What is the Hypnotoad? The viral TCU sensation that's been present all football season
FORT WORTH, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) — Like the weather, Horned Frog nation is heating up ahead of Saturday's big Fiesta Bowl in Arizona.
As TCU prepares to take on Michigan in the College Football Playoff, CBS 11 wanted to take a deeper look at the viral sensation that's had the crowds going at TCU games all season long—the Hypnotoad.
So...what exactly is the Hypnotoad?
CBS 11 tracked down the creator of the Hypnotoad, Eric Kaplan, a writer for hit shows like the Big Bang Theory and the co-executive producer of Young Sheldon on CBS.
Kaplan gave some background on the Hypnotoad, and his thoughts on seeing it become an adopted mascot for TCU.
"Hypnotoad is a character that appeared in the science fiction cartoon Futurama, and Hypnotoad is a toad that has the power to make you believe whatever it wants you to believe by means of hypnosis," he said. "When I heard that the people who liked the horny frog were switching to the Hypnotoad, I was over the moon...I was very happy, I was over the moon, I was over Jupiter."
A representative for TCU told CBS 11 the school is not allowed to use the Hypnotoad on merchandise, even though it's a hit among Horned Frog fans nationwide.
Kaplan says because Disney owns the rights to Futurama, the company also owns the rights to the Hypnotoad.