I'm just curious...

I have seen this little purple skull in just about every letterbox I have found, and I was just wondering who it is? My kids think it's great fun to find it in every logbook!

Anyone know?

So. Hill Hendersons :-)

Innnnteresting... We've seen in it Northern California.

Not mine, in any case. My skull is made of a mysterious substance that glows in the dark!

I've been wondering about this too. It also appeared in my logbook while I was at the Ithaca gathering in June. My only complaint is that whoever stamped it in my book chose to put it smack in the middle of a page containing some other really nice stamps. In other words, they didn't stamp on the pages that everyone else at the gathering was stamping on. They flipped through my book and picked a page at random, one that I already had saved as I wanted it. I would've really preferred it if they chose a blank page further on in the book that I hadn't used yet. (Just a suggestion, if you're out there, purple skull person.) This makes me think it might be a kid.

Craftymouse

Oooh, I love a mystery!

speedsquare

If it helps narrow it down, I haven't seen this one in any boxes I've found in Michigan. I am intrigued now however!
Moonduck

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Oooh, I love a mystery!

Have you found the object of great worth?

Get Smart - Max & 99 - Concord, NC

Funny - when Sue & I were traveling in Michigan in June, we saw that image there. Sue remarked how odd that the person hadn't signed their name and it was odd that a signature stamp was so small. Since we were all over the state, I don't remember which area it was.

Mark

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I've been wondering about this too. It also appeared in my logbook while I was at the Ithaca gathering in June.

It's in mine, too! I didn't notice it until just recently, though, so it could've been stamped in there at some other gathering. I've also seen it in boxes in NYC, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. Never any trail name or date with it, though.

Someone asked about it on one of the regional lists last year after seeing it in lots of boxes somewhere, maybe down south or in the Rockies? I can't remember exactly where but I know I remember reading earlier posts about it.

TurtleMcQ

Arrrgh! Methinks it is Bonnie Amanda, the Pirate of the Skies!

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Arrrgh! Methinks it is Bonnie Amanda, the Pirate of the Skies!

Well, it could be me, but I haven't been boxing in Michigan..YET. And I wouldn't be so rude as to willy-nilly stamp in people's personal logs. That reeks of testosterone to me!

I have seen a purple skull in some boxes in Florida too -- I was just there...and I just double-checked an old log book from my Officer and a Gentleman series I had here at the house and there is a purple skull in it--and this series has been retired since 2002.

-Amanda from Seattle

OK, so far I've deduced that this purple skull person is all over the country (as I am in PNW), likes to stamp in the middle of the logbook and the middle of the page (on purpose) and leaves no notations, ever. I believe the skull is some kind of cartoon character that I am unaware of (us 40-somethings aren't with it always!). I don't think it's a kid - lots of travel requires a driver's license.

I though for sure Amanda or GT would know...

I am loving the feedback... any more?

SHH :-)

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I have seen a purple skull in some boxes in Florida too

Man, I am so clueless! I haven't noticed any purple skull boxes, and I've been boxing in the areas where people have seen them. I've got to start examining those logbooks a bit more closely!

Sheeze, why am I always the last to find out about these things. Even Amanda hasn't told me about it! *rolling eyes*

-- Ryan

I might be able to figure out what the design was, if I saw it....anyone want to scan it and email it to me, so i can research it a bit?

On the other side, I've never seen a purple skull in anyone's logbook as of yet.
However, I dislike the idea of someone willy-nilly stamping into other people's logbooks, with no regard for where they stamp...
It would be one thing if someone had a logbook that they left open, and you stamped in on the next page available, preferrably the same way that person had been stamping (ie, if they were only using the right-hand side pages, like me)...but to just stamp on a previously used page? That seems a little rude.

Perhaps it's just me, but when it comes to my logbook, i'm a bit anal about where the stamps go...I try to fit stamps the best i can so that as many fit on one page as possible, but I also keep them neat and with enough space for me to write what I wish to about the box (Usually the name, the date found, and it's F# or P#, as well as what type of box it is- HH, PLB, etc). I would be, honestly, quite ticked to find that somebody had stamped....uh, we'll say illegally (:P)....on a page I'd previously used, and more than likely, moved on from.
At the very least, it'd throw off my count as well as my pattern.

Now, I DO however, happen to like the idea of a mystery stamp that you can't get by asking for it or looking for it...only by attending a gathering with the owner, who stamps logbooks that are unattended with the 'Mystery Boxer' stamp....
I'm already contimplating making such a stamp.

-Celtic Quinn (who is horrified at the thought of his poor logbook being so indecently violated on a previously perfect page)

I was starting to think it was you, GT!

SHH :-)

I went to our logbook and if the purple skull is in a pirates garb then I know who it belongs to.

Don

This little skull (only about 1/2" max) wears no garb.

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This little skull (only about 1/2" max) wears no garb.

Okay, it is not the personal traveler I was thinking about.

Don

It's funny. Craftymouse JUST asked us (Tarheel & I) the other day when we were out. It is a sharp little skull. Well done. Am I to understand that it is ALWAYS purple??
Colud that mean something??? has anyone "fingered" purple or Skull yet?

curious,
-Wink

Foreget it. Nothing there.

-W

It is BARELY dime size, but always PURPLE.

-WINK

Bad spelling. Sorry.

I've been googling and yahoo searching and lycos searching and asking jeeves all day about purple skull cartoon, purple skull symbol, etc and I finally found a cartoon by googling "little purple skull" images! The very first thing to pop up is a cartoon called The Phantom. Check out the link:

www.deepwoods.org/ blb.html

There is a picture of this cartoon character with a thing that says "Sign of the Skull" But it doesn't look like the image I have seen in letterboxes.

That is all I have time to Google tonight--perhaps someone else can find out more info?

Amanda from Seattle (taking time out from pursuing objects of great worth) :-)

Opps, try this link:

http://www.deepwoods.org/blb.html

-amanda from seattle

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I've deduced that this purple skull person is all over the country

Hmmm, if the skull was green and had a snake coming out of its mouth I could tell you, but as it is...

"It is BARELY dime size, but always PURPLE."

Yup.

SHH :-)

You're right, that ain't it.

Someone I know wears a similar skull on a shirt - however, it is not purple. I think 'purple skull person' just likes purple; or maybe that is the only color ink pad they have. I am going to investigate further (by asking the skull shirt wearer.)

If they don't surface soon, they will forever be known as 'purple skull person'! (at least in my mind!)

SHH :-)
by the way, I am having too much fun reading all the comments... lol!

I applaud Purple Skull for being so mysterious. I hope he/she stays in the shadows.

I have a guerilla art project here in Syracuse, NY....that I launched once a year for almost 15 years. Only a handful of people knew my identity and there were newspaper articles periodically "wondering" about my identity. I enjoyed reading those articles very much. After the 15th year, I was going through some personal hard times and some of my friends convinced me to "out" myself in an "exclusive" interview with a popular columnist. I was wary, but finally gave in. My first name only was mentioned but it described my life a bit and why I had decided to come forward. Many of my neighbors and friends now realized it was me and I heard from a number of them, which was nice.

But I was not prepared for the backlash! Many people LOVED the fact that they didn't know who was doing this bit of community art every year.....and felt the columnist ruined the mystery for everyone. Looking back on it, I wish I had kept my identity a secret too. I just don't get the same thrill launching my project now...but I keep it up because so many people enjoy/expect it.

Stay in the shadows, purple skull...don't let them out you. I just am afraid that you have now planted the seed for copycats...and we will see many new unidentified stamps in our logbooks. At least you were original. :)

Lock Wench

I just got through this thread on "Purple Skull Person" and what a great new mystery! I think Lock Wench is right that it would be kind of disappointing to find out who it is. :) I have not seen this stamp in boxes in Virginia as of yet, but perhaps just have not come across it enough to start asking myself who this person is.
Safe trails! Koyote

Green Tortuga wrote...

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Man, I am so clueless! I haven't noticed any purple skull boxes,

I still think it's him... It just makes sense that he wouldn't place HIS purple skull in his own logbook...hhhmmmm <scratches chin>

...unless he was trying to throw someone off track... <nods>

Can anyone prove that it's not him?

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Can anyone prove that it's not him?

Isn't that the point? Nobody's seen anyone stamping into the logbooks with that purple skull...that's why we're all wondering!

I haven't seen this skull yet, but if I run into anybody who has, i wanna take a look.

-Celtic Quinn