Cryptids such as the Loveland Frogmen, which are seen a handful of times and then never or at least rarely again, are particularly intriguing to me. In this case, the Loveland Frogmen were seen by a few unrelated individuals then seen to have slipped back into whatever reality they arrived from.
This is very similar to cases like the Dover Demon where a few people encountered a strange creature over a short time span and then it was never seen again.
What Is The Loveland Frogman?
The Loveland Frogman, also known as the Loveland Lizard or Loveland Frog, is a legendary cryptid reported to inhabit Loveland, Ohio. Descriptions of the creature date back to the 1950s, with witnesses claiming it to be a humanoid frog standing around 3-4 feet tall. The Frogman is said to have a frog-like face, leathery skin, and the ability to walk on its hind legs. Sightings often occur near the Little Miami River, where the creature has allegedly been seen both by locals and police officers
Sightings Through the Years: A Chronological Account
The story of the Loveland Frogman boils down to 4 reported sightings, two of which I consider to be good and to that are a little more sketchy.
In this case the 1955 report is suspect as I’ve found no documentation on it. The 70s reports are more credible, and the on in 2016 is suspect once again.
1955 The Frogmen Are Seen For The First Time
As the legend goes, the year was 1955 and a traveling salesman, named “Robert Hunnicott”, was passing through Loveland in the early hours of the morning. To his surprise, as he traveled down the, his headlights suddenly illuminated three figures by the roadside.
He slowed down and looked at the strange sight in front of him. They stood on two legs and were about three to four feet tall. Later, he would say their skin was leathery and odd. However, it was their faces that shocked him the most. They had weird, frog-like features that stuck with him.
The creatures seemed to be conversing with each other and one supposedly held a metal wand-like object in its hand that emitted sparks. The man pulled his car to the curb and observed these creatures for what he estimated to be about three minutes
Eventually Hunnicutt fled the scene and reported the incident to the local police. Despite the detailed description, the police investigation yielded no physical evidence of the creatures was ever found.
This sighting or at least the legend of this sighting, cemented the Loveland Frogman as one of Ohio’s enduring cryptid mysteries.
The 1972 Police Officer Encounters
Two reports of the Loveland Frogman by police officers over the course of two weeks seems like the best evidence that we have for the Loveland Frog to be a real cryptid.
Ray Shockey’s Encounter
March 3, 1972, Officer Ray Shockey was on patrol on Riverside Drive near the Little Miami River, when he noticed something unusual on the side of the road.
When he directed his car’s headlights toward the figure, he described seeing a creature crouched like a frog, with leathery skin. The creature was roughly 3-4 feet tall and weighed an estimated 50 to 75 pounds. What set this sighting apart was the creature’s behavior—it reportedly stood up on its hind legs and locked eyes with Shockey before quickly climbing over a guardrail and disappearing into the river below.
Some accounts of this sighting state that later investigations found scratch marks on the guard rail, but this is unsubstantiated, and no photos have been found to prove it.
Mark Mathews’ Encounter With The Loveland Frog
Mark Mathews’ encounter with the Loveland Frogman occurred just two weeks after Ray Shockey’s sighting, on March 17, 1972. Mathews, another officer with the Loveland Police Department, was patrolling the same area near the Little Miami River when he had his strange encounter.
Late at night, Mathews noticed a creature lying in the middle of the road. Not knowing what it was and assuming it was the carcass of an animal that had been hit and killed, he stopped his car to remove it from the roadway.
Far from dead, Mathews, who had by this time stepped out of his vehicle, was shocked when the creature stood up on two legs. Drawing his pistol, he fired on the creature and claims to have wounded it. Just like with Shockey’s encounter, the creature hurried off over the guardrail and towards the river.
Mathews initially stated that the creature matched the description provided by Shockey: it was a small, leathery-skinned, frog-like creature standing about 3-4 feet tall.
In later years, in response to the August 2016 sighting, Mathews would recant on this story. One could speculate that the stigma associated with having reported seeing a giant green frogman would be enough to make someone change their story.
After Shockey had reported his sighting Mathews claimed that “Naturally, I didn’t believe him … but I could somehow tell from his demeanor that he did see something.”
As for his own sighting, he claimed that it was a large iguana that was missing its tail. He assumed that the iguana had been someone’s pet and then either got loose or was released when it grew too large.
He figured that the cold-blooded animal had been living near the pipes that released water that was used for cooling the ovens in the boot factory as a way to stay warm in the cold March weather.
“The thing was half dead anyway when I shot it,” he said
Personally, I think the odds of seeing an Iguana in Ohio are about as likely as seeing the Loveland Frogman. It is possible that someone dumped their large, tailless iguana on the side of the road, but then why did he initially claim that it was the Frogman?
Years Pass But Another Sighting
Decades passed but in August of 2016 a couple had an encounter with what sounds like the Loveland Frogman.
Sam Jacobs and his girlfriend, who were playing the popular mobile game “Pokémon GO” near Lake Isabella in Loveland, Ohio. The couple was walking toward the lake when they noticed a large frog near the water. At first, it appeared to be just an unusually big frog, but things quickly took a strange turn.
“We saw a huge frog near the water. Not in the game (Pokemon Go), this was an actual giant frog. I took a couple of pictures and a video ’cause I’d never seen one that big. Then the thing stood up and walked on its hind legs” Jacobs reported.
Jacobs estimated the creature to be about 4 feet tall, consistent with earlier descriptions of the Loveland Frogman. The couple was startled by the sight and quickly took out their phones to capture the moment. However, the photos and video of the Frogman that they managed to take were too dark to clearly show the creature.
Jacobs later expressed his disbelief at what he had seen, he realizes some people will think he’s crazy. “I swear on my grandmother’s grave that this is the truth”, Jacobs said. “I’m not sure whether it was a Frogman or just a giant frog. Either way, I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Possible Additional 1955 Encounters
While researching this post, I found two other possible encounters with the Loveland Frogmen.
The first is a few references to a farmer in the Loveland area having seen frog-like creatures in the area. There is little more to go with along with this though.
The other possibly related report is from Mrs. Darwin Johnson.
She claims that on August 21, 1955, she was attacked by some type of creature while swimming in the Ohio River near Evansville, Indiana. While swimming in about 15′ of water, something grabbed her knee and pulled her under twice. Luckily she was able to kick free and get to shore with the assistance of her friend Mrs. Lamble.
While she would recover from the attack, she bore several contusions on her leg including an alleged green, palm-print that seemed to stain the skin for several days.
Evansville is approximately 240 miles away from where the other Frogman sightings took place, but the Little Miami River does drain into the Ohio, so it isn’t inconceivable that over the summer that the Frogmen moved downstream to where she was attacked.
Side Note: I found one reference to what seems to be the same encounter on cincinnatimagazine.com, but with her name being Naomi Johnson and it taking place on August 14th. This encounter also states that she had seen a UFO just before she was attacked.
The Native American Legends Of The Loveland Frogman
Long before the Loveland Frogman entered Ohio folklore, the region’s Indigenous peoples, particularly the Shawnee tribe, told stories of a mysterious creature known as the Shawnahooc. This figure, a water spirit or river monster, is deeply rooted in the cultural and spiritual beliefs of the Shawnee, who once inhabited the Ohio Valley. Described as a large, serpent-like creature, the Shawnahooc was said to dwell in the waters of the Ohio River and its tributaries.
The Shawnahooc was not merely a mythical beast but a guardian of the waterways, embodying the power and mystery of nature. According to legend, this creature would fiercely protect its territory, attacking those who dared to disrespect or harm the rivers it called home. Those who ventured too close to its domain risked being pulled under the water and drowned, a fate that served as a cautionary tale within Shawnee culture.
These stories, passed down through generations, emphasized the importance of respecting nature and the potential dangers of the untamed wilderness. While the Shawnahooc and the Loveland Frogman differ in appearance and behavior, it isn’t inconceivable that one man’s frog headed creature is another’s snake-beast.
In any case, the intersection of modern humanoid reptile sightings with ancient stories of a reptilian water creature, living in the same area, is too much of a coincidence to overlook.
Theories and Explanations: Understanding the Loveland Frogman
The mystery of the Loveland Frogman has led to many different ideas. Some people think that what we see could just be large animals, like big frogs, reptiles, or even rare pets that may have escaped.
Others believe the Frogman might be something strange and not from this world. Whether it’s just a mix-up, a product of wild imaginations, or a real creature, the Loveland Frogman is still hard to explain.
Misidentified Animals: A Rational Perspective
The most common reason people give for seeing the Loveland Frogman is that they might have mistaken what they saw. Skeptics say large snapping turtles, bullfrogs, or even escaped iguanas could be behind these sightings. The Miami River has dark water and lots of wildlife, making it easy to hide creatures. When these creatures are seen quickly or in the dark, they could be confused for something more strange.
Extraterrestrial Theories: A Sci-Fi Explanation
For some people, the Loveland Frogman may not just be a strange animal. They believe it could be linked to aliens. Could the Frogman be an alien stuck on our planet, looking for a safe place in the Ohio waterways? This might explain the observation of the group of Frogmen, one of which was holding a metal wand with sparks coming off of it.
It isn’t inconceivable that aliens crashed on Earth and were forced to survive however they could.
Is The Loveland Frogman An Interdimensional Entity?
If the Loveland Frogmen didn’t arrive here by spaceship, what if they were stranded here via other means?
I’ve long held the belief that occasionally portals are ripped open between worlds/dimensions, and creatures can wander through. This is one explanation for some of the Missing 411-type disappearances. It stands to reason that if we can wander through one to get lost in an alien world, that other creatures can do the same and wind up here.
What if a small group of Frogmen wandered through one and wound up here. Forced to survive, they would likely dwindle in number over the years and being aquatic, we likely would never find their bodies as they perished.
The Loveland Frogman in Popular Culture
Despite the lack of sightings in recent decades, the legend of the Loveland Frogman has far from died off. In fact it is alive and well and the sightings now pervade the media in stories, books, and movies.
In 2023, the city of Loveland officially adopted the Loveland Frogman as its mascot, underscoring the creature’s significance to local identity. The mascot was unveiled as part of community events and celebrations, including the annual Frogman Festival further cementing the Frogman’s role as a local legend.
Loveland Frogman T-shirts
Books and Literature: Spreading the Tale
The Loveland Frogman has appeared in several works of fiction and compendiums of cryptids, contributing to its status as an intriguing cryptid in popular culture. Some notable examples include:
- “Weird Ohio” by James A. Willis, Andrew Henderson, and Loren Coleman: This book explores the strange and mysterious folklore of Ohio, including the legend of the Loveland Frogman. While not purely a work of fiction, it blends factual accounts with folklore, creating a compelling narrative that reads like fiction.
- “The Man from Primrose Lane” by James Renner: This thriller novel features elements of Ohio’s strange folklore, including a nod to the Loveland Frogman as part of the eerie and mysterious backdrop against which the story unfolds.
- “American Cryptids: In Pursuit of the Elusive Creatures” by Kenney W. Irish: This book, while more of a non-fiction exploration of cryptids, presents the Loveland Frogman alongside other legendary creatures in a narrative style that appeals to fans of cryptid fiction.
These references in fiction contribute to the enduring mystery and cultural significance of the Loveland Frogman, blending fact and fantasy in a way that continues to captivate readers.
Movies and Media: Visual Representations
The Loveland Frogman is not yet a Hollywood star, but its story and image have been seen in many forms of media. Documentaries about strange and unexplained things often include the Loveland Frogman. These shows have dramatic recreations of sightings and interviews with supposed witnesses, which add excitement to the spooky stories.
Cryptids are primarily the realm of independent filmmakers who have a little more license with their topics. Here are some examples:
- “Frogman” (2024): A work of fiction, it is described as “In the summer of 1999, a 12-year-old named Dallas Kyle captured footage of the mythical Frogman, but no one believed it was real. Twenty years later, Dallas, now an amateur filmmaker struggling to turn his passion into a career, returns to Loveland with friends Amy and Scotty determined to obtain irrefutable proof that the Frogman exists”
- “Legend of the Loveland Frogmen” (2014): This short film by filmmaker Tyler Benjamin specifically focuses on the Loveland Frogman legend. The film, while relatively obscure, is one of the few that directly centers on the Ohio Frogman, offering a fictionalized account of the creature and its impact on local folklore.
- “The Legend of the Loveland Frogmen” (2010): A short movie filmed by Gretchen and Bob Kessler it is described as “The Loveland Frogman legend is explained and the truth revealed when five teens accidentally stumble upon a shocking secret.”
While the Loveland Frogman hasn’t yet achieved widespread cinematic fame, these films and shows contribute to its presence in popular culture, particularly within the genre of cryptozoology and regional folklore.
If you know of any other videos or movies about the Loveland Frogman, please send me a message with a link so I can include them here!
My Final Thoughts On The Loveland Frogmen
Having been around the paranormal world for most of my life, and having seen some strange things, the odds are the Loveland Frogmen were real and there may even be one or two of them hiding in the waters of Ohio yet today.
My best guess on an explanation for them would be that ether accidentally or on purpose, stepped through some dimensional gateway and got trapped here. Over time their numbers have dwindled, but they have persisted for some time.
This seems the most likely answer based on the initial sighting of a group of them, with one of them carrying an object that was giving off sparks. Granted this is all just conjecture, but it is the best theory that I can come up with.
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