Fisher Price $100 Bigfoot Toy

There is no doubt, Bigfoot hasn't been this popular since the wake of the Patterson/Gimlin film in the early 70's. He's been on every educational cable channel (History, Discovery and NatGeo), and two new television series debuted with Bigfoot as the subject.

What's next? A hundred-dollar bigfoot toy. Fisher-Price is bringing Imaginext Bigfoot the Monster to Toy Fair 2010 in New York, which opens Sunday the 14th.

This remote-controlled big boy is intended for kids ages 3 to 8; with the included remote, kids will be able to have him walk, express emotions, do somersaults, and perform lots of other actions. And he'll have "interactive touch points" on his mouth and tummy that evoke sounds and actions, as well.

You can expect your own personal sighting of Bigfoot some time this coming June, when he'll ship to stores; the price is expected to be around $100.

Apparently this is a pretty big Deal because its on the WallStreet journals radar. Their web publication market Watch says the timing is right for this kind of product:

EAST AURORA, N.Y., Feb 09, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- It all began a few years ago, when BIGFOOT sightings started popping up just beyond the world headquarters of Fisher-Price, Inc. (a subsidiary of Mattel, Inc. NASDAQ:MAT) in East Aurora, N.Y. Although the scientific community considers BIGFOOT to be a combination of folklore and myths, that didn't stop toy designers from setting out to capture the legendary, elusive creature. Fisher-Price found BIGFOOT and brought him back to its world-renowned Play Laboratory where designers unfolded the complicated, misunderstood monster who, surprisingly, wooed them with his charm. After years of intense research (and a few laughs) with BIGFOOT, Fisher-Price is ready to share his engaging personality with the world by introducing Imaginext(R) BIGFOOT The Monster at New York Toy Fair, Feb. 14 -- Feb. 17.

"BIGFOOT The Monster is completely on-trend for 2010. Fisher-Price has interpreted a classic play pattern for contemporary kids," says Chris Byrne, content director for TimetoPlayMag.com, aka The Toy Guy(R). "Inspired by the legendary 'BIGFOOT,' Fisher-Price scores again with a toy that effectively combines the fun and engagement of R/C robotic play with technology that's easy and engaging for preschoolers to use. BIGFOOT is feature-rich, offers long-lasting play value and reflects a preschooler's sense of humor, all of which deliver on the value consumers are looking for this year. "

Promotional Video Below.



EXTERNAL LINKS
Original Post at GearLog
Fisher Price Bigfoot Site
Wall Street Journals take

Olympic Mascot Wars: Quatchi vs Squatchi

This just goes to show, when people start to dress up like Bigfoot, its bound to cause controversy.


(above) Squatchi, an activist group's take on the official Olympic mascot Quatchi, sits on a bobsleigh near the Olympic countdown clock in Vancouver on Monday. (Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press)

Anti-Olympic groups are gearing up for a large protest before the opening ceremonies on Friday, saying keeping the demonstration peaceful will be up to police.

Several critics of the Games held a news conference Monday to show off a mascot named Squatchi — a parody of official mascot, Quatchi — who spreads skepticism rather than Olympic spirit.

There is a large protest planned Friday ahead of the opening ceremonies of the Games, and more promised when the Games get underway.

Bob Ages of the Council of Canadians says he's hoping thousands of people show up, from anti-poverty groups to union members.

Ages says his group is particularly concerned with Olympic sponsors such as RBC for its involvement in the oilsands, but the list of protesters' complaints range from alleged displacement of the homeless to police treatment of activists.

RCMP and Vancouver police say they expect peaceful protests, but they won't tolerate demonstrators interfering with the rights of others or disrupting Games activities.

The original mascot is much cuter, the 38" version (shown below) is on display at the International Cryptozoology Museum. Although the 38" version is not for sale they have several other Quatchi memorabilia for sale at the museum. So support the the Olympics and Cryptozoology by visiting the museum and buying some collectible Quatchi tchotchkes.

International Cryptozoology Museum
661 Congress St.
Portland, ME 04101
Wed-Sat, 11-6, Sunday, Noon-5.
207-518-9496



EXTERNAL LINKS
Vancouver Now article about protesting mascots
Other Quatchi stuff available at ICM

Museum of SuperNatural History

Here's an article from an NBC blog. 

Having enjoyed huge success with a pair of 2008 screenplays,Etan Cohen is set to delve into the paranormal for his next script.

Cohen's new script will be based on theMuseum of SuperNatural History, a blog that creator Ernest Lupinacci intended "be to the paranormal world what National Geographic is to the real world... ... a multimedia brand whose purpose is to study, protect, explore and explain the unexplainable," according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The movie will follow the exploits of theMuseum of SuperNatural History's curator, whose job it is to keep the world's best kept secrets -- things like Sasquatch, the acid-spitting Mongolian death worm and the Large Hadron Collider, if a quick look at the site is any guide.

Cohen had a hand in penning both "Tropic Thunder" and "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa," both of which took in more than $180 million. He's currently working on "Men in Black 3."

"The inherent drama, action and adventure of that mission -- especially from a storytelling point of view -- is that every time we shatter or even question an accepted belief, we have the potential to answer the eternal question, why are we here?" says Lupinacci.