Who Is The Hatman And Why Do So Many People Claim To Have Seen Him? Memes About The Shadowy Figure Explained

The online community is rife with myths and urban legends that seem to emerge right out of some plugged-in collective conscience. Slender Man is a popular internet myth, as is Momo or the Rake. But have you heard of the shadowy figure less malevolent than he is mysterious, a man that stands around the corners of your vision, ready to tip his hat in greeting at short notice? Here's all you need to know for your next full-body shudder, courtesy of the Hat Man.

Who Is The Hat Man?

A key aspect of the Hat Man's lore is that no one really seems to know where he comes from, or what he wants. What we do know is that multiple people around the world have provided testimonies of having seen him, often during episodes of sleep paralysis or after they've had extremely dangerous doses of the over-the-counter anti-allergy medication Benadryl.

The oldest known attempt to consolidate various accounts of the Hat Man comes from a man named Timothy Brown, who started 'The Hat Man Project' in 2001 and is going strong with fresh testimonies published in October 2022. The first few posts on his blog also provide us with some clues to the Hat Man's lore; apparently, he is part of a cohort of spirits known as shadow people, a phenomenon so widely reported that shadow people even have their own Wikipedia page. Neat, and not utterly terrifying at all!

But What Does This 'Hat Man' Have To Do With Benadryl Abuse?

On one hand, we have reports of people subjected to the Hat Man via sleep paralysis, schizophrenic hallucinations, or one-off freak sightings. On the other hand, we have people trying to induce Hat Man sightings via the abuse of a class of drugs known as "deliriants," which allegedly they make you so delirious you may actually see horrifying things like shadow people and also, spiders.

The drug most commonly associated with Hat Man sightings is the anti-allergy medicine Benadryl. When taken in high doses, it allegedly makes you pretty loopy. Another thing that happens on high doses of Benadryl or DPH is that you simply die. But if you manage to survive, you may get to meet the shadowy figure that you've suspected has been watching over you since you were in the cradle. Maybe just don't do this, because nothing good comes of it at all.

For the full history of the Hat Man, be sure to check out our entry on the shadowy figure here for even more information.