A selection of the biggest fake-outs and long cons in the history of searching for Bigfoot!
From Newsweek's Special Edition Magazine - "BIGFOOT: The Science, Sightings, and Search for America's Elusive Legend" - Purchase here!
Every Bigfooter dreams of catching a glimpse of the evasive object of their passion. Unfortunately, a few individuals have taken advantage of the interest and curiosity this hairy creature inspires and have bamboozled the public with elaborate fake ploys. Here are some genuine ruses that (almost) had everyone fooled.
The Minnesota Iceman
During a peak in Bigfoot excitement among the general public in the 1960s, Frank Hansen announced he had come into possession of a frozen Bigfoot corpse. He began taking the mammal around to local fairs, displaying a 6-foot, hairy, manlike figure encased in a block of ice, and the shows eventually garnered the attention of the Smithsonian Museum. Experts wanted to examine the supposed Sasquatch, but Hasen began balking at the idea of turning it over. He eventually admitted the specimen he had been parading around to county fairs wasn't the actual Bigfoot, but a replica. After investigators digging into Hansen's affairs discovered a paper trail from the Iceman's keeper to a company that made the attraction out of latex, the case—and the sideshow—were both closed.
"Bigfoot" Terrorizes Pennsylvania
In 1985, a nocturnal Sasquatch with arms so long they passed his knees began striking fear in the residents of Enola, Pennsylvania. The creature would run up to vehicle's headlights, and his appearances created so much terror that townsfolk locked their windows and began stocking up on firearms. But concerned authorities revealed the culprit wasn't a Sasquatch but rather a bored 24-year-old named Craig A. Brashear. After his arrest, Brashear admitted he knew people in town had been complaining of smelling a foul odor and hearing strange howls, so he rented an ape suit and a pair of fake fangs to stir up some excitement for himself.
Dead Bigfoot Found in Georgia
Even the most hardened skeptic might admit Sasquatch's existence if Bigfooters produced an identifiable corpse. In 2008, it looked as if hikers Rick Dyer and Matthew Whitton had finally stumbled on the motherlode when they bumped into a dead Bigfoot in the woods in Georgia. They claimed the Sasquatch stood more than 7 feet tall and weighed at least 500 pounds. Somehow, the pair transported the creature back to a house and placed it in a freezer. The men disseminated a photo of the corpse in the freezer and even held a press conference about their find. As interest grew, the two came clean and admitted the 7-foot giant was actually a Halloween costume covered in roadkill.
Hank
In 2014, Rick Dyer once again claimed to possess a corpse of Bigfoot. This time, the hunter claimed he shot and killed the creature himself. Taking a leaf out of Frank Hansen's book, Dyer sold tickets to the public promising them a glimpse of the Bigfoot body he named Hank, but many Bigfooters were understandably skeptical. Sure enough, Dyer admitted in a Facebook post to fans that the 'squatch was (again) a fraud. He said that he made Hank out of foam, latex and camel hair.
From Newsweek's Special Edition Magazine - "BIGFOOT: The Science, Sightings, and Search for America's Elusive Legend" - Purchase here!
Sadly, Rick Dyer is getting movie time on documentaries, let's be real, if he's in them then the documentary is pretty much effed up to begin with. IO even went so far as to warn a famous friend and he played dumb about it, apparently hoaxer are ok because they know how to make money off Bigfoot.
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