I've talked about the Toynbee Tile many times on this site. I even did a Dizzy Spell podcast episode all about it! During that recording I was reminded that one of the earliest events in the Toynbee history occurs in 1980, when a caller goes on the air with Larry King and talks about how 2001 relates to resurrection and mentions his group "The Minority Association" that is seeking to spread the word about these ideas.

Now, there's no evidence of this call. Only anecdotal evidence. However, George Washington University keeps a collection of Larry King recordings from 1970-1990, courtesy of the Mutual Broadcasting System archives. I reached out to them last July in search of a Feb 1980 recording; supposedly when the caller made their appearance.

They responded* and, unfortunately, the results are a bit of a dead end. Their response, as noted in the image above, states:

Thank you for your patience. We have just recently reopened and had a chance to look into your request. I've looked through the box that contains recordings from 1980. I'm sorry to report that there are no cassettes dated February 1980. The bulk of the 1980 cassettes are from July and September - November of 1980. It appears that there are significant gaps in the recordings that we have for 1980.

Did the call-in happen during the Fall of 1980, not the Winter? Did the call-in happen at all? Mysteries we may never solve but I'm happy to have checked one little box off my list of possible puzzle pieces to unearth.

* They actually replied in Sept of 2024 but I'm only posting about it now, in March of 2025. I've no excuse for why I took so long.

A few weeks ago I posted about my continued fascination with Toynbee Tiles, even after thirteen years! The impetus for my latest renewed vigor is that I was asked to be a guest on the Dizzy Spell podcast to talk about the phenomena. Today, the episode is released! I am very happy with how it turned out and hope that you'll give it a whirl. Despite the tiles being a primarily visual happening, the story behind them plays well in the podcast format.

It's on their website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast and anywhere else you listen to these sort of things - including the embed above! Smack that play button, enjoy!

I've recently revisited Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles, a 2011 film about the truly mysterious public installations known as Toynbee tiles. I can't recall exactly when I first heard of the tiles but I do have a blog post here on the site dating back to 2012, so it's safe to say I've been a fan for over a decade. I hate to spoil the future but I was a guest on the podcast Dizzy Spell presenting quite a rundown on all things Toynbee. That episode won't be out for a few weeks but the topic is very fresh on my mind.

For the uninitiated, Toynbee tiles are handcut ceramic tiles embedded into streets and crosswalks with an enigmatic message:

TOYNBEE IDEA
IN MOVIE 2001
RESURRECT DEAD
ON PLANET JUPITER.

There is some variance in the messaging but that's the general gist. The movie, Resurrect Dead, takes an exhaustive deep dive into who is making the tiles. If you have never heard of this or seen the film, I suggest you start opening some tabs.

All that is preamble tho. I have enjoyed the mystery of the tiles for so long but never really dug into exactly what they mean. I also haven't done much follow-up on the phenomena since 2014 (or whenever I have the pleasure of accidentally seeing one in real life). To that end, here's a few intriguing bullet points that will be completely senseless unless you're familiar with the whole shebang:

• The investigators from the film have shared the Minority Association Documents - the group that "Tom Morasco" formed in an effort to reach the press to tell his story of Toynbee's resurrection plans. It's a truly compelling 10-page read through and absolutely confirms the films findings in terms of who the tiler's true identity is.
• The Wikipedia for Toynbee tiles seems to outline that there are Possible Subjects for whom "Toynbee" is referencing in the tiles - providing four compelling options. However, the Minority Association Documents make it very clear that it is referring to Arnold Toynbee. Nothing groundbreaking there, just nice to have confirmed.
• ToynbeeIdea.com hasn't had a new post in many years but there's a wealth of information there worth taking in. For instance, spotting a copycat, Steve Powers tributing the tiles, anecdotes recalling Larry King Live appearances or just random tile news from 2006.
• ResurrectDead.com still proves to be a fun read - particularly the FAQ and the tile gallery.
• This interview with director Jon Foy provides a lot of insight into how the film came to exist, how it was submitted to Sundance and, possibly, where there haven't been more films from Foy - it sounds like it was a total drag financially! That's a bummer because he did a truly admirable job making sense of it all.
• I don't know why this never occurred to me before but you can see tiles on Google Maps Streetview. At 6th and Union in Nashville, TN, there's a copycat "House of Hades" tile captured right there on the 9eyes. One day it will be lost to the archives as well but it's fun to see now.

In prep for the podcast I visited all of the above and way more. I feel like I have a proper grip on what the tile actually means now - something that eluded me for years. I won't define it explicitly in case you would like to make the dive for yourself but I will say that Toynbee's autobiography and the Minority Association documents were my keys to understanding it (to the best of my ability).

Go subscribe to Dizzy Spell, my episode should be out on May 22nd, 2024.

Found another Toynbee https://t.co/dqeOyWJ9k1

I've been following the phenomena of the Toynbee Tiles for some time. There's a solid NPR article on it and a really fascinating documentary called Resurrect Dead that explores their creation and the person potentially behind them.

I was overjoyed to run into a few of them in person this weekend. Are they from the original creator? Doubtful. Are they still every bit as bizarre and elusive? Oh yea. Someone is continuing the tradition and it's as weird as ever. Keep your eyes to the ground, they're out there.

I told you about the Toynbee Tile phenomena last week and mentioned the film Resurrect Dead as a potential worthwhile undertaking to find out more about the specifics of the strange messages. I can now absolutely vouch for the goodness of the movie and the investigative work they do to find out exactly what the message means and who has been leaving them in hard-to-reach spots around the Northeast for the better part of three decades. The film is on Epix, Netflix and Amazon if you're curious to dive in yourself; I suggest you do.

Have you ever heard of Toynbee Tiles? I certainly hadn't. They are small (roughly license plate sized) plaques consisting of linoleum pieces and asphalt glue that consistently carry the same message:

TOYNBEE IDEA
IN MOViE` 2001
RESURRECT DEAD
ON PLANET JUPITER.

The tiles are found in a number of major cities throughout the United States and even as far away as a handful of destinations in South America. It's never been made clear exactly what the message means and the Wikipedia entry hardly clarifies anything (though I do love an entry with that many Citations Needed).

There's a great NPR article from 2006 about their existence, their potential meaning and history and a heads up on Justin Duerr's documentary Resurrect Dead. I am, to say the least, quite intrigued to find out more.