175 Jefferson Street
San Francisco, CA 94133

Phone: 415-771-6188
Fax: 415-771-1246

Museum Home

Looking forward to seeing you soon!

Ripley's Believe It or Not!® Museum

Exhibits

In 1933, almost 2 million people visited Ripley's first "Odditorium" at the Chicago World's Fair. Inside, there were posters of Ripley's Believe It or Not! cartoons, as well as artifacts from his travels and live performers.

Today, many of Ripley's personal treasures can be seen in Believe It or Not! museums located around the world. Each museum is unique in its collection of oddities and in their presentation. There is a careful balance between the strange, the shocking, and the beautiful.

The Two-Headed Calf!

Robert Ripley was intrigued with animal oddities, which he called "Pranks of Nature." This two-headed calf resides in the San Francisco Ripley's Believe It or Not!® Museum.

The Matchstick Cable Car!

This eight-foot long scale model of a San Francisco cable car was made from 270,836 matchsticks! This exhibit is one of several "fine art" pieces in the San Francisco Ripley's Believe It or Not!® Museum, which also houses an eight foot tall Stegosaurus made entirely from chrome car bumpers and a self-portrait of Van Gogh made from toasted bread!

Shrunken Torso!

The practice of shrinking heads was once common amongst the Jivaro Indians of Ecuador. It was a ritual that had been handed down through generations. The heads of slain warriors were valued as trophies or symbols of bravery. When a fighter killed his enemy, the victim's head was removed. The skin was then peeled away from the skull and hot stones and sand were poured into the cavity. The head was sewn shut and boiled in herbs until it had shrunk to the size of a fist. Ceremonial dances, feasts and songs accompanied the ritual!