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A Bedeviled History of Satanic Panic
By Alvin Ward
Papa Smurf: Affable garden gnome or undead minion of hell? That was open for discussion in the 1980s, when America was gripped by a phenomenon known as Satanic Panic. Everything from cartoons to music to daycare centers were thought to be under the influence of the devil.
Join Mental Floss editor-in-chief Erin McCarthy as she explores the origins and controversies of this sensational period of pentagram paranoia on the newest episode of Throwback.
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