Ghoul on Ghoul Presents: Toilet Spirits

In Thailand, if you want to use the toilet, you must consult with and ask permission from the Phi Kee, a ghost that apparently values politeness above all else. Those who pay the proper respect will have their bad luck flushed away along with their urine or excrement. If you don't ask, the bad luck sticks around, whether you flush or not. 

There are many other toilet spirits dating back to ancient times, including Belphegor, a Judeo-Christian demon known as one of the seven princes of Hell. Associated with laziness, Belphegor sits upon a toilet throne. It's believed he could be invoked while sitting on the toilet or by offering one’s own excrement to him so he can – you guessed it – eat it. Like any demon, Belphegor turns humans evil by appealing to their greed and hunger for power. He can take on the appearance of a typical demon, or appear as a beautiful temptress, which, what?

Japan loves a haunted toilet, and the country's folklore boasts a fair number of yōkai – a class of supernatural monsters and spirits—lingering in bathrooms. Kaori Shoji wrote in The Japan Times that her grandmother and millions of other women still believe “the restroom is the face of the household,” and pay their respects to the god of the toire (toilet) by hanging fresh flowers, herbs, potpourri, and more to make the space as pleasant as possible.

One of the friendlier ones is Kawaya-no-kami, a toilet god born from the excrement of Izanami, the Japanese goddess of the Earth and darkness. According to myth, Kawaya-no-kami takes the form of a blind man hiding at the bottom of the toilet holding a spear. While this may seem threatening, this god offers protection, as early toilets were often dark, potentially dangerous pits in which people could fall and drown. It was also connected with fertility as human excrement was often collected and used to enrich soil for crops. 

There are many variations of the toilet god, most associated with health and well-being. It can be honored by keeping your toilet facilities clean and well-decorated, or by making offerings.

Also from Japan is Akaname, a demon that's more gross than scary. It's depicted as being red in appearance with a long tongue. At night, it sneaks away from the old bath houses and run-down buildings it inhabits and into peoples' home to lick the filth off toilets and other bathroom spaces using its poisonous saliva. Nauseating as it seems, there's bright side to Akaname's habit, as it's believed that along with cleaning toilets, it also cleans away a person's nasty thoughts, leaving behind a sparkling bathroom and conscience. 

Apparently, modern bathroom users have littler fear of Akaname, as demonstrated when the bath and body company Lush named a very cute, not at all scary bubble bar after it. If you still want to keep Akaname away, it's simple – just give your bathroom a good scrub. 

Ancient Babylonia had Sulak, a demon who took the form of a lion on its hind legs. It's believed Sulak spread disease by hiding in toilets and infecting those who had the misfortune of using the facilities. Because of this, any disease was referred to as the “hand of Sulak.” The Jewish population of Babylon also adopted Sulak and called him the “Lurker of the Latrine” or the “Demon of the Privy.” 

Much like with Bloody Mary in the U.S., Hanako-san has become a popular spook among school girls in Japan. “Anyone who has been through the school system here has the old stand-by: toire no Hanako-san, the ghost of a girl who died mysteriously — usually bullied by classmates and locked into a smelly toilet — who has come back to haunt her old grade school,” writes Kaori Shoji. 

With her sporty bob and red skirt, Hanako-san inhabits the third stall on the third floor of elementary school toilets. To summon Hanako you must knock three times on the stall door and ask “Are you there, Hanako-san?” If she answers “Yes, I’m here,” the person should leave post haste. If Hanako-san opens the door and is in a good mood, she will disappear. If she is upset, the victim will be pulled into the toilet to their death. 

In the essay “Terrifying Toilets: Japanese Toilet Ghosts and Sexual Liberation in the Postwar Period,” Michele Druga writes, “In the case of Hanako-san, no one is certain as to how she came to be a permanent fixture in the washroom. It is believed she began her haunting in the 1950s, although she gained notoriety thirty years later when summoning her became a rite of passage for girls in elementary schools. Some say she is the ghost of a young girl who died in an air raid during World War II while using the facilities.”

There are many variations of this legend, including the body horror nightmare “hanako fungus” that will infect a child's scraped knees, causing tiny mushrooms to grow from the wound.

As if life wasn't bad enough for Japanese women and girls who just want to use the damn bathroom, there's the diva of the toilet spirit world, Aka Manto. This one will appear without being called, looking like some sinister version of Sailor Moon's Tuxedo Mask in a white mask and a red cloak.

The story goes that Aka Manto haunts the last stall in a bathroom. As a victim uses the toilet, a male voice will begin speaking on the other side of the door. He asks her if she wants a red or blue cloak. If she answers red, he slits her throat. If blue, he chokes her to death or the blood will drain from her body. 

If you want to avoid death, you should answer yellow, and Aka-Manto will just shove our face in a toilet full of your own waste (c’mon, man). Other accounts say if you answer with a color other than red or blue, you will be dragged to hell. If you want to escape Aka Manto completely, you should refuse to answer his question. 

Pinky Pinky emerges as one of the most disturbing toilet spirits ever imagined. (Note: This entry contains themes of sexual violence and transphobia, so please read at your discretion.)

Pinky Pinky is a South African urban legend that lurks in girls’ school bathrooms. Their appearance has male and female features, and it is written as being half man, half woman. One source says that Pinky Pinky is consistently described as a “pink-skinned, feminine man, of late middle age who dresses in a mixture of both male and female clothes. If a person surprises this creature then they can see its face which is human but ugly, mottled and often bald. If it sees a person looking then its features blur so that all someone can see are two pink-colored eyes.”

It's said that Pinky Pinky will corner a victim and, in a woman’s voice, ask if the girl “will play” or “be friends.” Pinky Pinky will attack girls and boys for various reasons, though they will only appear to girls. One account says Pinky Pinky will attack girls for wearing pink clothing or underwear. Other versions claim that Pinky Pinky will tell the girl their life story and then demand payment for it. If the girl cannot pay Pinky Pinky will assault or even rape her. 

It's not far-fetched to assume that Pinky Pinky comes from fears surrounding the history of rape and violence against woman across Africa, including in post-apartheid South Africa, that still persist to this day. In September 2019, The Guardian reported that thousands of people protested at the parliament in Cape Town after a sudden rise in attacks against women, which included rape, as well as physical assault and murder. The article went on to say that “At least 137 sexual offenses are committed per day in South Africa, mainly against women, according to official figures.”

The story of Pinky Pinky also covers other issues plaguing South African culture, including homophobia and transphobia. Pinky Pinky's pale appearance may also point to the superstitious beliefs surrounding albinism, as Africans born with the condition are often at risk of discrimination and even murder.