Bigfoot out of Style in Malaysia.

[From The China Post. September, 15/ 2006.]

Bigfoot out. Mummified goblins in.

A group of Malaysian myth investigators who claim to have a footprint mold of a giant, man-like "Bigfoot" creature said Friday they intend to sell it to raise funds for their next project _ determining if three ghoulish, mummified figures are real.

The group Seekers-Malaysia, which has a reality TV program in Malaysia, said money raised from the sale of the alleged sasquatch footprint would be used to research the "three mummified ghouls," and to purchase new paranormal equipment, said spokesman Adrin Emman.

The three supposed shriveled, skeletal-like creatures with razor-sharp teeth were provided for research purposes by their owner Bukhari Abdullah for two weeks. Pictures released by the group show one figure no larger than a human hand, while another appears to be the length of a human body.

Stories about Bigfoot captured headlines in Malaysia last year after three fish farm workers reported seeing giant human-like creatures in southern Johor state's Endau Rompin reserve. Seekers-Malaysia claims to have molded a Bigfoot footprint _ three times the size of a human head _ during an expedition to the area earlier this year.

Bigfoot fever has since waned in Malaysia, with smaller creatures popular in Malaysian folklore now taking center stage.

An ongoing exhibit at a museum featuring dozens of creatures from Malay folklore has drawn tens of thousands of visitors. Among the featured exhibits at the Shah Alam Museum include a supposed preserved mermaid, the apparent shriveled skeletal remains of a half woman-half snake, and a purported goblin trapped in a bottle.

The museum says it has invited a team of researchers from "Ripley's Believe It or Not" to research the exhibits.

A large number of Malaysians, especially in rural communities, believe in the supernatural, but such beliefs have also been criticized for going against the tenets of Islam. A majority of the Malaysia's 26 million population are Muslim.

WCSRO, 2006.