Some muy importante legislation is stuck in the cogs of Californian bureaucracy – an Assembly Bill to recognize Bigfoot, aka Sasquatch, as the official state cryptid.
In the pseudoscientific field of cryptozoology, a cryptid is an animal that supposedly exists in the wild for which there is little credible evidence, such as Scotland’s internationally famed Loch Ness Monster.
Nevertheless, the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO) lists thousands of “sightings” across the United States and Canada, and a significant bulk of those have come from California (463), with only Washington having more (724).
Dig into these “sightings,” however, and you’ll see that many of them are described as “possible vocalization” or “unusual experience” rather than incontrovertible proof of an encounter with a hairy, bipedal, ape-like creature, said to be 6 to 9 feet tall.
All the same, the legend of Bigfoot – probably the result of “wild man” tales brought over by European settlers along with some indigenous precedent – has become hardwired into American folklore, and AB-666 State cryptid seems to be an attempt to recognize that. The bill – brought by Assemblymember Chris Rogers who represents the northern counties of Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, Sonoma, and Trinity (prime ‘Squatch territory) – reads:
According to the California Legislative Information website, the bill has only got as far as having its title read aloud in the state Assembly and is now being printed and distributed to committee members for review. In the event that it clears committee, possibly on March 17, it would then pass to the Assembly and Senate before reaching the governor’s desk to be signed into law.
It remains unclear what impact officially naming Bigfoot California’s state cryptid might have, though Eric Nelson, 58, a volunteer at the China Flat Museum & Bigfoot Collection in the Humboldt County community of Willow Creek, told Bay Area news outlet SFGATE: “There’s a Bigfoot restaurant, a Bigfoot burger. A Bigfoot golf course. You get the picture. It’s been in the zeitgeist, or in the community, since basically 1958.”
“In terms of bringing notoriety and tourism, it’d be great for us in Willow Creek.” He added that “a lot of people” in the community “believe it exists.” Willow Creek is near to where the infamous Patterson-Gimlin film was recorded in 1967 that purportedly captured footage of a large, bipedal, ape-like creature in the forest. The film remains one of the most well-known and contentious pieces of evidence related to the Bigfoot legend.
BFRO president Matt Moneymaker is similarly thrilled by the bill, saying: “If there’s going to be a date, an occasion when they’re voting on whether or not to make it the official cryptid, I would love to be up there in Sacramento. I would gladly pay my way to be there when that happens.”
You may recognize Moneymaker from Finding Bigfoot, the TV show where they never find Bigfoot, but spend a lot of time stumbling around forests at night, making strange noises.
California could face something of a custody battle over Sasquatch, however. Last year, Grant Nicely, mayor of Derry in Pennsylvania, beat the Golden State to it by issuing a proclamation to declare Bigfoot as the official cryptid of the borough.
“By proclaiming Bigfoot as our official cryptid and establishing Derry as a sanctuary, we are embracing our local folklore and the rich history that makes our community unique,” said Council Vice-President Nathan Bundy. “This proclamation honors the generations of stories and sightings that have made Derry and the Chestnut Ridge a destination for those intrigued by the unknown.” ®
