5 Bizarre Examples That Prove Just How Real 'Satanic Panic' Was In The '80s

It seemed like there was no decade more possessed by the devil than the 80s. Well, that's what the media wanted you to believe.

If you were alive in the 80s, you absolutely remember hearing that everything and anything was run by the Satanists. Whether it was cartoons, musicians, or even diaper companies, everyone was on high alert.

You might think I'm kidding, but it's absolutely true. People everywhere were convinced that the devil worshiping cult was trying to force them into doing his bidding. These were the most bizarre instances of that conspiracy.

1. Pampers Diapers

Let's start with the craziest one: Pampers Diapers. That's right, a diaper company was accused of being part of the Satanic church.

It started in 1982 when the company started receiving accusations that their logo was a secret mark of the devil. It featured a man in the moon surrounded by 13 stars.

The company received so many calls about the rumor that they had to open up a toll-free number so customers could call to complain. They had to explain that the 13 stars actually represented the 13 colonies in the country when the company was founded.

Eventually Procter & Gamble got sick of fighting it, so they removed the logo from the packaging.

2. Mr. Ed

Remember the show about the talking horse? Mr. Ed was an old 60s sitcome, but in the 80s it got attention for a different reason.

In 1986, evangelists Jim Brown and Greg Hudson claimed that the theme song for Mr. Ed had hidden messages in it.

Apparently when played backward, Brown and Hudson claimed they could hear the phrases "The Source is Satan" and "Someone heard this song for Satan" repeated over and over again.

3. Halloween in North Carolina

There were over 500 calls in North Carolina in 1989 because of rumors that Satanists were planning on kidnapping and sacrificing kids on Halloween.

Everyone panicked, sharing the descriptions of what they were looking for. Apparently the Satan worshipers were going to take blonde boys between the ages of two to five, but police never were able to find evidence of this plot.

4. Turmoil in the Toy Box

In 1986, Phil Phillips wrote a book called Turmoil in the Toybox where he went after many favorite toys and TV shows of 80s kids.

He called Thunder Cats "heathen gods," he said E.T. could be confused with Jesus because he "died and was resurrected again," and he also took issue with the Smurfs.

He believed their blue skin and black lips were "depictive of dead creatures," which may inspire children to "get into spells and witchcraft."

To top it all off, he accused Rainbow Brite of having a Pentagram on her cheek, so I think it's fair to say that he had a lot of opinions...

5. Judas Priest

Metal and rock music are often the targets of these Satanistic claims, but in 1985 the band Judas Priest had to deal with people blaming them for two young men's suicide pact.

Raymond Belknap was 18 years old, and after a night of drinking with his friend James Vance, they both agreed to a suicide pact. Belknap managed to kill himself, but Vance survived his injuries, but was permanently disfigured.

Vance's parents knew their son was a fan of Judas Priest's music, and found out about the so-called subliminal messages hidden in their music. They tried suing the band for $6.2 million in damages, claiming that the subliminal messages were what convinced their son to attempt suicide.

However, when it was brought to court the sound engineers who were brought in to the play the tracks backwards at different speeds couldn't find anything that sounded like messages. The judge ruled in favor of the band.

Lead singer Rob Halford still gets asked about this trial. In 2015, he was interviewed by Rolling Stone and he shared that he couldn't ever hear the subliminal messages others could.

“Had the judge found in favor about the so-called subliminal messages having the power to physically manifest themselves and make people to do something, the ramifications of that would've been extraordinary.

"How do you prove to somebody that there are not subliminal messages on your record when you can't hear them in the first place?”

While some of the hysteria surrounding Satanists has died down, there are still a lot of people who believe that these cults are hiding all over the place.

Source - Mental Floss / Vox