The concept of whatever happened to so-and-so expanded into whatever happened to such-and-such and then somersaulted into "Kate gets some strange letters and seems to make people really angry/curious about things that just don't seem like they should make people angry/curious." It's true, I do. So a here's Weekly-specific "Whatever happened to …" according to the most responses received on stories that I've written.
Scrapbooking. Never threaten to take the letter "s" out of someone's craft. I received more than 400 responses to what I thought was an amusing fluff piece on a growing trend. They threatened me with their scrapbooking utensils. Wished me barren. Prayed for fire on my house, because they just knew that all of my pictures are stuffed in a box somewhere far, far away from the flame-retardant pages of their ilk. They suggested that I spell my name "Hate Livers" for the bile that I spew.
Fetus dolls. I received about 89 letters on this topic, 10 of which arrived recently after a website-posting of the story I wrote in February of 2001, called "Fetus friends." The story was about makers of tiny dolls sold at varying stages of gestation to comfort women who've miscarried. They come in colors like toast, camel, ecru and bark, in real weight sizes or just "feel real" and if your friendly hospital is up for it, the creator is willing to send it out, shunt-ready. I called the dolls "critters," said they gave me the "willies," words that the letter-writers then accused me of applying to their children. They said they wished my mother had had an abortion, and, again, prayed that my uterus remain fruitless: "I will pray to God that you are never blessed with the miracle of having a 'critter.'"
Monkeys. In November of 2000 I wrote a story about a local monkey breeder who showered with her capuchin monkeys and allowed their tongues closer to her mouth than one might expect. About every two months, I still get e-mails asking where to get monkey chow, where to buy a monkey, what I think of their love of monkeys, if I think they're ready for a monkey. Or, sometimes, monkey psoriasis. "Dear Kate, I have a seven-month female capuchin monkey. She has had all necessary vaccination for her age (except hepatitis B). She's very good-tempered but she often scratches her tail (I don't know whether it's out of stress or some sort of undetected psoriasis) and, as a result, near the end of her tail she has thinned out her hair along a line and there appear to be some sort of calluses at those spots." Perhaps a dab of Rogaine?
Ferrets: February, 2002, hardhitting news about Californians' sneaking ferrets across the state border makes the middle pages of the Las Vegas Weekly. The critters (take that, ferret lovers!) are illegal in our neighboring state, making our glorious homeland the recipient of California's ferret dollars. The story tapped into how many purchasers in Nevada are actually sneaking the contraband rodent back to their home state, and the e-mails just keep coming, one every three or four months: Where's the weakest border spot? What's the best ferret store? Do ferrets make good pets? Am I expecting any litters soon? "We are new to the state of Nevada and are interested in the purchase of two ferrets. We have been doing a lot of research about them and would like to purchase them by Christmastime. If you have any new litters or further information, please write me." At least one demographic isn't wishing me barren.