# Where did you first hear of Krampus? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 8, 2015, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-you-first-hear-of-krampus/739767 "2015-12-08T01:14:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-you-first-hear-of-krampus/739767/1 "2015-12-08T01:14:49Z")
Since there’s a big screen version of this story I thought I’d see how many had already heard it before. For the record, I first heard of ‘Krampus’ in The Venture Bros Christmas short made between seasons one & two… ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-you-first-hear-of-krampus/739767/2 "2015-12-08T01:18:39Z")
It was American Dad and Venture Brothers. I don’t remember on which program I saw it first. I was surprised to learn that Krampus was a thing. I thought it was made up for whichever program I saw it on first. After seeing it on another unrelated program, I decided to look it up. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-you-first-hear-of-krampus/739767/3 "2015-12-08T01:27:11Z")
I think I read about Krampus as a kid in an article about Santa Claus’s helpers around the world, along with Zwarte Piet, Grandfather Frost, Befana, Père Fouettard, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-you-first-hear-of-krampus/739767/4 "2015-12-08T01:31:19Z")
How about “never” or “just now, in the OP.” ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-you-first-hear-of-krampus/739767/5 "2015-12-08T01:32:09Z")
The film Rare Exports, which totally scooped this Krampus thing. ---
**Author:** ![Marlonius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@Marlonius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marlonius)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-you-first-hear-of-krampus/739767/6 "2015-12-08T01:33:06Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > How about “never” or “just now, in the OP.” This. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-you-first-hear-of-krampus/739767/7 "2015-12-08T01:33:20Z")
If you like a scary assed asshole version of Santa Clause you need to watch the movie “Strange Exports”. Ninjaed apparently. Was it Strange Exports or Rare Exports. Oh, and while we are on weird little movies like that…Troll Hunter is good as well. Oh, and years before that movie I saw some Finnish subtitled movie where Santa Clause wasn’t exactly all sugar and spice and everything nice…but he wasn’t Exports level bad either. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-you-first-hear-of-krampus/739767/8 "2015-12-08T01:35:30Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > How about “never” or “just now, in the OP.” Me three. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-you-first-hear-of-krampus/739767/9 "2015-12-08T01:40:01Z")
Sometime as a kid, I guess. We read about a lot of Christmas/Yule time legends as kids. I think we had a book. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-you-first-hear-of-krampus/739767/10 "2015-12-08T02:08:51Z")
> [@ekedolphin](#): > > Me three. Four - we might end up in first place! ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-you-first-hear-of-krampus/739767/11 "2015-12-08T02:09:49Z")
I must have found out about the Krampus from reading reviews for Rare Exports. I don’t remember–did they call it a Krampus in Rare Exports? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-you-first-hear-of-krampus/739767/12 "2015-12-08T02:14:18Z")
I’m guessing late 90s/early 00s. I can’t remember the exact time, but it was while I was living in Europe, the lore somehow came up in conversation with someone or another. Also, Southern Tier Brewing Company has had Krampus beer since 2008, and that’s where I’ve been most exposed to it here in the US. I’ve been drinking it since around 2010, particularly because I like the legend associated with it (and it is a solid beer.) ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-you-first-hear-of-krampus/739767/13 "2015-12-08T02:14:56Z")
There was a comic book about him, two years ago. [Krampus No. 1 from Image Comics, Dec. 2013.](https://imagecomics.com/comics/releases/krampus-1) That was the first I’d ever heard of him. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-you-first-hear-of-krampus/739767/14 "2015-12-08T02:33:41Z")
I saw Rare Exports a few years ago. Just noticed there’s a new movie over the weekend. Hadn’t heard anything else in-between. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-you-first-hear-of-krampus/739767/15 "2015-12-08T02:42:46Z")
In a role playing scenario at Gen Con a few years ago, called “Night of the Krampus: A Christmas Fable.” Fun game session; good players and a great GM. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-you-first-hear-of-krampus/739767/16 "2015-12-08T02:45:48Z")
It was on [Grimm last season](http://grimm.wikia.com/wiki/Krampus)- ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-you-first-hear-of-krampus/739767/17 "2015-12-08T02:49:55Z")
> [@bup](#): > > Four - we might end up in first place! Five. ---
**Author:** ![melondeca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@melondeca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melondeca)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-you-first-hear-of-krampus/739767/18 "2015-12-08T02:52:04Z")
It’s funny; I had never seen the American Dad episode, but it happens to be playing right now. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-you-first-hear-of-krampus/739767/19 "2015-12-08T03:03:35Z")
Probably the _Venture Brothers_ episode, which aired in 2004. The Wikipedia page tells me that there’s a Christmas-themed boss in the arcade shooter _CarnEvil_ named Krampus, and I remember playing it, but I don’t think that counts since I don’t specifically recall that fight. ---
**Author:** ![CatastrophicFailure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@CatastrophicFailure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatastrophicFailure)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-you-first-hear-of-krampus/739767/20 "2015-12-08T03:11:32Z")
> [@simster](#): > > It was on [Grimm last season](http://grimm.wikia.com/wiki/Krampus)- I remember this episode, but feel like I had heard of him from some other sci-fi/fantasy show before this one…maybe Warehouse 13? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-you-first-hear-of-krampus/739767.md?page=2)