Episode
Poison in the Pocky Aisle
- Podcast
- Pretty Wicked
- Published
- May 6, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2930
- Processing state
not_requested
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Summary
In 1984, something really unsettling started happening across Japan. Boxes of children’s candy were showing up on store shelves laced with cyanide, and it didn’t feel random or hidden. It felt intentional, like someone wanted people to notice. The group behind it called themselves The Monster with 21 Faces, and for 17 months they turned the whole thing into a kind of performance with kidnappings, arson, poisoned sweets, and dozens of letters sent to police and the media, openly mocking them. And then, just as suddenly as it started, it stopped. No arrests, no answers, and now too much time has passed for anyone to be held accountable. 🖤 FOLLOW PRETTY WICKED New episodes every Wednesday. Subscribe so you never miss one. Instagram: @prettywickedthepodcast If you liked this episode, leaving a review means the world and helps other listeners find the show. Pretty Wicked is hosted by Megan Alda. 🖤 SOURCES & FURTHER READING If this story got under your skin and you want to go deeper, here is everything we used to research this episode. 🔗 WEB SOURCES CrimeReads - Japan's Most Notorious Kidnapping Is Still Unsolved https://crimereads.com/japans-most-notorious-kidnapping-is-still-unsolved/ All That's Interesting - full case profile https://allthatsinteresting.com/monster-with-21-faces The Ghost in My Machine - deep dive narrative https://theghostinmymachine.com/2019/08/12/unresolved-the-monster-with-21-faces-the-glico-morinaga-case-and-the-candy-poisoning-incident-of-1984-kidnapping-katsuhisa-ezaki-extortion-unsolved-fox-eyed-man-video-man/ Unresolved - Monster with 21 Faces case file https://unresolved.me/the-monster-with-21-faces Historic Mysteries - full case timeline https://www.historicmysteries.com/major-crimes/monster-21-faces/1240/ Monster with 21 Faces - dedicated case…