Bigfoot is back in town. That is right, Claude Reginald, St. Louis’ very own hairy bi-ped is having a show!

Who is Claude? According to his creator, plush artist Laurene Franco, “He came about from a cartoon-y drawing by Dan Franco, and I created Claude ‘in the plush’ with that drawing.  He was the first lifesize plush I made; my pattern was created from wrapping paper and a tracing of ‘the hubs’ for proportion.”

I spoke with none other than Claude Reginald and Jennifer Weigel (who helped to translate for Claude as English isn’t his first language and his typing skills aren’t the best) about Claude’s life, adventures, and his show opening this Friday.

This is one loveable bigfoot. St. Louis: meet Claude Reginald.

Claude, how did such a handsome, loveable, bigfoot/sasquatch come to exist here in the heart of the Midwest?

Claude has been living with Chuck and me since the Crammed Organisms show at Cranky Yellow and especially likes riding around in the car. After so many sweets and so much sitting, he had to have some work done because he was starting to sag and have horrible back pain. He feels much better now and is much fuller in the middle again.

You’re large and in-charge at 6.5′ tall. I hear that in your travels, you have a deep love for oversized roadside attractions. What are some of your favorites?

Claude loves zany roadside attractions. He hasn’t made it out to see as many as he’d like, but of the ones he has seen his current favorite is the Twistee Treat at the Pink Elephant Antique Mall off I-55 because IT’S A GIANT SOFT SERVE ICE CREAM CONE! (Claude has more than a bit of a sweet tooth as well as a fondness for roadside attractions.) He also loves the farmer at the Sappington Farmer’s Market and thinks it good that he stopped being a clown, since apparently he wasn’t a very good clown because he scared people rather than making them smile.

Apart from roadside attractions, Claude has a monster-sized fondness for sweets and frequents local frozen custard stands and bakeries. His favorite is probably the Donut Stop, where he has since become famous. (He wanted to bring donuts for the opening, but unfortunately they’re on vacation this week.) Claude also loves nature and public parks and tends to frequent playgrounds. And he has a secret fondness for wineries for all that he doesn’t drink often – many wineries have spectacular views of nature and excellent food.

What is the reaction from folks when they meet you for the first time? I mean, you seem like a real friendly um…bigfoot.

Claude is trying to overcome people’s prejudices against so-called monsters – not all are big and scary. Claude finds that it can be hard to fit in and that he draws attention wherever he goes. (That’s part of why he loves Halloween so much – monsters are celebrated and emulated everywhere.) A lot of people laugh and ask what he is and why he’s there, and some even want their pictures taken with him, and he doesn’t mind hamming it up at all. He hates it when people refer to him as a giant turd or poo, though. as I pointed out on my blog.

We are happy to hear you will be back in St. Louis this weekend for your show at Cranky Yellow. What’s in store for the opening Friday night?

Claude is looking forward to the show at Cranky Yellow, although it’s his first big event by himself so he’s a little nervous. There will be an appearance by Claude Jr. (Reggie) and music videos, plush Claudes, t-shirts, blog photos, drawings, buttons and more. Claude is looking forward to coming to the show Friday night and will be happy for people to take their photos with him, so don’t forget your cameras.

Do you take hugs?

Claude loves hugs, except from scuba divers. He is petrified of scuba divers. (He is a bit of a clean freak, though, and is especially wary of people getting things on his fur because its really hard to get stuff out later on even with all of the shampooing, conditioning, blowdrying and such.)

More about the show:

Conceptual artist Jennifer Weigel and plush artist Laurene Franco will be with Claude for an evening of handmade art and multi-media entertainment. Claude will be debuting his Music Video Series and there will be photo opportunities for everyone to be with the 7ft. plush monster (so bring your camera). Weigel will have her original “Monsterpieces” (one of a kind collages) and drawings in different mediums. In addition, buttons, pins, tees and plush Claudes will be available for purchase. The setting is within Cranky Yellow, walls covered with original artwork, racks of vintage and unique clothing and display cases filled with quirky antiques and crafts.

Claude: The Monster, The Myth, The Legend
Friday, August 7, 2009 7 – 11 p.m.
Free and open to the public

Cranky Yellow
2847 Cherokee Street
St. Louis, MO 63118

Presented by Cranky Yellow Publishing, Jennifer Weigel, Laurene Franco and the St. Louis Craft Mafia.

Courtney is the Assistant Managing and Crafts Editor for Girls Guide. You can check out her personal blog at CourtneyChesley.com where she talks about everything under the creative sun. Email her at courtney [at] girlsguidetothegalaxy [dot] com, or follow her on Twitter – @courtneychesley