The Lovely Lore of the Loveland Frogman

The Loveland Frogman is considered a “lesser known cryptid” but this crazy creature has brought the entire cryptid community together. I grew up and live in Cincinnati, Ohio which is only about 20 minutes south of Loveland, Ohio, and the Loveland Frogman is one of my favorite cryptids. To me and to many local Cincinnati cryptid fans, the Loveland Frogman is an icon and we all love him.

(I am actually writing this in honor of the Annual Loveland Frogman Festival coming up in March. So, cheers to all that attend and the lovely host Jeff. )

Summer of 1955, around 3:30am

Robert Hunnicutt was driving home from work late one night along Branch Hill Road. When his car crested a hill, his headlights lit up something strange on the side of the road. He stops his vehicle and proceeded to watch a situation unfold in front of him. Initially, he thought he saw three men praying in the grass, but after a few seconds, Hunnicutt realized that was not what he was seeing at all. He was looking at three, 4-foot tall, bipedal creatures standing in a triangular formation in the grass along the road. There was one closer to the road with the other two further back. The one closest to the road began to lift up its arms, and in its hand, it seemed to be holding what looked like a rod. As the creatures arms rose up, sparks began to come out the end of the rod and swirl around it. According the Hunnicutt, this is when he exited his car to get a closer look. As he got closer, he saw the creature drop the magic wand and bend over and tie something around its ankle. As it stood back up, the creature started to turn towards Hunnicutt, and at that point, Hunnicutt got a very good view of the creature.

He stated they looked very ugly, with long straight mouths that go across the entire extent of their faces, like a frog. The creature had no visible nose, the eyes seemed normal but it had no eyebrows and they were all bald, with fat rolls across the top of their heads. Their upper torso was lopsided and the right side of their bodies seemed bulkier, as well as the right arm looked longer than the left arm. They were wearing what seemed to be a jumpsuit the same color as their skin, and the pants were more loose fitting like parachute pants or jogger pants. Hunnicutt could not see the creatures feet as the grass was about 6 inches tall at the time.

Hunnicutt tried to walk closer to the monsters, but as he did, the Frogmen mimicked him and moved closer as well. He panicked and got back into his car and drove directly to the sheriff's house and woke him up. 

When Robert Hunnicutt arrived at Chef Fritz home, he was in such a state of terror that the sheriff drove down there to investigate the scene immediately, but there was nothing there when he arrived on the scene. 

March 3, 1972, around 1am: 

Ray Shockey was a Loveland Police officer and he was driving along the Little Miami River when a greying, frog-like creature standing about 4 feet tall ran across the road, and climbed over a guardrail. The animal was running in the direction of the river. Shockey filed his report. 

About two weeks later, another police officer, Mark Matthews, had a very similar experience while driving along the Little Miami River, but he was too ashamed to report exactly what he saw, so in the report, he claimed it was just an iguana with a missing tail.

AN IGUANA?!

Now, legend has it that the other police officers and many people in the town made fun of Shockey after he filed his report, and he later came forward and claimed he just saw an iguana too. The conspiracy, am I right? 

Summer of 2016:

Pokémon Go is taking the world by storm. Millennials and their kids are playing this brand new, fully interactive game that required you to go play outside. Sam Jacobs and his girlfriend were playing Pokemon Go while walking around Lake Isabella in Loveland, and they hear splashing in the water. They turn to look and what they see is something that possibly could belong in the next generation of Pokémon. A 4 foot tall frog-like creature with glowing eyes. It stood up on its hind legs and just walked away, into the brush. They were able to snap a picture of the creature, which has also been scrutinized, as all cryptid pictures have over the years. 

A Coincidence?

When it comes to the Robert Hunnicutt encounter, there is a theory floating around about what he may have seen that night. In 1955, there was a company called Totes Manufacturing (or SoLo Marx Manufacturing) with a factory in Loveland Ohio along the Little Miami River. This company specialized in testing underwater scuba gear in the Little Miami River in the early to mid-1950s. It is said that they could have been testing this suit on the night Hunnicutt was driving past, and the “wand” was a flashlight or possibly a glowstick, and the wrinkles and grey skin was just the rubber scuba suit.

You can choose to believe that theory, or you can just let the Frogman lore live on.

Cherish the Frogman

To my knowledge, there has not been any other “reported” sightings of the Loveland Frogman. I say that because there are more rumored sightings, but there’s nothing to back it up. Regardless, the love for this unique cryptid is only growing stronger. 

The Loveland Frogman Festival is held every year in Loveland to celebrate the lore of this wonderful creature. Even the town of Loveland is starting to celebrate it separately from the Festival by hosting a parade.

There was also a movie released last year in 2024, called Frogman and it was a found footage film directed by Anthony Cousins. It is an awesome movie and I highly recommend you give it a watch.

My hope, for the town of Loveland Ohio, is to some day have a museum or shop honoring this cryptid. Possibly even a statue, with a frog butt that can only be challenged by the glorious Mothman badonkadonk, which is only about 2 hours east in of Loveland in Point Pleasant, WV.

Cincinnati is truly a great place for cryptid lovers.