Bigfoot Patrol patch on Kickstarter
The Bigfoot Patrol embroidered patch was the design that started what would eventually become Monsterologist and the entire collection of monster, creature & cryptozoology patches, buttons, stickers and all the rest of the artist merchandise lineup.
The Bigfoot Patrol started out as my first Kickstarter campaign almost 4 years ago back in August 2014. Being new to Kickstarter, production, spreadsheets and shipping, I made the funding goal a bit too high and the rewards a bit too ambitious. The campaign didn't fund.
But I learned a lot, got the patches made anyways, and even shipped them to the backers (I did ask for donations to cover expenses, which many kindly did).
The original sketch (above) looks a lot different than the current design, but the original has it's own charms.
Yeti Squad, Sasquatch Brigade & Cryptid Command
That experience led to the successful Yeti Squad campaign, then the extremely successful Sasquatch Brigade campaign which got highlighted as a "Project We Love" on Kickstarter. That brought in more attention and backers, which helped propel things even further.
The big question was "where's Nessie, and aliens???" which led to the creation and Kickstarter campaign for the first Cryptid Command patch set featuring Bigfoot, Nessie and UFOs.
Vendor Events and Beyond!
Another successful campaign, and by this time I began exploring the world of artist tables and vendor events. The first Mothman Festival opened my eyes up to the possibility of being a full-time monster artist — which was the goal since I was 8 years old!
From there, it was ghosts, ancient astronauts, Halloween, Krampus — and it continues to this day.
Thank You!
Of course, a big thank you to all the fans who backed me since all the way back in the Bigfoot Patrol days. It made (and continues to make) a huge difference, and none of this would be possible without your enthusiasm and support. I can't thank you enough!
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