Skulls Unlimited International
Skulls Unlimited International, Inc. is a commercial supplier of osteological specimens located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, US. Skulls Unlimited Inc. provides a skull cleaning service, using dermestid beetles to strip the flesh from skulls and skeletons. The bones are later whitened using hydrogen peroxide. Skulls Unlimited processes approximately 25,000 skull specimens per year.
History
In 1986, Jay Villemarette was laid off from his job and started considering the possibility of working full-time with skulls. In June of that year he established Skulls Unlimited International Inc. His fascination with skulls and bones began when he was seven years old, after he found a dog skull in the woods near his home. That interest, along with encouragement from his father, led Villemarette to begin collecting other animal skulls. After graduating from high school, he collected and sold skulls in his spare time while working as an automotive technician. As sales grew, Villemarette and his wife Kim began to clean skulls in their kitchen.After relocating to a retail location for his business in 1992, Villemarette was able to employ his first full-time employees. Skulls Unlimited Inc. remained at their South Shields address until June 2000, when they expanded into a facility in Oklahoma City. The company sources human bones from bodies donated to science.
In January 2013, Villemarette guest starred on John Hodgman's podcast Judge John Hodgman as an "expert witness" to comment on the hobby of collecting skeletons and taxidermied animals.