NEWS COPY
Early-risers in central London were treated to an unusual sight this week as two African fertility statues inspired displays of love in Piccadilly Circus.
Surprised commuters looked on at the romantic scene as loved-up couple Tom Yau and Elyce Vandersluys took to their bed to celebrate the arrival of the legendary fertility statues.
The pair looked smitten with each other under a duvet, flanked by the ebony figures, carved to represent masculine and feminine fertility.
The statues were hand-carved by the Baule tribe, who live in Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) in West Africa, and date back to the 1930s.
Ripley's Believe It or Not! acquired the figures in 1993 and put them in the lobby of the company headquarters in Orlando. Within months, 13 women, including some staff and office visitors, were pregnant.
The statues have made three trips around the world and have now arrived in the United Kingdom, where they will be displayed in Ripley's Believe It or Not! London in Piccadilly Circus for the next six months.
Lucy Waddell, General Manager at Ripley's Believe It or Not! London said: "We know from our American colleagues that women have routinely made special visits just to touch the statues.
"We encourage anyone who is intrigued by these wonderful statues to pay a visit during the limited time they are in the UK
"If you can't make it to the attraction in person, feel free to send us in a photo or copy of your handprint so that we can rub the statues for you."
According to tribal legend, to ensure a couple's fertility the statues are to be placed on either side of a doorway leading into a bedroom. If a woman or her spouse touches either statue as they enter the room, they will soon get pregnant.
Thousands of women have testified that, after trying to conceive for years, they got pregnant after laying their hands on the legendary statues.
The male and female statues were hand carved with primitive tools. They stand five feet high and weigh over 70 pounds each.
ENDS
