The giant rat of Sumatra appears as a brief passing reference in one of Sherlock Holmes' adventures by Arthur Conan Doyle:
- '"Matilda Briggs was not the name of a young woman, Watson," said Holmes in a reminiscent voice. "It was a ship which is associated with the giant rat of Sumatra, a story for which the world is not yet prepared."' -from The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire
This reference was expanded by conceptual comedy group The Firesign Theatre in 1974 into the satire The Tale of the Giant Rat Of Sumatra (LP Columbia KC32730) with protagonists Hemlock Stones, the 'Great Defective', and his biographer and companion, Dr. John Flotsom, O. D., part of which takes place aboard the "Matilda Brigg2". The name of this ship induces the group to perform the song Frigate Matilda (to the tune of Waltzing Matilda), which has become somewhat of a cult standard.
The reference was twice enlarged into a book, first in 1987 as The Giant Rat of Sumatra by Richard Boyer, which features the return of Hound of the Baskervilles villain Stapleton. In this novel, the "giant rat" turns out to be a vicious tapir. The second novel was 2002's Sherlock Holmes and the Giant Rat of Sumatra by Alan Vanneman, (Published by Carroll & Graf, ISBN 0786709561), however, the 'Matilda Briggs' does not appear in this book.