The Crying Boy Painting Curse

In 1985, British tabloid The Sun reported that a mass-produced painting of a crying boy was linked to numerous house fires. In each case, the painting survived unburned while the rest of the house was destroyed. The story sparked panic and mass destruction of the paintings.

The Painting

The Crying Boy was one of a series of mass-produced prints by Italian painter Bruno Amadio, sold in British department stores. Thousands of copies hung in homes across Britain. The tearful child depicted became infamous.

The Fires

The Sun claimed that a firefighter had noticed the painting surviving fires in which everything else was destroyed. They published a series of stories linking the painting to over fifty house fires. Readers came forward with their own stories.

The Panic

Readers began burning their Crying Boy paintings. The Sun organized a mass bonfire. Thousands of prints were destroyed. Some believers reported that the paintings would not burn, reinforcing the curse narrative.

The Explanation

Fire investigators later explained that the paintings were printed on high-density hardboard that did not ignite easily. The varnish would cause them to fall face-down, protecting the image. The survival was science, not curse.

The Legend

Despite the debunking, the Crying Boy curse persisted in popular imagination. Some owners refuse to keep the painting. Others seek it out specifically. The legend continues to resurface periodically.

Assessment

The Crying Boy curse demonstrates how media can create and amplify paranormal beliefs. The “curse” had mundane explanations, but the power of suggestion and confirmation bias maintained belief. It remains a cautionary tale about manufactured panic.