The blue star tattoo legend is an
urban legend
Urban legend (sometimes modern legend, urban myth, or simply legend) is a genre of folklore concerning stories about an unusual (usually scary) or humorous event that many people believe to be true but largely are not.
These legends can be e ...
which states that a temporary lick-and-stick tattoo soaked in
LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly known as LSD (from German ; often referred to as acid or lucy), is a semisynthetic, hallucinogenic compound derived from ergot, known for its powerful psychological effects and serotonergic activity. I ...
and made in the form of a blue star, or of popular children's cartoon characters, is being distributed to unknowing children in any given area.
Propagation
The legend commonly surfaces in
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, p ...
elementary
Elementary may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* ''Elementary'' (Cindy Morgan album), 2001
* ''Elementary'' (The End album), 2007
* ''Elementary'', a Melvin "Wah-Wah Watson" Ragin album, 1977
Other uses in arts, entertainment, an ...
and
middle school
Middle school, also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school, is an educational stage between primary school and secondary school.
Afghanistan
In Afghanistan, middle school includes g ...
s in the form of a
flyer which is distributed to parents by concerned school officials. In the past it was often in the form of poor quality photocopy, clearly many generations old, but it has now also become popular on Internet mailing lists and websites.
The legend states that a temporary lick-and-stick tattoo soaked in LSD and made in the form of a blue star (the logo of the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...
is often mentioned), or of popular cartoon characters, such as
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is an American cartoon character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime icon and mascot of the Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red shorts, large shoes, and white ...
and
Bart Simpson
Bartholomew Jo-Jo "Bart" Simpson is a character in the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' who is part of the titular family. Bart made his television debut in the short " Good Night" on '' The Tracey Ullman Show'' on Apri ...
, is being distributed to children in the area in order to get them "addicted to LSD" (see ).
Generally some attribution is given, typically to a well-regarded hospital or a vaguely specified "advisor to the president",
[ and instructions are given that parents should contact police if they come across the blue star tattoos.
]
Origin
The legend possibly originated from the fact that an LSD solution is sometimes sold on blotter paper with various designs, including cartoons.
Other countries
The legend has surfaced in many other places, including:
* Brazil
* Hungary
* Italy
* Peru[
* Mexico
* Portugal
* Sweden
* UK]
See also
*Bananadine
Bananadine is a fictional psychoactive substance which is supposedly extracted from banana peels. A hoax recipe for its "extraction" from banana peel was originally published in the ''Berkeley Barb'' in March 1967. This recipe was itself an excerp ...
*Lysergic acid diethylamide
Lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly known as LSD (from German ; often referred to as acid or lucy), is a Semisynthesis, semisynthetic, Hallucinogen, hallucinogenic compound derived from ergot, known for its powerful psychological effects and ...
*Misconceptions about drugs
Many urban legends and misconceptions about drugs have been created and circulated among young people and the general public, with varying degrees of veracity. These are commonly repeated by organizations which oppose all classified drug use, ...
*Moral panic
A moral panic is a widespread feeling of fear that some evil person or thing threatens the values, interests, or well-being of a community or society. It is "the process of arousing social concern over an issue", usually perpetuated by moral e ...
*Poisoned candy myths
Poisoned candy myths are mostly urban legends about malevolent strangers intentionally hiding poisons, drugs, or sharp objects such as razor blades in candy, which they then distribute with the intent of harming random children, especially during ...
*Strawberry Quik meth myth
Strawberry Quik meth was a hoax drug scare which primarily took place in 2007. Drug dealers were allegedly using coloring and flavoring to disguise methamphetamine as Strawberry Nesquik, Quik, thus making them more appealing to children. No cases ...
*Urban legends about drugs
Many urban legends and misconceptions about drugs have been created and circulated among young people and the general public, with varying degrees of veracity. These are commonly repeated by organizations which oppose all classified drug use, ...
References
External links
Snopes.com articleThe blue star tattoo legend
{{Urban legends
Urban legends
Lysergic acid diethylamide