Minnesota Iceman
Encyclopedia
The Minnesota Iceman is a hoax
depicting a man-like creature frozen in a block of ice that was found in Minnesota in 1968. It was displayed at state fair
s or carnival
s in and around Rollingstone
, Minnesota
, and Milwaukee on and around December 17, 1968 as a "missing link
".
, Bigfoot
or Yeti
, while others contend that it was a hoax
.
customs
officials, who were concerned he was transporting a cadaver
, or a possible health risk. Hansen reportedly contacted his senator, Walter Mondale
, who was able to "pull the right strings to let the Iceman come back home."
Two trained scientists and researchers of cryptozoology, Ivan Sanderson and Dr. Bernard Heuvelmans
, examined the "iceman" and concluded it was a genuine creature, noting "putrefaction where some of the flesh had been exposed from the melted ice." Heuvelmans wrote a scientific paper about the iceman and even named it as a new species with neanderthal affinities, Homo pongoides, and theorised it was shot and killed in Vietnam
during the Vietnam War
. Sanderson wrote an article for Argosy
magazine and spoke about the "iceman" on television. The Smithsonian Institution
was reportedly briefly interested in the iceman, asking John Napier
to investigate, then suggesting the FBI investigate, due to reports that the creature had been shot and killed through one eye. Shortly thereafter, the iceman disappeared, withdrawn from public display, Hansen said, by the California
-based owner. It was later replaced by a similar, though different, exhibit which was clearly a model and not as accurate in appearance as the original. In a 1995 interview, Hansen reported that "I never did find out" if the iceman was genuine. In 2008, Verne Langdon appeared on the "Bigfoot Show" podcast to reveal that the Iceman was a hoax created by a Hollywood model maker. It should also be noted that, years before the creation of the Minnesota Iceman, Frank Hansen approached Universal Studios in a failed attempt to create a fake crashed flying saucer and aliens.
Hoax
A hoax is a deliberately fabricated falsehood made to masquerade as truth. It is distinguishable from errors in observation or judgment, or rumors, urban legends, pseudosciences or April Fools' Day events that are passed along in good faith by believers or as jokes.-Definition:The British...
depicting a man-like creature frozen in a block of ice that was found in Minnesota in 1968. It was displayed at state fair
State fair
A state fair is a competitive and recreational gathering of a U.S. state's population. It is a larger version of a county fair, often including only exhibits or competitors that have won in their categories at the more-local county fairs....
s or carnival
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
s in and around Rollingstone
Rollingstone, Minnesota
Rollingstone is a city in Winona County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 664 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, and Milwaukee on and around December 17, 1968 as a "missing link
Missing Link
Missing link is a nonscientific term for any transitional fossil, especially one connected with human evolution; see Transitional fossil - Missing links and List of transitonal fossils - Human evolution.Missing Link may refer to:...
".
Description
It has been described as male, human-like, 6 ft (~1.8 m) tall, hairy, with large hands and feet, very dark brown hair about 3 - 4 inches (~9 cm) long, and a flattened nose. One of its arms appeared to be broken and one of its eyes appeared to have been knocked out of its socket, allegedly by a bullet that was supposed to have entered the animal's head from behind. If a genuine animal, the specimen would be a significant zoological discovery, as some have suggested the creature was a neanderthalNeanderthal
The Neanderthal is an extinct member of the Homo genus known from Pleistocene specimens found in Europe and parts of western and central Asia...
, Bigfoot
Bigfoot
Bigfoot, also known as sasquatch, is an ape-like cryptid that purportedly inhabits forests, mainly in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. Bigfoot is usually described as a large, hairy, bipedal humanoid...
or Yeti
Yeti
The Yeti or Abominable Snowman is an ape-like cryptid said to inhabit the Himalayan region of Nepal, and Tibet. The names Yeti and Meh-Teh are commonly used by the people indigenous to the region, and are part of their history and mythology...
, while others contend that it was a hoax
Hoax
A hoax is a deliberately fabricated falsehood made to masquerade as truth. It is distinguishable from errors in observation or judgment, or rumors, urban legends, pseudosciences or April Fools' Day events that are passed along in good faith by believers or as jokes.-Definition:The British...
.
History
Frank Hansen owned the "iceman", and made a number of contradictory statements as to its origin and how he obtained it. These statements led to criticism and charges of a hoax. Hansen reportedly claimed he had a real frozen creature and a replica, but that he only exhibited the replica due to the original's value and fragility. While touring with the iceman, Hansen was reportedly detained by CanadianCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
customs
Customs
Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting and safeguarding customs duties and for controlling the flow of goods including animals, transports, personal effects and hazardous items in and out of a country...
officials, who were concerned he was transporting a cadaver
Cadaver
A cadaver is a dead human body.Cadaver may also refer to:* Cadaver tomb, tomb featuring an effigy in the form of a decomposing body* Cadaver , a video game* cadaver A command-line WebDAV client for Unix....
, or a possible health risk. Hansen reportedly contacted his senator, Walter Mondale
Walter Mondale
Walter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale is an American Democratic Party politician, who served as the 42nd Vice President of the United States , under President Jimmy Carter, and as a United States Senator for Minnesota...
, who was able to "pull the right strings to let the Iceman come back home."
Two trained scientists and researchers of cryptozoology, Ivan Sanderson and Dr. Bernard Heuvelmans
Bernard Heuvelmans
Bernard Heuvelmans was a Belgian-French scientist, explorer, researcher, and a writer probably best known as "the father of cryptozoology"...
, examined the "iceman" and concluded it was a genuine creature, noting "putrefaction where some of the flesh had been exposed from the melted ice." Heuvelmans wrote a scientific paper about the iceman and even named it as a new species with neanderthal affinities, Homo pongoides, and theorised it was shot and killed in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. Sanderson wrote an article for Argosy
Argosy (magazine)
Argosy was an American pulp magazine, published by Frank Munsey. It is generally considered to be the first American pulp magazine. The magazine began as a general information periodical entitled The Golden Argosy, targeted at the boys adventure market.-Launch of Argosy:In late September 1882,...
magazine and spoke about the "iceman" on television. The Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
was reportedly briefly interested in the iceman, asking John Napier
John Napier (primatologist)
John Russell Napier, MRCS, LRCP, D.Sc. was a British primatologist, paleoathropologist, and physician, who is notable for his work with Homo habilis and OH 7, as well as on human and primate hands/feet...
to investigate, then suggesting the FBI investigate, due to reports that the creature had been shot and killed through one eye. Shortly thereafter, the iceman disappeared, withdrawn from public display, Hansen said, by the California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
-based owner. It was later replaced by a similar, though different, exhibit which was clearly a model and not as accurate in appearance as the original. In a 1995 interview, Hansen reported that "I never did find out" if the iceman was genuine. In 2008, Verne Langdon appeared on the "Bigfoot Show" podcast to reveal that the Iceman was a hoax created by a Hollywood model maker. It should also be noted that, years before the creation of the Minnesota Iceman, Frank Hansen approached Universal Studios in a failed attempt to create a fake crashed flying saucer and aliens.