Updated 23-July-2024
The phenomenon that has come to be known as the “Schuylkill Notes” has been happening for several years. Folded notes with small, weirdly formatted print, have been appearing mostly in Pennsylvania retail stores, tucked into product boxes, and on walking trails.
The mystery notes first came to my attention at the end of 2023 when a TV station in northeastern Pennsylvania (shorted to ‘NEPA’) reported this story on December 26, 2023: a man poured some Lucky Charms from a newly opened box and noticed that a folded-up paper fell out. The paper contained what appeared to be gibberish in small type, but it referenced TV networks, businesses, high profile people, web sites, and other recognizable subjects and names.
The finder was understandably unnerved by it and didn’t want to eat the cereal, even though it showed no obvious contamination. While the man suggested that the note was inside the sealed bag, this isn’t confirmed. It could have just been inside the paper box and may have been stuck to the plastic bag from static electricity.
The reporter noted that “notes like this are showing up in all types of food products from numerous grocery stores around eastern Pennsylvania and beyond.” Several incidents, primarily from central-eastern PA, were, indeed, known and documented from the past 3 years.
It also was not the first time someone found one in Lucky Charms. Other examples of food boxes containing the schizophrenic printed note include pasta, dog food, cake mix, candy, PopTarts, cookies, and Lunchables. The list grew daily as people add their experiences. Redditors reported they found similar notes in the pockets of clothing purchased at retail and thrift stores, in packs of gauze bandages, on the floor in a hardware store, and pinned to trees on walking trails. It’s now nearly impossible to keep track of all the locations or variations reported. There is no distinguishable pattern to the products affected.
Location and origin
Schuylkill (pronounced “SKOO-kill”) is the name of the county around which the cryptic notes seem to be centered. Reports about these messages were first revealed by the Schuylkill County news blog, The Coal Speaker, in April of 2020 during a wave of paranoia about the COVID pandemic.
The Coal Region Canary, another awesome local news blog, continued coverage in June of 2020:
Schuylkill County Residents Keep Finding Bizarre Printed Message in Grocery Items
Because of the concentration of findings in this anthracite coal region of PA, the items are now called the “Schuylkill Notes” in the news and social media platforms.
The location of the messages seemed random with one exception. Its reported appearance in a box that contained a bottle of infant Tylenol was a bit too creepy considering the Chicago Tylenol murders from 1982 that remain unsolved. The medicine bottle was reportedly intact. For the most part, finders reported that the notes were inside the boxes, not inside airtight seals.
The notes continue to be found
Occurrences were reported throughout the Susquehanna Valley, north central PA, and even out to the western and eastern counties. In June 2023, The Coal Region Canary revisited the story and stated that people were still finding the notes in random products and locations in central PA but also in adjacent Ohio and Maryland.
Secret Societies Messages Keep Appearing in Food Packages in Eastern PA
The wording of the message had changed a bit. The Coal Region Canary writer, helpfully, typed it out and even tried to run it through ChatGPT to make some sense of it:
SECRET soc. r tied to drugs/riots/terror/m… JFK warn’d of SS. A sign/*word/sumb. sys unites SS. It’s tied to Saturn, Lord o/t Rings/time: Toyota rgs; NBC/CIA’s bird: cross (+) w/ rg/fire (Bayer/KKK); Yale/Harv.’s shield; cube/sq (D. of Ed.); *PYRA’D/A..(Paramt); eye/1/2face/Target; Nazis’ black sun; SPIRAL/e/6/9..(Disney). SS/their agents-fams. create div/n, cond’n’g us 2b control’d. Clues: Nwo-New Age/era..; change; ‘identity’..SS/rels merge: Vat/EU/Mafia/FBI’s rg of stars-dots/rg kis’g; China/Islam’s cres.(cr) w. STAR/ball..; bars/line..(Euro/Fox/CNN); cup/bwl (grail/sports); crown w/ +sw’d (*Aryan Nat’ns-Chr. ID); red/oran/pnk..+/cr..(Crest/Mbol7-11/4c); dbt +Malta +/X (Exxon/Epis..); Hindu’s swastika.. SS front 4 a tiny oldr race call’d Drag’n Kings (royalty’s *origin). DK’s long skulls-eyes/archit. were fnd in *Turkey/India/Eastr Isle..DK’s agenda: surveill’ce state; *caste sys; debt/infla’n; confus’n (crime/shoot’gs/illeg immigr’n/univs-media’s gender ID-pol.); elite’s misogyny/ped’philia. Symbols: DOT/Nra/Dq/Dd/ed. orgs; rainbo/arch/gate; lion; heart; wing-horn’d ojb; keycomr..stone; gems/cryst; *Pillr/wand/arro/tree; bell-clock-Tower; Mt *Zion/Zen: blu +/..(Bk/PfizrFord/Ritz). Sign’g uses: colors: touch’g(rg/chin/ear)freq point’g/dbl /thum up|pinch’g(fngr/lapl)|wink’g/rais’g(foot)..; HAND-fwd/fist(soc’m)/horns/ok..Oprah-Musk/Gop-Dem-school b’rd-local leadrs sign. Signs date 2 Sat’s ‘Goldn Age.’ Symbols: geom/flower/star/Ems/spin’g-like symbols (Bp/MIL/W-M/wheel); fountain; bee/b’fly; snake/S/tongue out(DaSani); torch; UN’s grid/ivy/wb/8/hair-knot/maze (energy symbols); spark/lite w/ cr/rg/mt/dots..(Dole/Post); lamp/lant’n/illuminat..; Ltn’g bolt; tilt’d/alter’d +/..(Dominos/YI/Chvy/Jello/Bai/N’cafe); dart-checkrb’rd; brokn/dif length RAYS; SKULL-BONES/X (Ger. SS); shell; *candl.. Resistance grows: the enemy needs disarm’d pop’ns.
This gibberish does not appear to be inciting violence, but the writer does not seem well-adjusted at all. Even though different versions of the note have been found, they are sufficiently similar to conclude they have a common origin. The reason for the notes appears to be to “warn” or inform people of concerns about “Secret Societies” and “lies” being spread through society.
How does this happen?
For nearly four years now, someone, or multiple people, have been planting messages and tampering with product boxes to insert the writings. The randomness of the product type and manufacturing process, and the distribution of the notes in a wide area strongly indicate it is not a coordinated “inside” effort of anyone in a factory, warehouse, or store. The notes appear to be inserted into product packaging before it goes onto store shelves or while it is sitting out on the shelf.
It’s important to note that the claims of the messages appearing in entirely “sealed” packaging has not been confirmed and is dubious. News reports, unfortunately, reinforce the claim of the notes being “inside sealed packaging” via only the eyewitness’ story. WBRE/WYOU published a story quoting an expert in supply chain operations. He seemed to state it was a limited operation, as his quotes did not suggest it was an inside job. However, the framing of the article led the reader to think otherwise. (“Area professor weighs in on “Mystery Notes” in supply chains“)
Skeptical Inquirer writer JD Sword shares that he had a friend from central PA who found one of the messages. He researched the rash of incidents, and even successfully replicated inserting a paper of similar size and thickness into the same box (of Lunchables). It is plausible that the responsible party is slipping the note into gaps in the paper boxes without attracting attention, then replacing the box for the next person to find.
Commenters argue about the culprit being a single person or a close knit group. While it’s possible that a small crew of disturbed QAnon followers in the eastern US are trying to inform us about what they perceive as evil dangers in society, it is unusual that no one has been caught tampering with products or leaving the notes.
Even though no harm has been documented to have come from any of the incidents and the products seemed unadulterated, sneaking an external object into products carries the risk of legal action under product tampering laws. In January of 2024, with additional reports surfacing across Pennsylvania, the police got involved. A Harrisburg news outlet, WTAJ, reports that lawmakers were made aware of the product tampering incidents and the US Food and Drug Administration is involved. Whoever is inserting the folded papers into sealed food boxes may be facing federal charges if caught. This may have slowed the distribution but did not stop it. Notes continued to be found, however, with no central tracking system, it’s not clear when the notes were inserted into products versus when they were ultimately discovered.
Attention to the story is growing
The NEPA news station that originally reported on the story, “Eyewitness News” (WBRE/WYOU), hit the jackpot with this coverage. Not only did the mysterious notes continue to pop out of boxes and be pinned to leaves along walking trails, people became really interested in following the story.
Local news, however, is limited in time or webspace and can’t provide the fuller story. They seem to miss updated information that is readily available on the Internet.
A subreddit called r/SchuylkillNotes showed up back in September of 2023. Since then, 25,000 members post their own finds, comment on new incidents, and speculate about the origin of the notes. Some do make ridiculous accusations and float nonsensical ideas – it is Reddit after all. I asked the Subreddit about the evidence of the notes actually being in glued paperboard packaging, as opposed to a “sealed” container. Most people did not believe the notes had really been inside sealed foil or plastic and thought the witnesses shown on TV were mistaken or exaggerating.
Among the many reports that show up on Reddit and in the news, we can’t tell for sure who is telling the truth, but some people are certainly finding the notes in product packaging and in little clipped plastic wrapping outdoors on nature trails and parks.
https://www.reddit.com/r/schuylkillnotes/comments/1bw5jvv/state_game_lands_84_line_mountain_gowen_city_pa/
With the attention continuing, more people are hearing of the incidents. Originally, only a PA story (Philadelphia Inquirer), it’s now showing up in outlets outside PA. The story appeared on TMZ’s Strange and Suspicious show on July 22, 2024. Schuylkill Notes has its own Wikipedia page. It’s hard to believe the placement of the notes can continue much longer without someone being spotted.
As of May 2024, the Coal Region Canary suspects the culprit might be a bit spooked by the attention as fewer incidents are being reported in packaging and more are outdoors.
If someone is apprehended placing the notes, however, it’s not likely to be the end. Copycats are almost a certainty, considering the number of people who are seriously invested in a conspiracy narrative. For now, this slow churning mystery is clickbait gold as the media, YouTubers, and mystery mongers keep talking about it and amateur detectives pore over the clues.
This page will be updated as new information emerges.
For almost 12 years we worked in quality-control at a multi-billion-dollar employee-owned distribution center in Harrisburg, PA. Also, the spouse has worked as a stocker for the area’s largest grocery chain, Giant Foods.
Tapering with an individual item – one bottle of eye drops, a box of cereal, et al – would be difficult if the culprit works for a distribution center, as items arrive packaged-in-quantity in factory-sealed cartons. These cartons are neither easy to open nor re-seal to conceal compromise. Especially so in a warehouse environment with other employees and security cameras. Easier to do in the stockroom of the final retailer.
Yet if these notes are indeed “inside sealed packaging” as Eyewitness News’ investigation team claims with only, well, eyewitness evidence, then the culprit faces a significantly more difficult challenge: the factory-sealed carton might be opened in the stockroom – where the culprit still risks being observed by co-workers and management – but then the inside vacuum-sealed inside pack has to be opened then resealed so that the customer will discern nothing atypical. These inside cereal pouches can be quite the struggle to open, often requiring ripping or scissors. In-store stockroom tampering also seems a stretch, therefore.
If all notes were found in the same genre of products – General Mills cereals, for example – it would make sense to consider tampering at the point of manufacturer. Claims of similar notes found in Lindt chocolates and unspecified tea should rule out point-of-manufacturing as the haunt of a culprit … unless one wants to plunge deeply into a multi-factory conspiracy. Interestingly a Lindt distribution center is located 24 miles west of and a General Mills distribution center is 19 miles east of our Harrisburg home.
We suggest a culprit who has easiest, plus unmonitored prolonged access to create these compromised items is the on-the-road delivery person. He/She traverses geographically large areas; can pull over and tamper with a few cartons (maybe even uncartoned individual items) before moving on; and have onboard the necessary tools, glues, and heat sealers to conceal his/her efforts.
That consumers who purchased items they suspect have been tampered with “should not use the product and should return it to the retail outlet” is, frankly, stupid advice by FDA and WBRE-TV. Retailers will most likely trash the returned product – we and the spouse both know this from personal experience. Evidence such as fingerprints on boxes and inside packing will thus never reach authorities. And so the mystery of who is the culprit(s) continues …
You may be on to something. A prior article I read about this said that “inside sealed packaging” was not all of the story. For example, in the case of breakfast cereals, the notes are inside the cardboard box, but not inside the inner bag. Which seems fairly easy to accomplish with a thin blade and some adhesive. It may widen the circle of people who might be responsible. For example, a shelf stocker only has to get one box off the floor for a minute or two.
It will be interesting to see if this is ever solved.
In my first post on this, there is a link to JD Sword’s post on how easy it is to insert the notes into cardboard boxes. This is clearly being done. It does not even take extra tools. I am very doubtful of the “sealed” packaging. People have exaggerated and not been accurate.
This makes me think of Toynbee Tiles, also from the Philadelphia area.
I used to get gibberish sent to me by mail by name. Half a dozen A4 pages of stuff which even with two postgraduate degrees in subjects that require a facility with English, I could never figure out. I guess that looking someone up in the phonebook is easier than putting stuff into cereal boxes may be. But at least they had to spend their own money on stamps.