Stolen Concrete Frog Is Home For Holidays -- Kidnapped Law Ornament Traveled The World

SWANSEA, Mass. - If you love a good mystery, you'll find this one ribbitting.

Gertrude Knight, known as Gert, was working in the yard a little after Easter when she noticed something wasn't right.

"My husband was on the lawnmower, and I yelled, `Hey, John, we got a frog missing.' "

Someone had swiped one of the pair of 10-pound concrete frogs that sat on a concrete bench under a concrete umbrella on the Knights' front lawn.

Doesn't sound like much of a mystery, does it? That's what the Knights thought, too. At first.

"I just thought some kids took it and threw it somewhere," John said.

He changed his mind a couple of weeks later when a postcard arrived from Maryland, showing a sunset on the Chesapeake Bay.

"Sick of sitting on your lawn," the card said in capital letters. "Had to get away. Love, the frog."

That was followed by a letter from New York. "Dear Ma and Pa, Hope things are good! I'm being well taken care of! I'm in New York right now! Should be back for the holidays! Take care of my lady frog for me. Write you again soon! Love, the frog."

The letter was accompanied by a photo of the frog sitting outside a New York subway station and being held aloft near the street signs at Broadway and 52nd Street.

For a frog, and a concrete one at that, he proved rather prolific. The letters, post cards and photos poured in for the Knights, retired gas-station owners who are both 67.

From Switzerland, Sweden and Paris. "Hi Mom and Dad. Can't stay in Paris too long, I hear frog legs are a delicacy! Gotta go."

From Hawaii, Italy and Beverly Hills. "This is where the rich and famous frogs hang out. Like me."

From London, Denmark and Indonesia. "President Suharto stepped down. Me and the children pray for peace in Indonesia and for everyone around the world."

From Japan, Las Vegas and Amsterdam. "Catch you around Christmastime."

Christmastime? That would be right around now, wouldn't it?

On Monday morning, Skip Around Limousine in Taunton, Mass., got a call.

"My boss said I had a job to pick up a Mr. Frog at City Hall in Fall River," said driver Jim Smith. "I just figured I was picking up a person by the name of Mr. Frog."

As soon as Smith pulled up to the curb, someone dashed to the limo, opened the rear door, put something inside, and handed instructions and an envelope with $100 to the driver. Then the man made his escape. All Smith noticed was that he had long hair in a ponytail.

Next stop, Bristol Avenue, the tiny Swansea street that the Knights call home. The normally quiet avenue was abustle Monday, because someone had leaked word that the frog, who has grown into a media celebrity, was coming home.

As television cameras rolled, Smith handed the frog to Gert, who wanted to peer inside the car. "I thought sure somebody else was in there." But nothing was to be found, save a bottle of champagne, flowers for the frog's lady friend, a Christmas card from the frog to the Knights and a letter from the person who started the whole affair.

"Dear Mr. and Mrs. Knight, I am glad to send Phil the Frog home for Christmas. Never thought the joke would become this big! You don't know me, and I never met you. It was totally a random thing for my best friend and I to do! We took good care of him. Hope you keep him inside from now on, seeing he is famous. Best wishes for a happy holiday season, and thanks for being good sports!"

It was signed simply: "Frognappers."

But the frog's journeys are not yet finished, according to the Knights. Next month, the couple, who have been married 46 years, and their concrete pals will be flown to New York for an appearance on "The Rosie O'Donnell Show."

They would like to bring the "frognapper" along, but his identity remains a mystery.

John Knight has not been in the best of health. " '98 was a bad year for me," he said. He has had large benign tumors removed from his shoulder and lungs. The vicarious adventure has helped him through his troubles.

"I think it picked me up a bit, being sick," said John. "Unbelievable what a little cement frog can do; change your life around."