Poison in the Pocky Aisle

Poison in the Pocky Aisle

From Macabrium by Macabrium | Southern Gothic Media

May 6, 2026 · 49 min

About this episode

The episode explores the unsettling events of 1984 in Japan involving poisoned candy and the group known as The Monster with 21 Faces.

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 Here is everything 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…

People in this episode

Host: Megan Alda

Topics covered

  • true crime
  • candy poisoning
  • unsolved cases
  • Japan
  • 1980s crime
  • kidnapping
  • cultural impact

Keywords

  • candy poisoning
  • The Monster with 21 Faces
  • Japan
  • 1984
  • true crime
  • unsolved cases
  • kidnapping
  • cyanide

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Monster with 21 Faces

Places: Japan

More episodes of Macabrium

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Macabrium podcast page.