FROGS OF CENTRAL PARK

Membership: Bugeye, Dewlap, King Glugwort, Queen Greensong and her son, Gullywhump, Puddlegulp, Thor (temporarily)

Purpose: Hopping, croaking, eating bugs, being hideously mutated by our pollution, and whatever else frogs enjoy

Affiliations: Dr. Strange, Thor

Enemies: The alligators of the Morlock Tunnels, The rats of central park

Base of Operations: Central Park, Manhattan, New York City

First Appearance: Thor I#364 (February, 1986)

History:
(Thor I#364 (fb)) - The Frogs of Central Park have been living in Central Park for a long time, swimming in the reservoir, eating flies, and living froggy lives. Since the beginning they have shared a strong enmity with the Rats of Central Park, which eventually escalated into a quasi-war between the frogs and the rats.

(Thor I#364 (fb)) - A number of frogs wandered into sewer pipes and vanished at the jaws of alligators that lived in the sewers of New York City. The frogs referred to the alligators as dragons.

(Thor I#366 (fb)) - An unknown amount of time ago, a witch turned an unnamed man into a frog. He took the name Puddlegulp and found a life with the frogs of Central Park.

(Thor I#363) - Thor was turned into a frog by the magic of Loki.

(Thor I#364) - Thor, mistaken for a normal frog, was attacked by a rat. Thor defeated the rat while being observed by Puddlegulp. Puddlegulp explained to Thor that the rats and frogs were at war and asked him to stay and help in the fight against the rats. Thor was hesitant, but before he could decide, a group of rats approached, so Puddlegulp led Thor away toward the haven of the frogs in the reservoir of Central Park. On the way, they found a group of rats attacking Glugwort, king of the frogs, and his body guards. Thor and Puddlegulp defeated the rats, but not before they could kill the king, who begged Thor with his dying breaths to stay and fight the rats. Thor and Puddlegulp arrived at the reservoir and learned that the rats intended to dump rat poison into the reservoir. Thor decided to stay and help the frogs fight the rats. 
    Gullywhump, one of Glugwort's bodyguards, also perished. Also named who Bugeye and Dewlap.

(Thor #365) - While the rats dragged a garbage bag full of rat poison toward the reservoir, the frogs of Central Park attacked them from all sides and a battle between the rats and frogs began. Meanwhile Thor ventured into the sewers and encountered the alligators. Thor lured the alligators to the surface. The frogs retreated as the alligators saw the rats and devoured almost all of them, giving victory to the frogs.  Afterward, Thor was asked to stay and lead the frogs, but he declined, telling them that he had to go, and they must unite behind whomever their new leader would be. Puddlegulp said goodbye to Thor, revealing that he was once a man as well and had been transformed into a frog by a fortune teller..
    Bugeye, Greensong, and Puddlegulp were specifically identified.

(New Mutants I#38) - Thor, Frog of Thunder, arrived in a barn associated with the X-Mansion in Westchester, where he was observed and recognized by Danielle Moonstar (Mirage) and her winged steed Brightwind. Thor transmitted thoughts to Moonstar, encouraging her and giving her the strength to continue after she had been slain and resurrected by the Beyonder.

(Thor I#373) - Thor was in Central Park when Puddlegulp approached him and told him of the death of the alligators in the sewers and that something terrible was going on beneath Manhattan. Thor thanked Puddlegulp and went off to see what the trouble was.
    Bugeye also conspired to become the leader of the colony of frogs.

(X-Men Annual#10) - The frogs, including Puddlegulp, his sister Queen Greensong (see comments), and her unnamed son, were present in Manhattan's Delacorte Theatre during a showing of Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors. When Spiral began battling the New Mutants-made-X-Men, Puddlegulp told his nephew to be prepared to protect Greensong, just in case.

(Doctor Strange III#2) - While trapped in a rat's body (by Dormammu), Doctor Strange made his way to Central Park. The frogs, who remembered their champion (Thor), initially attacked him, but remembering the lessons of Merlin (and Doolittle), Strange spoke in frog-talk to them. The frogs decided to help set up mystical lines in the soil to summon Gaea, after which they wished him cool water and shade.

(Thor I#502) - During a break from the madness caused by Onslaught, a small army of frogs jumped atop Thor, apparently to say goodbye. When Thor mentioned this, his ally, Roger "Red" Norvell doubted he could truly speak to frogs. Red leaned down and made an attempt at frog speech, but the frogs took off en masse as Jane Foster approached.

Comments:  Created by Walter Simonson and Paul Becton.

    The trouble that Puddlegulp told Thor about was the Mutant Massacre that swept through all the X-books at the time. The Mutant Massacre was when the group of mutants known as the Morlocks (living beneath the city) were all but wiped out by the efforts of Mr. Sinister's Marauders.

    Something that was really entertaining is issue #366 of Thor where the frog Thor manages to lift Mjolnir and is transformed into a frog looking version of Thor, the "thunder frog" as you can see in the image to the right. 

    Thanks to Per Degaton and the Marvel Chronology Project for pointing out New Mutants I#38, X-Men Annual#10, and Thor I#502.

    Puddlegulp told Thor he was once a man, but he also was named as Princess Greensong's son's uncle. I'd have to think that that was just an honorary title, as most of my friends' kids call me "Uncle Jeff." It's also possible that Glugwort formally adopted Puddlegulp as his son...or that Puddlegulp was briefly transformed into a man, but that his true form was a frog...or just that he was not being truthful with Thor, for whatever reason.

Ratso and Rizzo are homages to Jon Voight's playing a kept man/male prostitute and Dustin Hoffman as his confidant Ratso Rizzo in the X-rated Midnight Cowboy-not a porn film.
--Per Degaton

Profile by Stunner and Snood.

Clarifications: Not to be confused with

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rats of Central Park

    The rats of Central Park were, as their name suggests, the rats that inhabited Central Park. They had a long standing enmity with the frogs of Central Park, which eventually escalated into an animal war. The rats succeeded in killing the king of the frogs and intended to dump rat poison into the reservoir to kill all the frogs, but through the combined efforts of Thor and the frogs they were defeated. Thor led alligators to the surface and the alligators decimated the ranks of the rats. 

Ratso was named in Thor I#364, and Rizzo and Southside were named in Thor I#365

--Thor I#364 (365

images: Thor I#365, page 17, panel 1
               Thor I#365, page 9, panel 1
               Thor I#366 (cover)
               (rats of Central Park) Thor I#365, page 9, panel 3

Thor I#364-365 (February-March, 1986) - Walt Simonson (writer/artist), Ralph Macchio (editor)
New Mutants I#38 (April, 1986) - Chris Claremont (writer), Rick Leonardi (pencils), Bill Sienkiewicz (inks), Ann Nocenti (editor)
Thor I#373 (November, 1986) - Walt Simonson (writer), Sal Buscema (artist), Ralph Macchio (editor)
X-Men Annual#10 (1986) - Chris Claremont (writer), Art Adams (pencils), Terry Austin (inks), Ann Nocenti (editor)
Doctor Strange III#2 (January, 1989) - Peter Gillis (writer), Richard Case (pencils), Randy Emberlin (inks), Carl Potts (editor)
Thor I#502 (September, 1996) - William Messner-Loebs (writer), Mike Deodato (artist), Bobbie Chase (editor)

First Posted: 07/27/2005
Last updated: 07/29/2005

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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