“We don’t say their names anymore,” Schiefer said. “When we did this podcast, people reached out and said they’ve had car crashes, migraines and even a heart attack, really intense medical trauma.”

After a while, they decided that maybe it would be safe enough to mention the names of the dolls again. Bad move.

“All of our audio was erased and we were unable to recover the digital files,” she said. “We are now very careful using their names.”

The duo said their first tour, covering 50 cities in the United States and Canada, was a blast. It was hard work too, and the creators followed their regular podcast schedule while creating a new show for each city.

They were saddened to see a later tour canceled due to COVID-19, but hope to hit the road when they are safe again.

Schulz and Schiefer said the podcast can cover difficult topics and some listeners’ comments can be just as difficult to hear. Positive feedback is much more appreciated, especially when listeners share details that could help solve crimes or locate missing people.

Schulz noted that one of the coolest moments in podcast development came when they came back from the first tour and felt like they had to get back to work.

“It was there that I realized I had worked,” said Schulz.