Ripley's exhibit coming to Slugger Museum
Have you ever seen a replica of Yankee Stadium made out of toothpicks?
Now you can.
The Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory has booked the exhibit "Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Oddball" that will run March 5 to Jan. 8, 2017.
The exhibit showcases Ripley's bizarre baseball treasures and other findings. It will be the first that Ripley's Believe It or Not! has done a special exhibition with a baseball theme, and the show is included with regular admission.
“The entertainment factor is off-the-charts,” said Slugger Museum Executive Director Anne Jewell.
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Themes explored in the exhibit include Robert Ripley’s lifelong passion for the sport, quirky baseball oddities, bizarre ballpark food and team-specific treasures.
More than 100 items will be on display including the following:
- A Babe Ruth game-worn uniform
- A Hank Aaron sculpture made from Oh Henry! candy bars
- A portrait of actress Jennifer Lawrence made of more than 10,000 peanuts
- An image of actor Tom Cruise made from ketchup and mustard and smells like a hot dog
Every major league team is represented with a twist. A life-sized sculpture of Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow – made from seashells – represents the Pirates. And a portrait of Pete Rose, painted on rose petals, will delight Cincinnati fans.
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Robert Ripley, an explorer, reporter and collector, created Odditoriums to showcase his worldwide findings. He was also a radio, movie and television personality.
The exhibit also includes original pen and ink cartoons drawn by Ripley on location around the world between 1931 – 1945.
The exhibit also includes a number of traditional Ripley’s Believe It or Not! crowd-pleasers such as a two-headed calf, a shrunken head and an ancient Egyptian mummified foot. Other select items include a genuine vampire killing kit, giant sculptures of Iron Man and Captain America made from car parts, and a huge duct tape portrait of Chewbacca.
Reporter Sheldon S. Shafer can be reached at (502) 582-7089, or via email at sshafer@courier-journal.com.