The Curse of the Colonel, Lifted?

When the Osaka based Hanshin Tigers baseball team won the Central League title in 1985, the fans in their exuberance threw a statue of the Kentucky Fried Chicken Colonel Sanders in the Dotonbori river there. Ever since, Osaka has been suffering a recension, blamed according to urban myth on the curse of the colonel. Now that the statue has been recovered from the river, about a week ago, it is hoped that the “curse of the colonel” will be lifted.





Tigers fans hope discovery of long-lost fast-food icon will lift 'Curse of Colonel Sanders'

(Mainichi Japan) March 11, 2009

A statue of Kentucky Fried Chicken's Colonel Sanders tossed into Osaka's Dotonbori River some 24 years ago by rowdy Hanshin Tigers fans has been discovered.

The Colonel's upper body, minus the hands, was discovered on Tuesday evening by divers checking for unexploded bombs as part of riverside pedestrian walkway improvement works. The figure's legs and right hand were discovered Wednesday morning.

The Colonel ended up at the bottom of the river in 1985, when delirious Hanshin Tigers fans celebrating the team's first Central League title in 21 years decided the figure bore a striking resemblance to Tigers slugger Randy Bass and, lifting it off its base in front of the Dotonbori Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise, gave the Colonel a victory toss. The fans put a little too much energy into the toss, and the Colonel Sanders figure went over the railing of the Ebisu Bridge and into the river. Since the statue's victory dive into the Dotonbori, searches for the statue were undertaken, but none with any success.

The Hanshin Tigers have not won the Japan Series since 1985, a fact attributed by some to the "Curse of Colonel Sanders."

The upper body of the statue was discovered at around 4 p.m. about 200 meters away from where it plunged into the water in 1985. When the figure was being pulled up by the crane on a salvage barge, construction workers could be heard to say, "It looks like a corpse." However, when Tigers fans such as the riverside project foreman saw the statue, they exclaimed, "It's the Colonel!" Passersby also stopped in their tracks to take in the scene.

With the media and locals looking on, divers began their search for the lower body at around 8:50 Wednesday morning, and discovered the right hand some minutes later. About 10 minutes after that, the diver's voice burst from a speaker on the salvage barge, saying, "It's the lower body. There's no mistake about it," bringing on a cheer from reporters and workers alike.

The statue sections are covered in river mud and badly stained, and the figure's feet, left hand and glasses have yet to be uncovered. The Osaka Municipal Government, which is responsible for the riverside, is holding the statue and will consult with Kentucky Fried Chicken Japan on how to handle it.

And what do Hanshin Tigers fans believe the Colonel's discovery portends?

"We'll be number one in Japan this year for sure," they say.

Recovered Colonel Sanders statue gets new pair of glasses

(Mainichi Japan) March 14, 2009

OSAKA -- Sabae in Fukui Prefecture, a city known for its eyewear, is donating a new pair of glasses to the statue of Kentucky Fried Chicken's Colonel Sanders that was recovered from Osaka's Dotonbori River after 24 years.

Until about 20 years ago, a Sabae eyewear manufacturer made glasses for Colonel Sanders statues across the country. The recovered Colonel Sanders statue, which was tossed into the river by a group of Hanshin Tigers fans while celebrating the baseball club's Central League win in 1985, is also believed to have worn glasses made in Sabae.

The recovered statue has been returned to its owner Kentucky Fried Chicken Japan, based in Tokyo. The company's president, Masao Watanabe, visited the Osaka City Hall on Friday and received it from Osaka Mayor Kunio Hiramatsu. The statue is expected to be shown to the public after being repaired, according to Watanabe.