Pickled Dragon Hoax, Dragon in a Jar, Allistair Mitchell’s Dragon
In January 2004, Oxfordshire author Allistair Mitchell revealed a pickled dragon in a jar, claiming German scientists had made it in the 1890s. The pickled dragon hoax spread quickly, with media coverage from France, Germany, Japan, Italy, and the United States. This strange story drew a lot of attention, but Mitchell created the hoax to promote his fantasy novel about dragons.
How the Pickled Dragon Hoax Was Created
Allistair Mitchell enlisted a talented prop maker, who had worked on the BBC series Walking With Dinosaurs, to create the 1ft-tall latex dragon embryo. A glassmaker on the Isle of Wight made the jar that contained the dragon, unaware of its purpose. Mitchell hired a professional photographer to take convincing photos, which he sent to the Evening Standard. The story was published, and within a day, it went viral.
The Story Behind the Hoax
Mitchell based the pickled dragon hoax on the historical rivalry between German and British scientists. He claimed German scientists wanted to embarrass their British counterparts by sending the dragon to the Natural History Museum. The British scientists realized it was a hoax and decided to destroy it. However, a porter saved the dragon and hid it for a century until Mitchell claimed it was rediscovered.
Public Reaction to the Pickled Dragon Hoax
The public reaction to the pickled dragon hoax was mixed. Some people were excited, believing it was proof of dragons. Others felt angry when they learned it was fake. Mitchell said the scientific community mostly enjoyed the hoax, while the public found it harder to accept the deception.
The pickled dragon has since appeared at both the London and Oxford Natural History Museums. Now, it is on loan to the Story Museum in Oxford for their Here Be Dragons exhibition. Daniel Clark, the director of the creative program at the museum, described it as a story that briefly pulled people into a world of fantasy.
“For us as a museum, we celebrate the imagination of children and visitors,” Clark said. “This story is incredible because it seemed to bypass reality and pull people into a wonderful world of dragons.”
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