South Homegrown 0

The Fouke Monster Mart: Monster, Museum and Merchandise

August 24, 2022

Author Holli Boyett

August 24, 2022

Holli Boyett

If you’re ever driving down in our country along about sundown, keep an eye on the dark woods as you cross the Sulphur River bottoms… you may catch a glimpse of a huge, hairy creature watching you from the shadows.”
– narrator, The Legend of Boggy Creek.

Have you heard of the Fouke Monster? The popular Arkansas folklore is the inspiration and center of the Fouke Monster Mart located on Highway 71, just 15 miles southeast of Texarkana. A combination museum, monster gift shop and convenience store, this family-owned business is dedicated to preserving the history of the Fouke Monster, a local creature made famous by the 1970s movie, The Legend of Boggy Creek. The store has seen visitors from all 50 states and about 25 countries.

Becky, one of the Fouke Monster Mart clerks and a lifelong Fouke resident, says the top two questions she gets from visitors are:

1. How do you pronounce the name of this town?

Fouke is pronounced f-ow-kuh.

2. Do you believe people have really seen the monster?

She believes they saw something, but she doesn’t know what.

The museum portion of the Fouke Monster Mart features a display of historic Fouke Monster items; vintage newspaper articles, monster track casts, photographs, maps and diagrams all related to the area legend. There are several interesting photo opportunities in the museum. Visitors can get photos taken with life-size monster statues or in front of a boggy background. Just outside the museum is a giant monster mural.

The store part of Fouke Monster Mart has monster-shaped car decals, toys and even Fouke Monster cookie cutters. For visitors who prefer to wear their monster souvenirs, Fouke Monster Mart offers t-shirts, hats and sunglasses. Visitors who wish to learn more about the Fouke Monster and its history can purchase their own copies of books and movies dedicated to the local phenomenon.