Wild Thing

Wild Thing, a new podcast about our collective fascination with Bigfoot - even if we're not sure it exists. Coming October 2.

Laura Krantz is a veteran public radio editor and producer. So how did she end up in the wilds of the Pacific Northwest, eyeballing some giant ground nests… that might have been made by Bigfoot? You can place the blame squarely on the shoulders of a guy named Grover. He was a tenured professor of anthropology at Washington State University and one of world’s preeminent experts on Sasquatch. And it turns out that Grover is also Laura’s long-lost cousin. How could she not do a story about this guy?*Season 1 of Wild Thing is produced by Laura Krantz, Scott Carney, and Kelsey Ray. Editing by Alisa Barba. Music and mixing by Ramtin Arablouei.

Just what is Bigfoot? Descendant of ancient apes? Close human ancestor? Evolution might hold the answer to this question. Homo sapiens may rule the planet now but once upon a time, we weren’t the only hominid creatures walking around. Who’s to say that Bigfoot wasn’t—and still isn’t—among us? We talk to evolution experts and anthropologists, including Ian Tattersall, curator at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.*Season 1 of Wild Thing is produced by Laura Krantz, Scott Carney, and Kelsey Ray. Editing by Alisa Barba. Music and mixing by Ramtin Arablouei.

Let’s look at the evidence. There are footprints and sounds, grainy pictures, and the notorious Patterson-Gimlin film—that shaky 1967 video of a big, hairy beast striding through the forest. But how well does it hold up? We hear from a variety of people—the skeptics and the certain—who make their case for what evidence is out there. How much of it stands up to scrutiny?*Season 1 of Wild Thing is produced by Laura Krantz, Scott Carney, and Kelsey Ray. Editing by Alisa Barba. Music and mixing by Ramtin Arablouei.

A Bigfoot sighting can apparently change your life and even lead to obsession. Thousands of people claim to have laid eyes on Sasquatch over the past century and Laura’s spoken to dozens of them—compelling stories that will set your hair on end. If they didn’t see Bigfoot, what did they see?*Season 1 of Wild Thing is produced by Laura Krantz, Scott Carney, and Kelsey Ray. Editing by Alisa Barba. Music and mixing by Ramtin Arablouei.