50 Years Of Yetis

Posted by: Loren Coleman on February 24th, 2010

Henry Stokes, over at “I Love Yetis,” has come up with a new graphic.  He is attempting to overview the last five decades of the influence of the Abominable Snowmen or Yetis in popular culture.  (Both male and female Yetis, I must point out.)

I, too, love Yetis, needless to say. I’m a stickler for details when it comes to Yetis. When I see a Sasquatch or Bigfoot popping into a chart like this, it makes me know that I must be a purist, because I feel uncomfortable. But not abominable.

Henry did it for fun, and I enjoy it, as a visual explanation of impact.  Sometimes you have to retain your sense of humor in this field, right?

Update: Indeed, Henry and I are on the same page.

He wrote me this afternoon, with this clarification: “I realize I didn’t make it clear that all of the things with green circles underneath them getting interjected in are meant to be non-Yetis. If you saw any Bigfoots in there, they should be in green circles and are meant as ‘Influences’ and not Yetis. 

“I too consider myself an absolute purist and stickler.  And always hate it people get Yeti and Bigfoot messed up. 🙂

“Hope that clears it up. I really honestly don’t think Bigfoots are Yeti!  LOL. I just meant that the popularization of Bigfoot is an influence on depictions of Yeti.”

Okay, now try your hand at naming all these Yetis and fellow travelers. Hint: The answers are NOT over at Henry’s blog.  We are doing this as an exclusive exercise here. 🙂

Loren Coleman About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct). Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015. Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.


19 Responses to “50 Years Of Yetis”

  1. amcgirr responds:

    OK I couldn’t resist taking a crack at this. From top left to bottom right:

    1. Sir Edmund Hillary with sherpa?
    2. Misc. Sasquatch
    3. King Kong
    4. Cyclops from The Odyssey
    5. Alleged Yeti Scalp (Pangboche?)
    6. Morlocks from The Time Machine
    7. Of Mice and Men (The Yeti holding Bugs Bunny’s name was George?)
    8. Yeti figurine I don’t recognize
    9. (Morlocks from the Time Machine)
    10. Yeti from Scooby Doo
    11. Cover of Mad Magazine, look like an old one
    12. Abominable from Rudolph
    13. Jonny Quest area, not sure here
    14. Chewbacca and Ewok from Star Wars
    15. Patty. The thing next to her looks like Where the Wild Things Are?
    16. Cartoon I don’t recognize
    17. This guy is either from the Matterhorn/Everest Adventure ride at Disney?
    18. See 17.
    19. Donkey Kong, old and new.
    20. Pikachu? What’s he doing here?
    21. Harry and the Hendersons
    22. Totoro. Isn’t he a giant cat of some kind?
    23. Yeti I don’t recognize
    24. Something from The Dark Crystal? Looks Henson-ish.
    25. Random yeti, looks like a commercial
    26. Gama-Go yetis with torch and flag.
    27. Yeti from World of Warcraft
    28. Can’t really place any from this line… some cartoons/logos/papercraft figures
    29. Quatchi! He’s everywhere now.
    30. Yeti from The Mummy Part 3. This is the only reason to see that movie.
    31. Yeti Crab
    32. Couple more guys I don’t recognize.

  2. Henry responds:

    Nice job, amcgirr! You got most of them.

    Remember that everything is in chronological order – starting with the 1960s at the top all the way down to 2010 at the bottom.

    Here are the ones left that still to be solved:

    1 is correct! Bonus points if you can name Sir Edmund’s sherpa guide?
    2 is actually a yeti, not a sasquatch. Where is he from? And the answer I’m looking for isn’t Tibet (though that *is* a correct answer).
    4 is Cyclops, but not from The Odyssey. He’s from what famous film?
    8 is a wind-up toy from the 1960’s. Anyone know what name it goes by?
    9 is NOT the same as a Morlock. (though it does bear a striking resemblance to them). It’s a yeti from what film? I included the Morlocks in 6 only to show how they influenced 9.
    12 is correct, but what is the yeti from the Rudolph’s special’s name?
    15 is indeed Patty. Anyone recognize the thing next to her? Not a “Where the Wild Things Are monster”… “Who” could it be?
    16 is a close-up of the yeti from Johnny Quest (from 13).
    17 Yes, Matterhorn yeti – anyone know his name?
    20, 22 are correct – Picachu and Totoro – These are included because the rise in popularity of Japanese anime (1990s to today) has had a huge influence on contemporary Yeti depiction.
    23 is actually not a yeti, despite appearances. He’s from a 1990’s video game. Which one?
    24 is indeed the work of Jim Henson – but not Dark Crystal. His horns along with the Wampa’s horns both led to the popularity of modern yetis being given horns.
    25 is not a commercial. It’s the yeti hitting the big time at the start of the new millennium with a cameo in a major motion picture. Name the film and the actor who provides the voice. Hint: he’s in every one of a particular studios’ films.

    Anyone want to try their hand at the modern yetis at the bottom?

  3. korollocke responds:

    How could he have put pikiachu and the thunder cats (yes they did a friend called snowman) in there and not the snowmonster from the cult classic caveman or the hominids from half human?

  4. fossilhunter responds:

    Greetings All!
    How did Pikachu make this picture and not the Mugatu from Star Trek: TOS? And #16 from the list above is the Thundercats, an 80s cxartoon about alien cat-people who defend the universe. And I think #24 might be from “The Never Ending Story”? Been a while since I’ve seen it. But #18 is definitely the Wampa from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.

  5. Averagefoot responds:

    16. The Thundercats
    18. The creature that attacked Luke in Star Wars V
    23. Sasquatch from the Darkstalkers video game/cartoon

    I’m surprised that V. V. Argost from Secret Saturdays isn’t on here, though if one doesn’t watch the show, I could see why one might not realise he’s a yeti, as he wears a mask and clothes, can talk and otherwise tries to disguise himself as a human.

    Great little list though, I enjoyed it.

  6. Henry responds:

    Great suggestions. After I made this, I knew there must have been some glaring omissions on my part. So it’s great to see your ideas.

    korollocke, I put Pokemon & Thundercats in there, not as examples of Yeti, but as examples of the influence of Saturday morning cartoons, friendly cat people & the huge popularity of Japanese anime and how it often “cute-ifies” monsters. My aim was to show that artists today who want to depict a Yeti have been strongly effected by these other non-Yeti influences. Thus, they will stylize their yetis in particular ways. Snow Monster & Half Human are classics, but I’m not sure how popular they are with the masses. Do you think they had a big impact on how we depict the Yeti now?

    fossilhunter, Mugato is a great one, and I really should have put him in there. I blogged about him here. 24 is not from Never Ending Story, but good guess! There’s really only one other Jim Henson film that’s like Dark Crystal.

    Averagefoot, you’re right about 23 – it is indeed Sasquatch from the Darkstalkers game. And V.V. Argost is a great suggestion too! I think I didn’t include him for fear of spoiling the big surprise for people. I blogged about V.V. Argost here.

  7. Rosicrucian responds:

    Okay, I believe King Kong was included in there, and I guess that makes sense, seeing as he’s a giant ape and Bigfoot’s primate-related.

    But…why Pikachu? And Totoro?

  8. korollocke responds:

    Wouldn’t the sinbad and the eye of the tiger trogolodyte been a better choice that the golden voyage cyclopes? The jim henson one is from labrinyth, and how could have left out the bigfoot played by andrey the giant from the six million dollarman? Marvel comics sasqautch and wendigo(the actual bigfoot and abominable snowman are also members of shields howling commandos.lets also no forget ken hale the gorilla man and spidermans rogues the gibbon and mandrill.) and Sid and marty Krofts bigfoot and wild boy are absent aswell.

  9. korollocke responds:

    Beastman from masters of the universe is missing too.

  10. joe levit responds:

    I think the second image is from Rin-Tin-Tin

  11. joe levit responds:

    No, sorry, wrong reference. I’ll find it.

  12. joe levit responds:

    It’s from the Adventures of Tin Tin

    “Tin-Tin in Tibet.” Saw an original version in a store while on a trip in Brussels.

  13. Unknown Primate responds:

    The Cyclops is definitely from THE SEVENTH VOYAGE OF SINBAD.

  14. Henry responds:

    joe levit, you’re right! Tintin, it is. The Pangboche scalp inspired Herge to give his yeti a cone-head.

    Rosicrucian, I would argue that Pikachu and Totoro have as much to do with how artists today are choosing to depict the Yeti as apes & gorillas. Most yetis you will find out there look like white Totoros.

    korollocke, Troglodyte is a great choice. To be honest, I just didn’t know about him. I really need to get caught up on my Harryhausen. I picked Cyclops as he’s so well known in the popular culture – the epitome of the big, hulking brutish monster from myth and folklore. And yes, the bigfoot from the six million dollarman, Krofts’ Bigfoot, Beastman, etc. are all great choices too and would have been good additions. I think I saw them as advancing the popularity and visual depiction of Bigfoot/Sasquatch, more so than the Yeti. I guess I was trying to keep the Bigfoot influences to a minimum. Couldn’t resist throwing Quatchi in there though.

    There are still a few that haven’t been identified yet. Where’s the guy at the bottom from the yellow snowcones from? How about the fellow right below him with the ice bat?

  15. Averagefoot responds:

    Well now I feel like a jerk. I didn’t realise the show was so recent or I would’ve added a spoiler warning.

  16. korollocke responds:

    How’s about the 50 foot tall Yeti from the movie yeti giant of the 20th century? What wild film that is! The giant snow monster woo from ultraman is a neat looking one, there are yetis that beat you silly in the online fate games, there was even a pro wrestler in wcw called the yeti (true he was wrapped like mummy.), the action figure line from combex/tomland had a yeti, cyclops, morlock and the fly, super sugar crisp had glow in the dark bigfoot stickers in the eighties as a free inside prize, godzilla even face a yeti godzilla vs the snow creature an authorized and uber hard to find film, just like i dare you to japans first special arts direction film king kong arrives in edo from 1938 (yes he was licensed.).

  17. korollocke responds:

    How about the claimed bigfoot randy brisson took a photo of just now at the vancouver olympics.

  18. HIWrite responds:

    I believe the other Jim Henson film was The Labrynth, with David Bowie. I forget his name but im sure thats where hes from.

  19. korollocke responds:

    The one with the yellow snow cones is the Yeti from Monsters Inc, and the fat looking thing is a Yeti from Doctor Who.

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