An 8-foot tall Bigfoot statue named Brian continues to occupy downtown Wichita 

There have been plenty of Bigfoot sightings in Wichita over the past few months, but conspiracy theorists have yet to flock to south central Kansas.

More specifically, “Bigfoot Brian” made a home for himself in the window of the former Legacy Antiques building on the southwest corner of Douglas Avenue and Emporia Street since the beginning of the holiday season, and by popular demand will stay in residence until the end of January.

“It exceeded everyone’s expectations and has just been wonderful,” said Emily Brookover, director of community development for Downtown Wichita. “It was a really great way to enjoy Brian safely and have a safe activity for families and kids. We’ve had really wonderful feedback from people who want to see him downtown.”

He is part of a tableau called “The Winter Birdwatcher,” created by Wichita artists Hallie Linnebur and Meghan Miller. Included is an “I Spy” game that families can play together, with a list of 19 objects hidden in the display. The list is in the window display and on the downtownwichita.org website.

Brookover said Downtown Wichita has heard nothing but compliments about the window, which harken many back to the days when department stores on Douglas would create holiday displays for shoppers.

“It brought back really great memories for them of growing up in Wichita,” she said.

Brian arrived in Wichita from a statuary company in New York state during November 2019.

“We got him as a fun addition to downtown, just to celebrate different businesses and highlight what they were doing last year,” Brookover said.

He was at a Valentine’s celebration at a pop-up park downtown, followed by a planned residency at the Wichita Art Museum for kids camps.

“And that’s when COVID hit,” Brookover said. “He was stuck at the Wichita Art Museum for a couple of months with quarantine. He did have a mask on, I made him a mask.

“We finally got him out of quarantine, and he’s been kind of hanging out since then,” she added.

Plans for Brian to return to downtown businesses during the recent holiday season were dashed, Brookover said, in favor of placing him in a window where he can be seen by shoppers 24/7.

Made of fiberglass resin, the 8-foot tall Brian is of undetermined weight – “He’s not as heavy as he looks,” Brookover added – and will be making appearances downtown again soon, she said.

“We never tell anyone where he’s going next,” she said. “He’s a bigfoot – you never know where you’ll see him.”