Hundreds of women believe that simply touching the statues helped them get pregnant
Baltimore, Md – (May 28, 2015) – If you believe, you may conceive. That’s the belief of thousands of women who have touched the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! legendary fertility statues.
The statues will be on display in Ripley’s Baltimore Odditorium starting Friday, June 19 and can be seen – and touched – for several months, free of charge. Baltimore is the first stop on the fourth world tour of the Legendary Fertility Statues.
The history of the statues
The statues were hand-carved by the Baule, who live in Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) in West Africa, and probably date back to the 1930s. Ripley’s acquired them in 1993 and put them in the lobby of the company headquarters in Orlando. Within months, 13 women, including staffers and office visitors, were pregnant.
Following a December 1995 story in the Wall Street Journal chronicling the phenomenon, the demand to touch the statues became international news. In the ensuing years, the statues made three trips around the world. Women routinely made special visits just to touch the statues. Some who couldn’t make it in person faxed copies of their handprints to employees, asking them to rub the handprints on the statues.
Hundreds of women reported that they became pregnant shortly after touching the wooden statues, even those who had been told by doctors they would never be able to conceive.
Some are very serious about touching the statues, believing in their powers to help them conceive. Others want to avoid touching the statues – for the very same reason!
How to touch the statues in Baltimore
The statues will be on display in the lobby of Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Baltimore Odditorium during regular business hours, Monday-Thursday from 10 am – 9 pm; Friday-Saturday from 10 am – 10 pm; and Sunday from 10 am – 8 pm. There is no charge to see the statues, but tickets will be required for visitors who wish to tour the Odditorium.
For downloadable images of Ripley’s fertility statues, please visit this Dropbox.
For more on Ripley’s Baltimore Odditorium, visit www.ripleys.com/baltimore or call 443-615-7878.
Media Contacts
Nora Campbell
Ripley’s Maryland Attractions Regional Manager
443-615-7864
ncampbell@ripleys.com
Frank Wolff
Wellons Communications
407-637-6000
frank@wellonscommunications.com
About Ripley Entertainment
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Baltimore is part of the Ripley Entertainment Inc. (www.ripleys.com) family of worldwide attractions, the global leader in location-based entertainment. More than 13 million people visit its 95-plus attractions in 10 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.
