Bigfoot is an alleged human or ape-like cryptid in North America. Since the mid-20th century, Bigfoot has become increasingly relevant in popular culture and is the subject of film, television, advertising, music, literature and more.[1]
Advertising
"Bigfoot" and "Sasquatch" are pop culture terms that have been used in advertising across many different products and services
Jack Link's brand of beef jerky uses Bigfoot as a product mascot. The company also produces a series of commercials entitled "Messin' with Sasquatch". In the commercials, hikers play tricks on Bigfoot. The end of the commercials typically show the creature reacting angrily to the pranks, chasing, and sometimes attacking them.[2][3]
Game camera manufacturer the Bushnell Corporation, along with Field & Stream, launched a promotional contest over a photo taken in September 2007, by deer hunter Rick Jacobs of Pennsylvania[4] on his game camera of what some believe could be a young Bigfoot.[5] More skeptical viewers deemed it a bear.[6] The companies offered a one million dollar reward for a verifiable photo of Bigfoot taken on a game camera.[7]
The food chain Red Robin ran a television commercial in which a hiker speaks the words "Red Robin" and hears a reply of "Yummm" from Bigfoot.[8]
The restaurant chain Boston Pizza used "Louie" the Bigfoot in a series of television commercials around 2007. Ultimately they decided to drop the character as a promotional gimmick.[9]
American comfort technology company Purple launched an internet ad on YouTube in November 2016 entitled, "Can Your Mattress Protector Stand up to Sasquatch?". It depicts a Bigfoot mother advertising the brand in a comedic style along with her husband and son. As of January 2022, this advertisement has over 128 million views.[12]
American Insurance company Progressive launched a commercial in March 2020 depicting fictional saleswoman Flo having a conversation with a Bigfoot named "Darryl" who is upset that people are so preoccupied with their outdoor recreational vehicles that no one wants to find him anymore.[13]
American personal care products company Dr. Squatch parodies the name "Sasquatch" in their brand and the creature is depicted in their logo.
In the 1993 game Sam & Max Hit the Road, the eponymous characters embark on a search for a Bigfoot that escaped from a traveling freak show. Later an entire population of bigfoots is encountered.[77]
In the 2000 game Banjo-Tooie, the player encounters a Bigfoot/Yeti-like creature called "Biggafoot" in Hailfire Peaks.[78]
In the 2000 game Ski Resort Tycoon, Bigfoot is an obstacle that players must overcome when building their resort.[76]
In the 2001 game Zoo Tycoon, players can unlock Bigfoot and the Yeti for display at their zoo.[76]
In the 2004 game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, a rumor surfaced regarding players allegedly catching a glimpse of Bigfoot within the game's forests. It soon became a popular topic on sites such as YouTube, and much like its real-life counterpart, players searching for Bigfoot within the game became a commonplace. Rockstar Games has denied the existence of Bigfoot within the game. Modders have since added their own versions of the creature to the game.[79]
In the 2007 game The Sims 2: Bon Voyage, a Bigfoot sim can be found on a secret vacation lot and brought home to live with the player's sim.[76]
In the 2007 game Poptropica, on Cryptids Island, Bigfoot is the last cryptid that the player must find. He is proven to be real, and is found in the Pacific Northwest.[citation needed]
In the 2012 game Assassin's Creed III, the young assassin Connor is told stories of a tall, hairy figure who steals from hunter's traps. This starts a side quest, where the player is tasked with finding out the truth about this story.[81]
In the 2013 game Grand Theft Auto V, Bigfoot is seen in the game's "Predator" mission. After completion of the story mode, players who attain the 100% Completion goal can undertake a mission to hunt Bigfoot, although it turns out to be a man in a suit. Additionally, players can find and consume peyote plants, one of which temporarily transforms the player into a Bigfoot.[82] For Halloween 2022, players who completed certain tasks in the Grand Theft Auto Online version of the game received a Bigfoot costume for their wardrobe.
In the 2018 game WarioWare Gold, several Bigfoot family members are seen in the Potluck Gang's story at the Peridot Campgrounds.[citation needed]
In the 2020 game Terrordrome: Reign of the Legends, Sasquatch appears as one of the playable characters.[83]
In the 2022 game Splatoon 3, Bigfoot was featured as the third option in the April 2023 Cryptid Splatfest Nessie vs. Aliens vs. Bigfoot.[84]
Law
Skamania County, Washington passed a law regarding Bigfoot in 1969 declaring that "any willful, wanton slaying of such creatures shall be deemed a felony" subject to substantial fine and/or imprisonment. The fact that this legislation was passed on April 1 did not escape notice, but County Commissioner Conrad Lundy said that "this is not an April Fool's Day joke ... there is reason to believe such an animal exists."[85] The ordinance was amended in 1984 to preclude an insanity defense and to consider such a killing homicide if the creature was proven by a coroner to be humanoid.[85][86] The Skamania County ordinance speculates on whether or not Bigfoot is a subspecies of Homo sapiens.[86]
Whatcom County, Washington passed a bill on June 9, 1991, which declared Whatcom County a "Sasquatch Protection and Refuge Area".[87]
Literature
Like film and television, Bigfoot is a common subject of literature appearing in a variety of genres.
Sasquatch Books is the largest publishing house in the Pacific Northwest. Its logo features a Sasquatch footprint.[88]
The Gwaii, published by Arcana Studio,[89] is a children's graphic novel that features a Sasquatch named "Tanu" searching for his mother and tribe in the Canadian wilderness.
John Prufrock, the hero of the comic bookProof, is a Bigfoot who works for a secret agency that hunts and captures other cryptids. The comic was written by Alex Grecian and illustrated by Riley Rossmo. It was published in Image Comics from October 2007 to May 2011.[90][91]
Donations to Clarity, a 2011 novel by Noah Baird, tells the story of a Bigfoot who falls in love with a Bigfoot hoaxer.[92]
A character called "The Sasquatch" appears in the Italian comic series Tex (as a huge wild man with thaumaturgical powers)[93] and Martin Mystère.
In the non-canonStar Wars Tales comic "Into the Great Unknown", the Millennium Falcon, after a blind hyperspace jump, crash-lands on what appears to be Endor but is in fact the Pacific Northwest around the time of Lewis and Clark, resulting in Han Solo's death at the hands of the natives and the eventual discovery of his body by Indiana Jones (who is disturbed by something "eerily familiar" about the remains) - "Sasquatch" is actually Chewbacca.
Alternate history author Harry Turtledove has written stories as part of the "State of Jefferson Stories" titled "Visitor from the East" (May 2016), "Peace is Better" (May 2016), "Typecasting" (June 2016) and "Three Men and a Sasquatch" (2019) published online here where Sasquatches, Yetis and other related cryptids are real. However, unlike common popular depictions of such creatures as less evolved primates, they are essentially another race of human beings, and have been integrated into society.
In the poem Satch by Jeannette Allée (Fence literary magazine, Vol. 8,1&2, Summer 2005), Bigfoot is a metaphor for how individuals childishly hide from their own talents, desires, love.
In the SCP Foundation mythos, the Bigfoot are depicted as Homo nocturnalis, an endangered species of the genus Homo classified as SCP-1000. A cover story initially introduces SCP-1000 as possessing a fictitious genetic disease that increases the likelihood of spontaneous brain death in other hominids the longer they are viewed at. In actuality, SCP-1000 was once the dominant species of Earth until prehistoric humans stole and used their own technology against them, drove them to near extinction, and wiped their civilization from history. The survivors and their descendants have been given the moniker of the "Children of the Night" by a group of human oral historians known as the "Children of the Sun."[94]
The 2024 book The Secret History of Bigfoot: Field Notes on a North American Monster by John O'Connor explores the cultural obsession with Bigfoot.[96]
The Bigfoot Song:I Still Believe in Bigfoot, by singer/songwriter Danny Freyer, has become somewhat of an anthem for Bigfoot enthusiasts since it was first released in 2005, and is used in the closing credits of a film forthcoming production titled American Bigfoot, which is directed by American comedian Bobcat Goldwait. The song's lyrics include, "I still believe in Bigfoot/Don't care what they say/Still believe in apple pie and the good ol' U.S.A," and were written in response to a news article following the death of Ray Wallace, the man who claimed responsibility for finding Bigfoot evidence. The article quoted Wallace's son stating that his father had perpetrated a hoax, carving the footprints himself. The song highlights the desire of many Bigfoot enthusiasts to believe in Bigfoot, regardless of scientific evidence or lack thereof.[citation needed]
The song "Bigfoot!" by the Winnipeg indie-rock band The Weakerthans is about the frustration and humiliation of a man who is purported to have seen a Bigfoot.[101]
The musician Saxsquatch has had a number of viral videos where he, dressed in a Sasquatch costume, performs saxophone covers of popular music. Saxsquatch has gathered a large social media following.[104]
Podcasts
The Adventure Zone, a popular real-play RPG podcast, features Bigfoot as a side character in its Amnesty campaign, set in West Virginia.[105]
Bigfoot and Beyond, a podcast hosted by Finding Bigfoot cast members James "BoBo" Fay, and Cliff Barackman.[citation needed]
Bigfoot is the name of the first series of monster trucks. In 1975, Bob Chandler created the original truck, which he named after his driving style rather than its characteristically large tires.
Bigfoot has been featured in a wide variety of television and has been the focus point such as in documentaries and programs depicting the search for the creature, or referenced in many other ways within shows of varying genres and types.
Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond in October 1959 presented one of the earliest television series episodes referencing a Bigfoot-like creature that rescues a little boy, Davey Morris, who is lost in the woods. Davey insists that a giant, furry friend helped him and visits him at home where the creature leaves giant footprints and an unpleasant, lingering odor. Davey's father and friends hunt the creature and set the woods on fire to flush it out but with no success. One horrified hunter does glimpse the creature but can't come to terms with what he has seen.[citation needed]
Finding Bigfoot on Animal Planet follows a team of Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO) members searching for the creature.
Destination Truth on Syfy features multiple episodes of host Josh Gates searching for Bigfoot or related creatures such as the Yeti.
Survivorman season 6 depicted Les Stroud searching for the creature while surviving in the wilderness alone. It was titled - Survivorman Bigfoot.
The Animal X series on the Discovery Channel featured an episode related to Bigfoot in which a research team discovered the Skookum cast in the year 2000. The 2004 spin-off "Animal X - Natural Mystery Unit" showcased an episode in where a team searched for Bigfoot in Texas.
Ancient Aliens on History aired an episode on May 23, 2012 entitled "Aliens and Bigfoot", which explored theories between extraterrestrials and Bigfoot.[110]
The Six Million Dollar Man and its spin-off, The Bionic Woman featured three separate stories (two of them two-part episodes) featuring a bionic Bigfoot which was created by aliens (and the source of the legend owing to the aliens' extended time taking refuge in the wilderness of northern California); initially an antagonist, Bigfoot eventually becomes a friend and ally to the heroes. In the first two-part episode, the creature was played by professional wrestler André the Giant while in the latter episodes he was played by Ted Cassidy.[111]
The Beachcombers episode "The Sasquatch Walks By Night", aired January 13, 1974 and depicts a storyline involving a hoaxed Bigfoot sighting.[112]
Bigfoot and Wildboy, which started as a segment of the second season of the Krofft Supershow before spinning off into a series, has the title character joined by a young orphan.
Sasquatch was also featured in the Tenacious D (The Greatest Band in the World) TV show and wanted to join the band but was unable to. Sasquatch did, however, cause Jack Black and Kyle Gass regained their trust in the rock star mythos.[citation needed]
In the TV series The Invisible Man, the title character of Darien Fawkes is turned invisible by a chemical derived from Bigfoot; Bigfoot has escaped detection over the centuries by turning invisible.[citation needed]
In DuckTales episode "The Other Bin of Scrooge McDuck!", Bigfoot (voiced by Sam Riegel) was found with a thorn in his paw by Huey, who removed the thorn, hoarded him in McDuck Manor, and named him Tenderfeet.
In Tom and Jerry Tales episode "Sasquashed", while on a camping trip, Tom, Jerry and Tuffy find a Bigfoot named Sheldon.[citation needed]
In Phineas and Ferb episode "Get That Bigfoot Outta My Face!", Candace was eaten by a Bigfoot, mistaking with real, however, it turns out that was a Bigfoot costume instead of real.[citation needed]
In The Newsroom episode "I'll Fix You", news researchers discuss and (often jokingly) debate the reality of Bigfoot as a future story for the news.[citation needed]
The iCarly episode "iBelieve in Bigfoot" focuses on the main characters visiting a forest in search of Bigfoot.[citation needed]
In The California Raisin Show, the Raisins, sick and tired of autograph hounds and obsessive fans, elect to go camping in the deep woods for a much needed vacation. One of the Raisins tells of a Native American (portrayed as potatoes) legend of a monster called "Sasquash". In the fruit & vegetable manner of the show, the Raisins come across a race of gigantic anthropomorphic squash and appease them by performing an impromptu concert, then return to civilization leaving a boombox of their music and an autograph for the Bigfoot-type creatures.[citation needed]
Bigfoot makes an appearance in the "Summer Camp!" episode of the family comedy series The Aquabats! Super Show!, turning out to be the boyfriend of a female shapeshifting "Were-Ape" which has been terrorizing a summer camp.[citation needed]
In the Brickleberry episode "Steve's Bald", one of the park rangers, Steve, is mistaken for Bigfoot after overuse of a black-market baldness cure leaves his whole body covered in hair, playing along with the misconception until being accused of killing Steve - prompting a chase which leads to the discovery, and death, of the real Bigfoot.[citation needed]
In the Littlest Pet Shop episode "Littlest Bigfoot", Penny Ling encounters a juvenile bigfoot in a forested National Park. Her friends are skeptical of her findings, until they encounter the creature themselves later in the episode.[citation needed]
In the Australian YouTube series The Big Lez Show, Sassy the Sasquatch is one of the main protagonists, accompanied by other Sasquatch like creatures. Sassy and his friends frequently engage in recreational drug use.[113]
In Gravity Falls, Bigfoot appears for a split second in the theme song and is parodied in the series.[citation needed]. At the Mystery Shack, Grunkle Stan has a statue in one of his exhibits called the "Sascrotch", which appears as Bigfoot wearing underwear.
In Timon & Pumbaa episode “Bigfoot, Littlebrain”, Timon and Pumbaa meet Bigfoot (voiced by Bill Fagerbakke). When they accidentally eat Bigfoot's bug friends, Bigfoot makes them keep him company so that he won't be lonely.
Sasquatch from Animal Mechanicals is a blue Bigfoot who has the ability to stretch his arms and/or legs to an incredible length.
In the Goof Troop episode "Winter Blunderland", Pete convinces Goofy to play Bigfoot in order to bring business to his car lot. Instead of customers, the real female Bigfoot is attracted.[citation needed]
In the SheZow episode "SheSquatch", SheZow and Maz help a female Sasquatch named SheSquatch from an evil park ranger from forcing her to scare campers.[citation needed]
In the Round the Twist episode "The Nirandathal Beast", the title creature is based on Bigfoot. Bronson gets mistaken for the beast after growing a long beard due to using the family razor before Pete and gets the attention of the authorities and eventually bounty hunters.[citation needed]
"Bigfoot: The Convincing Evidence", released on April 14, 2017, is episode 2 of season 2 of BuzzFeed web series, BuzzFeed Unsolved: Supernatural in which evidence suggesting the existence of Bigfoot is discussed and investigated.
In the Courage the Cowardly Dog episode "Courage Meets Bigfoot" the titular character befriends a Bigfoot and protects him from a mob.
In the Dexter's Laboratory episode "Sassy Come Home", Dee Dee befriends a Bigfoot due to their mutual huge feet and they have to contend with Dexter, who is determined to capture the sasquatch.[citation needed]
In The Powerpuff Girls episode "Say Uncle", The girls take a Bigfoot-like Beastman (vocal effects provided by Dee Bradley Baker) home by mistake thinking he is their uncle Eugene, but problems ensue when they take the Beastman to Townsville.[citation needed]
In the Blaze and the Monster Machines episode "Gasquatch!", the guest character is a large, fur-covered Bigfoot-like monster truck who lives in the forest and loves mud.
In the CatDog episodes, "The Great Parent Mystery" and "Vexed of Kin", the titular characters' adopted mother is a blue-furred sasquatch married to a big-nosed frog.[citation needed]
In the Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi episode "Camping Caper", Ami gets kidnapped by a giant Bigfoot, Yumi attempts to rescue Ami before being eaten by the Bigfoot.[citation needed]
In the MacGyver episode "Ghost Ship", MacGyver encounters BigFoot on an abandoned boat in an Alaskan bay.[114]
In Yellowstone season three, main character John Dutton (portrayed by Kevin Costner) explains the hardships of ranching to his grandson Tate and talks about livestock being killed by predators, including joking about cattle being eaten by a "big stinkin' Sasquatch". When Tate asks Dutton if Sasquatch are real, Dutton laughs and responds that he has never seen one.[116]
In The Pentaverate, Sasquatch is depicted as the "guard dog" of The Pentaverate secret society. In episode four, Shrek knocks Sasquatch unconscious.[117]
In the Fugget About It episode "Sasquatchewan", Jimmy and Petey go on a hunting trip and come home with a Sasquatch.
Theatre
Sasquatched! The Musical is a musical play written and composed by Minnesota native Phil Darg in 2012. It follows the story of a gentle, dignified talking Sasquatch named Arthur, his interactions with the human characters of the surrounding Pacific Northwest area, and the issues revolving around Sasquatch-human relations. The style of the play is humorous, fast-moving, and family-friendly. The play was submitted as an entry to the New York Musical Theatre Festival in September 2012. In February, it was chosen as one of NYMF's Next Link selections and later received an award from the Anna Sosenko Assist Trust. In July 2013, the show was performed as part of NYMF at the Pearl Theatre in New York City.[119]
Tourism
There are annual Bigfoot-related conventions and festivals, and the creature notably plays a role in Pacific Northwest tourism, such as the annual "Sasquatch Daze" held for several years in Harrison Hot Springs, British Columbia and the Oregon "Bigfoot Festival" held in Troutdale, Oregon which draws thousands in attendance from all over. The small town of Remer, Minnesota holds an annual festival called "Bigfoot Days".
Primatologist and Bigfoot researcher John Napier commented on this, stating that "Bigfoot in some quarters of North America has become big business ... It can no longer be considered simply as a natural phenomenon that can be studied with the techniques of a naturalist; the entrepreneurs have moved in and folklore has become fakelore."[120]
In March 2021, as a means to draw tourism, Oklahoma announced it will issue "Bigfoot Tracking Permits" to be sold at certain businesses and will offer a $2.1 million bounty for a Bigfoot captured alive, unharmed, and legally.[121]
^Adam Stilwell; Adam Pitman; David Blair; Kent Harper; Gill Gayle (2016). The Sighting(DVD) (Motion Picture). Los Angeles, CA: Level 33 Entertainment. OCLC956740158. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
