Have you Heard of the Loveland Frogmen?
I don’t know about you, but conspiracy theories are one of my darkest secret interests. I can’t even talk to my wife about them because she finds them either super scary or super boring. I can’t say I blame her, I just seem to have more stamina for them. That’s why I’ve decided to start this series on my favourite ones, starting with the Loveland Frogmen.
What are the Loveland Frogmen?
The Loveland Frogmen are also known as the Loveland Lizards. They derive their name from the location they were seen in, Loveland Ohio. Their sightings mainly originate from Clermont County.
When you think of these cryptids and how they look, it’s pretty literal. Think of a human-sized frog standing on their hind legs, and that’s what they are. If you resembled a frog, you’d be a Loveland Frogman.
They’ve got leathery skin, webbed hands and feet, and they’re about one metre tall. Some descriptions have added that they smell like almonds, and others add that they carry wands. All in all, these guys are a very mixed bag, making them even harder to believe in.
Where you Find Them and What They do
As I mentioned above, the sightings of the Loveland Frogmen are all restricted to Clermont County, Ohio. They largely seem to live in forests, where the atmosphere is temperate, but they’re also able to survive long cold winters by hibernating.
The sightings of this cryptid don’t cover a lot about their behaviour. The mention of wands comes from the fact that these guys seem to pick up sticks to use as tools. However, these tools can emit sparks, according to the sightings, so make of that what you will. The general theory here is that the Frogmen have some sort of telekinetic ability, allowing them to cause those sparks.
As for what a Loveland Frogman might want from you, who knows? I think the sightings speak for themselves in some cases, but others do give you a small hint as to their motivations. Before we dive into those sightings though, I want to cover the hoax rumours.
The Loveland Frogman Hoax Rumours
The simple fact of the matter is that there is no evidence to suggest that any sort of man-like frog could exist. The fact that these dudes are also limited to a single area of the US is suspicious, leading many to believe that they’re a complete hoax. There’s also no evidence in American folklore that the Frogmen exist.
Sightings of the Loveland Frogmen
There are four famous sightings of the Loveland Frogmen. I’ll go through them in order. However, there have been other reports here and there of generally shocked people in the area. Part of me believes that those driving through the location after a big day of being professionals, causing some tiredness, may have a fair bit to do with their sightings.
The first reported sighting was in May 1955. It was on a stretch of land along the Miami River in Clermont County, on the outskirts of Loveland. This one is from an unnamed businessman who claimed to see three bipedal amphibians by the side of the road. He said that they were grouped together, congregating almost.
Shockingly, the guy pulled over to watch the creatures for about three minutes, and managed to pick up their height at around three or four feet. He also witnesses leathery skin, and those well-known webbed hands and feet. The heads were what stood out to this man though. They were frog-like and full of wrinkles in the leathery amphibious skin.
As the man was about to drive away, one of the Frogmen turned to look at him. It then brandished a stick, and sparks flew from its tip. This is where those wand theories come from. Luckily, the man got away.
The next two sightings are considered to be the most defining and interesting of the cryptid’s history.
The second sighting was on March 3, 1972 and 1AM, about 17 years after the first one. This one’s from a police officer, who sadly chose to remain anonymous. Can’t say I blame him given his job. Can you imagine going to file a report on the Loveland Frogman with your coworkers?
He was traveling along Riverside Road, which leads to Loveland when he saw something insane. The road was icy, so the officer was driving slowly when he saw what he thought was a dog on the road. Suddenly, the creature sped in front of the cruiser, and he slammed on the brakes, coming to a stop just before hitting it.
Stationary, with his headlights fully lighting up the creature, he could see what it was. He described it as a crouched frog-like creature, which then stood up on two legs. It stood there staring at the officer for a short while before darting across the road, hopping the embankment, and fleeing to the river. The officer’s height estimation lines up with the first sighting, as did the physical description.
What’s interesting about this sighting is that another officer came out to investigate. While they found no Frogmen, they did find a big old scratch on the side of the road where the creature fled.
The third sighting came just two weeks later, adding a little credence to these two. This one is from another police officer. Thankfully he’s named this time, Mark Matthews. Mark saw what he thought was an injured animal as he was driving into Loveland. He pulled over and was going to move the carcass off the road, making it safer to drive on.
Just as he was about to grab the animal, it got up and crouched in front of him. Mark was so shocked by this that he immediately unholstered his weapon and shot it. According to the officer, the creature hobbled over to the side of the road before hopping the guardrail. Apparently, the entire time ist was keeping an eye on Mark, as if aware that he may shoot again at any moment.
Now, this is where we first hear mention of a tail. This sighting is described as different because it lacks a tail, though none of the others actually have this in them as far as I could find. Given the evolution of frogs from frogspawn, it might make sense that some would have tails. If they’d only just grown into full Frogmen from what I guess must be Frogspawnmen, then the tail could still be present.
Sadly, Mark Matthews has actually gone back and pulled his statement and sighting from the record in the years following it. He actually thinks that this animal was now a reptile that had escaped from its owner. He added that he only shot at it to help confirm the previous officer’s story. Whether they knew each other at all has never been corroborated. In an email he sent in 2001, he says that his story was blown way out of proportion. Who knows what the truth is though?
Finally, the fourth known sighting of the Loveland Frogman came in August 2016. This one came from Sam Jacobs and his girlfriend. They were playing Pokemon Go in Cincinnati, but there’s a lot of doubt around this one. I reckon that most people probably think that these two were looking through their phones at an actual Pokemon, which is what they saw.
Those are all the sightings, but is this cryptid real?
Are They Real?
These guys are insanely hard to believe in. Not only are they anatomically mental, but all of their sightings are completely bonkers. It might have been possible to believe in these guys as just a mutation of frogs alone, even with Mark Matthews going back on his shooting incident. However, when you pull the wands into it, it’s all completely baffling. I can’t say that I believe in these guys at all, but I know that there will be some who do.
What do you guys think? Please let me know in a comment or response, and if you enjoyed reading about the Loveland Frogmen, give this article a Clap.