Froggyland

What would it look like if frogs were carpenters? What about if they went to school, played tennis, or ran a circus? You can find out at the strange, delightful Froggyland museum in Croatia.

The collection of anthropomorphic amphibians at Froggyland consists of 507 stuffed frogs arranged in 21 cases. These dioramas were the life’s work of 20th century Hungarian taxidermist Ference Mere, who devoted 10 years to stuffing and meticulously arranging the frogs. When he completed the project in 1920, there were around 1,000 of them. The frogs displayed at Froggyland passed from owner to owner until finally making it to Croatia and getting their own museum.

Mere’s project may sound eccentric, but his work is truly remarkable. He used an advanced taxidermy technique in which the frogs were stuffed with cork through the mouth. This time-consuming process left the frogs entirely whole, lacking any external incisions. The varied dioramas - a blacksmith shop, a music lesson, a day on the lake - present everyday life scenarios down to the smallest detail. A photographer holds a tiny camera. A painter has been given a little easel and paintbrush. In the classroom scene, one frog raises two fingers to indicate that it is about to speak. The final result is an absolutely ribbet-ing example of creative taxidermy. (And those who just can’t get enough can hop on over to The Frog Museum afterwards.)