There’s a new and bizarre phenomenon out there involving Bigfoot, but it might not be what you think.
On September 8, 2020, the Carver County Sheriff’s Office shared an urgent message on Facebook regarding the recent theft of an 8-foot-tall sheet-metal Bigfoot in Chanhassen, Minnesota.
“Help!” they wrote, “Bigfoot is on the loose!! Today the Sheriff’s Office took a report of a replica Bigfoot (8 feet tall and made out of sheet metal) being stolen from a yard in Chanhassen during the overnight hours.” The replica, dubbed ‘Mr. Bigfoot’, had previously been standing next to another replica, ‘Mrs. Bigfoot’. But the culprits took only one.
Shortly after posting that alert, other residents reported seeing the Bigfoot in another city — in Chaska, Minnesota. However, when deputies later checked the area, the replica was nowhere to be found.
It wasn’t until September 11 that the sheriff’s office successfully tracked down the sheet-metal Bigfoot, which was found hanging out by a tree in Chaska. “Mr. Bigfoot has been located in the city of Chaska and was safely returned home,” they wrote, “Mrs. Bigfoot was delighted to have her husband back.”
A happy ending to an unusual situation. But would you believe that this is at least the fourth time a Bigfoot replica has been stolen this year? And that’s not counting the handful of thefts that occurred last year, as well.
Where In The World Is Bigfoot?
In April, a large, six-foot tall (and fully detailed) Bigfoot statue was stolen from outside the home of anthropology professor Todd Disotell in Brimfield, Massachusetts. Disotell reported the theft on Facebook on April 23, along with video of the culprits. It turned up a day later almost 30 miles away in Worcester.
In May, another 8-foot-tall Bigfoot cutout was taken in Dieterich, Illinois. It had only just been put up, meant as a neighborhood attraction for children. It’s unclear whether or not that one was ever found.
And in June, a very peculiar four-foot-tall Bigfoot statue, named NoMo, disappeared from the yard of a Brightwood, Oregon home.
NoMo is unique, as he has his own Instagram page, run by the Wille family. The family put up signs and launched an anonymous tip website. Almost two weeks later, on July 12, the family updated their Instagram and revealed that NoMo had returned home. “A few solid leads led my owners in the right direction and, while we don’t know who stole me, all that matters is I am home,” the post said.
In 2019, Bigfoot statues were stolen in Oklahoma, Ohio, Florida, and North Carolina. The one in Boynton Beach, Florida weighed 300 pounds and was worth $3,000, stolen from outside a mattress store. I’m not sure if it was ever recovered. The North Carolina Bigfoot, however, was eventually found (and here you can see some pretty dramatic images of Bigfoot tied up in the back of a truck and later held at the local Sheriff’s Office).
What do we make of this spree of Bigfoot statue thefts? Perhaps lawn ornament thefts are common, and we only find them noteworthy when they involve full-size replicas of Bigfoot. The story out of Illinois also included the report of a stolen lawn chicken, so that may very well be the case.
Regardless, it seems that, whether we’re talking about the actual cryptid or an 8-foot-tall replica, Bigfoot will always remain elusive.
