The tall tale's origins are seen in the bragging contests that often occurred when the rough men of the American frontier gathered.
The comic strip Non Sequitur (1992–present) sometimes features tall tales told by the character Captain Eddie; it is left up to the reader to decide if he is telling the truth, exaggerating a real event, or fabricating a story entirely.
Some stories are told about exaggerated versions of real people: Subjects of some American tall tales include legendary figures: The Australian frontier (known as the bush or the outback) similarly inspired the types of tall tales that are found in American folklore.
[8] The common theme was gigantism: fishing for leviathans,[6][9] hunting for[6][10] or riding[11][12] oversized animals, and bringing in the impossibly huge sheaves.
[6][13] An homage to the genre can be found on the cover of the Eat a Peach (1972) album by The Allman Brothers Band.