Dan has been behind some of the most notorious hoaxes to hit the internet – from the Derbyshire Mummified Fairy to the pixie corpse discovered in a kestrel's nest. His work has sparked international media coverage, online frenzy, and even fooled academics. But these are just the tip of the iceberg.
Many of the hoaxes he's created have never been revealed — and still circulate today as "true" stories, passed around by the credulous and the curious alike. Whether crafted for personal mischief or as viral guerrilla marketing campaigns for clients, each piece is a masterclass in deception.
If you've ever read the papers or watched the news, chances are you've seen one of Dan's creations. You just didn't know it. Not all have been confessed to. You may still believe in one. Haunted objects. The discovery of Excalibur. The theory that wind turbines make the Earth spin faster, speeding up time itself. Even a disturbing tale involving the world's biggest toy brand. Dan may have been responsible for none, some, or all of them.
This page offers a glimpse into Dan's world of fabricated folklore, mythological manipulation, and engineered belief. These aren't just hoaxes — they're cultural implants. And the true power of a hoax? When no one ever realises it was one to begin with.
The Derbyshire Mummified Fairy Hoax (2007)
In 2007, Dan unveiled what would become one of the most infamous internet hoaxes of the early 21st century — the so-called Mummified Fairy of Derbyshire. Presented as the preserved corpse of a winged humanoid discovered by a dog walker near an Iron Age barrow in rural Derbyshire, the artefact was disturbingly lifelike. Complete with delicate bones, withered skin, tattered wings, and even a navel; it appeared to be definitive physical proof of fairy folklore.
Dan posted images and details of the find on his website on April 1st — and the internet exploded.
Within hours, thousands had shared the story, and within days, it was picked up by international media, paranormal forums, and believers across the globe. The site received over a million hits, and Dan was inundated with emails — from fairy enthusiasts, occult researchers, and even university academics. Some begged to examine it. Others claimed to have seen similar creatures. A few accused him of hiding "the truth."
The mummified fairy, of course, was an elaborate April Fool's prank — a carefully sculpted and painted piece of prop art using a mix of anatomical references, doll parts, and creative distressing techniques. Dan revealed the hoax a few days later, expecting backlash. Instead, many refused to believe him.
Some insisted the government had forced him to cover up the discovery. Others believed the confession itself was part of a deeper conspiracy. To this day, the image of the Derbyshire Fairy still circulates online, often presented as genuine. It remains a modern myth in motion — a living lie that refuses to die.
What began as a tongue-in-cheek art project evolved into a viral legend, revealing something far more interesting than fairies: the public's hunger for wonder and the strange territory where folklore, art, and the internet collide.
The Pixie in the Kestrel Nest Hoax (2015)
In 2015, Dan staged a subtle yet eerie hoax by placing a pixie corpse in an abandoned kestrel nest in the English countryside. The deceptively convincing prop, with its delicate bone structure and curled form nestled among twigs, hinted at a tiny being mistaken for prey by the bird.
The image circulated quietly at first, gaining traction online through paranormal forums and early cryptozoology blogs. However, its impact grew exponentially when it was reappropriated under a new identity — shared across the internet as the discovery of "James Cornan of Wilmington, North Carolina," with a backstory claiming the remains had been found in the Rocky Mountains inside a falcon's nest. The image was the same. The myth had simply relocated.
What began as a small-scale British prank evolved into an international legend. It appeared on Japanese television, where interest ran so high that a film crew was flown out to investigate the find. The prop had left the nest, so to speak — and entered modern myth.
Dan never officially announced the piece as a hoax at the time. He didn't need to. The image had already taken on a life of its own, rebranded, redistributed, and believed. Today, the Pixie still surfaces across social media and fringe media outlets, often presented as genuine evidence.
Like much of Dan's work, the Pixie in the Kestrel Nest wasn't just about fooling people. It was a test — a creative act designed to explore the strange, fertile space where belief, folklore, and visual storytelling collide.