Our company’s story is one of growth and diversification, built on a corner stone of a simple sketch of nine unusual over-achievers. Like any history it can be broken down into eras of change. In our case these can be divided into convenient time periods roughly ten years in length.

The Beginnings—1893-1905
Robert Leroy Ripley’s real birth date is a mystery. Several sources give contradictory information. The truth is, no one knows for sure. Typically, however, we use the date December 24, 1893, a date Ripley used repeatedly including in his earliest passports. He was born in Santa Anna, California, of hard working, salt of the earth parents. His father died in 1905, forcing Robert—who at the time went by his middle name Leroy—to get a job to help support his mother and two younger siblings.

A Child Prodigy—1905-1913
Ripley’s first full time job was as a tombstone engraver, but from the age of 14 he was selling cartoon advertisements to local businesses and dreaming of leaving his small town surroundings. In 1909 he moved to San Francisco where he worked for the next four years at two different newspapers, drawing sports cartoons.

The Big Apple—1913-1923
Ripley moved to New York City in January 1913, and never looked back. His cartoon sketches of sports figures were much in demand, and he had no problem getting work. On December 19, 1918, he published his first Believe It or Not! Cartoon in the New York Globe. The cartoon was an instant success and put Ripley on the road—literally—to fame. In 1923 he made his first round the world journey in search of the odd and unusual.

From New York to the Whole World
Ripley never stood still during the next 16 years. He had boundless energy, enthusiasm, and vision. During this golden era, he traveled to over 200 countries; published four books; opened six museums (odditoriums); produced an enormously successful weekly radio show; made 23 movies; and began the licensing of his name, his logo, and a host of products ranging from bubble gum and tobacco cards, to women’s clothing. His first book, about boxing, was published in 1924. His first Believe It or Not! book, a collection of the best of his newspaper cartoon stories and drawing, was published in 1929. This book led to his cartoon becoming an international syndicated feature read by over 80 million people a day. His first radio show went on air in 1930, and his museum opened in Chicago in 1933. His sixth museum opened in New York City in 1939.

The War Years—the 1940s
World War II virtually ended Ripley’s world travels, but it didn’t stop him from diversifying his empire. Product licensing and radio broadcasting flourished during the 1940s and by the end of the era, Ripley had established himself as a pioneer in the latest media invention—television. Ripley died May 27, 1949, and is buried in his hometown, Santa Rosa, California. He was survived by both a sister and a brother.

A New Company Rises from the Ashes—the 1950s
Robert Ripley’s brother Doug took over the company when Ripley died. Unfortunately, he was not up to the task. Within two years, two different men—Doug Storer and John Arthur—were running the new company known as Ripley’s Believe It or Not! and Doug Ripley had left the company. Doug Storer had been Ripley’s manager and friend for twenty years. He continued the cartoon syndicate with the aid of researcher Norbert Pearlroth and artist Paul Frehm. John Arthur started the museum part of our company, buying as many of Ripley’s belongings at public auctions as he could, then building the first permanent museum in St. Augustine, Florida (1950), and a very successful show in New York City (1957—1966), It is during this decade, and the next, that the company produced a hugely successful run of literary materials: books, magazines, comic books, and anything else the famous cartoon could be printed in or on.

Growth of the Museum vision—the 1960s
In 1959 Doug Storer retied to pursue other interests, leaving John Arthur in control of the company. In 1963, John Arthur hired a Canadian partner, T. Alec Rigby, to open a third museum in Niagara Falls, Canada. Alec Rigby’s vision for the company was to expand the museum concept into several American tourist markets. By 1969 he had opened two more museums, San Francisco (1966) and Chicago (1968), acquired the Louis Tussaud Wax Museum trademark, and moved the company from New York City to Toronto, Canada.

Rapid Growth, Name Change, and Trademark Licensing—the 1970s
The first half of the 1970s saw the building of several museums including Gatlinburg (1970), Myrtle Beach (1976 ), and the first “foreign” location—Blackpool, England (1972-1976—reopened in the 1990s). With the retirement of Paul Frehm and Norbert Pearlroth, the look of the cartoon changed and books became less and less significant to the overall make-up of the company. Museums were now clearly the way of the future. Bob Whiteman, our licensing agent, expanded our horizons introducing the company’s name to millions of people via high profile campaigns. By the end of the decade he had paved the way for our successful weekly network television show starring Jack Palance (1980-1985). For most of this period the company was known as Ripley International Ltd. Our current president, Bob Masterson, joined the company in San Francisco (1973) and worked his way up through the ranks, moving to the Toronto Headquarters in 1980.

Franchising and a Changing of the Guard—the 1980s
Alec Rigby retired in 1984 having built nine Ripley Museums and two Tussaud Wax Museums in his twenty-one year reign. In January 1985, the company was acquired by Jim Pattison Industries of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and the age of franchising was born. The first franchised museum was Newport Oregon (1986), followed quickly by Las Vegas. By the end of the decade we had 15 museums, including our second international location, Surfer's Paradise, Australia (which began life as a franchise, but became a company owned
museum at a later date). John Withers served as the company’s president from 1980 until 1988, followed briefly by Bjarn Christensen, then Bob Masterson (December 1989 to present).

Asian Expansion and New Businesses—the 1990s
By 1990 we had built museums in all the major tourist markets in America, and determined that the future lay in expanding our museum concept into Asia. Our first museum in Asia was built in Everland, Korea in 1991. We changed our name to Ripley Entertainment, Inc. and moved our world headquarters from Toronto to Orlando, Florida (1993). We also decided to diversify our line of attractions. As we close the century, we now operate Guinness World Records Experience (7), Ripley’s Moving theatres (3). A Ripley Aquarium, and a Ripley haunted Adventure, in addition to 28 Ripley’s Believe It or Not! museums in 10 countries around the world.

The Future—2000 and Beyond
Growth and diversity are the key words in our future, just as they have been the common element in our storied past. From a newspaper cartoon drawing we have grown into an international amusement / attraction company. In the new millennium we will continue to produce books, television shows, licensed logo products and build new state of the art attractions around the world.