Stockholm University students have their own Nobel tradition–new
laureates are invited to a December 13 ball, then inducted into “The
Supreme Order of the Ever Jumping and Smiling Green Frog.”
Their actual paper snailmail invitation contained no email address or
URL. For information about this unique event, it had to be Google once again to the
rescue!
The guest of one 1987 Nobel-winner describes a banquet with drinking-songs followed by “hi-jinks.”
From a detailed diary of 1996 Nobel-guest adventures kept by David Mermin: “between midnight and 1 the
culminating event of the week takes place… details of the lunatic ceremony are lost in the
fog, but somehow it manages to culminate in all six of the
1996 Nobel Laureates in Physics and Chemistry lined up together and
uttering cries of “Rivet, rivet” while squatting on their haunches and
yumping up and down. A fitting end to a can-you-top-this week.”
Stockholm University science students explain the frog insignia: “The Frog is made out of an alloy of lead with
bismuth, frog-ish green and tied in a very special way. The Insignia is
supposed to be weared with tail-coat for the gentlemen and
evening-dress for the ladies. When a Frog-member dies, the relatives
are asked to send the Insignia back to the Order or to destroy it.”
Frog-members also get to drink
pea soup with brandy in March–the group’s only other official event.
Thank you, Google–jumping and smiling will be on Frank’s Nobel week
schedule!