The Patterson–Gimlin film, shot in the late 1960s, purports to show a female Bigfoot taking a stroll through the woods near Orleans, California. Read the rest

The world of Bigfoot is no stranger to shysters and hoaxers. In fact, the entire phenomenon could be nothing more than a mix of chicanery, misidentification and gullibility.

Yet the subject is enormously popular, with internet forums, YouTube channels, numerous television programs, and even conservation groups focusing on the possibility of the existence of an undescribed, bipedal, North American ape (or demon, alien, or interdimensional being, depending on your point of view).

Enter Todd Standing, a self-avowed bigfoot researcher. Standing has purportedly had multiple encounters with these creatures and has even published photos and videos of them. Standing's footage aired during an episode of Les Stroud's Survivorman series, and shows a bigfoot peering through the vegetation. The creature even blinks its eyes in the footage (and has become known as "Blinky" as a result). Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and in the eyes of many, Standing's is not only insufficient but downright (and laughably) fake.

Phil Poling, photography expert and former law enforcement official, and Daniel Falconer, a special effects expert, have written a paper refuting Standing's evidence. In it they analyze Standing's photos and video footage, and make some pretty compelling points and discoveries using stills from the video and photos of Standing himself.

It's a fascinating read if you're interested in the subject. If you're a believer, it's a good guide to critically thinking about the subject and how to NOT go about trying to convince others that bigfoot is real.

See Poling and Falconer's full report and visual analysis here. Read the rest

These days, television networks air completely fictitious productions as non-fiction documentaries on subjects such as the extinct Megalodon shark or mermaids. Read the rest

The Bigfoot Show is the best bigfoot podcast you're not listening to.

Gulf Coast Bigfoot Research Organization looks like your average grumpy white guy paramilitary organization, but they are actually a well-oiled team of devoted Bigfoot hunters on a mission to "protect the public and harvest a specimen to prove it's real."

The TV show Killing Bigfoot from Gryphon Productions premieres Friday, October 17th on Destination America. Read the rest

My wife says she always thought of Chewbacca as a space sasquatch; I just spotted this delightful "Bigfoot of Endor" t-shirt on Neatorama!

The forest moon was full of furry creatures of all shapes and sizes, and they generally got along just fine thanks to daily parties and plenty of libations, but when the critter they referred to as Bigfoot moved in things got pretty scary. He carried a big bowcaster and a bag full of tiny bones, and when he spoke it sounded like a sheep was being strangled. The little alien bear people now live in fear of the Bigfoot, hoping to one day hire a smuggler to come and take him away...

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Rick Dyer claims to have killed a Bigfoot after luring it with some pork ribs he purchased at WalMart. "Every test that you can possibly imagine was performed on this body -- from DNA tests to 3D optical scans to body scans," Dyer says. "It is the real deal. It's Bigfoot and Bigfoot's here, and I shot it and now I'm proving it to the world." If Dyer's name sounds familiar, it's because of his impeccable reputation in the Bigfoot research community! He's one of the perps behind the 2008 Bigfoot hoax involving a rubber suit with freezer burn. Besides, everyone knows that Bigfoot is kosher. (KSAT) Read the rest

Back in February, a Texas forensic scientist announced that she'd identified a DNA sample from Bigfoot and had sequenced the creature's genome. Now the sequences have been released for wider scrutiny and Ars Technica's John Timmer had a chance to dig into the data and speak with the discoverer of the possible Bigfoot genome. This is a story that, I think, everybody can enjoy — a skeptical analysis that's respectful to the Bigfoot researchers and genuinely interested in understanding where the DNA in question came from and what the genome sequences can tell us. Read the rest

The reason you really know this was a seventies TV commercial? Children playing outside. Read the rest

Tim Marczenko of Toronto claims that Durham County police harassed and falsely arrested him for possession of a controlled substance. Marczenko was trudging through the brush and apparently police suspected that he was a pot grower. He was actually searching for Bigfoot. According to the National Post, Sasquatch-seeking is an alibi that others have tried using in the region. But Marczenko was serious!

“(The police officer) asked me, ‘What are you doing out here?’ I told him I was investigating a Bigfoot report and he said, ‘Wow, you’re a terrible liar,’ ” Mr. Marczenko said. ” ‘I know it sounds crazy but I’m not lying about it,’ I said. He kept telling me I was lying about the situation.”

"I’m not growing pot, I’m searching for Bigfoot" Read the rest

These delightful Bigfoot and Yeti glass ornaments are available from the International Cryptozoology Museum. They're $20 each and support the fantastically Fortean museum located in Portland, Maine. International Cryptozoology Museum Holiday Gift Guide

UPDATE: The ornaments are nearly sold out so perhaps consider gifting a Bigfoot or Yeti footprint cast to your favorite cryptozoologist? Read the rest

Comparing the trailing shin angle between the biped in the Patterson Bigfoot film (73%) and humans (52%)

Jonathan Doyle, a performance artist, has appealed a case involving his right to film bigfoot skits in New Hampshire's Monadnock State Park to the NH Supreme Court. He argues that the permit requirements are unduly onerous for small-scale productions: "I am maintaining the integrity of being real, enjoying day-to-day things, and having fun with your friends. If I let that go, I’ve given up a significant right to the state."

In its Supreme Court brief, the state argues that the permit requirements are reasonable to help the park staff manage competing uses on one of the most-climbed mountains in the world.

The permit regulations are for “mitigating the impacts of commercial events’’ in state parks, and “protecting visitors from unwelcome or unwarranted interference, annoyance, or danger,’’ among other considerations, the state wrote in its brief.

The problem, from Doyle’s perspective, is that permits cost $100, there is a 30-day waiting period, and anyone who wants a permit must post a $2 million insurance bond to protect against injuries and damage, adding several hundred dollars to the cost, according to filings.

That’s too much cash and red tape for a few friends out on a lark with a consumer video camera, Doyle argues.

(via /.)

funny,weird,new hampshire,free speech,bigfoot Read the rest