‘Fertility statues’ free to touch: Ripley

by the Canadian Press – from Yahoo Canada News
NIAGARA FALLS, Ont. – Hard to believe, but a pair of African statues “could be the cheapest fertility treatment in the world,” says Ripley Entertainment.
The company — known for its Believe It or Not museum-style “odditoriums” in several countries — says hundreds of women have reported becoming pregnant soon after touching the 1 1/2-metre-tall wooden statues, which once stood in the lobby of Ripley’s Orlando, Fla., headquarters.
Publicity for the “legendary fertility statues,” said to have been acquired in the Ivory Coast, includes a YouTube video showing women holding babies. One of the moms — a Ripley employee — says: “I touched them (the statues) a couple of times and I got pregnant a couple of times.”
The statues have been seen “by millions of people since their special powers were discovered in 1994,” Ripley says in a news release.
After completing the European portion of a three-year international tour, the statues are on display at Ripley’s Believe It or Not Odditorium in Niagara Falls, Ont., until Sept. 26.
Anyone who believes the marketing hype — or just has an open mind — is welcome to touch the statues free of charge.