# Mr Ed was a zebra? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 31, 2001, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-ed-was-a-zebra/52613 "2001-01-31T22:04:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2001, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-ed-was-a-zebra/52613/1 "2001-01-31T22:04:00Z")
I normally have a lot of faith in Snopes. But y’all read this… [http://www.snopes2.com/lost/mred.htm](http://www.snopes2.com/lost/mred.htm) I watched Mr Ed, Mr Ed was not a zebra. What gives? Is it a gag? An April fools joke? What gives? ---
**Author:** ![Gazoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ce73a5/32.png) [@Gazoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gazoo)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2001, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-ed-was-a-zebra/52613/2 "2001-01-31T22:13:36Z")
It’s a gag. Click on the “printer friendly” button on the bottom and the color picture of the zebra changes to an exact duplicate of the Mr. Ed picture, props included. ---
**Author:** ![rjk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2001, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-ed-was-a-zebra/52613/3 "2001-01-31T22:15:26Z")
Snopes does have a ‘Jokes’ section. Cecil discussed this before, IIRC. Search the archives. ---
**Author:** ![ianzin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed655f/32.png) [@ianzin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianzin)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2001, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-ed-was-a-zebra/52613/4 "2001-01-31T22:16:38Z")
It’s an extended joke, full of delightful nonsense. Most of the Snopes site is full of accurate info, but the Mr. Ed story is in the ‘Lost Legends’ section. The intro to this section reads in part (bold emphasis added): “We created The Repository of Lost Legends ( **TRoLL** for short) for those of you who **don’t let the truth get in the way of a good story**. If you have a taste for the unusual and arcane (and can **suspend your disbelief** just a little)” See? All the stories in this section are meant as a j - o - k - e. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2001, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-ed-was-a-zebra/52613/5 "2001-01-31T23:52:40Z")
You’d be surprised how many people fall for this…or maybe not. I find most people will pretty much buy anything you want to sell them. ---
**Author:** ![Robbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/97f17d/32.png) [@Robbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robbo)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2001, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-ed-was-a-zebra/52613/6 "2001-02-01T17:23:49Z")
I’m pretty sure Cecil covered this years ago…search the archive ---
**Author:** ![Delta-9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3be4f8/32.png) [@Delta-9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Delta-9)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2001, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-ed-was-a-zebra/52613/7 "2001-02-01T19:13:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by pepperlandgirl \* > \*\*You’d be surprised how many people fall for this…or maybe not. I find most people will pretty much buy anything you want to sell them. > \*\* ::sheepishly raises hand:: I got wooshed by the KFC one. Hoo boy, I bought it, too. Hook, line and sinker. ---
**Author:** ![djbdjb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a87d85/32.png) [@djbdjb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/djbdjb)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2001, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-ed-was-a-zebra/52613/8 "2001-02-01T19:58:24Z")
I read the story about the Titanic, searched some on imdb, and couldn’t find anything. Then I read the Mr. Ed story, and went “wait a minute…” I think I can take a joke, but I really don’t like this. To me, it is like having a site most of which is full of good information on herbs, then has a section where they tell you to eat arsenic. I don’t mind a page of only jokes, put when it is mixed in with true debunkings of urban legends, I think it is irresponsible. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2001, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-ed-was-a-zebra/52613/9 "2001-02-01T20:47:43Z")
::: grumble grumble grumble ::: Cecil gets around one or two questions a week, asking about Mr Ed really being a horse. Sigh. Snopes cleaerly intended it as a joke, but all it takes is one person who didn’t get it, who tells all his/her friends, and lo and behold, a new urban legend is born. Sigh. ---
**Author:** ![RainbowDragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6a8cbe/32.png) [@RainbowDragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RainbowDragon)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2001, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-ed-was-a-zebra/52613/10 "2001-02-01T21:09:57Z")
I must agree completely with djbdjb on this one. When we read a site like The Onion, we know to expect a farce or joke. When we read Snopes, we expect factual information. If it isn’t factual then it should be labeled with big letters “\*\*\* THIS IS A JOKE \*\*\*”. I sent a comment to snopes, hoping that they respond to this thread so that it can get closed and outta here.