy” curse spread very quickly. The Sun fanned the flames—no pun intended—with additional articles, each more sensational than the first. By the end of October, panic reached an all-time high, and many looked to The Sun for an answer.^[7]

3 The Paintings Were Burned in a Mass Bonfire

The Sun’s editor Kelvin MacKenzie, credited as the father of the “Crying Boy” curse, was the one to announce, “Enough is enough, folks. If you are worried about a Crying Boy picture hanging in YOUR home, send it to us immediately. We will destroy it for you—and that should see the back of any curse.” Soon, the Bouverie Street office of The Sun was overrun with Crying Boy paintings “stacked twelve feet high in the newsroom, spilling out of cupboards, and entirely filling a little-used interview room.” Readers had sent in about 2,500 copies of the print in total.

MacKenzie had to scramble for a solution to destroy all of the paintings. He eventually decided to burn them in a mass bonfire near the River Thames. In a highly-publicized event on Halloween, the paintings burned under the supervision of the fire brigade. The Sun put out an article with the headline “Crying Flame!” that claimed the curse was dissolved once and for all. It offered readers a reassuring quote from one of its police officer chaperones, “I think there will be many people who can breathe a little easier now.”^[8]

2 The Materials May Have Had Something to Do With It

After the mass bonfire, talk of the curse died down but never really went away. British writer and comedian Steve Punt investigated the Crying Boy series in a “BBC Radio 4” production called “Punt Pi” some years later. Punt purchased a Crying Boy picture, then was “inexplicably delayed on his destination several times,” before attempting to burn the print with construction researcher Martin Shipp.

The two men found that beyond the string, the artwork didn’t really burn. Punt and Shipp surmised that a fire-retardant varnish was used. The test also explained how the string holding the painting on the wall would burn and cause it to fall face down on the floor. Another investigation suggested that Amadio’s use of a compression board could also explain why it was so difficult to burn.^[9]

1 The Curse Became an Urban Legend

Despite the various attempts to debunk the curse, people have continued to believe, leading it to become a full-fledged urban legend. One that has expanded to include paintings by different artists. For example, the portraits of Scottish artist Anna Zinkeisen similarly feature crying girls and boys and have often been attached to the “Crying Boy” curse. Season 3, Episode 4 of “Weird or What?” with William Shatner examined the legend of the paintings as recently as 2012. Different online groups also popped up, such as the Dutch “Crying Boy Fan Club,” but many have since disappeared. However, a forum on the Unexplained Mysteries website is still open for viewing. You can also find talk of the curse on social media. On February 2, 2022, Hanbury Arms Haunted Hotel & Museum posted that they currently have several Crying Boy paintings on display, proving that this urban legend isn’t going away anytime soon.

Esotericists argue that when an artist paints a portrait of a person, part of their soul is sealed on paper. People have created plenty of legends and lore about cursed paintings, some of which black magicians could even seal the person himself or tie his life to the portrait. In the case of these paintings, the faces of these children reflect them: wide-open eyes full of fear, resentment, despair, misunderstanding. The viewer’s heart breaks looking at them, so it is quite possible that the picture, after its completion, retained this energy. And through the painting, these small sitters took revenge on those who hung their images at home. But it’s just legend, right?^[10]