During the early morning hours of April 5, 1978, Patricia Wilcox called the Freeman to say she saw two kangaroos - a big one and a little one - hopping across Moreland Boulevard on Highway A."I’m sane, sober and I saw kangaroos," the 34-year-old school bus driver told the Freeman. "I thought they were deer at first. People were honking and slamming on their brakes, and finally, one guy hit one. But it just got up and hopped off."Wilcox’s story sounded crazy, but throughout the month, a dozen additional witnesses reported kangaroo sightings.A local tavern even organized a kangaroo hunt. But after catching two rabbits and a couple of grass snakes, the hunters decided to go back to the bar, realizing their intended prey had eluded them.While the entire county was buzzing over the mysterious kangaroo that hopped through traffic in late evening and early morning hours, two brothers were trying their best not to spoil their secret.Richard Schmitt, with the help of his brother, Jack, and buddy Craig Rittershaus, said he created the "kangaroo" in the summer of 1977 after hearing that a kangaroo had been spotted in Ohio.

"I made a kangaroo cutout in my garage from plywood," said Richard Schmitt, who was 19 at the time. "Then I showed Craig and we decided it looked too wooden so we smeared some mud on it and used toothpaste for the eye."

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