The Legendary Fertility Statues that have been credited with helping thousands of happy couples get pregnant are leaving London’s Ripley’s Believe It or Not! at the end of June.
Ripley’s acquired the statues in 1993. The statues are made from ebony wood and were hand-carved by craftsman of Baulé tribesman of the West African nation of Cote D’Ivoire in the 1930s. They stand 1.5 meters tall and weigh over 30kg each.
THE LEGEND
According to tribal legend, to ensure a couple’s fertility, the statues should be placed on both sides of the doorway leading into the bedroom. If a woman or her spouse touches either statue as they enter the room, they will soon get pregnant.
While Ripley’s cannot loan the statues to prospective parents for their bedrooms, the power of the statues is still strong. Thousands of women have written to Ripley’s claiming that after years of trying to conceive, one rub of the statues soon brought a bundle of joy.
THE BABY BOOM
When Ripley’s first received the statues in 1993, they were displayed at their Head Quarters. A few months later, Ripley’s experienced a Baby Boom! Three employees became pregnant after touching the statues, and word started to spread. Women were requesting to visit the office just to touch the statues.
Over the years, Ripley’s has received countless messages from couples. Here are a few of their very personal stories:
VICTORIA
I came to see the statues in London in November, and although it is in its early days, I am pregnant!
MELISSA
I had been unsuccessful for a few months trying to get pregnant through fertility treatments. I went on a two-week European vacation. Our last stop was London to touch the fertility statues. A few weeks later I returned to the States, and my next treatment was successful! We had a baby girl in March!
LAUREN
We had a long road trying to get pregnant. I went to the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditorium and rubbed both statues, and within 48 hours we learned we were pregnant.
SAMANTHA
We were trying for about two years, and the doctors told us they didn’t think it would be possible for us to have children. The statues were something that we thought “Why not give it a try?” So we did, and here she is, and I would touch them again.
BACK ON TOUR
The next stop for the statues will be the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! in Copenhagen, Denmark, they are expected to arrive in July.
In the meantime, take advantage of the opportunity to visit the statues before they leave for Copenhagen. Ripley’s Believe It or Not! London is located at 1 Piccadilly Circus and is open 365 days of the year from 10am-midnight.
ORIGIN OF THE STATUES
MEDIA CONTACTS
Lucy Waddle
General Manager
Ripley’s London
lucy@ripleyslondon.com
+44 (0) 20 3238 0022
Suzanne Smagala-Potts
Public Relations Manager
Ripley Entertainment Inc.
smagala@ripleys.com
Office: 407-345-8010
Cell: 727-439-0136
ABOUT RIPLEY ENTERTAINMENT
Ripley Entertainment Inc. is the global leader in location-based entertainment. More than 14 million people visit its over 100 attractions in 12 countries each year. In addition to its 32 Believe It or Not! Odditoriums, the Orlando, Florida-based company has publishing, licensing and broadcast divisions that oversee projects including the syndicated Believe It or Not! television show, best-selling books and the popular syndicated cartoon strip, Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, that still runs daily in 42 countries. Ripley Entertainment is a Jim Pattison Company, the third-largest privately held company in Canada.
