The Loveland Frogmen

Ohio’s Own Dwarf Sized Amphibious River People

 
I’ve got a soft spot in my heart for middle America’s small town beasts, and dammit if these guys don’t sound adorable. According to my sources, there are reports of the Frogmen dating back to about 1950 continuing on to present day. Round about 3-4 feet tall, covered in leathery, frog-like skin, big bulging frog eyes and webbed toes. They are said to frequent the banks and roads surrounding the Ohio River. Usually witnesses initially mistake them as roadkill or some other clump of refuse, upon closer inspection, the frogmen tend to jump up and run on two legs off into the water or surrounding woods.
 
Generally deemed harmless, but there are occasional reports of drunken swimmers claiming to be grabbed underwater, and one about a cop recklessly shooting into the woods trying to perish a frogman that startled him at roadside, but as a whole the stories have them mucking about the banks and doin as frogs do, being slimey, socializing with their own and licking their own eyballs. So here’s the bulleted list for the reading impaired, and lets see some motherf*cking frogmen put to paper this week!

  • Bipedal dwarf sized humanoid form
  • Giant bulging eyes and wide mouth of a frog
  • Leathery, frog-like skin
  • Webbed hands and feet
  • From Ohio

 
our judge Our Judge this week is my wife Mona, first time I’ve let a judge repeat, but she’s got a great workshop coming up Friday that I wanted to help promote. She’s combining two of her favorite things in a Yoga workshop called Yin & Vin, so an hour and 15 minutes of Yin yoga (where poses held for extended times to help relax connective tissues in you major joints) followed up by a bit of wine and social time. Having gone through her Yin classes several times I can guarantee you’ll feel like a friggin noodle when its all done. So if you’re local and can get out to willowbrook, give it a try. Read more here: http://joypeaceandhealth.com/
 
Submissions Are Closed For Judgement!

The Loveland Frogmen Entry # 10

The Loveland Frogmen Entry # 10

Ha! fatherhood can definitely be a life changer mr frogman I’m assuming there’s a whole lot of thoughts going on behind those giant eyes right now. but mostly I’m entertained by the short tie and frog sized dockers! And while I’m remaining optimistic there’s something about the placement of that pollywog that makes me think of the old eel skin watch joke…

Judge’s Commentary

There are many reasons I love this drawing. The, “my life is over” vibe I’m getting from the Frogman’s face. The similarity between tadpole and adipose (one of my all time favorite episodes of Doctor Who is the one where the Doctor and Donna Noble finally reteam to solve the mystery behind a diet pill that turns your fat into adorable baby aliens. If you haven’t seen this episode, you should – I promise it will explain why someone like me, might like a show like Dr. Who). And finally, while perhaps indirectly related to yoga, there is something rather Zen about the way the frogman cradles his wee pollywog that I found to be both centering and peaceful (so long as I ignore the sadness in the father’s face).
Side note: The Frogman’s hands are cradling the little guy in what is known as the cosmic mudra, which helps to bring your attention inward and is useful when you are trying to increase self-awareness. So maybe he’s not really as sad as he appears, rather just deep in thought, and maybe because he’s mostly frog, his expressions are inadvertently limited to looking this solemn…Ommmmmmm!

The Loveland Frogmen Entry # 11

The Loveland Frogmen Entry # 11

Oh no! So there was a forest preserve right by my house growing up (lotta ways this sentence could go huh?) and my least favorite nights were the ones right after a rain where you couldn’t avoid running over countless frogs no matter how slow you went… but I’m reasonably confident I never hit one with tiny frog sized crocs and an adorable picnic bag full of fly snacks… and are those tiny frogman house keys??? aack!

Judge’s Commentary

Really, it was what was INSIDE the bag and now all over the windshield that sold me on this one, that and the irony of a frog wearing crocs. Sadly, I’ve experienced the mass frog migration that occurs after a rain…and it’s not pretty OR funny, and so I feel a little bit like perhaps this guy deserves to be one of my top picks, a dedication to all those poor amphibians who’d played and lost this game before him…Despite the tragic circumstances here, I’m pretty sure that this Frogman was properly splayed onto that windshield in near perfect frog pose (as perfect as you can get when you’ve unexpectedly meet glass coming at you at 45 mph).
Side note: as his yoga instructor I would recommend he slide that left webbed hand up and bring both arms shoulder distance apart to really get a juicy stretch between the shoulder blades.

The Loveland Frogmen Entry # 9

The Loveland Frogmen Entry # 9

“This is Ishourdania. He’s kind of a riverbank bum who’s so excited about the Breaking Bad finale, he got himself a pork pie hat.” Ishourdania huh? is that greek cause it sounds kinda elvish? I absolutely love his lil measely frog dots, gotta appreciate some muppet alien antennae and he looks sorta like my friend Rocco which makes me happy. Plus garlic flies is funny!

Judge’s Commentary

Not allowing myself to be biased here at all by my husband’s captioning of this drawing, but seriously, this Frogmen looks A LOT like our friend Rocco (pretty sure I recall a time where he even sported one of those lip warmers) who I haven’t seen in eons and for that reason alone, kept drawing me back to this picture. It’s nice to see him here, in frog form, altho I would ask that he AVOID the garlic flies in the future as I bet his breath would be the least of his problems! I also like how the hairy chest, pork pie hat, and gum request subtly put the “man” into Frogman!
Side note: this little guy looks like he’d benefit from a little yoga, I’d recommend some counterposes to Frog that would make him feel like a new beast!

The Loveland Frogmen Entry # 1

The Loveland Frogmen Entry # 1

I don’t even know is he really from Ohio or is that all schtick? I mean he does have bulging eyes and quite the wide mouth, and I’m pretty sure there are multiple Hollywood surgeons who would relieve one of their unwanted finger webbing… but in the end, as our picture painfully demonstrates… success doesn’t always bring happiness…

The Loveland Frogmen Entry # 2

The Loveland Frogmen Entry # 1

So quickly I forget about my own causes! nice to see some cutoffs make it back in the race, and the way those pockets curve around those ample frog thighs is kinda cracking me up! Also from my understanding he looks very Ohio.

The Loveland Frogmen Entry # 3

The Loveland Frogmen Entry # 1

No matter how many people I’ve known from there and stories I’ve heard, I have to be quite honest and admit pretty much everything I believe about the state of Ohio, I learned from watching gummo.

The Loveland Frogmen Entry # 4

The Loveland Frogmen Entry # 4

Ooh going for a judge pander! Would someone remind me to buy some black construction paper please, I mean look at that orange chalk pop! I’m entertained that he’s not in the obvious frog pose and that he seems to be built out of insect and frog parts and regardless of the yogish slang balancing it, my brain can’t read “oh yeah” without doing it in Macho Man’s voice!

The Loveland Frogmen Entry # 5

The Loveland Frogmen Entry # 5

Ha! Frog nipples are funny, love his green ghouly glow, buckled jeans… and maybe I’m stretching here but I swear it looks a lot like Ned Flanders is getting eaten by the Slurm worm.

The Loveland Frogmen Entry # 6

The Loveland Frogmen Entry # 6

“what’s high in the middle and round on both ends?” Ha! yes, silly derelict stoner Frogpeople and how cool is it that they span the age gamut? And it’s funny when i first imagined these guys I totally saw overalls and no shirt, but suspenders – no shirt is even better!

The Loveland Frogmen Entry # 7

The Loveland Frogmen Entry # 7

From an artist that claims they may just have seen said beast as a youngling! Damn me and my lack of Ohio knowings, I feel i should understand, the hat, the rocket and the tomb… unless magically its a plea to put Rocket from the Crypt in the RnR hall of fame… then i totally got it… regardless I want him!

The Loveland Frogmen Entry # 8

The Loveland Frogmen Entry # 8

This one comes all the way from Rome, well a Chicagoan visiting Rome, but still, I appreciate the virtual miles he had to journey! Plus he gets points for looking kinda Frog and Toad, being the most formally dressed of the bunch so far and having by far the creepiest soulless eyes!

The Loveland Frogmen Entry # 12

The Loveland Frogmen Entry # 12

Who’d of thunk Mythical Beast drawing fans knew some freaking much about Ohio? I mean not a chance in hell I’d know what their flag looked like, I like that it looks like these legs are drawn either by someone who’s cut the hell out of a frog or even worse eaten one, the musculature is great and I’m digging that he’s got a much more realistic froggy neck than we’ve seen so far… though perhaps he needs some ice on that right ankle ; )

The Loveland Frogmen Entry # 13

The Loveland Frogmen Entry # 13

“All the dude wants to do is get to the game… But that damn freeway!!!” – Ooh, channeling a lil Wesley this week with the crazy horizontal line shading And the hatred of public transit! I almost wanna play wrong about the Cincinnati logo, but look how lovingly that stadium is portrayed, it’s like freaking gates of heaven!

The Loveland Frogmen Entry # 14

The Loveland Frogmen Entry # 14

Ha! While I’m not entirely sure it’s true to the legend, the caption is funny and I’m pretty sure it’s the first appearance of a hash tag in a drawing. Look at the definition on him, not only washboard abs, but washboard sides as well!

The Loveland Frogmen Entry # 15

The Loveland Frogmen Entry # 15

Now to quote my wife exactly, she said “I better get a mother f’ing sean frog this week!” and here he is, though I gotta admit I a little bit miss the signature hair. Though I think the kung fu top and cut offs combination more than makes up for it!

The Loveland Frogmen Entry # 16

The Loveland Frogmen Entry # 16

Not often that poor photo quality adds to the realistic perspective in these, but how cool is it that the distant bar is falling out of focus? and I’m entertained that his outfit feels less riverbank and more Will Smith circa 1990.

The Loveland Frogmen Entry # 17

The Loveland Frogmen Entry # 17

Now that’s a frogman tongue right? cause it’s almost funnier if it’s a giant thermometer cause froggy’s got a fever and it’s making him overly aggressive… I do like that if you glance quick, his feet and legs could just as easily be a rocket plume for a giant frog shaped but legless rocket!

Buy A Mythical Beast Wars Shirt