A hoax “pickled dragon” that once duped the global media has been unveiled at a museum exhibit.
The phoney dragon made waves back in 2004 when Allistair Mitchell bamboozled the press with claims that his mate David Hart stumbled upon the creature in his Oxfordshire garage. Mitchell spun a yarn about the dragon foetus, complete with wings, claws and a tail, being the work of 1890s German boffins aiming to prank their British peers.
But the truth was, Allistair had cooked up the caper to drum up interest in his fantasy novel ‘Unearthly History’, which is all about dragons. He shelled out a cool £6,000 for the one-foot-tall dragon to be crafted in latex by the same talent who worked on the telly series ‘Walking with Dinosaurs’.
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Having spent over two decades tucked away at the author’s pad, the dragon is now taking pride of place at The Story Museum in Oxford, as part of their ‘Here Be Dragons’ showcase.
(Image: No credit)
A spokesperson for the museum said: “The pickled dragon was lost to public view, remaining at Mitchell’s home for over 20 years.”
“Thanks to the efforts of the creative team behind Here Be Dragons, the dragon has now been tracked down and returned to the spotlight for a new generation of admirers to enjoy.”