The caller wanted to buy a gorilla costume and asked if it looked like a real gorilla.graduate. he was assured that it looked like a real gorilla, but said he wanted something that looked more Neanderthal. What he wanted was in fact Bigfoot.

Intrigued, Morris asked Patterson what the costume was for. “He said the costume was for a prank, but I thought that was pretty odd because these were expensive suits,” said Morris. “Our customers were movie studios and famous magicians, the suits cost $450 back then. That is like over $1,000 today. I thought it was odd to spend so much on a prank, but I sent him the costume.”

2 weeks after dispatching the costume, Morris got another phone call from Patterson. “He asked me to send him some extra fur and asked how to hide the zipper in the back and how to make the person in the costume look larger,” Morris said. “I told him to brush the fur over the zipper and use hair spray to hold it, and then get some football shoulder pads and sticks for the arms to give the illusion of being taller, and use stuffing to get more bulk.”

2 months later, Patterson was all over the news with a video he “captured” of Bigfoot while hunting in northern California. “I was watching TV when I saw Patterson and his film on the news,” Morris said. “I called my wife from the other room and said, `Look it’s our gorilla costume.”’

ROBBED: Lee Cooper at the After Dark costume shop.

A group of teenage girls made off with a Goldilocks outfit and a sailor girl costume from the After Dark fancy dress shop on North Road.

They had earlier tried on various outfits and left a pile of clothes on the shop floor before fleeing with the stolen gear.

Presumably one costume was too big, one was too small but one was just right.

Lee Cooper, who co-owns the shop with partner Ben Muir, said he felt “rubbish” after the ‘Leg Avenue’ and ‘Wicked’ brand costumes were picked out by two girls who were part of a group of four trying costumes.

Lee said: “Four girls came in and we usually only allow one costume to be tried on at a time.

“Two of the girls wanted to go in the dressing room at the same time and they left a pile of clothes outside.

“As well as the Goldilocks and sailor girl costumes, they tried on Little Bo Peep and a pirate queen costume.

“The other two girls were distracting me and talking to me and when they’d finished all the costumes were put back in the wrong order.

“Then they left and I noticed there were two gaps on the rail. We’re only a small company and it gets you feeling rubbish.

“It just shocked me that someone would want to take the costumes.
“When people know you are trying to keep the prices low for them it’s not on, especially in today’s economy.”

Aside from running their shop, Lee and Ben are also well-known stage actors in the Lancaster area with the popular After Dark theatre company.

They also work as performing drag artists at the Duke of Lancaster pub.

Police said the stolen costumes, taken during the afternoon of November 4, were worth £59.