Education Packet Grades K-5 Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Key West features an incredible collection of over 550 UNIQUE, BIZARRE and INCREDIBLE artifacts in 13 galleries. Our goal is to INSPIRE, INTRIGUE and SURPRISE guests with remarkable oddities of nature, science, art, humanity and history. • Table of Contents • Page 1 ................. Ripley’s App 2 ................ Who is Robert Ripley 3 ................ Word Search 4–5 ............ Scavenger Hunt 6 ................ Ripley’s Ripples 7 ................ Fun Facts 8 ................ Vocabulary 9 ................ Homework #1 – Cultural Diversity 10 .............. Homework #2 – Draw Like Ripley 11 ............... Homework #3 – Ripley’s Geography 12 .............. Homework #4 – Tricks of Nature 13 .............. Class Project 14 .............. Scavenger Hunt Answers 15 .............. Odd Is In – Bullies Are Out! • Ripley Entertainment Inc. • • Ripley’s Believe It or Not! App • For more than 90 years, Ripley Entertainment Inc. The astonishing collection of fun, family has been a global leader in the attractions industry. friendly and educational attractions appeals to Ripley’s Believe It or Not!® is the largest, fastest people all over the world, both young and old, With your parent’s permission and assistance, using a growing, and most successful chain of amusement and we can proudly boast attendance fi gures smart phone or tablet computer, scan the QR code to museum-type attractions in the world! Constantly of over 13 million guests annually! the left (or search “Ripley’s Believe It or Not” in the App changing and expanding, our already extensive Store) to download a free App! The Ripley’s app opens worldwide presence includes over 90 fantastic up an entire new world of Ripley Adventures right on attractions in 10 countries. Cavendish your device! Newport The app allows you to download the latest Believe It Jackson Hole Toronto or Not! photos, videos, stores and facts. The OddScan San Francisco Wisconsin Dells Niagara Falls feature allows you to scan real-world targets in Ripley’s New York City museums and books to unlock exclusive hidden content. Baltimore Plus, download Ripley’s Believe It or Not! magazines, live Atlantic City feeds from Ripley’s social media, Ripley’s cartoons and a Ocean City “Ripleyfi ed” sword swallowing game! Hollywood Branson Williamsburg Gatlinburg Myrtle Beach Grand Prairie Panama City Beach St. Augustine San Antonio Orlando Key West ™ 1 • Who is Robert Ripley? • • Word Search • The Ripley story begins on Christmas Day in 1893, when Robert Leroy Ripley R G S S Z V L E M G V Q T Y M R A was born in Santa Rosa, California. A K B T E O Q O W Z F G H F G M Y T talented self-taught artist, Ripley sold his fi rst drawings to Life magazine when D N Z U Z K P R B D R A C U L A R he was only 14! Ripley was also a natural X G E T L A Q R T P D P H M E M A athlete who longed for a career in Z U Y A I W L R E E S O G G C P K baseball, but his dreams of pitching in W N Y T J H X W O V X E U J E D N the big Leagues were shattered when he broke his arm while playing his fi rst G F F S N Q K O N D A T W G Y V U professional game. After the accident, K C X Y R C D L P S N E U Y V Y J Ripley returned to his earlier goal of Y Z G T O A O D C H Q E W N J R G becoming a professional artist. He T N N I B M U A A E E T Y K N M I landed a job as a cartoonist covering sports for the San Francisco Chronicle, H C O L E E B W X M U Q F F S E G but soon after, he left California, and R H S I R L L P L I G S S U O I L headed for New York City. A I D T T B E E N N N U J K I X D K N U R E O T W N G O R I Y N Y E Travel was Robert Ripley’s lifelong obsession. During his career, he visited R A H E L N A U X W T F M G Q O C 201 countries, traveling a distance equal K X P F E E L D P A E L C A R I M to 18 complete trips around the world! A H V Z E D K C M Y J J P J Q X G In 1920, he made his fi rst trek across Europe. Two years later, he visited Central and South America and wrote about what he saw in a syndicated Camel Bone Junk Art feature column called “Rambles Around South America”. He was drawn to the WORDS China Miracle Orient in 1925, crossing through Japan, Malaysia and the Philippines. Ripley MAY Disk Weaver Monks felt most at home in China. He found Ripley was called “The Modern Day Marco BE Double Talk Robert E Lee Chinese culture to be fascinating, and Polo.” His travels took him to North Africa VERTICAL, adopted certain Chinese customs. When and Morocco, to New Zealand, Tibet, New Dracula Rodney Fox he entertained, he often greeted his Guinea and Russia. On one trip he crossed HORIZONTAL Fertility Statues Tongue guests in traditional Oriental costume. two continents and covered over 24,000 miles OR He presided over elaborate feasts in from New York to Cairo and back again- in DIAGONAL Hemingway Vortex Tunnel which he described the dishes of each search of the unbelievable. The journey course in precise detail, and at one point included 15,000 miles by air, 8,000 by ship & Hudson Wadlow he even signed his cartoons “Rip Li”! over 1,000 miles by camel, donkey, and horse! 2 3 • Scavenger Hunt • An act of religious devotion written on something you use in Just as Robert Ripley had to hunt across the globe to fi nd 6 your classroom. What was my name and what did I write? all his artifacts, today you will embark on a hunt of your own. Throughout this Odditorium you will fi nd many weird and unbelievable things. Let’s see exactly how close you pay attention! There is a picture of Mr. Ripley and his one-eyed 7 dog (Cyclops) in front of his home. Where is his I display upon me a multitude of rings that make many people home located?? 1 stretch their neck to take a second look. Who am I? As most people in my time, I found Robert Ripley’s discoveries 8 Who was the REAL Count Dracula? 2 truly unbelievable. I set out on a mission. Who am I and what was my mission? “I want to live…God how I want to live!” were ALMOST my last I am worshiped by many as a sign from Mother Nature and my 9 words. Can you tell me my name and my story? 3 ancestors worshiped for their abundance. The answer to this question is as plain as the white of my eye. What is my name? What was Mr. Ripley’s Full Name (Birth Name)? We were carved as a pair out of solid ebony. We were carved 10 4 on the Ivory Coast of what continent? Meet my one-eyed dog, When Ripley visited Japan, it was after a Cyclops! devastating event that changed both 5 Japan and the world. What event was this? Where in Japan did it take place? Read the show cards for clues! 4 5 • Ripley’s Ripples • • FuN FaCtS! • One of Mr. Ripley’s earlier cartoons in 1929 said that “America has no National Anthem”! In a 1936 survey, Robert Ripley was Wayne Harbour wrote more than 22,000 He pointed out that Congress had refused to recognize that song voted the most popular letters trying to prove Ripley’s as the Nation’s National Anthem. Believed to be because its original man in America, even tune was taken from a bar song called “To Anacreon in Heaven”. more popular than the fi nds and claims as fake or false. When an angry public turned to Ripley for answers, he said President of the He was never able to do so. After “Don’t write to me, write to your Congressmen” – and they did! United States! he died, Mr. Harbour’s widow donated his collection of Five million petitions were sent to Congress with most people letters to Ripley’s demanding answers and actions. Even John Phillips Sousa Believe It or Not! published an opinion in favor of the idea. Congress got the message and passed a bill on March 3, 1931. It was signed by President Herbert Hoover making “The Star Spangled Banner” the National Anthem of The United States of America. Sword Swallowing is a 4,000 year old art that has actually helped enhance medical science. Sword Swallowers suppress a natural refl ex in the throat and insert solid steal blades of 15-25 inches. It was the sword swallowers’ ability to suppress this refl ex that helped doctors develop the fi rst rigid Endoscope as well as digestion studies in the early 1800’s. Currently there are less than a few dozen active sword swallowers in the world, but you can see one LIVE in Key West! D.