Transcript

Lizzie Logan (0:00)

This is an I Heart Podcast Guaranteed

WebMD Host (0:03)

Human this week on a special episode of WebMD's Health Discovered podcast, we're taking a closer look at a common form of lung cancer that accounts for 85% of all cases.

Lizzie Logan (0:16)

When I first heard the words you have lung cancer, I was in shock.

WebMD Host (0:22)

It's a diagnosis that changes everything. So what does it really mean to advocate for yourself when you when you're living with non small cell lung cancer? Listen to Health discovered on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

Public Ad Host (0:38)

Support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On Public, you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index. With AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index, and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like ETFs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public

Public Legal Disclaimer (1:25)

Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors, llc. SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice.

Public Ad Host (1:35)

Complete disclosures available@public.com disclosures you're listening to

Redfin Ad Host (1:39)

a podcast, so you're doing something else too. Like maybe scrolling home listings on Redfin, saving places you like without thinking you'll get them. Because that's what house hunting has become. But Redfin isn't built for endless browsing. It's built to help you find and own a home. Redfin agents close twice as many deals as other agents, which means when you find a place you love, you've got a real shot at getting it. Redfin helps turn saved listings into real addresses. Get started@redfin.com Own the Dream

Summary

Hoax! — "The Bristol Princess"

Podcast: Hoax!
Hosts: Dana Schwartz & Lizzie Logan
Episode Date: April 13, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode of Hoax!, Dana Schwartz and Lizzie Logan dive deep into the astonishing 19th-century tale of Princess Caribou—a beguiling woman who fooled an entire English town into believing she was foreign royalty. Using her expertise from a prior episode on Noble Blood, Dana unpacks not only the wild events of the hoax itself but also the broader context, motivations, and cultural climate that allowed such a deception to thrive. Along the way, the hosts reflect on historical gullibility, the dynamics of “otherness,” and why stories like these continue to captivate audiences.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introducing Princess Caribou — The Setup

Setting the Scene ([04:38])
- It's 1817 in Almondsbury, outside of Bristol, England. A mysterious, exotically dressed young woman arrives speaking an unknown language.
- Dana: “She’s wearing what are described as exotic clothes… kind of looks like… a child dressing like a flamenco dancer.” ([05:11])
- The mysterious woman carries only soap, a few ha’pennies, and a counterfeit sixpence.
Early Encounters
- She first visits a cobbler’s house, pantomimes hunger and asks for food.
- Promptly passed through social welfare authorities, ending up at the home of local magistrate Samuel Worrell and his American wife, Elizabeth.
Physical Description and Social Reaction ([06:52])
- Lizzie raises questions about the mystery woman's appearance and perceived ethnicity.
- Dana: “She is in fact like a white person… but… sort of just like swarthy. She maybe doesn't seem English.”

2. Why Did People Believe Her? Pretty Privilege & Exoticism

The Power of Attractiveness
- Dana: “I do feel like pretty privilege really does exist… this is not just like an old crone, this is a pretty young woman, and I think that makes a difference in the story.” ([07:43])
- Modern analogies are drawn to the "hot felon" phenomenon and how attractiveness affects credibility and sympathy ([08:19]).
Society’s Fascination with the Exotic
- England at this time is enamored with foreignness and the “other.”
- Dana: “What’s happening in England is the exotic is very exciting.” ([12:01])

3. The Caribou Persona and Her Summer of Fame

The “Translation” and Creation Myth ([10:11])
- With the help of a Portuguese sailor (possibly in cahoots with her), the woman claims to be “Princess Caribou” from the imaginary island of Javasu.
- Her invented language is identified as a mix of gibberish and Romani words.
Enthralling the Locals ([12:44])
- Mysterious behaviors—sleeping on the floor, recognizing “nanas” (pineapple) in foreign prints, demonstrating archery skills, cooking curry, performing “war dances,” and praying to “Allah tala.”
- She’s the center of attention, depicted as a “born sexy yesterday” archetype—“body of a hot woman, brain of a child, not for creepy reasons but for like sci-fi reasons.” ([13:19])

4. Scrutiny & Unmasking the Hoax

Testing the Ruse ([21:00])
- A skeptical servant shouts “fire” at night to see if Caribou breaks character; she does not.
Exposure ([22:20])
- Mrs. Neal, a boarding house owner, recognizes Caribou as Mary Wilcox, a former servant known for wearing turbans and making up languages.
- Lizzie: “I’m obsessed with her… She’s really the patron saint of committing to the bit.” ([22:33])
Public Reaction & Social Commentary
- Instead of punishing Mary, the public laughs at the duped Bristol elites.
- Dana: “Everyone is laughing at the people around her and, like, kind of give her a pass, I think. Mr. Worrell’s bank collapses… probably because everyone’s like, oh, yeah, this guy’s terrible judgment.” ([30:06])

5. Who Was Mary Wilcox? (Princess Caribou's Real Identity)

Early Life and Quirks ([23:57])
- Born to a cobbler, suffered possible mental effects from illness, fond of other cultures and languages, imaginative storyteller—sometimes to a problematic, exploitative extent.
Evolving the Hoax
- After seeing that “Breton” girls got more charity while begging, Mary began creating ever more obscure personas to avoid being exposed.
Motivations and Context
- Dana: “If she’s going to fake an ethnicity, she needs one that no one can call her on.” ([28:44])

6. After the Hoax: The Aftermath and Her Later Life

Post-Unmasking ([29:15])
- Mary wasn’t punished due to the mostly harmless, comedic nature of her crime; instead, Bristol society suffered the ridicule.
American Adventure and Celebrity ([31:08], [34:20])
- Travels to America, performs on stage as Princess Caribou to declining interest, writes letters about the distress of notoriety.
- Dana: "Nowadays if someone is like, quote-unquote, canceled, they... capitalize on that notoriety for money…” ([34:20])
Return to obscurity
- Returns to England, marries, sells leeches to hospitals, haunted by her fleeting past fame ([36:05]).
- Lizzie: “She’s just the leech lady… trying to have a respectable job.” ([36:15])

7. Cultural Reflections—Why Did This Hoax Work?

Societal Willingness to Believe
- Scholarly context: Dana cites Matthew Isaac Cohen’s article about how Princess Caribou offered “a ground for imperial fantasy”—a safe, controlled embodiment of British exotic fascinations ([39:06]).
Modern Parallels
- The hosts compare Princess Caribou’s story to contemporary figures who embellish their backgrounds for attention (e.g., Hilaria Baldwin, Rachel Dolezal, “born in the wrong neighborhood” artists), as well as actors who overplay suffering origins ([41:18]).
Ongoing Cultural Fascination
- The myth endures in adaptations—1994’s Princess Caribou starring Phoebe Cates, musicals, and dramatizations, though many skip the underlying issues of race and exoticism ([42:32]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Dana on “pretty privilege”:
“If you see an unhoused person or a felon who is very conventionally attractive, something in you is like, well, that person shouldn’t be there. They should be doing Pilates.” ([08:24])
Lizzie on Princess Caribou “committing to the bit”:
“I’m obsessed with her. I love her so much. This is incredible. I love how much she has committed to the bit.” ([22:26])
Dana on the historical context:
“[Her] performance offered… a theatricalized front to a British audience that was keen to believe in the possibility of the other coexisting in their midst.” ([39:06])
On how to really succeed as a hoaxer:
“You have to phase out the accent… If you start with an accent, you have to phase it out.” ([44:40])
On Princess Caribou’s fleeting fame:
Lizzie: "One special summer."
Dana: "One amazing, wild summer." ([45:16])

Important Timestamps

[04:38]: The setting in 1817 Almondsbury, England and Princess Caribou's arrival
[06:52]: First descriptions of Caribou’s appearance (and “swarthy” not-English looks)
[10:11]: “Translation” by a Portuguese sailor; the Caribou invention explained
[12:44]: The beginnings of her spectacle in society, nuances of “pretty privilege”
[17:18]: Accounts of her behaviors—archery, curry, praying, war dance—and public fascination
[22:20]: Mrs. Neal exposes Caribou as Mary Wilcox, the committed performer
[29:15]: The aftermath of her exposure—nobody punished but the reputation of the local elite
[34:20]: American chapter: capitalizing on notoriety, parallels to “cancel culture comeback tours”
[39:06]: Scholarly context about "imperial fantasy" and Britain’s desire for a safe, entertaining other

Podcast Tone & Style

Dana and Lizzie maintain a witty, conversational, and incisively skeptical tone throughout the episode, reveling in the absurdity of the story while exploring broader cultural and historical questions.
They balance empathy for Mary Wilcox as an impoverished, possibly mentally ill woman, with critical awareness of her exploitation of racial stereotypes.
The hosts frequently connect 19th-century phenomena to modern celebrity culture and internet phenomena, keeping the conversation relevant and lively.

Summary Takeaway

The story of Princess Caribou is an embodiment of society’s perennial hunger for novelty, sensation, and the exotic, all filtered through the lens of privilege, gullibility, and the desire to believe in a myth. Dana and Lizzie deftly unravel not just the facts of the hoax itself, but why such stories thrive—then and now—and what they reveal about us today.

For more from the hosts:

Contact: @hooksthepodcast on Instagram / hoaxpodcastmail@gmail.com
Dana Schwartz on Instagram and TikTok
Support: Preorder Dana’s book "The Arcane Arts"

Please hoax responsibly!