2004 – Background – How Philip Morris (RIP) Made Gorilla Suits in the 1960s (Part 1)

[Trogluddite]

Once again, Greg Long’s execrable The Making of Bigfoot[1] is useful because it locks in the statement of a relevant witness.  In three separate conversations beginning in November 2003, Philip Morris described in “precise” detail how he made gorilla suits in the 1960s.  He was describing the manufacturing process of suits similar to the one pictured at https://bigfootforums.com/topic/144126-19670805-book-roger-patterson-buys-this-exact-gorilla-costume-from-philip-morris/, the “exact type” of suit which he claims to have sold to Roger Patterson.  The number following each statement below is the page number of Greg Long's book on which the information appears.  I’ve added a few comments for clarification or to provide context; discussion of the import of Mr. Morris’s comments is best included in an appropriate thread elsewhere. 

 

***** General Information and Background *****

 

Philip Morris stated that:

 

- He was amazed at the extent that Roger Patterson went with the details of Patty’s face (mask) since a person in 1967 could not anticipate the way photos could be analyzed later and also because the film was taken too far away to see details.  457. 

 

- He began to make gorilla suits because there were no reasonably priced gorilla suits available in the United States in the late 1950s.  445. 

 

- His company made one to three suits a month and the process of making each suit took at least one week.  459; emphasis added.  In August 1967 his gorilla suits sold for $335 but he later raised the price to $435.  446. 

 

Comment: The December 1967 advertisement provided by Mr. Morris contradicts this statement as it lists the price of a gorilla suit as $435, reduced from $750.  447, 460.

 

- He did not make suits fitted to the buyer; they were one size fits all.  462.  He sold Roger Patterson “a standard suit,” which was shipped [from North Carolina] to Roger [in Washington] by parcel post.  446.  

 

- He believed that Roger Patterson found the phone number for the Morris Magic Company in an advertisement in Amusement Business magazine.

 

Comment: The December 1967 advertisement provided by Mr. Morris contradicts this statement; it does not include a phone number.  447. 

 

- In a follow-up phone call, Roger Patterson requested extra “gorilla fur,” which Mr. Morris apparently sent him for free.  448.  Mr. Morris speculated that Roger used this “fur” on a person’s cheeks or to add more fur to the feet and hands.  459.      

 

- His suit could be worn by a person up to six feet tall.  451. 

 

- He manufactured his gorilla suits from either black or brown Dynel.  447, 449.  Dynel is a material consisting of nylon threads driven through a cloth backing; if grouped together tightly enough, the Dynel threads looked like plush fur.  449. 

 

- He only used brown Dynel in the 1960s because that color contrasted better against the background typically used in carnival sideshows.  449. 

 

- The color of his suits was uniform; there were not any differences or highlights in the fur.  456. 

 

- He made a white gorilla suit that was used in the 1971 James Bond film, Diamonds are Forever.  449

 

Comment: The gorilla in Diamonds are Forever is black, contradicting Mr. Morris’s statement.  See the suit at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpCFU_ZBMW8. 

 

- He never made suits with female breasts; however, the plastic chest pieces “stuck out several inches.  453. 

 

- The latex used for the suit (see below) was normally honeydew colored; black dye had to be added to make it look like a gorilla’s skin.  450. 

 

- His gorilla suit consisted of six (6) separate pieces: One head, one torso (the body, arms, and legs), two hands, and two feet.  449. 

 

- His gorilla suit weighed twenty to twenty-five pounds.  452.

 

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[1] Those who don’t have the book should borrow it from a friend or local library rather than enrich Mr. Long.

 

 

 

Edited Saturday at 06:32 PM by Trogluddite
To correct spacing because computers hate me.