Coleman Frog

The Coleman Frog (also known as Cornelia Webster) is a 19 kg (42 lb) taxidermy frog on display at the Fredericton Region Museum in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada since 1959. It was previously owned by a man named Fred Coleman, who ran a nearby lodge in the 1880s.

Description

The frog was captured from Killarney Lake, at which time it weighed 7.3 pounds (3.3 kg).[1][2] Supposedly, the immense size of the frog was caused by the fact that Coleman fed it whiskey, baked beans, june bugs, buttermilk toddies,[3] and whey. It died in a "dynamite accident" and was sent to Bangor, Maine to be stuffed.[1]

Controversy

Skeptics say that the frog is a fake that was used to promote a cough syrup that would "relieve the frog in your throat".[4] In a 1988 report, the Canadian Conservative Institute refers to the artifact as consisting of canvas, wax, and paint. In a letter it refers the exhibit as “an amusing example of a colossal fake and deception”.[5] The museum will not allow DNA testing to be performed on the frog, to confirm if it is real or a fake.[4][6][7]

See also

References
  1. "The Coleman Frog". York Sunbury Museum. June 24, 2009. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
  2. "Story of famous "Coleman Frog"". The Lewiston Daily Sun. Christian Science Monitor. Apr 12, 1979. p. 7. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
  3. Wood, Gerald L. (1976). The Guinness book of animal facts and feats (2nd ed.). Enfield , England: Guinness Superlatives. ISBN 0-900424-60-5. OCLC 2831478.
  4. "The Coleman Frog". Museum of Hoaxes. July 30, 2007. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
  5. NICKELL, JOE (2001). Real-Life X-Files: Investigating the Paranormal. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0-8131-2210-6.
  6. "Monster frog no bull, says museum manager". Canada.com. Canwest News Service. July 28, 2007. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
  7. Mandell, Charles (July 28, 2017). "Story of the big frog is no bull, museum says". pressreader.com. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
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