Washington is literary the place from where the “big guys” rule the world and I am not talking about Obama here. Bigfoot has done the world tour by now and there are still thousands of fans who strongly believe that they might meet him once. If you don’t feel that lucky just go to Washington. You will definitely find some of his reminiscences there. All the story begun in 1811 when a guy swore that he saw a big creature. Although the event happened in Canada, the Americans went crazy about the hairy giant and they called it Yeti or even Jacko, the name that was given to it by a newspaper in British Columbia.

No matter how you call it, Bigfoot or Sasquatch, as the Canadians call it, people seem to like enormous creatures that live in the woods. Therefore, all Bigfoot’s fans can purchase tons of presents from each of the Bigfoot gift shops in Washington and all over USA.

As you might expect, you will find everything there. From stickers to casts all that has been ever known about the giant is there. The T-shirts will amaze you. With crazy funny messages, they are the heart of the store. You can choose from lots of prints like “It’s no hoax. Believe it”, “Roger and Bob saw Bigfoot” or ”Bigfoot lives. Believe it, brother”.

In the Bigfoot gift store you can even find casts that claim to be accurate, stating the actual size of the monster. You can buy a sculptured plastered bigfoot print for $23 or some Bluff Creek sand from the exact location where Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin shot a film, considered to be the one and only proof that Sasquatch is alive. You can buy the “evidence” for $8.50. Bigfoot gift shops also offer “collectors items”, little key rings with all kinds of prints, “better than caring a full size foot print”, as the online store states.

For the disbelievers buy a DVD with the two day conference video event hosted by the Western Bigfoot Society, yeah there is one or a chrome sculpture track. Try a Sasquatch just for fun and have some fun sticking a Bigfoot poster in a friend’ s dorm room, for only $8. Bigfoot gift shops are as fascinating as the legend itself. For the little fans, you can buy a Yeti action figure for $49.95 or bumper stickers. The “What would Bigfoot do?” is really great but not as fun as “Bigfoot doesn’t believe in you either”. Look more and you will find travel mugs with funny prints such as “Sasquatch stole my underwear.”

Bigfoot gift shops can actually convince you, you should be scared and you should definitely not be alone in the woods at night. He is out there!

The vampire is one of the oldest popular myths, with links to many legends and superstitions. It is a universal myth because is not specific to any cultural tradition. A simple glance to past mythologies reveals that many of gods created by man had various vampire tendencies. We find all these legends and mythologies belonging to Greeks and Romans, and in the rest of Europe, Asia and parts of Africa.

In one of the oldest stories preserved the legend of Gilgamesh, the hero of a Babylonian stories, the vampire theme appears with the characteristics described in such a precise manner  that it appears to be identical to those of the Middle Ages and present time. The earliest description of a vampire appears on a prehistoric Assyrian boat. It is very possible that the vampire myth in Western Europe has come through India via Turkey and the Balkans.

The vampire legend was strengthened in the 14th century in Europe with the brutal deeds of Vlad Tepes, called Dracula. The novel ‘Dracula’ written in 1879 by Bram Stoker spreads the vampire myth by publishing these ideas in mass print. Vampires are very popular topics for books, movies and television shows.

The novel “Dracula”, written by Bram Stoker in 1897 has increased the popularity of the vampire legend. Author Anne Rice has also written popular vampire novels . Vampires are the subject of several television series and feature films, including ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’,’ Interview with the Vampire’, ‘Queen of the damned’ and, more recently, the saga of ‘Twilight’. Thus, the vampire turned from a mythological topic into the source of inspiration and earnings for entrepreneurs. Especially around Halloween celebration, many young people turn to the vampire wardrobe to scare away spirits. Gift shops sell many costumes of monsters, vampires or witches during this period. In addition, online stores offer various promotions to those who purchase vampire costumes at that time.

Here are some “thematic” products marketed these days, in gift-shops specialized in funny products:

Vampires set: teeth and makeup – very useful around Halloween, but only if, these teeth will help you seem more monstrous than you are. The set includes 5-color makeup TLS.

Phosphorescent vampire teeth – gorgeous vampire teeth with phosphorescent properties. Smile at the light bulb and then turn the lights off!

Vampire teeth and fake blood – ideal for a fright … nocturnal. A set containing vampire teeth and fake blood container. Do not try this with someone who has a weak heart!

Black vampire cape – vampire cape is made of black PVC, with high collar. It’s perfect for parties with costumes and masked balls. With the right makeup and a pair of fake vampire teeth, nobody will know if you are man or vampire!

Woman vampire costume – sexy red and black costume includes dress, wings, collar and gloves.

For those who are passionate about the vampire myth, want to learn more about this subject, but are not interested in vampire costumes and such parties, there is the books alternative. Many gift shops and bookstores, sell books about vampire. In the top sales are situated the ‘Twilight’ saga, books by Anne Rice, and movies on DVD that have the ‘vampire’ as the main actors.

Monsters capture the imagination of a lot of people. It seems there is some sort of fascination for evil, rooted as far deep as the beginning of human history where, the Good Book tells us, the first human couple let themselves lured into the sin proposed by the evil one.

I am not saying that fascination is the only drive that makes people imagine all kind of demons, vampires or ghosts. There may be fear also. Fear could be the stresser for a lot of actions people take.

There are all kind of abnormal beings deemed as horrible that people admire. One of the most important myths, never proved right or wrong, in the modern history is the Bigfoot.

The most famous Bigfoot figure, probably the first one, is the Yeti, residing in Himalaya, Asia. Yeti became renowned because of the movie that made him popular.

The American Bigfoot is less renowned all over the world, even though it is very popular in USA. Bigfoot is imagined like an ape-like entity, biped, standing nine feet tall and weighing up to 900 pounds.

In Canada, Bigfoot is called Sasquatch and it is mentioned in Native American legends. Sasquatch means in the Indian languages “hairy giant”. The first sight of Bigfoot by a white man seems to have occurred in 1811, near Alberta, Canada. In 1884, a newspaper in British Columbia reported the capture in picture of Bigfoot. It was even given a name, Jacko, and a description: it was said to have looked like a gorilla, with long hair that was covering its entire body.

In 1924 sights of it have been reported three times in Canada and the USA. The last of the three sights occurred in St. Helen, Washington, when a miner complained that during the night he was awoke by a creature that was throwing rocks at him.

In 1967 it was reported that Bigfoot was captured on camera. With all this evidence, scientists remain skeptical. Yet, there has got to be something to it. An uncle of mine told me a very interesting story about his break from a Soviet military concentration camp during WWII. After escaping the Soviet capture, my uncle had the crazy idea to cross the entire Russia in order to return home. He walked for months, and at a certain time, in the depth of Siberia, as he was walking, he saw a very tall creature that looked like a very tall woman, except it was covered in hair completely, as if it had a natural fur. She/it was totally harmless. Furthermore, at the sight of my uncle, she/it ran away. If my uncle had been a Bigfoot fan, he surely would have named his creature with that name.

This story made people in America dedicate a statue to Bigfoot, and sell souvenirs in gift shops. If you want to buy a T-shirt with Bigfoot, you may buy it at the price of $15.00.

A Bigfoot sticker costs only $4.00. For $25.00 you may buy T-shirts with messages on them: I love Bigfoot; I am Squatching You; I Believe.

For $ 15.00 you may buy in any gift shop a mug with the big foot prints on it. For $4.00, you may buy a sticker that has Bigfoot on it that invites you to “camp with friends”. For the same price, you may buy a “Beware of Bigfoot” water bottle. The skeptics may buy their own gift with Bigfoot: a sticker with the message “Bigfoot doesn’t believe in you either”. Pretty annihilating, ha?