The Loveland Frogman is a three-to-five-foot tall mythical creature that has inspired stories in southern Ohio for decades. Now, it may become Ohio’s official state cryptid.
This April, State Reps. Tristan Rader (D-Lakewood) and Jean Schmidt (R-Loveland) introduced House Bill 821, which would endow this title on the Frogman if passed.
“This bill is about showcasing our communities,” Rader said in a statement. “The Loveland Frog is uniquely Ohio.”
The origins of the cryptid date back to 1955, when a businessman reported seeing three lizard-like creatures walking upright by the Miami River. The man said the creatures leapt into the river and swam away when they realized he’d spotted them.
The next reported sighting was in the 1970s, when two Loveland police officers claimed to see the Frogman separately.
The town has embraced the legend, introducing an annual Frogman Festival in 2023 that has attracted hundreds including cosplayers, cryptozoologists and enthusiasts from all over the region. This year’s festival, held in March, included more than 80 vendors along with music performances and educational sessions with paranormal researchers.
In 2024, Loveland also held the first Return of the Frogman event, a family-friendly festival which will only be held on leap years.
The Frogman’s designation as official state cryptid would mean beating out other Ohio legends such as Bessie, otherwise known as “the Loch Ness Monster of Lake Erie.”
The first alleged sighting of Bessie was in 1793 by a sailboat captain. He described it as an enormous serpent, thrashing in the water and stretching more than 15 feet long.
Since then, people have described Bessie in differing ways: gray or copper in color, sometimes with the head of a dog and often with large fins.
Another well-known Ohio cryptid is Orange Eyes, a hairy humanoid creature with webbed feet and yes, orange eyes, who hails from the Charles Mill Lake area.
Some believe Orange Eyes is the same as the legendary Charles Mill Monster, given their similar appearances and backstories. Both were first spotted by a pair of teenage boys in the 1950s and theorized to be aliens from a reported U.F.O. sighting around the same time.
If the bipartisan HB 821 passes. The Loveland Frogman will join the ranks of New Jersey’s Jersey Devil and Washington’s Sasquatch, both official cryptids of their respective states.
Hannah Kichline, executive editor
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