Is Bigfoot the New Zombie?

Will Bigfoot Replace Zombies?

Zombies and vampires have gotten all the attention lately. With Twilight, Walking Dead, countless remakes, TV shows, spinoffs, and more, there hasn't been a lot of room for other creatures of the night.

And while Bigfoot had been lying dormant since Harry and the Hendersons—save a few lame cameos in documentaries about unexplained phenomena—he's actually laid a lot of tracks lately. Now he has his own shows, stars in beef jerky commercials, has a MySpace profile (yes, he's a little behind the Facebook craze), and at least 2 feature films! But how far will it go? Will the real Bigfoot become a mockery in the shadow of the fantastical Bigfoot?

Let's take a look at the comeback of Bigfoot over the past several years.

Messing with Sasquatch (2006-2012)
The ad campaign for Jack Link's beef jerky featured various campers and outdoorsmen playing pranks on Sasquatch, only to have our hairy friend get back at them at the end of each ad. Check out a compilation of them in this video machup or the latest ads on his Jack Link's page.

Monster Quest (2007-2010)
History Channel's run of the series Monster Quest featured two episodes dedicated to the Bigfoot phenomena in 2007. In subsequent seasons, there were a few more episodes with creatures that resembled what could variations of Bigfoot in other parts of the world.

Bigfoot (2009)
The family-friendly movie has Bigfoot as a loveable creature, who has lost his home in the forest as a result of a forest fire. He runs into Percy, a teenager who is bullied by a couple of other teenagers, and the two form a strong bond. The two bullies eventually find Bigfoot and capture him, and it's up to Percy and his two friends to rescue Bigfoot and find him a new home.

Finding Bigfoot (2011-)
The Animal Planet documentary series follows the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO) in their search for our Bigfoot throughout North America. The team utilizes testimony from eyewitnesses as well as advanced technology, including night-vision and thermal imaging cameras. Season 3 includes investigations in Australia and Indonesia.

Bigfoot (2012)
The low budget made-for-TV SyFy flick depicts our favorite cryptic hominid as a wild, 20ft tall, vicious monster out to kill (clearly, he's just misunderstood) and wreaking havoc on a small community. Former icons Danny Bonaduce and Barry Williams are in the film, as well as several other faces you'd probably recognize from other indie films. While different from other renditions of the creature, if you have any respect for the actual Bigfoot, or film in general, you might want to pass on this cheese fest. Maybe Bobcat Goldthwait's Willow Creek will prove better once it's released.

10 Million Dollar Bigfoot Bounty (2013-)
With the promise of $10 million for irrefutable evidence of the existence of Bigfoot, the new reality show follows several teams of explorers as they seek to answer the question of whether Bigfoot is real or not. Last year, BigFootLunchClub posted interesting fan reactions from other sites regarding show.  Some believe the high dollar reward, the largest sum in TV history, suggests that producers and executives of the show probably do not believe the feat is possible.  Either that or they are true believers who are out to change history.  Hmmm.   According to direct2tv.com, the 10 episode show is scheduled to air on Spike TV this year.

With the additional exposure, will Bigfoot knock Zombies and Vampires off their pedestal?  While fans want to see Bigfoot get the credit, respect, and admiration he deserves, more attention could push people away.  Folks are already losing interest in Zombies and Vampires because of their oversaturated exposure.  If Bigfoot "sell outs" he could share the same fate.

Maybe after the masses have grown tired of him and all the dust has settled, true fans will once again be able to focus again on what really matters….finding him.

James Duncan is a freelance blogger who loves to write topics on Cryptozoology such as Bigfoot, Loch Ness monster, and other mythical creatures. James spend most of his free time researching evidence about Bigfoot.