Jon Solo Sebastian 02/08/2025:

Strange science experiments in a shady laboratory. Burned down asylums forcing the less fortunate to resort to cannibalism and inbreeding, which then caused a mutation and created “monsters” that haunt nearby forests. We’re wrapping up my Ohio based cryptids extravaganza in Kirtland, Ohio where the folktale of the Melon Heads reside. Strap yourselves in for this adventure into the tragic and spookiness that is possibly stranger than fiction.

What is a Melon Head?

Melon heads are a piece of not only Ohio folklore, but Michigan and Connecticut, as well. The stories vary between the states, but what is similar is they are small humanoids who have unusually large heads. In some folktales, their heads aren’t just large, but also deformed. They are said to live in secluded areas like deep inside forests or in underground tunnels. They keep to themselves, but will attack anyone or anything that gets too close to their territory. Are they just hyper-territorial, or is everyone who isn’t them considered a threat? I’d say the answer to both of those questions is, yes.

Not much is known about the melon heads as far as their origin or when the first sighting happened. As I’ve already stated, their story varies depending on location, so let’s take a look at the top threes states where these little creatures mostly reside.

The Ohio version of the melon heads tell the tale of orphans who were taken into an asylum and experimented on by Doctor Crow. The mad doctor injected them with venom, or some sort of concoction he came up with, and it lead to them having swollen and deformed heads. They were aware of what was being done to them, and plotted revenge on the doctor. They killed him and allegedly burned down the asylum. They survive by eating wildlife in the woods near Wisner Road, and attack and eat anyone who gets too close.

Another version of the melon heads in Ohio talk about a top-secret government experiment conducted on orphaned children. This could have been early MK-Ultra experiments considering the enlarging of their heads, and MK-Ultra using LSD and other drugs for mind control and other psychological manipulation. While this is a believable scenario, I don’t think they’d just dump their experiments into the woods when they were finished with them.

The melon heads of Michigan are believed to be children with hydrocephalus (fluid buildup in the brain which resulted in the large heads and deformation). They were in an insane asylum, though I’m not sure why, but they were beaten by the staff and tossed out of the asylum; leaving them to fend for themselves. They too haunt the areas nearby, and are cannibals. Who just tosses children into a forest?

In Connecticut, the story is about a family accused of witchcraft and forced to leave town. There is no evidence of alleged witchcraft, nor is there any real story to back this or the other states stories, so please keep in mind that this is all hearsay. Similarly to their cousins in Ohio and Michigan, these melon heads live in the wild, are cannibalistic, and have resorted to years of inbreeding. They will attack anyone on sight, as well, so look out if you’re anywhere near Fairfield, Connecticut.

What do these states and stories all have in common? The answer is simple—no rock hard evidence that any of this is true. This particular cryptid sounds like it’s strictly a made up story people tell when they’re out camping far away from the city life. I suppose you could say that about most stories, but a lot of the other folktales have some backing or photos, or footprints.

Sightings

An alleged sighting in the 1980s involved a group of girls from Notre Dame High School, Fairfield County, CT. The girls drove out in a blue Ford Granada on a Friday night. They decided to go Melon Head hunting around Velvet Street in Trumbull. The girls parked their car on Velvet Street and left the headlights on. They had walked only a short distance into the woods when they heard their car doors slamming shut and the car heading away. The girls claimed they saw small creatures with large heads in the car. The creatures were in rags, and their eyes glowed orange in the dark.

A Hoax

One example of a hoax is a video posted on YouTube in 2011 by a user named “TheMelonHeadHunter”. The video shows a group of teenagers driving around Felt Mansion in Michigan at night looking for melon heads. They encounter one hiding behind a tree and chase it with their car until it runs away into the woods. The video has over 300 thousand views and many comments from viewers who either believe it or doubt it.

However, the video was later revealed to be a fake by another user named “TheMelonHeadHunterExposed”. The user posted another video showing how he made a melon head mask out of paper mache and wore it while his friends filmed him running around Felt Mansion. He also explained his motives for making the hoax: he wanted to make fun of people who believe in melon heads and show how easy it is to fool them.—This is a dangerous game these folks played. Fortunately no one was hurt, but you should never go out to the woods dressed like a creature people might be hunting. I also, don’t think they should be making fun of people who believe in the melon heads. You never know if they truly exist or not, and it’s perfectly fine if you think they are real. I do not think they’re real, but is it really that farfetched to think a mad scientist created a monster, or a government experiment went bad and is now living in secluded parts of a forest? When it comes to those scenarios, watch the world news for about five minutes, and you’ll be convinced that anything is possible.

One thing that did not come up in my research is the possibility of the melon heads being aliens. Now, I’m not saying they’re aliens, but couldn’t they be?