Back in GQ, there’s a zombie thread of aluminum can pop-tops and how some organizations, tired of turning people away, will actually accept donations of pop-tops and use them in their (nearly useless) way to support charitable causes.
That reminded me of the story of the little Dutch boy … the one who saved his town by sticking his finger into a leaking dike. It’s an American folk tale, first told in “Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates”, and not nearly so well-known in the Netherlands. However, so many Americans traveling to Holland asked to see the statue honoring this boy that eventually several places actually erected one.
Are there other examples of a legend warping reality?
The city of Metropolis, IL became a tourist destination for Superman fans. There’s a statue of Supes in the town square and a museum. The local paper is called the “Planet”. Even the State Legislature got in the act, formally declaring the city as the official home of Superman.
The Anne of Green Gables books have caused a mini-tourist boom on Prince Edward Island since a series of TV shows dramatized the books.
Back in the 60s, people kept going to Virginia City, Nevada, looking for the Ponderosa (from Bonanza, the most popular TV show of the time). Locals finally decided to call some random ruins the Ponderosa and send the tourists there. Later, a theme park was created.
That Ponderosa thing is just what I was looking for. Now I want to visit the theme park and go on the “How to poison your wife once she’s delivered you a son” ride!
I thought of the Captain Kirk monument, but that’s more of a tribute than something people actually believe. I guess Metropolis is somewhere in between. Maybe people actually believe the stories were supposed to be set there.
I’ve heard that in the 1960s, the LA Police Department wasted so much time giving explanations to tourists who stopped in to visit Sergeant Friday, that the receptionists were instructed simply to tell them it was his day off.
