PHOTOS: Giant inflatable toad lands in Beijing

By Ryan Kilpatrick, July 19, 2014

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Are you sick to death of giant yellow ducks in the news? So are we. 

That's why we're so delighted to see a welcome breath of fresh air in the news today: a giant inflatable frog!

This weekend, Yuyuantan Park in Beijing's Haidian district is now home to the latest in the exhilarating world of giant inflatable floating animals.

 

Designers have thought outside the box this time by making the frog - you are never going to guess this - even bigger than that sad, puny duck! At 22 meters tall and 34 meters long, he towers over human and duck alike. 

In frogger's defense, though, he's not completely devoid of cultural meaning. According to ancient legend, Chang'e, the Chinese goddess of the moon, transformed into a frog after she was transported to the moon's surface by binging on the pill of immortality. For this reason. the moon has been referred to as the "Toad Palace," and the toad has become a highly auspicious creature. 

The mythical Golden Toad, the greedy wife of one of the Eight Immortals who was transformed into a toad as punishment for stealing the Peaches of Immortality is said to appear during the full moon near houses or business that are about to come into serious cash. Golden Toads (also known as "Money Frogs") often decorate business places in order to attract wealth. 

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