The Coleman Frog

image The Coleman Frog, explains a recent article on Canada.com, is an enormous stuffed frog -- it weighs 19 kilograms, or about 42 lbs -- on display in the York-Sunbury Museum in Fredericton, Canada. According to legend, the frog originally belonged to Fred Coleman, who owned a lodge near Fredericton back in the 1880s. He used to feed it whiskey and whey, causing it to grow to its enormous size. After it died, he had it stuffed. It sat in the saloon of a hotel for a while before coming into the possession of the York-Sunbury Museum.

There are skeptics who say that the Coleman Frog is a fake. They suggest that the frog was actually originally a display item used to advertise a cough medicine guaranteed to relieve "the frog in your throat" (See Canada's Mysterious Maritimes), but the York-Sunbury Museum dismisses such skepticism. Tim Andrew, a local expert on the frog who defends its reality, says, "I don't suppose we'll ever put the controversy to rest. It was suggested doing DNA testing on it, but I think we're reluctant to disturb the peace of a stuffed beast that's been around quite happily for 123 years now." (Thanks, Joe)

Animals Folklore/Tall Tales

Posted on Mon Jul 30, 2007



Comments

considering how fake it looks without dna testing, I don' think you would even need it xD

even so, I should write this location down and try and talk my best friend into going sometime... with his irrational fear of frogs and all :D!
Posted by Mera  on  Mon Jul 30, 2007  at  04:08 PM
The best place to live in the world is the maritimes ...
Posted by Dracul  on  Mon Jul 30, 2007  at  09:29 PM
You'd think the "local expert" would be anxious to do a DNA test. Since he isn't, I would take that as strong evidence it's a fake he doesn't want exposed. He might also lose his "local expert" status.

I also find it hard to believe this frog grew big from a diet of whiskey and whey. That may have fooled people in 1880 but not now.
Posted by Captain Al  on  Mon Jul 30, 2007  at  09:39 PM
Don't think it'd need a dna test, would it? Surely you'd just need to look at a tissue sample under a microscope?
Posted by outeast  on  Tue Jul 31, 2007  at  04:54 AM
Dracul:
Best, or coldest?
Posted by Big Gary  on  Tue Jul 31, 2007  at  06:44 PM
Stuffed? My ass. Actually, my ass does look more like a large frog than that thing does, stuffed or not. Looks like plaster. The frog, not my ass. Ribit
Posted by Hairy Houdini  on  Tue Jul 31, 2007  at  08:18 PM
The frog is real, Fred Coleman is a fake.
Posted by Christopher Cole  on  Tue Jul 31, 2007  at  10:59 PM
This ain
Posted by Robin  on  Wed Aug 01, 2007  at  08:57 PM
I find it amazing that people from Sweden, just from looking at a picture, can denounce this which such assurity.

People who cry fake without actually looking at it should stop and think about the history of it.

1) I don't know if it is fake or not nor do I necessarily believe one way or the other but it is a unique piece of local history either way.

2) If it is real, consider that it is over 100 years old. Any living tissue would naturally become tight and leathery due to age.( I have seen stuffed and mounted fish of about the same age who no one questions the validity of that look just as "fake".)

3)The nature of stuffing any creature requires that the skin/pelt/scales etc be placed around a form to hold its shape. If the form is not perfect, then the animal will not look real.

I invite all who posted to come to Fredericton and view this piece of history for themselves. You may not believe but you will have the pleasure of comeing to one of the nicest places in the world.
Posted by Rod  on  Mon Aug 06, 2007  at  10:26 AM
I have visited the frog and I am a true believer that it is real. As the legend goes, the Coleman Frog was also fed junebugs and would follow Fred around as when he visited the lake where the frog lived. Fred was quite heartbroken when local fishermen "accidently" killed his good friend.

If you ever visit the museum take a look at the photos and you would see that in one picture the frog is holding his head up as Fred is feeding him.

There are other photos of the frog when stuffed where his skin appears to have a more natural appearance.

Fred actually owned the hotel where the frog lived after it was taxidermied in Maine. After Fred passed away the frog's protective cover was removed and the hotel patrons used him as an ashtray. When the frog was donated to the museum the burn holes were filled in and someone painted him green to hide the damage.

I have been visiting the frog since my childhood and I will always believe!
Posted by RM  on  Tue Mar 25, 2008  at  05:56 PM
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