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across America, as well as in a number of foreign nations. The large majority of the tiles feature the same message: “Toynbee Idea in Movie 2001––Resurrect Dead on Planet Jupiter.” Some are more elaborate, and feature strange political theories and ideologies. It is believed that the author of the tiles was influenced by a Ray Bradbury science fiction story “The Toynbee Convector.” This short story speaks of the need for humanity to always look forward for ways to survive. Ideas in Kubrick’s classic movie “2001: A Space Odyssey” speak of colonizing Jupiter. While the message on the tiles is vague, at the very least, they reveal that their maker enjoys a good sci-fi story as much as anyone. Being that the majority of the 130 tiles known to exist are found in Philadelphia, and because a tile found in Santiago, Chile lists a Philadelphia address, it is widely believed that the inventor of the tiles resides in the City of Brotherly Love. The most likely suspect is Philadelphia social worker James Morasco, who died in 2003. Morasco had written a number of Philadelphia newspapers letters in the early ’80s that included language similar to that found on many of the tiles. Many assumed Morasco was responsible for the tiles, although during his lifetime he never admitted it. Curiously, new tiles have continued to appear in the years since his death, only heightening the mystery. |
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Toynbee Tiles have become a cult phenomenon. Dozens of websites chronicle their locations and search for answers as to the identity of their creator and the reason for their existence. None have come up with any concrete facts yet. After all this time, it appears that the Toynbee Tiles may remain a mystery forever. You can read about all of Pennsylvania’s Roadside Oddities and other curious attractions if Weird Pennsylvania. |