Momo the Monster, also known as the Missouri Monster (''Momo''), is a purported

ape Apes (collectively Hominoidea ) are a clade of Old World simians native to sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia (though they were more widespread in Africa, most of Asia, and as well as Europe in prehistory), which together with its siste ...

-like creature, similar to descriptions of

Bigfoot Bigfoot, also commonly referred to as Sasquatch, is a purported ape-like creature said to inhabit the forest of North America. Many dubious articles have been offered in attempts to prove the existence of Bigfoot, including anecdotal claims o ...

, that was allegedly sighted by numerous people in rural

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

in 1971 and 1972. Unlike some other areas with similar reports of

cryptids Cryptids are animals that cryptozoologists believe may exist somewhere in the wild, but are not believed to exist by mainstream science. Cryptozoology is a pseudoscience, which primarily looks at anecdotal stories, and other claims rejected b ...

such as the

Fouke Monster In Arkansas folklore, the Fouke Monster , also known as the Boggy Creek Monster and the Swamp Stalker, is purported to be an ape-like creature, similar to descriptions of Bigfoot, that was allegedly sighted in the rural town of Fouke, Arkansas, F ...

Fouke, Arkansas Fouke is a city in Miller County, Arkansas, Miller County, Arkansas, United States. It is part of the Texarkana, Texas - Texarkana, Arkansas Texarkana metropolitan area, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 808 at the 2020 United St ...

or the Moth Man in

Point Pleasant, West Virginia Point Pleasant is a city in and the county seat of Mason County, West Virginia, United States, at the confluence of the Ohio and Kanawha Rivers. The population was 4,101 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Point Pleasant, ...

, Momo did not become a major tourist or economic

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

attraction.

Description

Alleged witnesses describe the creature as a large,

bipedal Bipedalism is a form of terrestrial locomotion where an organism moves by means of its two rear limbs or legs. An animal or machine that usually moves in a bipedal manner is known as a biped , meaning 'two feet' (from Latin ''bis'' 'double' ...

humanoid A humanoid (; from English ''human'' and ''-oid'' "resembling") is a non-human entity with human form or characteristics. The earliest recorded use of the term, in 1870, referred to indigenous peoples in areas colonized by Europeans. By the 20t ...

, with a pumpkin sized head, about tall, covered in dark hair that emits a putrid odor.

History

The most well known alleged sighting occurred on July 11, 1972, when two young boys were playing in the backyard on the rural outskirts of

Louisiana, Missouri Louisiana is a city in Pike County, Missouri, Pike County, Missouri, United States. The population was 3,364 at the 2010 census. Louisiana is located in northeast Missouri, on the Mississippi River, south of Hannibal, Missouri, Hannibal. Louisiana ...

. Their older sister, Doris, was in the kitchen when she heard her brother's screaming. When she looked out of the window, she observed a massive, dark haired, man-like creature holding what appeared to be a deceased dog. She described it as having a "

pumpkin A pumpkin is a vernacular term for mature winter squash of species and varieties in the genus ''Cucurbita'' that has culinary and cultural significance but no agreed upon botanical or scientific meaning. The term ''pumpkin'' is sometimes use ...

-shaped head", and large glowing orange eyes. Many alleged sightings occurred that year, most notably was local fire department chief and member of the city council, Richard Allan Murray, who reported driving along a creek bed when he saw a massive upright creature in his vehicle's headlights. As a result of these reported encounters, a 20 person posse was formed to hunt the creature but nothing was ever found. In 2019, a

docudrama Docudrama (or documentary drama) is a genre of television and film, which features dramatized re-enactments of actual events. It is described as a hybrid of documentary and drama and "a fact-based representation of real event". Docudramas typic ...

horror film entitled ''Momo: The Missouri Monster'', was released and features a dramatization of the events of 1972. The film's cast includes Cliff Barackman and James "Bobo" Fay, best known for their appearances as Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO) members on the

Animal Planet Animal Planet (stylized in all lowercase since 2018) is an American multinational pay television channel owned by the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks unit of Warner Bros. Discovery. First established on June 1, 1996, the network is primarily dev ...

series, ''

Finding Bigfoot ''Finding Bigfoot'' was an American television series that aired on Animal Planet. The program followed four "researchers" and explorers investigating potential evidence of Bigfoot, a cryptid hominid allegedly living in the wildernesses of th ...

''. American theme park

Six Flags St. Louis Six Flags St. Louis, originally known as Six Flags Over Mid-America, is an amusement park featuring characters and rides from many Warner Bros. films and tv shows such as, Looney Tunes, DC Comics, and formerly Scooby-Doo. It is located in Eureka ...

had a ride that operated from 1973 until 1994 named after the creature.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Momo The Monster Missouri folklore American folklore Bigfoot American legendary creatures Hominid cryptids

Description

History

See also

References

Bibliography