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| Clifford LaBrecque's neighbor next to his $85,000 Replica |
** UPDATE and CORRECTION: According to Mr. LaBrecque, the image above initially identified as LaBrecque, is, in fact, his neighbor.
LaBrecque also claims to have not shot at Bigfoot and the replica was designed before his encounters. This is a contradiction to the Examiner article written by John Newman we referenced. You can read the full article here.
Fans, when we first briefed you on this Bigfoot ebay item we were certain Clifford LaBrecque was trying to cash in on a 30 year investment, and we doubted if Clifford knew how auctions worked. When we saw the item has recently been re-listed for $5000 more, upping the price to $85,000, we knew we had to call Mr. LaBrecque to get the details.
"You can't make a replica like that today for less than $85,000." LaBrecque said over the phone. Based on what we know about costumes he may be correct. The Hairy and Henderson costume cost several million in 1985, adjusted for inflation it is about $3.9M in today's dollars. Granted, Hairy Henderson had remote control animatronics, but even a Hollywood costume without fancy electronic moving parts would run a quarter to a million dollars today, if it were made by a special effects studio.
As we continued to speak to Clifford Labrecque we realized there really wasn't a price too big for this statue, he had put an enormous amount of effort into it. "I did so much research back then, just so I could get it right. When I pass [and they prove Bigfoot] they will see I was accurate to within two inches"
It began to make sense, this replica was the sum of his research, research he no longer does.
"I got out of the Bigfoot world, because none of the academics would listen to me, sure they are interested now. Now, if Joe Academic goes out in the woods and sees Bigfoot, it becomes gospel." he continued to express his feelings about the TV show Finding Bigfoot, "That show is doing so much damage to the research, when we are out in the woods we don't think every single sound we hear is a Bigfoot"
To be fair in regards to Finding Bigfoot, we know the sensitivity to sound has a lot to do with editing and less to do with the hosts of the show being able to discern strange sounds.
We truly hope Clifford LeBrecque's Bigfoot replica finds a home, whether it is through a buyer on ebay or a museum he builds himself. At least now we know its not about the money, it's about the value the replica has to him. A value that is priceless.
You can read about Clifford LeBrecque's previous Bigfoot encounters that inspired the statue on our previous post, "Man Shoots Bigfoot, Makes Bigfoot Mad, and Then Builds a $9000 Statue."
