Ol' Rip (died January 19, 1929) was a horned lizard (commonly referred to as a "horned toad") whose supposed 31-year hibernation as an entombed animal is believed by some and doubted by others. His name is a reference to the fictional character Rip Van Winkle. In 1897, a horned lizard was placed in a cornerstone of the Eastland County Courthouse in Eastland, Texas along with other time capsule memorabilia. When the courthouse was torn down 31 years later, the cornerstone was opened on February 18, 1928, a live horned lizard was produced, allegedly from within the time capsule. The lizard became a celebrity, and went on tour, even being taken to Washington, D.C. to meet President Calvin Coolidge.
Ol' Rip died 11 months later, and his remains can be seen on display in the new Eastland County Courthouse. In 1973 the body was stolen and an anonymous letter explained that the finding of Ol' Rip alive had been a hoax and demanded other unnamed co-conspirators should come forth. When no one did, another letter was received stating that the coffin and body could be found in the county fairgrounds. The coffin was found there and returned to the courthouse, though some suspected the body in the coffin was a substitute for the real lizard who now resides in a secret private collection somewhere.
Famous quotes containing the words rip, horned and/or toad:
“As a father I had some trouble finding the words to separate the person from the deed. Usually, when one of my sons broke the rules or a window, I was too angry to speak calmly and objectively. My own solution was to express my feelings, but in an exaggerated, humorous way: “You do that again and you will be grounded so long they will call you Rip Van Winkle II,” or “If I hear that word again, I’m going to braid your tongue.””
—David Elkind (20th century)
“...I believed passionately that Communists were a race of horned men who divided their time equally between the burning of Nancy Drew books and the devising of a plan of nuclear attack that would land the largest and most lethal bomb squarely upon the third-grade class of Thomas Jefferson School in Morristown, New Jersey.”
—Fran Lebowitz (b. 1950)
“Waxed-fleshed out-patients
Still vague from accidents,
And characters in long coats
Deep in the litter-baskets
All dodging the toad work
By being stupid or weak.”
—Philip Larkin (1922–1986)