There are a couple of mean spirited and to my mind really stupid commercials on TV (don’t remember what they were for) that feature a few morons in the woods who temp fate by teasing a sleeping Bigfoot as if a Bigfoot, if one existed, was no more than some anthropological Rodney Dangerfield. No respect.

This brought me to fond memories of my favorite little museum that I put together and showed a couple of Flea markets. One at Lake Tahoe and one in Roseville CA.

It was simply called 'Sasquatch! BIGFOOT MUSEUM! SEE The Evidence!' and it was housed in my tiny 6’x4’ trailer that I used for such shows. One walked up to it, paid the 50 cents and looked down into a small ‘pit’ where the exhibits were. As usual I had put together a neat grouping of cool stuff…some ‘real’ some gaffed but all geared to set the mind to thinking.

Did I believe in Big Foot? Not really…but read on…

In the exhibit there were:

The actual plaster Foot and Hand prints along with papers and studies from Grover Krantz who was an anthropology professor at Washington State University. I forget where or how I got a hold of them but they were pretty cool to have. (Like my old comics, I kick myself for ever selling them, though I do remember WHO I sold them to…maybe I’ll make a call.) Anyway…there was some nice photos…a really nice map of Big Foot sightings…another footprint I picked up on the Avenue Of The Giants which was a Bluff Creek print from 1958 (still have that one)…a HUGE print said to have been of the Mono Grande of South America (still have that one someplace) and there was a Large Hairy Finger…a frame of Bigfoot Hair and some other pieces relating to the big guy. There was also a Shrunken Human Head (One of my Gaffs to add atmospheric mystery to the mystery of Amazon Mono Grade)…a Fiji Mermaid, this displayed as a labeled Hoax. I hadn’t made it, it was an early rubber one by Frierson but by labeling it a Hoax, it added credence to the other stuff that wasn’t so labeled.

One of the key exhibits was an old gaff piece by a mysterious character and gaff maker known only to a few as Pond Lilly Bill. This was a Plaster of Paris gaff in a small wooden coffin…covered in badger hair and with rodent teeth. I had showed it as The Ice Pygmy but for this Bigfoot Show, I labeled it Big Foot Boy. I doubt if many people thought it was real…it certainly was similar in look to many of the quaint Homer Tate pieces. Shrine Of Homer Tate  Currently it is in the collection of James Taylor (Shocked And Amazed). yeah, I sold it. Darnit. But it was fun to have in the Bigfoot show regardless of its believeabilty factor.

And there lies the rub. Fun. I had more fun with this show than any other I had ever done then or since.

The stories I heard!  Folks would pay their 50 cents…see the stuff and start conversations about whether it or HE was all real or not…about Grover Krantz studies…about biology…zoology and mysteries in general.  It got them to do exactly what I was after…scratch their heads, wrinkle a brow, crack a smile and think.

If I was to go back on the road with a small show it would be this one. It didn’t make much money (any really!) compared to my other ideas but it was a kick!

And after all was said and done and hearing the stories and actual eyewitness accounts of Mr. Sasquatch, I went from a non-believer to a well…could be…nah..probably not...it's just so much fun thinking he could be out there though...waiting for us buttheads to blow ourselves up so he can come out of the woods and pick up a few truckloads of toilet paper...winters can be harsh when all you have is bark.

I know...no respect...but I'd never put shaving cream in his palm while he was sleeping...none of that nonsense...I'd just sit and wait till he woke up and ask politely..."Have you ever thought of being in the show biz?"

Doug Higley