Status: Hoax (part of a viral marketing campaign)
Russian geologist Arkady Simkin claims to have participated in an oil-surveying expedition to Northern Siberia that found an enormous, skyscraper-size creature buried in the ice. He gives the following description of the creature (which he refers to as Taurus Major)
on his website:
The animal appears to be a huge quadruped with horns much like a bull. In fact it looks to be a hybrid of a bull, woolly mammoth and a rhino – if such a thing existed. But its size is truly colossal. The horns are immense in dimension and protrude from the head with incredible length. The body is covered with a combination of coarse fur and what can best be described as ‘body armor’ (like an American armadillo) – protects its enormous joints and head.
What makes Simkin's site interesting (and I'm referring to Simkin as a real person, though I doubt he is) is the movie and radio interview that he's posted on the site. The movie is pretty impressive and indicates that someone spent some money to produce it. The radio interview, by contrast, is fun to listen to, but is obviously scripted.
I'm taking it as a given that the ice giant is a hoax, but I have no idea who's behind it. Maybe it's a publicity stunt for a book, movie, or video game. I'm sure that we'll find out soon enough. The name Arkady may be an allusion to Arkham from the work of H.P. Lovecraft. The Taurus Major creature itself also seems very Lovecraftian. (Thanks to Darrell for the link)
Update: It's part of a viral marketing campaign for a new Playstation game called Shadow of the Colossus, which involves hunting and killing giant creatures. The website
giantology.typepad.com, supposedly about "the mythology and culture of giants throughout the ages of humanity," is also part of this same marketing campaign. The giantology site has been hosting footage showing
the skeleton of a giant uncovered on a beach in India by the tsunami. Quite a few people have linked to this footage, but it's all part of the same marketing effort.
Comments
http://www.us.playstation.com/games.aspx?id=SCUS-97472
Sony is a Japanese company, Fumito Ueda (the designer of both Ico, and Shadow of the Colossus) is also Japanese. While "The West" is a terrible place where we eat kittens, and use the last sheet of toilet paper without replacing it. We aren't the only place in the world where inconsiderate people live, in fact as far as I can tell, the whole planet is full of inconsiderate people who, suprise, suprise come from everywhere.
"Surprise", damn spell-check dependence.
I wrote an email to Arkady Simkin, and received a reply back from a friend of his. He says in the email that Arkady has nothing to do with Sony or any video game, and that this is real.
In the Alternate Reality Gaming community, we have a thread running for this at http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12714.
The third page has a full copy of the email reply I received.
STFU: http://www.us.playstation.com/pressreleases.aspx?id=302
ReadbackMonkey:
KMA
Anyway, I just wanted to weigh in on this whole "real" discovery thing. 😊
Did you call Sony CO.to ask about that?
Did you spoke with the geologist Arkady Simkin?
Do you know the corect date of that discovery?
Have you been in North Siberia to check out that area?
Are you sure that Arkady is an actor?
There are many questions without answers but you already post on the net that the video is a Hoax
Don't try to be fantastik like those kids who play playstation2...lol
http://lavida97344.blogspot.com/ :roll:
it claims to show a huge robot like sculpture in Peru.
This clip is also featured on the giantology site
http://www.giantology.typepad.com/
They must surely be linked..........
On http://giantology.typepad.com , the website that's been covering this all, he linked to Arkady Simkin's new website, http://www.stop-polarneft.com . Arkady Simkin is the one who discovered the "Siberian Giant".
Going to this site, there is a hidden link at the bottom of the page. Clicking on this link asks for a password. Until today, when you clicked on the link, the header of the web page stated:
'Index of sony/playstation/SOTC_DEV/stoppolarneft/arkady1'
They changed it today to 'Index of stoppolarneft/arkady1'.
Is that enough proof for you?
'Index of sony/playstation/SOTC_DEV/stoppolarneft/arkady1'
You are right, I have actually made a screenshot of this!
So anyone who'd like to see it, i've got it, it's a clear hoax
1. Why wasn' this on TV and why isnt sony saying anything bout it?
2. If its a prank, then who would have the cash to do this?
3. That giant of Jebal-Barez doesn't look like any of the Sony Colossi.
Those are some other things. Maybe someone should notify an official to state something.
it claims to show a huge robot like sculpture in Peru.//
Reminds me heavily of Miyazaki's Laputa creatures. I'm not sure the "statue" is related to the "hoax" however. I find it funny that the girl is barely shocked, like it's just some big tourist spot that everyone knows about.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadow_of_the_colossus
This is also handy because it lists what 'colossi' they resemble.
Until then (which will never actually happen, you know) we're free to discount it or call it an ad, which it very likely is.
If anybody wants to look at another long debate about this topic on this same website, you can go to http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/forums/viewthread/513/ and see it. The guy Monk went back and changed a lot of his comments, though, so now the conversation has a rather surreal look to it at times.
First I would love to point out that There are some nonsensical debates here with absolutely no foundation to stand on. alot of assumption without regard to a lack of information and the like.
first I looked at the threads below....
http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12714
I found it interesting, I would also like to state it doesn't freaking matter if they are Russian or Japanese or what ever. the authenticity of their nationality is not the issue. it actually plays no part in it and is of no consequence to the topic.
I also looked at the STFU link provided to indicate this individuals understanding of the whole mess....
http://www.us.playstation.com/News/PressReleases/302
Before someone says STFU to somebody ..make sure you have the facts straight. Did anyone read this or were they overwhelmed with all the sentences and paragraphs?
I read it and it does say thier is a campaign to place ads and the like...However it does not identify the videos or "ADDS" in question SPECIFICALLY.
in fact it does identify what type of adds and on what channels they will be played.
none of them are the ones we are speaking of at present.
I cannot say these videos are real and i cannot say they are fake. however. if they are fake and advertising a SONY product. Sony like ALL companies like to have thier cleverness seen by al and would most definitely have placed some forrm of identifying mark on these things. otherwise nobody knows what the hell is going on and that sure as hell does not lead to sales. if you had a product would you make a relevant commercial yet not link it to the product or your company?
EVER?
thats like Adidas making a commercial to sell their shoes and no Adidas logo or anything is present..all you see is some guy running and not one reference to buy a shoe or even visit a location to ask more? this doesn't raise any eyebrows?
Fact is ..if i had a secret and it was all over the net and i didn't want anyone to even question it further. I would feed off the crap I have placed in their brains long ago..like"its just and add go back to work" or Don't believe anything you see on television" or make a non relevant side attraction like the people aren't even Russian in that video or forum so how can you believe anything they say?
Ask more question , read more and don't assume. look further and ask is their any reason to lie or cover it up?
Only after thorough evaluation should you even begin to attempt to deny or debunk or even prove anything.
and don't act like 5 yr olds and say things like STFU and your lame. that shows you have no regard for others feeling and have not yet evolved into a fully responsible adult and have a serious lack of intelligent and educated communication skills.
KNOW WHAT THE HELL YOUR TALKING ABOUT.
OR TAKE YOUR OWN ADVICE AND STFU!!!!