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Move over, Bigfoot.
Ohio representatives have introduced a bill to name a shadowy 4-foot-tall creature called “frogman” as the state’s official cryptid.
Representatives Jean Schmidt (R-Loveland) and Tristan Rader (D-Lakewood) introduced bipartisan legislation earlier this month to name “Loveland Frogman” the state’s official cryptid — citing the mythical amphibious critter’s contributions to society.
“This bill is about showcasing our communities,” Rep. Rader said in a statement. “The Loveland Frog is uniquely Ohio. It reflects the stories we tell, the places we’re proud of, and the creativity that makes our state worth celebrating.”
The lore of the Loveland Frogman began in 1955 when the 4-foot-tall bipedal anomaly with leathery skin and a frog-like face was supposedly spotted by a businessman in the Little Miami River.
The humanoid frog, which was given a six-pack in recreations, was reportedly spotted again in a similar location in 1972 by police officers, including former cop Mark Matthews.
Matthews, who claimed to have shot Loveland Frogman, told WCPO over 40 years later that the story was a hoax and the creature he wounded was actually a sickly iguana.
After a series of additional supposed sightings, the city of Loveland fully embraced the cryptid by naming the mythical amphibian the city’s mascot and hosting an annual “Frogman Festival,” the lawmakers said.
The cryptozoological mystery has “inspired books, documentaries, local festivals, artwork, merchandise, local tourism, and cryptid enthusiasts and researchers, and has contributed to the local economy, creative
culture, and unique cultural identity and oral history of this state,” House Bill 821 argued.
The bill was introduced on April 13 and has “already drawn bipartisan support,” Rader and Schmidt said.
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