Viral video of Dumpy the giant frog turns out to be fake
A viral video of an enormous Australian White’s tree frog left people confused about the animal’s real size – turns out it’s not actually as big as you think.
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A video of a giant White’s tree frog called “Dumpy” went viral – but it turns out the animal is not as big as you think.
Last week, social media users were baffled after TikTok user Lucas Peterson posted clips of him and his pet frog, Dumpy. The amphibian – which is native to Australia – appeared to be larger than his owner’s head.
Lucas’ posts attracted over 20 million views, leaving people confused about whether the animal’s size was real.
Speaking with CNN, the US content creator explained that the four-year-old frog is actually only about the size of his palm.
Lucas used video editing software Adobe Premiere to make Dumpy appear much larger.
There are also a “whole lot of perspective tricks going on” to help the video appear realistic, Lucas told the outlet.
The videographer said he hoped to inspire debate over whether or not the clip was real.
“It causes a question and more interaction, debate over whether it’s real or fake,” he said.
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The TikToker was surprised by the massive engagement of the enlarged Dumpy video.
“I didn’t expect people to go that wild over a giant frog,” he said.
Lucas explained that the video was edited in the description of the original TikTok, writing: “His real size is about 4-5 inches he’s enlarged with vfx perspective tricks. I did all my editing in adobe premiere.”
While the content creator did provide a disclaimer, he told CNN that copies of his original video without the caption circulated on TikTok, Twitter and Instagram, leading many viewers to believe the clip was real.
“Dude look I’m super confused and I’m [gonna] need someone to make this make sense for me,” one commenter wrote on TikTok. “What is going on here?”
“I thought frogs grew to like, tomato size. You got a blinking bowling ball sitting around,” another said. “So excuse me if I have some questions.”
“We have been BAMBOOZLED,” another commented, which prompted Lucas to respond with a chuckling “ha ha sure,” adding that, “Dumpy might not be this big but he is a real frog of mine.”
Lucas said the video’s viral fame has given him an opportunity to share information about his semiaquatic pets.
“This opened the door to help educate people about how great tanks and amphibians are,” he said. “It’s kind of a niche hobby.”
The videographer plans to release more content with Dumpy and his other amphibians in the future.
“Dumpy is still the same loveable frog you see on the screen, the only thing that’s different is he was enlarged,” he said.
Originally published as Viral video of Dumpy the giant frog turns out to be fake
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