They say truth is stranger than fiction. but honestly, fiction is usually a lot funnier. Enter the world of fictoids, where history gets twisted, stretched, and occasionally drop-kicked into absurdity.
So… what exactly is a fictoid?
Fictoid – Fact V Fiction
A fictoid is a bite-sized piece of completely made-up “history”. Its a one-liner that sounds just believable enough to make you pause, then laugh. Think of it as the love child of trivia and nonsense.
According to author Bill Dutcher, a proper fictoid answers all the big questions: who did what, when, and where… just not accurately.
His book, Fictoids: Short Fiction…Very Short, takes readers on a wildly inaccurate tour through “history,” spanning from 1220 B.C. right through to the early 2000s. It’s less a timeline and more a chaotic stroll through an alternate universe where logic took the day off.
Inside, you’ll “discover” things like:
- The inventor of self-storage (finally, the hero we didn’t know we needed)
- The genius behind both the periodic table and the occasional chair
- Why Henry the Ninth had absolutely no luck dating
- The founder of General Eclectic (because “Electric” was too mainstream)
- The artist who recorded the heartfelt hit: “You were always there for me… but I was always here”
- A bold entrepreneur who launched New York’s first helium bar—aka a “Squeak Easy”
And that’s just scratching the surface.
The book is packed with gloriously ridiculous characters, including:
- Sleeping Beauty’s lesser-known sister, Lazy Susan
- Norwegian action star Harrison Fjord
- Classical rap pioneer Yo Yo Mama
- Assistant press secretary Feckless Spinmeister
To top it all off, the illustrations come from Jack Ziegler, known for his work with The New Yorker—which tells you exactly the kind of clever, offbeat humour you’re in for.
Why Fictoids Work
Fictoids hit that sweet spot between clever and ridiculous. They’re quick, sharp, and just believable enough to trick your brain before the punchline lands. Perfect for anyone who enjoys history—but prefers it with a side of chaos.
If you’re the kind of person who loves random trivia, dad jokes, or calling out “that can’t be real”… this might be your new favourite rabbit hole.
