The Flying Dutchman and Other Folktales from the Netherlands

Copyright © 2008 by Theo Meder

From one of our reporters

ADELAIDE, Saturday

Yesterday, one of the Dutch contestants in the upcoming Paralympic Games was robbed by a kangaroo during training. It happened to cyclist Jan Mulder during a visit to a kangaroo park, where the team stayed as guests.

During this visit, a kangaroo bumped into the car of the Dutch team. The animal only suffered minor injuries.

Cyclist Jan Mulder took off the jacket of his tracksuit to take a photo. At the moment the photo was taken, the kangaroo took off with the jacket and the cyclist's Paralympic license.

This story is a version of BRUN 01120A, The Kangaroo Thief (The Gucci Kangaroo), and was published in the newspaper De Telegraaf on October 14, 2000. Later, Jan Mulder confessed that he had used the urban legend to attract the attention of journalists. Some three years later, this urban legend appeared in the American movie Kangaroo Jack (2003) as the major theme.

Although the action always takes place in Australia, the urban legend is well known in the Netherlands, too. In most versions, Dutch tourists bump into a kangaroo and put a jacket on him to take a funny picture. Then the kangaroo flees, taking along all the money, passports, and airplane tickets.