A new bronze Horned Frog sits on a bench in a Ronald McDonald-like pose ready to take photos with people who also call themselves Horned Frogs.
Student Body President Brent Folan set aside about $50,000 for the surprise sculpture that was revealed on Homecoming weekend. The money was taken out of the $100,000 that Student Government Association didn’t use for this year’s fall concert as TCU Athletics covered the bill. Country artist Blake Shelton played on campus during Opening Week as part of the revealing of the Amon G. Carter Stadium renovation.
“Current TCU students will love it. You know they’ll take photos with it,” Folan said. “We put it out during Homecoming and there were literally lines of people wanting to take photos with it.”
Melissa Bruns, a first-year early childhood education major, said she loved the statue and already took photos with it.
Folan said he asked several sculptors for a sketch and an estimated price for a bronzed mascot bench. The sculpture was based off other universities’ benches like Ohio State’s Brutus Buckeye bronze mascot and bench.
Folan said he chose artist Doug Roper of San Antonio to take on the project. Roper said he and SGA communicated through phone conversations and emailed photos to make sure the SuperFrog statue was on track.
“I strive very much to be anatomically correct and also capture the essence of anything I sculpt,” Roper said.
Roper started sculpting about 25 years ago. He said he began when noted Chilean sculptor Luis Guzman was amazed by Roper’s work during a class.
“[Guzman] said ‘You need to have your stuff caste and bronzed. You’re better than I am,’” Roper said.
Student Body President Brent Folan, responding to student criticism, said today that he went through the correct channels to approve the $50,000 SuperFrog statue.
Sophomore English major Valyrie Kulp said she has been financially independent since she was 17 years old and was “appalled to see money being spent this way.”
"How is it that I miss out on a transfer student scholarship because I had a 3.2 instead of a 3.25 upon admission, missing out on a potential $13,000, but the school can spend $50,000 on a STATUE?" Kulp commented on TCU 360's previous story about the statue.
The Student Government Association Executive Cabinet approved the new bronze SuperFrog statue as early as last semester, Folan said.
The SuperFrog statue is currently in the Brown-Lupton University Union. An official installation celebration date will be announced later.