
Candle Cove is a widely known and popular Creepypasta by Kris Straub about a fictional television series recalled by several posters on a childhood nostalgia forum. The story is written in the form of a forum discussion, with users sharing their recollections of a strange, local children's television show called Candle Cove, which they claim to have watched in the early 1970s. As the story progresses, the collective memories of the show become increasingly sinister, with inappropriate content and characters for children's television. The story's meta nature and imitation of the creepypasta genre have contributed to its popularity, inspiring numerous fan works and even a television adaptation.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Type | Creepypasta |
| Format | Forum discussion |
| Author | Kris Straub |
| Publication Date | August 8, 2010 |
| Publication | NetNostalgia Forums, Creepypasta.com, 4chan, Reddit, YouTube, IGN, horror.com |
| Story | Recollections of a fictional television series called Candle Cove, which becomes sinister and unsuitable for children |
| Characters | Pirate Percy, a little girl who imagines herself to be friends with pirates |
| Setting | Early 1970s, Channel 58 in the Huntington–Ashland metropolitan area |
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What You'll Learn

Candle Cove's author, Kris Straub
Kris Straub, the author of Candle Cove, is a web cartoonist and writer. Candle Cove is a widely known and popular creepypasta, a term for horror stories that are circulated around the internet. The story centres on an online forum discussion about a fictional and horrifying children's television show from the 1970s.
Straub has stated that he was inspired to write Candle Cove after reading a satirical article in The Onion titled "Area 36-Year-Old Still Has Occasional Lidsville Nightmare". The story was posted on creepypasta.com and the Creepypasta Wiki, as well as other sites such as 4chan, Reddit, YouTube, and horror.com. It quickly gained popularity, inspiring numerous YouTube videos and fan fiction stories.
Candle Cove differs from other creepypastas in that it originated from a known source and author, rather than having an "anonymous folkloric quality". The story is written in an 'epistolary' form, imitating the way that other creepypastas are formed through the contributions of multiple posters over time.
In 2015, Kris Straub created a spin-off of Candle Cove with a web series titled "Local 58", centred around strange broadcasts from the public-access TV channel where Candle Cove originally aired. That same year, the SyFy Channel announced their intent to adapt the Candle Cove story as the first season of a newly announced series, Channel Zero.
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The story's 'epistolary' form
Candle Cove is an online horror story in the "creepypasta" genre by Kris Straub of Ichor Falls and Chainsawsuit. It is written in an epistolary form, imitating the way that other creepypastas are formed. The story is told in the format of a thread on a fictional forum, "NetNostalgia Forums", where a group of users discuss a low-budget children's television show called Candle Cove that they remember watching as children in the early 1970s. The story begins with Skyshale033 asking if anyone remembers the show, which they believe was aired on a local station around 1971 or 1972. Other users respond, sharing their recollections of the show and its strange and sinister characters, including Pirate Percy, who was made from parts of other dolls and had an antique porcelain baby doll's head. As the users continue to discuss the show, the things they collectively remember become more disturbing and clearly unsuitable for children's television. The story ends with a shocking reveal that brings into question the entire nature of Candle Cove and the memories shared.
The epistolary form of Candle Cove is interesting as it successfully imitates the way that other creepypastas are formed, with fans copying and pasting the story across various internet forums and websites. Unlike most creepypastas, which evolve from the contributions of multiple posters over time, Candle Cove can be traced back to a single author, Kris Straub, who initially presented the story as a finished piece before releasing it commercially as part of a collection of short stories.
The meta nature of the story is also notable, as it was inspired by the creepypasta genre itself. Straub has stated that he was inspired to write Candle Cove after reading a satirical article in The Onion titled "Area 36-Year-Old Still Has Occasional Lidsville Nightmare". The story quickly gained popularity, inspiring numerous YouTube videos and fan fictions. In 2015, Straub self-published Candle Cove in a collection of short stories entitled "Candle Cove and Other Stories", which is available on Amazon. The story was also adapted into the first season of the SyFy Channel's series "Channel Zero", along with other well-known creepypastas such as "NoEnd House" and "I'm a Search and Rescue Officer".
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Pirate Percy, a character analysis
Candle Cove is a widely recognised and popular "creepypasta" horror story centred on a fictional television series aimed at children. The story is written in an epistolary style, in the form of a forum discussion, where posters share their recollections of the show, which become increasingly sinister.
Pirate Percy is a character from the fictional Candle Cove television series. He is a pirate who is "not a very good pirate because he got scared too easily". One viewer recalled that Percy "looked like he was built from parts of other dolls", with an "old porcelain baby doll" head that "looked like an antique that didn’t belong on the body". This description aligns with the show's low-budget aesthetic, as remembered by those on the forum.
The plot of Candle Cove involves a little girl who imagines herself to be friends with pirates. The pirate ship is called the Laughingstock, and its crew includes Pirate Percy. The show also features calliope music playing constantly in the background.
The Candle Cove creepypasta story was written by web cartoonist and author Kris Straub, who was inspired by a satirical article in The Onion titled "Area 36-Year-Old Still Has Occasional Lidsville Nightmare". Unlike most creepypastas, which are typically shaped by numerous contributors, Candle Cove was written by a single author and presented as a finished piece. It quickly gained popularity, inspiring fan-made content and a television adaptation.
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Candle Cove's impact on viewers
Candle Cove is a widely known and popular "creepypasta", a term for horror stories circulated on the internet. It is written by web cartoonist and author Kris Straub and was first released in 2009 on his horror fiction website, Ichor Falls. The story is written in the form of a thread on a fictional nostalgia forum, where a group of users discuss a low-budget children's television show called Candle Cove that they remember watching in their childhood in the early 1970s.
The impact of Candle Cove on its viewers is evident in the way it has stuck with them into their adulthood. The story and its characters are described as sinister and "clearly being unsuitable for children’s viewing". One character, Pirate Percy, is described as having an "old porcelain baby doll head" that "looked like an antique that didn’t belong on the body". The show is also remembered for its constant calliope music and a talking boat.
As the story progresses, the users' recollections become more disturbing. They begin to recall a character known as the "Skin-Taker", a skeleton pirate who wears clothing made out of children's skin. One episode is described as consisting entirely of the puppets flailing and screaming while a character named Janice cries.
The impact of the show is such that one user mentions asking their elderly mother if she remembered it, to which she responds that all she saw was static on the screen when her child claimed to be watching Candle Cove. This adds to the creepiness of the story, as it blurs the line between what was real and what was imagined.
The popularity of Candle Cove as a creepypasta has led to numerous YouTube videos and fan fictions, as well as a self-published collection of short stories by Straub in 2015. The story has also been adapted into a television show by the SyFy Channel, demonstrating the lasting impact it has had on viewers and its ability to inspire and influence others.
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The story's inspiration and adaptation
Candle Cove is a well-known and popular online creepypasta horror story written by web cartoonist and author Kris Straub. The story is centred on a discussion of a fictional children's television series on an Internet forum. The story is written in an 'epistolary' form.
Kris Straub has stated that he was inspired to write the creepypasta after reading an article in The Onion titled "Area 36-Year-Old Still Has Occasional Lidsville Nightmare". The satirical article was about a man who still experienced nightmares about a show he watched on public access television as a child. The story quickly became popular, inspiring numerous YouTube videos and fan fictions.
The story's evolution is quite interesting. Unlike most creepypastas that are shaped by numerous posters over time, Candle Cove can be traced back to a single author, Kris Straub, who initially presented the entire story as a finished piece. However, as the story spread to other forums, it took on new and unapproved shapes, with contributors sharing their supposed memories of the fictional show. This "meta" evolution of the story came full circle when Candle Cove was selected as one of the stories for Syfy's Channel Zero series, with the fictional show being developed as part of an actual TV show.
The short story that Channel Zero: Candle Cove is based on is only a few pages long. The TV adaptation of Candle Cove is the first season of the Channel Zero series.
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Frequently asked questions
Candle Cove is a widely known and popular Creepypasta about a fictional television series. It is written in an epistolary form by Kris Straub of Ichor Falls and Chainsawsuit.
Candle Cove is about a little girl who imagines herself to be friends with pirates. The pirate ship is called the Laughingstock, and Pirate Percy is a scaredy-cat. The show also features a disturbing villain who wants to "GRIND YOUR SKIN".
Unlike most Creepypastas, which are shaped by numerous contributors, Candle Cove can be traced back to a single author, Kris Straub. It also differs in that it originated from a known source and author, whereas most creepypastas are anonymous.
Candle Cove has been posted on creepypasta.com and the Creepypasta Wiki, as well as sites such as 4chan, Reddit, YouTube, IGN, and horror.com. Due to copyright issues, it is no longer available on the Creepypasta Wiki but can be found on the author's website and Amazon.











































