UNION DEMOCRAT (Sonora, California) 10 November 05 Jumbo frog contender wants another shot at Jubilee title (Mike Morris)
A Seattle man who leaped into local infamy when he entered a trio of African Goliath frogs in Angels Camp's annual Jumping Frog Jubilee 15 years ago is aiming for a comeback.
Andy Koffman, 56, said he contacted fairground officials yesterday about possibly having a new batch of jumbo frogs jump again at next year's Jubilee.
"I know I'd win if I came back," he said yesterday by cell phone.
Koffman, a former animal importer, now works at a diner and is trying to start a travel business that would lead sightseeing trips to Africa.
In 1990, controversy and an ensuing media frenzy over Koffman's African Goliath frogs brought more than 52,000 people to Angels Camp's annual fair and frog jumping contest, inspired by Mark Twain's tongue-in-cheek short story, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County."
Some frog jump competitors that year argued the much-hyped huge amphibians amounted to unfair competition. But Koffman's contenders croaked under the pressure and failed to out-jump the winning bullfrog that year — Help Mr. Wizard, jockeyed by longtime contestant Gregg Jaschek, of Concord.
The world record is held by one-pound Rosie the Ribiter, who jumped more than 21 feet in 1985. Rosie's record is written on a sign spanning the fairground's main stage.
"I want to see my name where Rosie the Ribiter's name is," Koffman said. "It should have been there a long time ago."
Koffman said footage from his 1990 jump was featured on an Animal Planet television show this week.
"It reminded me of maybe coming to the fair again," he said.
While looking for parrots in Cameroon, a west African country slightly larger than California, Koffman said he found hundreds of Goliath frogs in the early 1980s.
He used to keep 25 of the frogs — some weighing in at 9-plus pounds — in a man-made pond in his Seattle basement.
"I knew about the contest and thought it would be fun to enter," he said of the Jumping Frog Jubilee.
Koffman said his frogs made it to the finals, but a last-minute rule that the frogs had to fit on a 6-inch jump pad disqualified some of his larger frogs.
"I should have won that contest," he said.
After discovering the frogs and bringing them to the fair, Koffman made several television appearances, including being featured on The Late Show with David Letterman and The Tonight Show, both with Johnny Carson and Jay Leno.
Koffman said he was asked four months ago by Tonight Show producers to return with some big frogs.
Since Koffman brought the African amphibians to Frogtown, the U.S. government has classified the frogs as a protected species and will only allow them into the country for educational purposes, which Koffman said would include the fair and television shows.
Koffman no longer has any of the mammoth frogs.
To participate in the fair, Koffman would have to capture some in Africa, bring them to California and then return them. He said he's not sure how much that would cost.
"I don't have the money to do what I did last time," he said. "I think I brought several millions of dollars — tens of millions of dollars — to that area, and I didn't get anything. Some people said, ‘Thank you.' "
Frogtown spokeswoman Laurie Giannini confirmed yesterday afternoon Koffman did contact her, but she needed time to review his e-mail.
Koffman, who met his wife in Cameroon and speaks three tribal languages, said after the 1990 contest and after the TV talk show rounds, he lived in a remote African village for two years and has since led a low-profile life in the states.
However, he made it clear that he wants to return to Calaveras County's main stage for another shot at victory.
"What's fun for me is leaving a lasting impression in people's minds," he said.
Jumbo frog contender wants another shot at Jubilee title