The World's Most Famous Horny Toad

You might actually be familiar with Ol' Rip the Horned Toad and not realize it. In 1897, the people of Eastland County, Texas, placed a time capsule in the cornerstone of the courthouse. County clerk Ernest Wood placed a horned toad into the time capsule to test the common idea that these creatures could survive years in hibernation. Now, be aware that a horned toad, also called a horny toad, is not a toad at all, nor is it a frog, but a Texas horned lizard. That distinction didn't reach everyone. 

More than 30 years later, in early 1928, the time capsule was retrieved and opened. The horned toad was still alive! Named Ol' Rip after the character Rip Van Winkle, the horned toad was taken on tours, featured in movies, and even presented to the US president before he died a year later. Even then, Ol' Rip's fame endured, as his remains were stolen, twice. 

But what really made Ol' Rip a legend for the ages was that he inspired Looney Tunes writer Michael Maltese to craft a story about Ol' Rip, now definitely a frog, in a 1955 cartoon titled One Froggy Evening. The frog in the cartoon wasn't named, and was later christened Michigan J. Frog. The entire cartoon is available online (thanks, rcxb!), and your memory will be jogged by this clip. You didn't realize that cartoon was inspired by a (supposedly) true story, did you?

Read the story of Ol' Rip the Horned Toad at Wikipedia. -via a comment at Metafilter 

(Image credit: ToddKent)