#cryptid-museum — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #cryptid-museum, aggregated by home.social.
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North American Cryptid Museum
A new attraction in Plano, Texas is not a cryptozoology museum but a celebration of pop cryptids.
Have you heard about the new “cryptid museum” in Plano, TX? I haven’t been and will almost certainly never get there but, from what’s been shared so far, it’s a collection of dioramas and models featuring several unnatural and fearsome creature like dogman/werewolves, pale crawlers, nightcrawlers, not-deer, and the wendigo, “each crafted exactly as eyewitnesses described them”. The North American Cryptid Museum is not an actual museum in the sense of curation of artifacts and planned informal education presentations. Instead, the owner describes it as a tribute to what the witnesses claim to have seen – more like a wax museum.
Those associated with the museum responded to my PopCryptid Instagram post by describing their mission. The owner Allen Hopps is “a lifetime monster lover”. The exhibits are mostly created by the staff based off eyewitness encounters and media reports. Some of the props are commercial creations that have been altered into cryptids.
The owner himself also responded. I’m quoting it directly because of how stunningly it slots into the Pop Cryptid model:
“The Museum has very little to do with Cryptozoology. Thats why I dont use the cryptozoology term in the name. we are just about the cryptids- Im not trying to prove they are real, Im not looking for evidence- Im just capturing a moment in time from an amalgam of sightings and lore. Its an art museum as much as anything. I wanted people to see the things the witnesses claim to have seen. Im not huning for bigfoot, Im just sculpting him based on the descriptions of people who found him. […] Im Allen H the owner.”
“Im not looking to change the museum into something more scientific. Im not a cryptozoologist. I love monsters and I think they are fun. Some people see monsters and we made a museum where you can see what they say they saw. I dont want it to be anything more than that, people do seem to enjoy it. Im not pleading their case or trying to prove or disprove anything. I just want it to be 30 min to an hour of looking at cool stuff.If you like cryptids then you might like it. I guess it’s more about the art and the lore, other people do the science great, but they may not have enough full-size exhibits to capture the common attention- just the special interest visitors. Im sure we will make more cryptozoologists, but Im not one myself. Im a monster maker.”
Note the specific distancing from cryptozoology and anything scientific or evidence-based. It’s about the culturally-derived creatures that are beloved and popular in storytelling. The effort is not associated with finding or establishing the cryptid, it’s about experiencing and imagining. In contrast to a few Bigfoot museums and the International Cryptozoology Museum that aim to promote research and evidence, fun and wonder seem to be the only agenda. The business is associated with a Haunted House attraction – this is for people who want to have a fun time with monsters.
However, the quotes contrast with what’s on the website, that says it is, “a curated exhibition of folklore, field evidence, and immersive environments exploring legendary creatures reported across North America. It blends regional myth, scientific inquiry, and experiential design.”
Hmmm… not so much. For reference, actual museums have trained curators, and folklorists have PhDs. We have none of that here. So, the promotional hype is oversold. Old school serious cryptozoologists, usually eager to eschew associations with the supernatural and fantastical, maybe are less inclined to gripe much about this place that puts aliens and magical shapeshifters on display. It’s an inevitable slide to appeal to the consumer.
Unfortunately, the setting and context leads visitors to think that these depictions are “accurate” (which they cannot be because we have no real specimens) and suggest that the beings really exist (some are undoubtedly hoaxes or misinterpretations). Every artistic depiction of a cryptid is potentially misleading because there is no reliable natural template; they have been embellished, sensationalized or exaggerated in each step along the way – from the observers perception and memory to the first sketches, the retellings, and then the model’s creation.
From this video showing a tour of the place, I can point out dozens of errors and stretching of the facts, with the Wendigo comments and depiction being appallingly wrong. The sideshow host acting is almost too much for me to take, but he did call Bigfoot the “top of the pops”. Indeed!
The staff reports this attraction is still growing, adding exhibits, and said they are happy to accept feedback. My response is that I could not have asked for a more perfect example of the new, whimsical, pop cryptid-oriented modern cryptozoology.
#cryptidMuseum #PopCryptid #wendigo -
North American Cryptid Museum
A new attraction in Plano, Texas is not a cryptozoology museum but a celebration of pop cryptids.
Have you heard about the new “cryptid museum” in Plano, TX? I haven’t been and will almost certainly never get there but, from what’s been shared so far, it’s a collection of dioramas and models featuring several unnatural and fearsome creature like dogman/werewolves, pale crawlers, nightcrawlers, not-deer, and the wendigo, “each crafted exactly as eyewitnesses described them”. The North American Cryptid Museum is not an actual museum in the sense of curation of artifacts and planned informal education presentations. Instead, the owner describes it as a tribute to what the witnesses claim to have seen – more like a wax museum.
Those associated with the museum responded to my PopCryptid Instagram post by describing their mission. The owner Allen Hopps is “a lifetime monster lover”. The exhibits are mostly created by the staff based off eyewitness encounters and media reports. Some of the props are commercial creations that have been altered into cryptids.
The owner himself also responded. I’m quoting it directly because of how stunningly it slots into the Pop Cryptid model:
“The Museum has very little to do with Cryptozoology. Thats why I dont use the cryptozoology term in the name. we are just about the cryptids- Im not trying to prove they are real, Im not looking for evidence- Im just capturing a moment in time from an amalgam of sightings and lore. Its an art museum as much as anything. I wanted people to see the things the witnesses claim to have seen. Im not huning for bigfoot, Im just sculpting him based on the descriptions of people who found him. […] Im Allen H the owner.”
“Im not looking to change the museum into something more scientific. Im not a cryptozoologist. I love monsters and I think they are fun. Some people see monsters and we made a museum where you can see what they say they saw. I dont want it to be anything more than that, people do seem to enjoy it. Im not pleading their case or trying to prove or disprove anything. I just want it to be 30 min to an hour of looking at cool stuff.If you like cryptids then you might like it. I guess it’s more about the art and the lore, other people do the science great, but they may not have enough full-size exhibits to capture the common attention- just the special interest visitors. Im sure we will make more cryptozoologists, but Im not one myself. Im a monster maker.”
Note the specific distancing from cryptozoology and anything scientific or evidence-based. It’s about the culturally-derived creatures that are beloved and popular in storytelling. The effort is not associated with finding or establishing the cryptid, it’s about experiencing and imagining. In contrast to a few Bigfoot museums and the International Cryptozoology Museum that aim to promote research and evidence, fun and wonder seem to be the only agenda. The business is associated with a Haunted House attraction – this is for people who want to have a fun time with monsters.
However, the quotes contrast with what’s on the website, that says it is, “a curated exhibition of folklore, field evidence, and immersive environments exploring legendary creatures reported across North America. It blends regional myth, scientific inquiry, and experiential design.”
Hmmm… not so much. For reference, actual museums have trained curators, and folklorists have PhDs. We have none of that here. So, the promotional hype is oversold. Old school serious cryptozoologists, usually eager to eschew associations with the supernatural and fantastical, maybe are less inclined to gripe much about this place that puts aliens and magical shapeshifters on display. It’s an inevitable slide to appeal to the consumer.
Unfortunately, the setting and context leads visitors to think that these depictions are “accurate” (which they cannot be because we have no real specimens) and suggest that the beings really exist (some are undoubtedly hoaxes or misinterpretations). Every artistic depiction of a cryptid is potentially misleading because there is no reliable natural template; they have been embellished, sensationalized or exaggerated in each step along the way – from the observers perception and memory to the first sketches, the retellings, and then the model’s creation.
From this video showing a tour of the place, I can point out dozens of errors and stretching of the facts, with the Wendigo comments and depiction being appallingly wrong (see the comments). The sideshow host acting is almost too much for me to take, but he did call Bigfoot the “top of the pops”. Indeed!
The staff reports this attraction is still growing, adding exhibits, and said they are happy to accept feedback. My response is that I could not have asked for a more perfect example of the new, whimsical, pop cryptid-oriented modern cryptozoology.
#cryptidMuseum #PopCryptid #wendigo -
The International Cryptid Museum
#chupacabra #cryptidmuseum
#cryptid #cryptozoology #unexplainedphenomena #mysteriouscreatures
#monsters
#SCP #legendarybeasts #cryptidculture #midjourneyart -
The International Cryptid Museum
#chupacabra #cryptidmuseum
#cryptid #cryptozoology #unexplainedphenomena #mysteriouscreatures
#monsters
#SCP #legendarybeasts #cryptidculture #midjourneyart