Ripley's Believe It or Not! Wisconsin Dells To Host Exhibit of Fertility Statues in March
World Famous Cote-d'Ivoire Statues are linked to more than 2,000 pregnancies - So proceed with caution!

WISCONSIN DELLS, WI, March 06, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum in Wisconsin Dells will host the sixth stop of a three year, multi-city international tour of the world famous Ripley's Fertility Statues! They will premier in Wisconsin Dells on March 7th , following crowd-pleasing stops at the Ripley's Believe It or Not! Odditoriums in New York's Times Square, Grand Prairie, Texas, Williamsburg, Virginia, Orlando, Florida and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

"Please Don't Touch - Unless You Want a Baby!"

Thousands of people have seen the statues over the past several years. 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!

More than 2,000 women have reported they became pregnant shortly after touching the wooden statues. Many of them had been told by doctors they would never be able to conceive! Since the women's stories became public in 1994, millions have visited the statues.

From March 7th through March 26th , the statues will be on display in the lobby of Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum in Wisconsin Dells, 115 Broadway. Would-be parents are invited to come in and touch them for FREE during regular business hours, Monday through Sunday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

The five-foot tall wooden statues were acquired from the Ivory Coast (Cote-d'Ivoire) of West Africa in 1993, and were placed in the lobby of Ripley Entertainment's corporate 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 them became international news. In the ensuing years, the edifices made three trips around the world, stopping at Believe It or Not! museums, allowing millions easy and free access.

They were retired to the Ripley warehouse in 2001, but due to great demand, they were put on display at the Ripley headquarters in Orlando where they have been seen by hundreds each month who made a special pilgrimage to see and touch the statues.

"For years now, we have been inundated with requests to make these statues available once again at our odditoriums throughout the world," said Edward Meyer, VP Archives & Exhibits for Ripley Entertainment. "Amazingly, people are still finding out about them and call us wanting an opportunity to come in and touch them. Due to this demand, we have decided to tour them again."

After Wisconsin Dells, the statues will spend a month at the Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum in San Francisco, California.

To set up an interview with a mother who touched the statues and became pregnant, contact Tim O'Brien at Obrien@ripleys.com.

For more information, including high resolution images and video, please visit http://www.ripleys.com/fertility/content/

For more information on the Wisconsin Dells Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum, please visit http://www.ripleysbelieveitornotdells.com

Press Release Contact Information:

Tim O'Brien
Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Communications
119 Broadway St.
Downtown Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin
USA 53965
Voice: 1.608.254.2184
Website: Visit Our Website