Talk:Bigfoot

Bigfoot (final version) received a peer review by Wikipedia editors, which on 2 April 2024 was archived. It may contain ideas you can use to improve this article.

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Bigfoot is a former featured article candidate. Please view the links under Article milestones below to see why the nomination was archived. For older candidates, please check the archive.

Article milestones
Date	Process	Result
September 22, 2006	Featured article candidate	Not promoted

Folklore High‑importance

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Cryptozoology High‑importance

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Canada: Ontario / Manitoba / British Columbia / Saskatchewan / Alberta Low‑importance

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Skepticism Mid‑importance

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It is requested that a video clip or video clips be included in this article to improve its quality.

There is a request, submitted by Catfurball, for an audio version of this article to be created. For further information, see WikiProject Spoken Wikipedia.

The rationale behind the request is: "Important".

This article has been mentioned by a media organization:

Stephen Harrison (February 13, 2023). "Why Wikipedia Is So Tough on Bigfoot". Slate (magazine). Retrieved February 15, 2023. ...the Bigfoot article, which is sprinkled with descriptors like pseudoscience, hoax, folklore, and wishful thinking. But these words infuriate serious Bigfoot believers, who claim that Wikipedia should be softer and more neutral in its language.

National Weather Service photo

@WeatherWriter: This National Weather Service photo which includes what's presumably either a prank silhouette installed among the trees, or an impressive piece of pareidolia - what do you mean to convey to the reader by presenting it without comment in the "Scientific view" section? Has anybody taken a scientific view on it? Belbury (talk) 19:51, 21 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Okay, you've now moved it to "Alleged encounters". Has anybody alleged it to be an encounter? Belbury (talk) 19:55, 21 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Glad WeatherWriter removed it. The silhouette is shoddy work. One would think that the fellow in the foreground would have something to say to the national news services about encountering a nine-foot-tall (judging by their relative sizes in perspective) Bigfoot. Carlstak (talk) 22:42, 21 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

WeatherWriter didn't remove it, they just moved the picture to "Alleged encounters", still presenting it without comment.

It does seem to be a commercially available prank cutout, so in absence of any news coverage of anyone being fooled by it I'll remove it from "Alleged encounters". Belbury (talk) 10:42, 22 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Frequent Archiving?

Please stop archiving the page multiple times a month. Please leave the talk page up for several years so all can see the changes and suggests. LilacGiraffe (talk) 18:56, 4 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]

The search page will fill up and become unmanageable. If the pages are to large, they become difficult for a browser to hold open, and become very overwhelming to people who are trying to start a new discussion. If someone wants to see old stuff, they can just search the archive. GeogSage ^{(⚔Chat?⚔)} 00:53, 11 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Neutral Word Choice

This article uses frequent words with dismissive and evaluative connotations. The article reads more like an editorial than an encyclopedia entry. LilacGiraffe (talk) 18:59, 4 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Nominating for GA status

@TNstingray, you requested peer review a year ago. I think the page is more or less ready to be submitted for GA review. Would you want to start working on that again? I can try to help. GeogSage ^{(⚔Chat?⚔)} 00:56, 11 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I haven't been super active lately. I'd like to see this article become a GA, but I can't specifically commit to that right now. TNstingray (talk) 13:30, 13 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Totally fair! I have one more article on my list before this one to go through the GA stuff, but I'm likely to go through that one completely alone. If I get that done, I'll start this one, and ping you so you can help with whatever time you want to spare. GeogSage ^{(⚔Chat?⚔)} 17:15, 13 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for speedy deletion

The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for speedy deletion:

Caws.jpg

You can see the reason for deletion at the file description page linked above. —Community Tech bot (talk) 08:21, 11 June 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Native American Bigfoot

I stumbled upon a video by Trey the Explainer. I know YouTube isn’t a reliable source for Wikipedia standards.

But the video makes me think that Bigfoot was never a concept in Native American cultures or folklore. It also makes me think that there are sources out there saying that there is no Native American tribes before Columbus had a big foot equivalent.

Also some of the sources here claiming that don’t seem reliable.

Just saying. CycoMa2 (talk) 14:58, 18 June 2025 (UTC)[reply]

The two sources I used for the folklore claims are:

Bartholomew, Robert E.; Regal, Brian (2009). "From wild man to monster: the historical evolution of bigfoot in New York State". Voices: The Journal of New York Folklore. 35 (3). ISSN 1551-7268. Archived from the original on February 16, 2024. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
Forth, Gregory (2007). "Images of the Wildman Inside and Outside Europe". Folklore. 118 (3): 261–281. doi:10.1080/00155870701621772. S2CID 161789895.

The second source by Gregory Forth is the basis for quote in the "Folklore and early records" section. These discuss pre-European myths a bit. Essentially, my understanding is that Bigfoot is a European folk figure that mixed with elements from Native American folk lore. GeogSage ^{(⚔Chat?⚔)} 16:54, 18 June 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I was thinking that too. But the quote from Gregory Forth makes me think that the legend of Bigfoot didn’t borrow too many elements from Native American legends.

So it doesn’t appear to be that significant.

Does the source by Dr Forth mention specifically which tribe or culture Europeans borrowed from?

The article right now makes it unclear which tribes the settlers got inspiration from. CycoMa2 (talk) 18:00, 18 June 2025 (UTC)[reply]