In all that time, no one has photographed the creature or captured it. The cast was destroyed in a service station fire in the late 1970s, Roberts said. Though scores of residents have reported seeing the hairy creature, experts scoff at its existence. Frank Schamback, an archaeologist at Southern Arkansas University at Magnolia who debunked the footprint as a hoax in the 1970s, said he doesn't believe in the Fouke monster. It's just that.
People like to have a mystery.
Residents would have proof by now if the creature existed, Schamback said. The sheriff's office used to receive a few reported sightings when he joined the department about 14 years ago, Giles said. The town plays up its connection with the monster. Down the road from Monster Mart, a visitor can poke his head through a hole in a metal silhouette and have his photo taken as the monster. People'd think you're crazy.