Cryptid Playing Cards
Cryptids of North America
Bigfoot
aka, Sasquatch; typically described as a large, muscular, and bipedal ape-like creature covered in black, dark brown, or dark reddish hair. Height estimates vary from roughly 6-9 ft (~1.8–2.7 m), to some describing Bigfoot as tall as 10-15 ft (~3.0–4.5 m). Some accounts Bigfoot as more "man-like", with reports of a human-like face. Descriptions also typically include broad shoulders, no visible neck, and long arms, which skeptics describe as likely misidentification of a bear standing upright. Some nighttime sightings have stated the creature's eyes "glowed" yellow or red.
In Dalles, Oregon in 1971, multiple people reported an "overgrown ape". One man claimed to have sighted the creature in his rifle's scope, but didn't shoot because "It looked more human than animal".
Many of the indigenous cultures across North America include tales of mysterious hair-covered creatures living in forests. The details of these stories differ in their details both regionally and as well as within individual communities.
In 1958, Jerry Crew, a logging company bulldozer operator in Humboldt County, California, discovered a set of large 16 inch (~140 mm) human-like footprints in the Six Rivers National Forest. Many of his coworkers also claimed to see similar tracks on previous job sites as well as telling of odd incidents such as an oil drum weighing 450 pounds (200 kg) having been moved without explanation.
The logging company men soon began utilizing the term "Bigfoot" to describe the mysterious culprit. Crew, initially believing it to be a prank, contacted Andrew Genzoli of the Humboldt Times newspaper after observing more of these enormous footprints. Genzoli interviewed lumber workers and wrote articles about the mysterious footprints, introducing the name "Bigfoot". Stories spread rapidly, and Genzoli was contacted by major media outlets including the NY Times and LA Times. As a result, the term "Bigfoot" became entered into popular culture.
In 1967, the famed footage of bigfoot (you know the one) was captured by filmmakers Roger Patterson and Robert "Bob" Gimlin. The two were navigating Bluff Creek on horseback with a 16mm Kodak camera, specifically looking for Bigfoot. The search paid off when the pair discovered a gorilla-human hybrid walking along the creek bed, just 30m in front of where they stood. The film runs for 59.5 seconds at 16 fps.
Robert Patterson mailed the footage to his brother-in-law, Al DeAtley. A deal with the BBC, allowing the use of the footage in a docudrama which was also used in touring. Additional material was melded with the original footage in order to create the docudrama. There've been many attempts both to authenticate as well as debunk the original film.
Cryptid Playing Cards
This cryptid is included in my Cryptids of North America Playing Cards. This is a limited run set of Playing Cards and my first crowd sourced project.
Future projects will follow, both around playing cards and around strange and unusual creatures. All design and production done in the US; designed by me in Texas, and printed in Florida.
Check out my Cryptids of North America Playing Cards >>
