In Soviet times, there was no Internet, and newspapers wrote only about politics and the best workers. After all, many are now watching the horrors, at that time this was not.
Below is a list of 10 Soviet urban legends. Even if you did not live in the USSR, you will probably be wondering why your grandparents, mothers and fathers were so afraid.
10. Disappearing swimsuit
This story is educational in nature. Everyone knows that in Soviet times women should not have looked defiant, and their main decoration was modesty. But the girls wanted to dress up, they bought fashionable imported things from farmers. So, one girl managed to get a beautiful fashionable swimsuit, she came to the beach in it, went into the water and left without a swimsuit. He dissolved in water. Many girls were afraid to buy things thanks to this story. Perhaps the swimsuit was white, when wet with water, it became transparent, or it was made from edible materials. One way or another, they blamed everything on foreigners who wanted to dishonor Soviet citizens. They, in turn, believed in this legend, and ... still bought imported clothing.
9. Evil foreigners / gypsies / convicts
In general, all the evil in the USSR came from foreigners. Little was known about foreign then. Foreign citizens treated the Soviet children with sweets in which broken glass and broken blades were hidden. Former prisoners were simply eager to infect others with tuberculosis. Therefore, children were forbidden to take sweets and strangers. Under the ban were things found, nothing could be lifted from the ground. By the way, these stories resonate with modern ones. You also heard about the needles in the seats of cinemas and notes: "Now you are with us, you have AIDS."
8. Light bulb in the mouth
At least one funny story on our list. It is known that if you push a light bulb into your mouth, you will not be able to get it. Now on the Internet there are a lot of life hacks on this subject, but before the Internet was not. The man decided to check whether she really can not get it. He put a light bulb in his mouth, had to call a taxi and go to the hospital. The doctor helped him, the happy man went home. A few minutes later a taxi driver came to the hospital with a light bulb in his mouth. He went into the doctor’s office. The doctor had a light bulb in his mouth.
7. Red film
All girls were afraid of the red film. It could not be bought in the USSR, only abroad. According to legend, a man shot on red tape was naked in the photo. Boys often acted out girls by photographing them. They said that the same film was inserted in the camera. The girls were terrified. Surprisingly, you could do it yourself. All that was needed was to catch the bat, kill it, take some blood and apply it to the lens glass. Now a similar story, for example, about selfies or duck lips, would not hurt. Maybe these hobbies would come to naught.
6. Afghan rat
The story of a puppy who turned out to be an Afghan rat. Parents of a little boy bought a small dog. Her behavior was strange, she kept asking for food. Once a puppy attacked a small child and killed him. Probably, however, he ate the further fate of the boy is unknown. Parents had no choice but to call the police. Valorous law enforcement officers neutralized the beast, they said that it was an Afghan rat, the terrorists specially bred them to kill people. The story of the legend is simple. In Afghanistan then it was restless, everyone was afraid of Afghan terrorists. In America, meanwhile, instead of dogs of small breeds, rats were sold. People just woven this information together, it turned out another legend.
5. Secret circulation of Murzilka
This legend is about malicious student students who entered the editorial office at night and remade a set of magazines. They printed ambiguous riddles in the issue, which made adults rush to their cheeks. There was nothing like this in riddles, but many saw in them a hidden erotic subtext. The next day, all Murzilka’s numbers were seized and hooligans were punished. This did not happen again. Of course, this story is fictitious, such puzzles have a place to be, they were composed by people, they are still popular. But no one penetrated the editorial office at night and did not redo the finished publication.
When the first VCRs appeared, banned films also appeared. Special cars were created that drove through the streets. They determined in which apartments Vidik works. Moreover, the machine could establish which films people watch. For ideologically harmful, capitalist films punished. The car sent a signal when it detected a "bad apartment." Electricity was cut off in it, people could not get a cassette from the VCR, special people came to seize the cassette and make a violation of the law. It is unlikely that this actually happened, yet the time was different, they didn’t put a pen for forbidden literature, and even more so for “Rambo” or “Nine and a half weeks”.
3. Bad things in kvass barrels
This legend appeared after the incident in Petrozavodsk. A rat was found in a drink barrel. It is not known who and how saw her there, but the case was soon hushed up. However, people began to fantasize. That barrel with kvass turned upside down, along with kvass maggots fell on the ground, or again rats, even a corpse. Many people because of this story refused kvass. What can I say in the modern world, things are not better. If you look at how food is produced, how it is cooked in cafes and canteens, any desire to purchase this food will disappear.
2. Performance of The Beatles in the USSR
According to legend, many people witnessed a concert of the then popular Beatles foreign group. It was said that the team members came to the USSR as tourists, and not as musicians. Of course, they could not resist and spoke right at the station. According to other sources, the concert was held in the courtyard of a residential building. The fact is that the Beatles released a song about the USSR. People said that this song appeared after their visit to the Union, so the members liked the group. Of course, there was no concert.
1. Do not go, children, to walk in Africa ...
There were many different legends about Africa. No, not about gorillas and crocodiles. Relations between the USSR and African states were very tense due to one case. The USSR sent humanitarian aid to an African country. It was baby food. On the jars were painted cheerful smiling children. In Africa, the packaging depicted what lies inside. Indeed, the level of literacy in many African countries left much to be desired. Local residents thought they were being bullied and sent them baby meat. They killed the people accompanying the humanitarian aid, and the food was sent back to the USSR. They say it’s true. So whether or not we can only guess.