I heard many urban legends based on fuzzy images on VHS or DVD of background images misinterpreted.
\-The ghost in Three Men and a Baby, clearly a Ted Danson standee
\-Muchkin hanging in Wizard of Oz is a bird
\-The zipper and shirt tail looked like something else in Teen Wolf
I feel there are others, but I can't think of any... what about you?
Nothing debunks Doc Brown's son pointing at his junk in BTTF III
9
KingRabbit_Mar 26, 2026
+2
The Munchkin hanging in the Wizard of Oz is one of my favorites.
I mean like what's supposed to have happened there, exactly? One of the munchkin actors decided to commit suicide and for some reason wanted to do it on camera, way in the background, and nobody on set, including the director, noticed it?
2
Same-Question9102Mar 27, 2026
+1
Wizard of Oz has been re-released into theaters quite a few times the last few times. The rumor kept going even with people seeing it in the theaters on a big screen (in HD of course) . It only stopped when more people started to spend more time on the internet and saw articles and videos debunking it.
1
zarineaybaraMar 26, 2026
+1
The priest with the erection in the little mermaid, but that one was real.
1
ifeelpinMar 26, 2026
+1
Also the person at the end of Teen Wolf is a female. People always assumed it was a guy for some reason.
1
JeanRalfioMar 26, 2026
+1
People thought that HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey was meant to represent IBM, since they were the pioneers of artificial intelligence and the name "HAL" is one letter removed from "IBM" (go back one letter for each).
When the HD version of the movie came out the IBM logo can be see on the little keypad on the suit of one of the astronauts. In the previous scene, one of the characters says, "I can't quite put my finger on what's wrong with HAL" and then it cuts to a finger "not quite being put" on the IBM logo.
The logo is also visible on the Pan Am "Space Clipper" at the beginning, and projected across Dave's face when he's trying to reason with HAL.
[Link to an old Cracked article with pictures and additional details.](https://www.cracked.com/article_19684_6-pop-culture-mysteries-that-were-solved-by-fans.html)
1
thenaschMar 27, 2026
+2
So what was debunked?
2
JeanRalfioMar 27, 2026
+2
Ah shit in an idiot and forgot to mention but it's in the article.
Kubrick said it was bullshit and Arthur C. Clarke, the author of the novel, said it was utter nonsense.
2
thenaschMar 27, 2026
+2
Ok that still doesn't quite fit the question, which is about myths that were debunked by being able to see the scene more clearly once it came out in HD.
2
JeanRalfioMar 27, 2026
I gues I just didn't explain it well enough, the article did.
People thought it was IBM. The creators said it was bullshit. The HD came out and you could see the IBM logos that were obscured and fuzzy on the other editions, proving that there was some weight to the claims.
0
thenaschMar 27, 2026
+1
That's the opposite of what OP is asking for.
1
JeanRalfioMar 27, 2026
+1
I think it fits the discussion well enough and you're just being a pedantic d***.
1
thenaschMar 27, 2026
+2
I mean it's literally exactly the opposite, but ok I'm a d***.
2
thenaschMar 27, 2026
-1
Standee?
-1
SuburbanCoMar 27, 2026
+1
Yeah. A cardboard cut out. A full-size picture of Ted Danson in a tuxedo that was mounted on cardboard.
It was folded in half and leaned against the wall behind the curtain. Made it look like a child.
It’s pretty clear in high definition, but on VHS it looked like a ghost child.
1
thenaschMar 27, 2026
-2
I'm not saying you're using the wrong word, but a stander would be something that stands. So a standee would be something that is stood upon?
18 Comments