Decades before Times Square became the family and tourist friendly destination it is today it was a cesspool of depravity and crime.

And while kooks like the Elmo mascot are still making the place feel a bit scummy it's now so clean you can eat near it.

But back in the 70s and 80s Times Square was full of peep shows, porno theaters and prostitutes, and the police turned a blind eye to much of the depraved action going down on the block.

Or maybe they were just too busy busting other types of criminals, because by 1984 over 2,000 crimes were being committed in the one-block radius of Times Square every year.

And if that weren't bad enough, the Square was also full of another group of people who really got on everyone's nerves- Hare Krishnas.

See 27 Pictures Of Times Square At Its Lowest here (NSFW)

Spirited Away is Japan's highest grossing film of all time, and even though the Japanese mythology themes aren't fully understood by most non-Japanese viewers the film is still a delight to watch.

But there's one scene even Japanese audiences wondered about- the scene where Chihiro's parents suddenly become pigs.

It was fairly easy to tell the scene was commenting on gluttony and/or greed, but Twitter user @0910noncha wanted to know for sure so she messaged Studio Ghibli- and they answered.

The studio sent her a two-page long reply, explaining that the pig scene is meant to represent “the greed that took place during the Japanese recession of the 80s”:

The letter also explained that the transformation was irreversible in order to reflect the nature of greed in the real world. The letter continued by saying that Chihiro knew that none of the pigs in the pen were her parents because her mindset had changed following her experiences in the underworld.

-Via Bored Panda

Needful Things by Nemons

When visiting the town of Castle Rock, Maine it's important to remember a few things- always be on your best behavior, minding your manners whenever you speak to a local, don't speak of any strange occurrences you may bear witness to while in town, and stay away from a shop called Needful Things. That shop is shunned by the locals for a reason, and even though a few folks in town refuse to stop paying Leland Gaunt a visit the rest of the town have learned their lesson about toying with forces beyond human control. You're no doubt wishing we would elaborate on that subject for a minute but the less you know about Needful Things the better...

Advertise your favorite spooky fictional shop of horrors with this Needful Things t-shirt by Nemons, it's sure to make you a King among your fellow fans!

Visit Nemons's Facebook fan page and Twitter, then head on over to his NeatoShop for more dark and geeky designs:

View more designs by Nemons | More Movie T-shirts | New T-Shirts

Are you a professional illustrator or T-shirt designer? Let's chat! Sell your designs on the NeatoShop and get featured in front of tons of potential new fans on Neatorama!

You should always keep your friends close, your enemies even closer and your passwords closest of all, like inside your brain never to be typed, written out or spoken aloud to anyone.

There is no one you can trust with your password, not even your dearly beloved, so remember the teachings of Charlie Higson from Heck If I Know and stay safe while adventuring online.

And beware ratchet hoes bearing gifts...

-Via Geeks Are Sexy

According to Phantom Of The Opera people who enjoy tickling the keys of a piano, organ or keyboard are prone to possession by evil spirits and have a natural propensity for evil.

This theory doesn't include little old ladies who play the organ at church, or the piano gods Little Richard and Liberace, but it's safe to assume sinister forces are at work within this young lady.

Either that or she's really freaking out about finals.

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-Via Dangerous Minds

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You're probably familiar with the “brother from another mother, sister from another mister” concept regarding people you meet in life who look like they could be your next-of-kin...or you.

This spooky similarity often goes beyond merely looking the same, as you discover you share interests, taste and mannerisms in common with your doppelganger.

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The same thing can happen with animals, only their “brother from another mother” similarities can cross species, making a dog and a cat look like they were separated at birth.

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Perhaps this doppelganger effect exists so every animal species on Earth will learn to get along with each other, whether we're hairless apes or hairless critters.

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See more from 10+ Animal Brothers From Other Mothers here

Which adjectives come to mind when you think of a live action Futurama fan film?

If you said campy, cartoony and a little bit creepy then you've won first prize! So whaddya win?

A chance to watch the trailer for an amazing looking Futurama fan film by Cinema Relics called Fan-O-Rama!

(YouTube Link)

Is it just me or does Dr. Farnsworth look like an ancient ninja turtle?

-Via io9

We've all seen dogs who are really good skaters, but as it turns out cats are totally rad thrashers too, and they were either too lazy or too cool to show off their skills for the sake of human amusement.

But in this video Boomer the Bengal finally relents and shows off his sk8 or die side while his famous skater sister Didga, as well as a few dumbfounded dogs, cheer him on.

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Boomer is definitely the laid back beach cruiser type, and unlike those easily sidetracked canines he looks like he'd be happy to push that board around all day long!

-Via Laughing Squid

See more videos of Boomer and his sister Didga.

It can be tough for a teen to find the courage and come out of the closet to their friends and family, especially when they assume one or both of the groups will give them hell for being gay.

But sixteen-year-old Gina was tired of keeping her sexuality a secret- she wanted to live out loud, so she came out to her family at the photo-op point on Disneyland's Splash Mountain.

@ayydubs this is how I came out yesterday lolol pic.twitter.com/UqStjeZRyF

— gina (@ginaslife3) June 20, 2016

Inspiring, exciting, and hilarious, Gina really came out in style with this photo!

-Via Boing Boing

It has become abundantly clear the Chinese are obsessed with Iron Man, and not just because his armor is red and gold in color just like their flag.

They're also obsessed with panda bears, which they thankfully began to cherish and protect before they went extinct, and now they've brought both obsessions together in one amazing statue.

This giant Iron Panda statue was created by Chinese artist Bi Heng, measures nearly thirty feet tall and must weigh a ton considering normal sized pandas definitely aren't lightweights.

The statue hangs around Shenyang, where people cherish this massive testament to mammalian ingenuity, and if the world is ever in trouble Iron Panda will be there to preserve balance with a blast of his Yin-Yang palm laser.

-Via design you trust

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I grew up around a bunch of latchkey kids who walked themselves home from school every day and often had to make their own dinner because their parent(s) were always working.

This seemed quite normal, and made it easy to find kids to play with after school, but nowadays most parents wouldn't dream of letting their kids live that latchkey life.

Which brings up the question- when is a kid old enough to be left home alone?

This chart created by Thirty Handmade Days attempts to answer that question, breaking it down by age group and showing which states have laws against leaving kids home alone.

It seems a bit ridiculous to worry about leaving a 16-17 year old home alone, but what do you think- do you agree with this chart?

-Via CountryLiving

Suicidal people often choose tall buildings and bridges from which to kill themselves, and in South Korea the Han River bridge is the choice for the suicidal, which is where the Yeoudio Water Rescue Unit comes in.

South Korea has the highest suicide rate in the developed world, but they also have brave people like Captain Hyung-Guen Suh who rescue those who attempt to kill themselves in the Han River.

Sometimes they're successful, other times they can do no more than retrieve a body, but they're working hard to make their part of the world a better place by showing that they care about human life.

(YouTube Link)

-Via VICE

The Hulk is one of the most predictable characters in the Marvel Universe, because his battles almost always involve smashing or sheer resilience, but he's also a bit of a head case too.

And whether he's locked in a fit of rage, struggling with his identity crisis or trying to figure out why his friends are fighting with him The Hulk definitely isn't all there mentally.

Over the years the Jade Giant has made some downright bizarre decisions, such as hooking up with his first cousin She-Hulk, playing baseball while wearing blackface, and beating up Santa Claus in front of a bunch of kids.

Beatin' on Thor is one thing, but you'd better leave Santa Claus alone you big green/gray brute!

Read the 11 Biggest WTF Things The Hulk Has Ever Done here

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If you think working in retail is hard try working in the customer service department, now those poor employees have to deal with the worst humanity has to offer.

At least they get a good laugh out of some of the customer complaints that come in, although for every fool who can't figure out the right way to open a pizza box there's a customer with a valid problem.

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But ever since customers started complaining online their issues with companies have become even more ridiculous.

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And now customer service agents have to wade through a sea of trolls to address the real customers with valid complaints, moving us one step closer to the world of Idiocracy.

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Read These Hilarious Customer Service Complaints Are Entertaining For Everyone...Except The Customers here

Female body armor seems to be made with sex appeal in mind rather than protection, at least according to many pop culture franchises, and up until the recent assimilation of geek culture that was fine.

But now people are declaring this sexy armor scandalous and demanding an explanation, so DeviantARTist Nebezial took a stab at explaining how it works with this strip. Seems legit to me!

-Via Geeks Are Sexy