Yeti of the Forbidden Mountain

**The Yeti of the Forbidden Mountain** or more simply **the Yeti** is a character from the attraction *Expedition Everest* who is affiliated with *Tower of Terror*. The creature is based on the cryptid known as the Yeti which is affiliated with the Himalayas.

## Description

It is unknown if the yeti is one entity, a species of animal, a magical creature, simply an abnormal organism, or some intersection of the aforementioned. The creature is 25 feet tall and covered in shaggy brown fur while having blue/pink skin underneath. The yeti's hands have long claws resembling specialized fingernails, its mouth has large canines on both its upper and lower jaw, and the height of its feet are 44 inches with a prehensile large-toe resembling that of an orangutang. Additionally, the yeti's nose resembles that of a snub-nosed monkey, a creature which adapted away from fleshy mass around its nose to combat the freezing climate of the Himalayas. Officials from the Yeti Museum believe that the creature may be connected to the extinct *Gigantopithecus* ape.

## History

### Biography

#### Origins

The yeti is a massive cryptid animal of legendary status which inhabits the Forbidden Mountain in the Himalayan mountain range, a mountain which blocked Mount Everest. The yeti would become a part of local culture, namely the culture of the kingdom Anandapur which lay below the Forbidden Mountain. The Anandapur village of Serka Zong in particular would have high spirituality regarding the creature and at some point create a temple near the Forbidden Mountain to pay tribute to the yeti. In the 17th century, Anandapur king Parthiva Sankara Gavampati created sacred art such as a mandir paroda to honour the yeti.

#### Incidents

Prior to his death in 1899, one Harrison Hightower III would travel to the Himalayas in search of the yeti. Harrison was a member of the *Society of Explorers and Adventurers* and the *Pillagers Brigade* and was a wealthy man who travelled the world stealing and grave-robbing for his collection. It is likely that his intent was to claim to yeti (or part of it) as a form of trophy. It can be assumed that Hightower was unsuccessful in his efforts however he did go on to write a book on the affair titled, "*Everest Expedition: In Search of the Yeti*".

In 1930, another explorers guild known as the *League of Adventurers* attempted to install a, "Fixed Ropes Transit System" through the Forbidden Mountain. The league deemed this adventure, "Expedition Everest" however it lead to them being attacked by the yeti. The adventurers managed to take a photograph of the animal while making off however. This story was later covered upon by the *First International News* newspaper.

When the *Royal Anandapur Tea Company* attempted to establish a tea-train through the Forbidden Mountain, the yeti began attacking trains and destroying railways. From 1933 to 1934 these attacks became so severe that ultimately the tea company had to abandon their railway operations. Around 1938, Captain Mary Oceaneer of the *Society of Explorers and Adventurers* sent members of the society to Anandapur and the Forbidden Mountain to investigate strange stories regarding the mountain, presumably relating to the yeti.

In 1982, a mountaineering expedition went through the mountain and was brutally attacked by the yeti with all of its campers being presumably killed. A shattered camera and ruined campsite was recovered from this, "Lost Expedition" with its artifacts being sent to the, "Yeti Museum" of Serka Zong.

#### Expedition Everest

Despite the warnings of the Yeti Museum, in 2007 a company known as *Himalayan Escapes Tours and Expeditions* or simply *Himalayan Escapes* repurposed the old tea-trains for tourism mountaineering to pass through the Forbidden Mountain to Mount Everest. At least one of these expeditions turned sour due to the yeti ripping up the railways throughout the mountain and chasing mountaineers in the railway throughout the mountain. Said individuals barely managed to escape the yeti's territorial wrath.

## Tower of Terror connections

### Tower of Terror

In the library of the *Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen* is a book by Harrison Hightower III titled, "*Everest Expedition: In Search of the Yeti*".

### Other connections

#### Jungle Cruise

In a post-card sent to Jungle Navigation Company president aroun 1938, Captain Mary Oceaneer mentioned sending members of the Society of Explorers and Adventurers to the Forbidden Mountain and Anandapur to investigate stories presumably relating to the yeti. Hightower's book *Everest Expedition: In Search of the Yeti* was also located in the library of the company's headquarters.

## Appearances

### Camp Discovery

A newspaper from First International News details the League of Adventurers being chased by the Yeti in the Himalayas.

### Disney's Blizzard Beach

A cave painting within a grotto of this beach depicts the Forbidden Mountain and the yeti chasing away unidentified humans.

### Expedition Everest

The Yeti is the main-antagonist of this attraction.

### Lamplight Lounge

The, "Yeti Badge" appears amongst the Wilderness Explorers badges.

### Wilderness Explorers

Several of the missions in Anandapur pertain to the yeti and forbidden mountain.

## Trivia

* The yeti has been given the nickname of **Betty the Yeti** and **Disco Yeti**. The latter name is an allusion to a defect in the attraction resulting in the Yeti's audio-animatronic needing to remain in a static, "B-Mode" with a strobe light-effect.
* Another yeti of a different species appears in the attraction *Matterhorn Bobsleds*. Said yeti's likeness is featured throughout Expedition Everest as a more commercialized version of the character. Outside of both being large great apes with claws and blue skin, the two don't have any taxonomical or otherwise biological connections which would link their species.
	+ The Matterhorn yeti also makes an appearance in the queue for *Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: BREAKOUT!* which replaced *the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror* in *Disney California Adventure*.
* The yeti's likeness in its temple mural is modelled after imagineer Joe Rohde.
* The yeti is somewhat similar to Constance Hatchaway from the Haunted Mansion in both being audio-animatronic theme-park villains introduced in 2006 who are connected to the backstory of *Tower of Terror*.

## References

1. ↑ https://www.wdwinfo.com/photos/expedition-everest/pages/Queue%20everest%20109.htm
2. ↑ https://jungleskipper.com/sea/attractions/skipper-canteen#&gid=1&pid=left-bookshelf-top-shelf-c70
3. ↑ https://disney-universes.tumblr.com/post/163491408941/lafitteslanding-heres-close-ups-on-some-of-the#notes