URBAN LEGENDS #1: The Loveland Frogman – Loveland, OH
The origin of the Loveland Frogman or Loveland Lizard dates back to 1955.
An artist’s rendering of the elusive creature (PHOTO: Wikipedia)
As legend goes, the first sighting was in May of 1955. A salesman driving at night comes across three figures while approaching a bridge over the Little Miami River in Loveland. He describes the figures as 3 to 4 feet tall, standing upright, with frog like heads and leathery skin. He stops to observe the creatures and when they notice him, one raises a wand and sparks begin to shoot from it. The startled salesman flees the scene.
The legend is passed on year after year until 1972 when a police officer sees something scurry across the road he is driving on. Fully illuminated by his headlights, he described the creature as 3 to 4 feet long with leathery skin. The animal crouched like a frog, stood up, and then climbed over a guardrail. Two weeks later, another officer encountered a similar creature in the same area. He was able to shoot the creature and brought it back for identification. Final determination, it was a large iguana that had lost its tail, mystery solved right?
Time passes again until 2016. When two teenagers were out playing Pokemon Go and cited a giant frog near Lake Isabella. The creature stood up and walked on its hind legs. To everyone’s dismay, it turned out to be a local student dressed in a frog costume.
There you have it, the brief but never forgotten legend of the Loveland Frogman. The Frogman has become a pop culture icon in the area inspiring songs, races, t-shirts, a video game and even a musical.
I can’t really say this one is plausible, but if ever I am in the area, I will spend one night staked out looking for the Loveland Frogman.
SOURCES:
http://www.cincyweekend.com/loveland-frog-legend/
https://cincyshirts.com/products/i-saw-the-loveland-frogman?variant=30981829951545
https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Loveland_Frogmen
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loveland_frog
https://charlestonterrors.com/the-loveland-frogman-ohios-most-famous-cryptid/
