EXPECT a baby boom in Blackpool if the myth surrounding a pair of unusual visitors from the Ivory Coast comes true.

Any day now, the pair of 4 ft. carved ebony fertility statues arrives at Ripley's Believe it or Not! Odditorium and it's believed they are responsible for 300 pregnancies in America. The King and Queen of Fertility were originally purchased as office art for Ripley's Entertainment Incorporated office in Florida. The myth was that anyone who touched them became parents.

The myth later became a miracle after five of the 13 female staff, two visitors to the office and a delivery woman became pregnant after coming into contact with the duo - meaning a maternity leave headache for employers!

Since then, the royal couple have been given the red carpet treatment throughout America and are alleged to be responsible for the pregnancies of more than 300 women - even ladies who were on the pill or who have been trying to have families for years.

And men aren't safe either, with three male Ripley's employees becoming fathers after touching the king, who carries a mango - a symbol of fertility - and the queen, who cradles a baby. After touring Europe the statues, which originate from the Baule tribe on the Ivory Coast, are currently winging their way towards the Odditorium inside the Pleasure Beach complex.

Spokeswoman Helen O'Neill said: "The belief in the phenomenon is amazing.

"Wannabe mums have been sending articles of clothing and faxed handprints to be rubbed on to the ebony pair in the hope the stork will follow.

"As a precaution, all staff coming into contact with it will be issued with protective garments!"

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