Sock monster
The sock monster is a hypothetical animal that can be found inside washing machines , in some stories also in tumble dryers or in niches in basement rooms near washing machines and which causes socks to disappear from washing cycles in an otherwise apparently inexplicable manner. This modern myth can be found in the novel Flusi, the sock monster by author Bine Brändle from 2003, which was followed by numerous sequels. Best-selling British author Georgia Byng wrote her debut work the Sock Monsters in 1995 .
root cause
The reason for the myth that sock-eating monsters can be found in washing machines is the fact that many people have actually had the experience that socks are no longer in the washing drum after a wash, without there seems to be a plausible explanation for this . Out of astonishment at this circumstance, the usually not serious story of the sock monster is uttered, which is however often presented in a very serious, sometimes ironically exaggeratedly serious tone.
Content
One of the frequently encountered contents of the sock monster myth is the claim that sock monsters only feed on one pair of socks and always leave the other sock untouched. The sock monster is also credited with the fact that when the drum is opened it can move away from it at such high speed that its escape cannot be noticed. Other stories say that the number of sock monsters and thus also the number of "socks eaten" are proportional to the number of household members and that sock monsters feel particularly comfortable in family households. Some sock monsters don't eat the socks, but hoard them out of a passion for collecting.
"Enlightenment" of the sock monster myth
The news magazine Focus reported on October 30, 2012 that it had "revealed" the sock monster myth and found the real reason that "the washing machine eats socks": A sock can get stuck in the slot, especially when the washing machine is heavily loaded between the washing drum and the tub, the rotation is pulled further into the tub and thus disappears from the field of view of the washing machine user. In the course of popularizing the sock monster myth, other media also reported the real reason for the "disappearance" of socks from washing machines.
Real sock monsters
Based on the myth that arose around the 1990s, sock monsters are nowadays used in educational institutions such as B. Daycare centers are popular craft products that can usually take on a wide variety of shapes based on a real sock.