The Coleman Frog (also known as Cornelia Webster[1])is a 19kg (42lb) frog (supposedly a taxidermy specimen) on display at the Fredericton Region Museum in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, since 1959. It was previously owned by a man named Fred Coleman.
The frog was allegedly captured from Lake Killarney, north of Fredericton, at which time it was said to have weighed 7oz4oz.[2] Supposedly, the immense size of the frog was caused by the fact that Coleman fed it whiskey, baked beans, June bugs, buttermilk toddies,[3] and whey. It is said to have died in a "dynamite accident" and was sent to Bangor, Maine, to be stuffed.[4]
Skeptics, such as the Museum of Hoaxes, say that the frog is a fake that was used to promote a cough syrup that would "relieve the frog in your throat".[5] In a 1988 report, the Canadian Conservative Institute stated that the artifact consists of canvas, wax, and paint and in a letter it refers to the exhibit as “an amusing example of a colossal fake and deception”.[6] The museum will not allow DNA testing to be performed on the frog to confirm whether it is real or a fake.[7] [8]