West Virginia has the Mothman. Michigan has the Dogman. And Ohio has the Frogman…and Bigfoot…and the Lake Erie Monster, Bessie. What Ohio doesn’t have is an official state cryptid. But that may soon change.
While it may not be real, Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Loveland) and Rep. Tristan Rader (D-Lakewood) are talking about the ‘Frogman’.
“Legend has it there’s a frog the size of a man that haunts or visits the Loveland area," Rader said.
Some say it’s a little shorter, around four feet tall. But Schmidt said in 2016, a police officer spotted it, and a couple of weeks later, “another police officer spotted the same thing along the river and shot it and killed it. The myth never died because people say they have seen it."
The bipartisan lawmakers said Frogman has become a Loveland legend.
“It’s become such a myth and legend that there now even a festival dedicated to the Frogman," Rader said.
Schmidt said it's a huge draw and attracts vendors who make fun events for families:“They sell knick-knacks and things, and they have little parades for kids and stuff.”
All of this is for a mythical creature.
And while Kermit the Frog might think it’s not easy being green, Rader said Frogman has brought in the green.
"What is real is the tourism dollars they bring to our state and the economic activity that stimulates our economy here," Rader said.
Schmidt said her favorite ice cream joint even got in on the Frogman follies.
“I was getting my shake, and I noticed they have a Frogman sundae," Schmidt said, noting it was part of a contest between ice creams named after various cryptids.
So, since Frogman is such a big deal, the lawmakers have united in a bipartisan effort to make Frogman the state’s official cryptid. But Mike Polk, a comedian and commentator on WKYC-TV in Cleveland, said there could be some big competition.
“I think it should be up to the people,” Polk joked. “I don’t think that should be done in smoke-filled back rooms.”
That’s because in northern Ohio, Polk said many people back a different cryptid: Bigfoot.
“Youmight have heard we were swamped in about mid-March with a number of Bigfoot sightings,” Polk said. “I think there were seven within five days, mostly in the Portage County area, in the Mantua area, and into the woods around that.”
Bigfoot, or Sasquatch, is the same creature that’s been rumored to walk the woods in various parts of Ohio for decades. There’s even a podcast devoted just to sightings of the large brown creature that leaves a huge footprint.
"Ohio has the fourth most sightings of Bigfoot of all of the 50 states, after California, Washington and Florida. We’re not even number one in Bigfoot sightings," Polk said.
Polk suggested that may mean Bigfoot is sort of passe, so maybe Frogman should be the official cryptid after all.
If you are wondering why state lawmakers are talking about mythical creatures when there's a public outcry for them to do something about high property taxes and affordability issues, Schmidt said, “I can chew gum and walk at the same time." Plus, she said lawmakers are working on property taxes and the capital budget. Besides, "sometimes you gotta have a little fun in what you are doing.”
House Bill 821 was recently introduced, but it hasn't had any hearings yet.
