By Tim Binnall
A museum in Indiana is trying to get to the bottom of a strange mystery that appeared on their doorstep in the form of a bizarre figurine that they have dubbed the 'Richmond Rat Boy.' Showcasing the oddity on social media earlier this week, the Wayne County Historical Museum in the community of Richmond explained that they discovered the peculiar piece on Monday morning in a wooden box addressed to the site and delivered to their back gate. The creepy figurine (seen in more detail below) resembles some kind of cryptid, with a creature's head atop a small humanoid body stretched out inside the container, which is marked 'fragile.'
The museum indicated that the individual who donated the very weird object did not identify themselves, but did leave a note which provides a some insight into the curious doll's origin story. According to the donor, the piece once belonged to their "great-grandfather's friend who worked for one of the circuses that frequented this area, most likely in the 1910s-30s." Although not explicitly stated in the note, one imagines that the 'Richmond Rat Boy' may have been passed off as the remains of some kind of 'monstrous creature' akin to the infamous Fiji Mermaid. To that end, the museum revealed that the 'rat boy' is not really a creature at all and, in fact, appears to have been crafted using "plaster of Paris and clay over an armature."
The body of the 'beast,' they said, is "decorated not only with paint, but also animal claws and animal hair" to add a laudable touch of realism to the figurine. While modern day pictures of the 'monster' may make it hard to fathom how one might believe it was real, it's not all that difficult to believe that unwitting circus patrons observing it from a distance a century ago could walk away thinking that they had just gazed upon the remains of some exotic creature. Planning to add it to their collection of "strange things," the museum expressed hope that the donor might come forward with additional information on the piece or that perhaps a member of the public could shed more light on the doll's undoubtedly unique tale.