Yellow Ribbon
A Spooky Wisconsin Story
retold by S.E. Schlosser
Jane wore a yellow ribbon around her neck everyday. And I mean everyday, rain or shine, whether it matched her outfit or not. It annoyed her best friend Johnny after awhile. He was her next door neighbor and had known Jane since she was three. When he was young, he had barely noticed the yellow ribbon, but now they were in high school together, it bothered him.
“Why do you wear that yellow ribbon around your neck, Jane?” he’d ask her every day. But she wouldn’t tell him.
Still, in spite of this aggravation, Johnny thought she was cute. He asked her to the soda shoppe for an ice cream sundae. Then he asked her to watch him play in the football game. Then he started seeing her home. And come the spring, he asked her to the dance. Jane always said yes when he asked her out. And she always wore a yellow dress to match the ribbon around her neck.
It finally occurred to Johnny that he and Jane were going steady, and he still didn’t know why she wore the yellow ribbon around her neck. So he asked her about it yet again, and yet again she did not tell him. “Maybe someday I’ll tell you about it,” she’d reply. Someday! That answer annoyed Johnny, but he shrugged it off, because Jane was so cute and fun to be with.
Well, time flew past, as it has a habit of doing, and one day Johnny proposed to Jane and was accepted. They planned a big wedding, and Jane hinted that she might tell him about the yellow ribbon around her neck on their wedding day. But somehow, what with the preparations and his beautiful bride, and the lovely reception, Johnny never got around to asking Jane about it. And when he did remember, she got a bit teary-eyed, and said: “We are so happy together, what difference does it make?” And Johnny decided she was right.
Johnny and Jane raised a family of four, with the usual ups and downs, laughter and tears. When their golden anniversary rolled around, Johnny once again asked Jane about the yellow ribbon around her neck. It was the first time he’d brought it up since the week after their wedding. Whenever their children asked him about it, he’d always hushed them, and somehow none of the kids had dared ask their mother. Jane gave Johnny as sad look and said: “Johnny, you’ve waited this long. You can wait awhile longer.”
And Johnny agreed. It was not until Jane was on her death bed a year later that Johnny, seeing his last chance slip away, asked Jane one final time about the yellow ribbon she wore around her neck. She shook her head a bit at his persistence, and then said with a sad smile: “Okay Johnny, you can go ahead and untie it.”
With shaking hands, Johnny fumbled for the knot and untied the yellow ribbon around his wife’s neck.
And Jane’s head fell off.
Read more Wisconsin ghost stories in Spooky Wisconsin by S.E. Schlosser.
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Comments
oh wow, that was unexpected
Posted by: Anonymous | September 26, 2009 02:11 PM
I know a story exacly like that, except the ribbon is green.
Posted by: Madison | September 26, 2009 07:08 PM
i loved all the stories on this website!!! i shared them at a sleep over and al the girls loved them and i told my little sister the tung twisters and the native american stories and the little tall tails and children stories and my teeacher loves native americans and she was so pleased that she reads them out loud!!!
Posted by: Mary | September 29, 2009 08:04 PM
that was cool.
Posted by: valeria | October 11, 2009 02:49 PM
I know a story just like this too!
Posted by: Laura | October 13, 2009 04:06 PM
'tis unexpected,it was
(Yoda impression)
Posted by: Cloe | October 13, 2009 08:21 PM
so how did her head get cut off?
Posted by: Anonymous | October 14, 2009 10:07 PM
hmm well umm ok
Posted by: Anonymous | October 15, 2009 01:50 PM
I know the same story
exept it was called the red bandanna
Posted by: jessica | October 21, 2009 05:22 PM
thet was great
Posted by: brenda | October 22, 2009 01:44 PM
really weird but not that scary
Posted by: Anonymous | October 23, 2009 10:25 AM
wow.
Posted by: anonymous | October 23, 2009 01:54 PM
WASNT SUPPOSE TO UNTIE DAH RIBBON UMMMMMMMMM SORRY FOR UR LUCK BUDDY UMMMMMMM
Posted by: savannah westmoreland | October 27, 2009 09:57 AM
wow. well, at least she was already dying when he pulled it off!
Posted by: dallas | October 27, 2009 03:51 PM
I know the same story but it was a longer story about the same thing except this time the ribbon was red not yellow
Posted by: maria | October 27, 2009 11:23 PM
wow i heard the same storie but the ribbon was red and how did the head fall down that is cool
Posted by: halo | October 28, 2009 10:30 PM
"I like that her head fell off" -Justin
"It got suspensful toward the end." -Aiyanna
"I didn't like it, but I read it twice." -Arnim
""When he kept asking her about the yellow ribbon, I thought it was annoying to keep reading" -Cristina
Posted by: Class5X (PS205) | October 29, 2009 10:43 AM
she was on her death bed... johnny took the ribbon off... her hed fell off WTF!?!?!?!? SICK STORY MATE :):)
Posted by: Anonymous | October 29, 2009 10:58 AM
dumb dumb dumb dumb DUMB!
Posted by: Anonymous | October 29, 2009 12:19 PM
Oh wow! I expected that!!! Lol i guessed it hahahaahaahahahahaahhahahahahahaaa and her head was attached by tht ribbon. =]
Posted by: Annie | October 29, 2009 02:53 PM
I thought she was gonna have some type of bite that was infected wow was i way off
Posted by: ashlle | October 29, 2009 07:56 PM
woww ummm shuldnt of untied the ribbon
Posted by: xXCaitlinElizabethXx | October 30, 2009 10:33 AM
Ah, I know this story, but it was with a green ribbon in stead of a yellow one
Posted by: Selma | October 30, 2009 01:02 PM
my teacher told us this story in 3rd grade....i luv how it just goes straight to "and janes head fell off" hahaha luv it
Posted by: elizabeth | October 30, 2009 06:15 PM
Lol i know a story like that but its a Girl with a scarf.
Posted by: Yuki | October 31, 2009 11:39 AM
WTF!?!?!
Posted by: Anonymous | November 1, 2009 09:44 AM
HA! that is HILARIUS! it was so unexpected it made me jump! 11/10!!!
Posted by: sumone hoo likes commenting stuff | November 1, 2009 12:48 PM
WHOA MADISON I'VE READ THE SAME STORY!
Posted by: Seq | December 29, 2009 10:53 AM
i know that story but she has a red ribbon.
Posted by: Anonymous | December 29, 2009 07:27 PM
wow wow wow! very unexpected
Posted by: kaytlin | January 3, 2010 04:28 PM
i read it twice, i think its sad when his wife died.-kaytlin
good-ian
Posted by: kaytlin | January 4, 2010 04:10 PM
ok ,ok
Posted by: kaytlin | January 4, 2010 09:16 PM
Damn Scary storie... I honestly did not expect the ending.... wow
Posted by: judith | January 6, 2010 03:43 PM
Good story.....
Posted by: judith | January 6, 2010 03:44 PM
not so scary!!!!!!!
Posted by: Anonymous | January 7, 2010 03:34 AM
I know a story like this, but the ribbon is green
Posted by: Ally | January 9, 2010 06:27 PM
I read this when I was in third grade but the ribbon wasnt yellow it was green
Posted by: Anonymous | January 13, 2010 09:01 AM
I know THREE storys just like that except they had a green,a red, and a blue ribbon!!!
Posted by: Sierra Allender | January 13, 2010 08:24 PM
!?huh
!? so wtf he killed her by taking off the scarf or like she was living dead and he pulled it off!
Posted by: Anonymous | January 14, 2010 09:35 AM
I have to tell this to someone I loved it so much!!
Posted by: Rebecca | January 16, 2010 11:38 PM
I read another version of this. It is called 'The Black Ribbon'. The husband was too curious and undid the ribbon.
Posted by: Michelle | January 20, 2010 11:43 AM
I am 12 and I have read a book just like this but had different stories too. It was call The Dark Dark Room.
Posted by: Makayla | January 20, 2010 08:00 PM
wow sucky story if ur not even gonna tell how her head got cut off
Posted by: danyelle | January 31, 2010 04:30 PM
WOW! What the HECK just happened! How is a ribbon supposed to keep your head on!!! Cool story!!! Poor Johnny!!!
Posted by: Bobby | February 7, 2010 12:16 PM
I know this story except it's a tiny bit different
Posted by: Anonymous | February 10, 2010 01:01 PM
I wonder whether she felt comfortable wearing the ribbon throughout her life.WELL,I enjoyed reading the story.
Posted by: Ama | February 12, 2010 08:03 AM
awsome dude
Posted by: anonymous | February 15, 2010 08:24 PM
I Always Want To ear tHat Story Again I Heard It When I 5 And Now I Am 13
Posted by: Naomi Fast Horse Rockz | February 18, 2010 10:49 AM
loved it my freind told me that but u told it bttr
Posted by: Makenna | February 28, 2010 10:21 PM
wow that is not scary
Posted by: Anonymous | March 3, 2010 07:40 PM
ive known this girl since kindergarden and she has always weared this one ring I wonder if her finger will fall off
Posted by: Anonymous | March 4, 2010 08:16 PM
coooooooooooooooollll
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Anonymous | March 7, 2010 02:56 AM
im
a little bit scared,its too weird and cool
Posted by: Anonymous | March 7, 2010 02:58 AM
Wowie i heard this before, man it still send chill down my back:P but why didnt she just say that was the reason then he wouldnt ask?! duh....
Posted by: Flippy♥ | March 8, 2010 05:43 PM
i lve this story:D
Posted by: vivian | March 8, 2010 07:36 PM
that was stupid lol
Posted by: Jasmine Jeuysred | March 26, 2010 07:05 AM
How could she live if her head wasnt even on? WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THAT WAS REALLY STUPID LOL:)
Posted by: Jasmine Jeuysred | March 26, 2010 07:09 AM
How can she survive?
Posted by: lol | March 31, 2010 02:03 PM
My cousin and I heard this story when we were little and it terrified us! It's funny to look back and see what scared us so long ago.
Posted by: Anonymous | March 31, 2010 05:37 PM
dude, that would suck epically
Posted by: anna | April 17, 2010 12:45 AM
iv read 5 of the same stories only slightly different.best was white string
Posted by: Brad | April 22, 2010 09:04 PM
What The hell first of all he doesnt untie and second it was suppose to be a green ribbon but all in all it was a pretty good story it had more detail
Posted by: Anonymous | April 25, 2010 03:47 PM
I thought it was funny . But I was just wondering how did it come to be that her head fell off ? Johnny was far too curious for his own good . All in all i know it is a brilliant story .
Posted by: danielle | April 26, 2010 02:58 PM
This story was good and scary. I did not expect the ending to go the way it did.
Posted by: Judith | April 28, 2010 12:30 PM
Awesome cool
Posted by: Anonymous | May 1, 2010 09:26 AM
I was wondering what was going to happen.YUCK!
Posted by: Rosa | May 4, 2010 08:35 AM
I read something like that before. Really awesome I most say.
Posted by: Anonymous | May 4, 2010 04:29 PM
Wow, that was, wow....can you be a bit more realistic next time and a bit less dramatic???!!!!:(
Posted by: Tarynn | May 5, 2010 08:13 AM
i like dis story but the only difference about dis one its dat the other story like dis the ribbon was green!!!!! omg!!!
Posted by: jessica | May 9, 2010 09:12 PM
scary
Posted by: Anonymous | May 13, 2010 06:30 PM
i have read a story like this before but the ribbon was red.. so i kinda knew what to expect.. but was she already dead or what?? lol thats just crazy
Posted by: muss | May 21, 2010 10:04 AM
This is a childhood story of mine..only i remember the ribbon being green :) Still great even today!
Posted by: Emily | May 21, 2010 02:41 PM
HOLY CRAP!That must have been very disgusting,and disturbing.
Posted by: joel abelardo reta juarez | May 27, 2010 05:47 PM
i know a story just like this one except the ribbon was black and had no end, the husband cut it off and the wife's head fell off and it was still smiling and looking at him
Posted by: karii | May 29, 2010 07:20 PM
WISCONSIN GHOST STORIES?!?!
OMG, that's where i live! Wonder if i live near Jane's house?
Posted by: Anonymous | May 30, 2010 11:17 AM
My little cousin, she's 3, she told me the EXACT same story, but the ribbon was green and she was a child the whole story and a mean boy came up behind her and grabbed it off.
Posted by: Anonymous | May 30, 2010 10:03 PM
You know this is someone else's story? And I thought the ribbon was red or something.
Posted by: Jailyn | June 1, 2010 09:49 AM
wow
Posted by: jazmine | June 4, 2010 10:45 AM
i thought the ribbon would be like covering up like a huge cut from her cuttin herself- anywayy it was pretty good :)
Posted by: chandler | June 7, 2010 08:16 PM
I know a story like this and she was really dead and when she got something she told him to take it off
Posted by: Class of 2010TMALS | June 8, 2010 07:52 PM
My cousin told me a story like this a few years ago except it was a lot shorter and the ribbon was either black or blue (sometimes she would say black and sometimes she would say blue). this is almost the exact same except more detailed.
Posted by: Kaitlyn | June 13, 2010 12:59 PM
wow! that was a cool story. it was funny when it just skips to "and janes head fell off" wow i read it twice i loved it
Posted by: I LOVE COMMENTING | June 18, 2010 03:31 PM
I didnt really like it it didnt even say how her head was cut in the first place WTF!!!
Posted by: Kaneyney | June 20, 2010 02:08 PM
I thought he was gonna get curious and take it of in the middle of the night.
Posted by: hanna | June 22, 2010 04:25 PM
MAAAANNN!!!!!! I've heard this story b4 so i knew wat was gonna happen!!!
Posted by: jordan | June 23, 2010 09:37 AM
i thought the ribin was green
Posted by: Daniela | June 27, 2010 03:25 PM
does it really matter what collor the ribbon was?...I mean her head was attached to her body by a ribbon and somehow the colour is that what matteres?
Posted by: Alex | June 28, 2010 10:25 AM
Sooo was it a curse that she had to put up with when she was really young or she was born with it or....................??
Just curious.
Posted by: Monkey Magic | June 30, 2010 05:33 PM
i would love to see a film of this
Posted by: tom slongoth | July 3, 2010 10:48 AM
I've read a story like this one but it was a little bit diffrent. The ribbon was red and the story was longer.
Posted by: kk | July 6, 2010 07:58 PM
The story i know its a red ribbion and he pulled it off when she was sleeping as her head hits the floor her head says,'I told you not to untie my ribbion"
Posted by: Libby | July 7, 2010 06:27 PM
I know this story but with a green noot a yellow lol
Posted by: kelly | July 8, 2010 03:33 PM
you ALL shouldn't post rude comments just because you don't like this story. It was a nice story but not so scary. You people shouldn't be rude. Didn't your parents teach you all ANYTHING?
Posted by: luce | July 10, 2010 02:51 AM
I remember reading this story in an old Halloween book in my elementary school. The pictures freaked me out more than the story!
Posted by: Megan | July 10, 2010 09:11 PM
i loved it< it@s so sad at he end :)
Posted by: nadine | July 22, 2010 04:12 AM
whoa, NOT funny.........i LOVE TI!!! <3333
Posted by: sophie mare | July 23, 2010 11:57 AM
OMG so scary why did her head fall OFF ??????????
Posted by: angelina | July 31, 2010 04:40 PM
i remember a story like that from when i was little but the ribbon was green and the end happened on their wedding day
Posted by: david | August 1, 2010 04:23 PM
classic! love this one!
crreeeepy.
Posted by: ali | August 21, 2010 11:25 PM
man! that blew my head of!
Posted by: ella | August 26, 2010 02:52 AM
I haerd his one b-4.I live in wisco,so kinda cool.but haha,i like the suspense..not scary though...poor jonny
Posted by: Abby | August 27, 2010 12:45 PM
WOW I AM SHOCKED
Posted by: TRINITYM. | September 1, 2010 09:45 AM
yea i read that in a book she had a green ribbon
Posted by: Anonymous | September 3, 2010 05:33 PM
this is hillarious! LOL!!!
Posted by: andreya | September 10, 2010 09:29 AM
They would always read this story to us during Halloween in elementary school. I was really freaked out by it. Good times, haha.
Posted by: Victoria | September 10, 2010 06:21 PM
i read a story just like that except the ribbon was red, and at the end of the story there was a short author's note that said Hungarian folklore stated that people with red ribbons on their necks mean that they are actually spirits whose heads were chopped off (decapitated) during some war...
Posted by: sy | September 13, 2010 08:40 AM
to all people who said jane's head was cut it didnt!! when johnny pulled the ribbon jane's head fell of becuz the ribbon was holding jane's head together!
Posted by: kristoper | September 15, 2010 03:05 AM
I know this story! I was told it at primary school!
Posted by: Alex | September 17, 2010 12:09 PM
What's scary is some of these comments. You're missing the point. This story is a campfire story. It's like an urban legend or a fairy tale. It's been around for ages. It's retold time and time again with slight variations but the basic plot is still the same--nosy husband unties ribbon and wife's head falls off. It's a cautionary tale with a curiosity-killed-the-cat (or the cat's wife) kind of theme. It doesn't matter what color the ribbon is or why the wife's head wasn't firmly attached in the first place. Just like it doesn't matter why the killer has a hook instead of a hand or who killed the boyfriend and hung him upside down or why Little Red Riding Hood's cloak is red. And if you don't think the story is scary posted on a website, try listening to it as told by a good storyteller around a campfire in the middle of the woods on a chilly autumn night.
Posted by: folklore fan | September 25, 2010 02:06 AM
WTF!!!! THAT IS SO CREEPILY WIERD!!
Posted by: Anonymous | September 27, 2010 02:25 PM
i thought the ribbon was supposed 2 b green?????????
Posted by: chapito | October 12, 2010 05:34 PM
Wow, at least she was dying! LOL I kinda knew what was going to happen at the end. But... They had 4 KIDS TOGETHER?!?!?! That's kinda sick, since she was, well... Dead... :P
Posted by: MorbidAuthor96 | October 15, 2010 08:13 PM
i jmped out of my seat
Posted by: Jacob Kuester | October 18, 2010 08:04 AM
it was scary
Posted by: analecia | October 18, 2010 02:09 PM
SPOOKY!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Anonymous | October 19, 2010 06:15 PM
this was a really funny story!!!! hahahahaa!!
Posted by: keena | October 20, 2010 12:45 PM
Always gets me!
Posted by: X | October 22, 2010 03:28 PM
Once I was in a bookstore and I saw a book that said Scary Stories and I took it and that story was just like this one, only that the ribon was GREEN. (:
Posted by: Anonymous | October 25, 2010 02:24 PM
was that yellow ribbon some sort of magical ribbon which would keep her head from falling?
Posted by: Anonymous | October 29, 2010 11:47 AM
was that yellow ribbon some sort of magical ribbon which would keep her head from falling?
Posted by: Anonymous | October 29, 2010 11:48 AM
so techniqually; he killed hur.
Posted by: Anonymous | October 29, 2010 03:58 PM
WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Anonymous | October 30, 2010 09:40 AM
now when ever i think of a ribbon i will think of that cool story
Posted by: Anonymous | November 1, 2010 09:06 PM
Cool
Posted by: Anonymous | November 14, 2010 12:23 PM
my favorite scary story as a child!!!
Posted by: Tanasha | November 18, 2010 03:35 PM
I heard kind of the same story but the ribbon was black velvet one.
Posted by: JonasBrothersAreAwesome | November 19, 2010 04:00 PM
i know a story like that too only the ribbon is green
Posted by: cheyenne boone | November 25, 2010 01:44 PM
I've heard the exact same story except it was a red ribbon.
Posted by: Anonymous | December 22, 2010 01:51 PM
Scary i mean like her head fell off imean so werid
Posted by: Anonymous | December 26, 2010 05:32 PM
How'd her head get cut of
Posted by: cassandra | December 28, 2010 06:56 PM
that was weird but ok
Posted by: amy | January 3, 2011 07:36 PM
I've read something like this, but the ribbon was black. And he cut it off without her knowing and she kept talking after her head fell off.
Posted by: Jamie | January 18, 2011 08:36 PM
ummmm what? im really confused. jane was dead already??? she was a zombie?how was she on her death bed if she was a zombie????? she was dead when she was 3??? how did her head get cut of? how was it staying in place with a ribbon??? what about her parents?? did they know she was dead??? how was she still alive with her head disconeccted from her body??? i will never know. pleaz answer me questions.
Posted by: Anonymous | January 30, 2011 05:04 PM
I remember this story when I was in elementary school. I do believe the scarf was green. I told the same story to my two little nieces last year (10,8). Both of them in shock when the story was over.
Posted by: Abby | February 26, 2011 03:27 AM
that was such a nice story an then o off popped her head it was just like wow how was she alive :p
Posted by: andrew | March 2, 2011 08:19 PM
She wasn't dead till the end.
Posted by: McLiney15 | March 6, 2011 12:19 PM
Wow tht ending was totaly unexpected!!! I bet the husband felt horrible after tht!!! And btw how did a little string keep her head on??? And why did her head fall off anyway??
Posted by: Questionable Girl | April 3, 2011 02:19 PM
I was told this when i was younger :')
Ot's not the whole story though. The reason she wore the ribbon was because when she was younger, there was a river or something by her home and her mother always told her to not play by it cos it was dangerous and had sharp rocks.
One day when her mum was busy, Jane went to the river with a paper boat and it went out of her reach in the river. She tried to get it but fell in and was decapitated by the rocks. then the story continued..
I was never told how she managed to put her head back on though O_O
Posted by: xAlyciaax | April 11, 2011 04:21 PM
OH MY GOD! my sister used to tell me and my brother this story when we were little, i always though it was her who made it up!!!
Posted by: Emily | June 18, 2011 03:51 PM
Why would herhead fall off??? I understand the ribbon kept it on though
Posted by: Phianh | July 1, 2011 10:46 AM
it was an awesome story.. i loved every bit of it.. keep up the good work.. XOXO..
Posted by: tenzing | July 12, 2011 11:26 AM
i did not think it was that scary but i loved the story.
;)
Posted by: p | July 17, 2011 06:15 PM
I remember my mom reading this story to me when I was a kid. I always remembered it, my entire life. It may not seem scary by today's standards - but even to a child, it's terrifying!
Have an imagination ;)
Posted by: Sarafina | August 5, 2011 05:02 PM
I love that story
Posted by: Autumn | August 7, 2011 03:55 PM