Is it possible for an online meme-turned-urban legend to become…real?

That’s the question we ask this week as we investigate the origins of Slender Man, an eerie, faceless monster known to have been created on the Something Awful forums in June 2009. While Slender Man’s origins are traceable, his reach has extended much further than even his long limbs and tentacles could have possibly ever expected.

Do some people really believe in Slender Man? Have those beliefs been powerful enough to turn this viral creature into a “tulpa” strong enough to bend those in reality to its will? And even if not…does it even matter?

Here in part one we chart the origin of the Slender Man mythos, and prepare for next week’s dive into the reality of the horror with the 2014 Slender Man Stabbing.

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