Fertility Statue Count 935 Confirmed Pregnancies as of February 2002

African Fertility Statues! Believe It or Not! these world famous fertility statues from the Ivory Coast of Africa have generated interest throughout the entire world. In the past two years, dozens of women have claimed that as a result of touching the statues, they have been able to start a family. Therefore, when these statues go on tour, please don't touch!...unless you want to start a family. The legend of the fertility statues started in 1995. The totems-- a male and female statue, each about four feet high-- were meant merely to decorate the exterior of the headquarters of Ripley's Believe It or Not! in Orlando, Florida. They were imported from the Baule tribe in the Ivory Coast (of Africa) at a cost of about $1,000 each. In the first year that the statues were displayed, eight out of twenty staffers became or would soon become parents. In addition, an Airborne Express delivery woman who frequently touched the statues when she dropped off deliveries to Ripley Entertainment Inc., also became pregnant. Kimberly Martin, a Ripley employee, accidentally bumped into the totems, during a time when she was taking birth control pills. Nine months later, she had given birth to a seven-pound, three-ounce baby boy! The interest the statues have generated has spurred stories shown on CNN News, Good Morning America!, Unsolved Mysteries (shown 4 times), a Spanish show called Primer Impacto, as well as numerous local news programs. Several women from across the world who have been unable to see the statues in person have faxed photocopies of their hands, articles of clothing and other unusual items to be rubbed on the statues in the hopes of becoming pregnant.

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