Holy Loch-Ness-Monster-On-A-Pogo-Stick! Loren Coleman Has Been Studying Hidden Animals For 52 Years Now!
We believe if there is one person who is more dedicated the to the cryptozoology cause more than anyone else, it's Loren Coleman. He's been interested in cryptozoology or the study of hidden animals since 1960, after watching a film called Half Human (originally released in Japan as Jūjin Yuki Otoko). Coleman remembers the exact date: March 20th, when he was reading about Charles Fort (an American writer and researcher into anomalous phenomena), Raymond Ditmers, and Roy Chapman Andrews.
Today is Loren's official 52nd anniversary and we're raising our glasses to a toast of thanks to Mr. Coleman and his hard work and dedication. "Life choices were made, from what I would read to where I went to school, from what I would write to where I would live, based on cryptozoology, oftentimes," Coleman wrote on Cryptomundo today.
[...]
Fifty-two years ago I was inspired to go into cryptozoology after watching the movie Half Human, originally released in Japan as Jūjin Yuki Otoko (獣人雪男?, lit. “Half-Beast-Half-Man Snowman”).
After viewing the 1958 film late in March of 1960, I asked my school teachers about the Yeti, about the Abominable Snowmen. The responses I received were negative, discouraging, and frustrating. So I went to the friendly reference librarians of the Decatur (Illinois) Public Library, and was shown to a small shelf of books that contained the works of Willy Ley, Bernard Heuvelmans, and Ivan T. Sanderson. I read of cryptozoology even before the name was being used in print, and recognized a whole new world in natural history existed beyond what I was being taught about in school.
I had literally “discovered” cryptozoology.
The whole universe of cryptozoology opened up a remarkable new world view for me.
- Loren Coleman
Here's young Loren Coleman in an Unsolved Mysteries documentary about the Yeti expedition and how the Yeti finger was stolen from monks:
[via www.cryptomundo.com]
He had a little edge up on me but not much: Our local library had copies of Ivan Sanderson's book on Abominable Snowmen and Tim Dinsdale's book on the Loch Ness Monster (introduction by Sanderson) more or less hot off the presses in the early 1960s. I do not remember the exact date but by 1967, age 11, I had thoroughly digested both books and was always drawing pictures of "Monsters" (and dinosaurs) in school: I remember drawing a chart of Sanderson's basic types "ABSMs" in sixth grade, to the complete bewilderment of my elders (I was already a pretty good artist by then)and I explained it by saying they were "Cavemen"
ReplyDeleteBy seventh grade I had noticed one of my teachers was reading the book The Great Orm of Loch Ness and I kept pestering him to let me borrow it. I gained the teasing nickname "Orm" because of it. That book also had another foreward by Sanderson, I believe. It troubled me that the author was very inistant about what I took to be a "Wrong" theory. Somewhere about in there I also discovered Heuvelmans (and Willy Ley, and Frank Lane) in the library, and when Heuvelmans' book on SeaSerpents came out, I was one of the first ones to order a copy by mail. By the time I started High School in the early 1970s, I was continually drawing the creatures out of that one as well, and beging a very thorough dissection and analysis of the reports. About then I joined the SITU and my first letter had an early version of a Cryptozoological checklist. Sanderson wrote me back to say I had obviously learnt a lot on the subject of Cryptozoology. I was fortunate enough to have exchanged letters with both Sanderson and Heuvelmans before they died.
Best Wishes, Dale D.
I,I,I,I,I
DeleteOK Dale. You're right. The spot should have been about you. Not Loren Coleman.
Great post Dale, thanks for sharing
DeleteAnother person, who like Moneymaker-Biscardi-Standing, that makes a living off of imaginary creatures. Get a real job. Actually, why bother when suckers buy into what you are selling? After reading this, please send your cash donation to The International Cryptozoology Museum.
ReplyDeleteTom Swift has new Bigfoot evidence. There is an impression of a Bigfoot nut-sack on his chin.
DeleteThe imagination of lonely trolls never ceases to amaze me, such jealousy and neverending bitterness they feel inclined to tell us all about. Oh well, bigfoot's gonna be proven real sooner than they think. They think it never will, don't you just love such naivety? LOL
DeleteYeah, Loren's been around a long time. Only thing
ReplyDeletethat bothered me is he expanded into Lake
Monsters, little people, Chubricaba, Moth Man, Big Mystery Cats etc.
Of course he's a man of many interests, but I think
that expansion detracted from his core Bigfoot work.
This is America....It's okay for 'Merican's to make that money....even off Bigfoot.
Congratulations on 52 years Mr. Coleman.
ReplyDeleteChuck
Congrats, Loren! By the way, Mr. Coleman's always reminded me of singer Michael McDonald. :-)
ReplyDeleteNope Loren's got much better teeth!
DeleteNot as good a singer, though.
ReplyDeleteYou got that right! But you never know
DeleteLoren's next project might be Loren Coleman
with the Cryptomundo Band: Mysterious, Out of Focus but Intriguing!
But but but but but I thought THE person who is the most dedicated to cryptozoology is Mr. Tom Biscardi!!! I mean, he TOLD me he was!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd he even has movies on VOD!
No fair, no fair!!
I had no clue Loren was that old.
ReplyDeleteThat's the footage Loren Coleman stole from Peter Byrne's house and profited from Unsolved Mysteries with it. Then Peter had to put the hammer done on Loren and get what was rightfully his. True story.
ReplyDelete