Finally, a Bigfoot in a Box.

Bigfoot in a Box Presented to Thom Powell during
Wy'east Bigfoot Event on Saturday November 17th 2012

Chalk it up to the Fiji Mermaid category. If you are unfamiliar the Fiji Mermaid, it is an object that was paraded as a curiosity at museums and sideshows. The "Mermaid" was comprised of  a monkeys head and torso with the tail of a fish sewn together; the seam covered in papier-mâché. Because it was made of real parts it captured the imagination of those who saw it.

This preserved premature Bigfoot was so outside the realm of the expected you simultaneously look for details to prove and disprove it's authenticity. In fact, the "too good to be true" detector was instantly triggered, but then, each hair seemed to grow from individual pores, too many to count, and what seemed like once-working veins displaced the translucent skin they were under.

If the picture (taken from a phone) does not do it justice, we can assure you it was compelling enough that we would have loved permission to cut into it and see if there was real bone underneath the skin. How deep did the construction go? At the very least we wanted the whole story.

The premature Bigfoot belonged to a middle-aged bartender named Marty. Marty has had an avid interest in bigfoot for decades and proudly showcases a life-size plywood silhouette in his lawn. 

Three years ago Marty and his brother were walking along a nearby sandbar in Welches, Oregon. During the walk Marty's brother noticed something odd sticking out of the sound. Upon closer inspection it looked like a small human limb and the surrounding sand was quickly scooped away to reveal the premature Bigfoot.

Marty was convinced it was real, but did not have an expert to share it with, so he kept it in a box  until he had the opportunity. Fast forward to three years later to the Wy'east Bookstore Bigfoot event and the person Marty presents the Bigfoot to was Thom Powell.

When Thom Powell began to ask penetrating questions and permission to cut samples from the object, Marty wanted to get his story straight since Marty's brother was known to pull a prank or two, Marty went to the one other person that may know the entire story, his mother. Apparently Marty's mother revealed, that his brother had purchased the plastic model from a store and lovingly embellished, it applying semi-transparent layers of veins, hair and lacquer to create leather-like skin. Then he buried it at the place he "discovered" it with Marty.

To learn more about Thom Powell or to buy one of his highly-recommended books. Go to ThomSquatch.com.

Photos by Thom Powell (click to enlarge)