The Kinderhook Blob is a pale, floating figure from the woods around Kinderhook, New York. Its story begins with a childhood encounter recalled by author Bruce G. Hallenbeck: a strange whistle, a white shape among the trees, and the feeling of being watched. MetaZoo turns that unsettling presence into a small, wide-eyed Beastie with an unexpectedly friendly appearance.
- Associated location
- Kinderhook, New York, in the Hudson Valley. [1]
- Defining reported encounter
- Hallenbeck’s childhood sighting, dated to 1962 in published retellings. [2]
- Reported appearance
- A white or bluish-white, rounded shape, with no visible eyes in Hallenbeck’s account. [1]
- Recurring folklore
- High-pitched whistling, floating movement, and brief encounters in woodland. [1]
The legend
A whistle in the woods
In his account of the first encounter, Hallenbeck recalled playing in the woods with his young cousin when a high-pitched sound caught his attention. Near a tree, he saw a bulbous, bluish-white form. Although he could not make out eyes, he had the impression that it was looking at him. The children fled. In a later interview, he compared its appearance to Casper the Friendly Ghost. [1]
Published versions place the encounter in 1962. These are retrospective accounts, rather than a contemporary scientific record of an unidentified animal. Cryptopia’s retelling also notes difficulties with the chronology of some later reports. [2]
A shape that returned
Hallenbeck described another encounter involving his childhood friend Jerome, who said a floating shape had approached him. The boys went looking for it, reportedly saw a white form in a tree, and abandoned their pursuit. He also recounted later experiences attributed to relatives. These stories connect the Blob to a particular landscape and circle of witnesses; they do not establish what was seen. [1]
Blob, apparition, or something else?
The name suggests a shapeless mass, but the familiar account is closer to an apparition glimpsed among trees than a puddle of slime. A pale outline and an unexplained sound do most of the work. Giving it teeth, tentacles, or a recognizable face changes that uncertain impression into a more definite monster.
The Kinderhook Creature name also appears in accounts of a local Bigfoot-like figure. It should not automatically be treated as another name for the floating Blob. They belong to the same regional body of strange stories, but describe different kinds of encounter. [2]
Kinderhook Blob in MetaZoo
Nightfall
Kinderhook Blob, 78/163, appears in Nightfall as a Cosmic-aura Beastie Alien. It costs one Cosmic Aura, has 35 base Life Points, and allows six copies per Spellbook. Forest and Stars provide Life Point bonuses. [3]
Its fourth-wall effect adds 10 Life Points when the player wears white clothing. That choice connects the pale figure of the reports to something outside the game. Its attack, Pasty Menace, uses the Page’s current Life Points as its damage value, so a boost to its health can also strengthen its attack. [3]
The Alien classification is part of MetaZoo’s interpretation. It does not resolve the identity of the figure in the underlying stories.
Nightfall · Reverse Holo
The Caster’s Cup version
The card pictured below is Kinderhook Blob, 13/45, from the Caster’s Cup 2022 release. The scan credits illustrator Victor Larson and shows the creature beside a tree, surrounded by the stars and trophy motifs of its Full Holo background. Its large eyes, little feet, and wavy mouth give an elusive woodland presence a much more approachable character. [4]
The card retains the white-clothing bonus and Pasty Menace attack. The contrast is part of its charm: an encounter frightening enough to send witnesses running becomes a Beastie that looks almost pleased to have been found.
Caster’s Cup 2022 · Full Holo
A theme-deck appearance
Kinderhook Blob also has a 4/12 entry in the Nightfall First Edition Tribal Theme Decks release. Keep that collector number separate from Nightfall’s core-set 78/163 and the Caster’s Cup 13/45. The same creature name can appear in several releases without those cards sharing a checklist entry. [5]
Card reference
| Release | Card | Number | Reference note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nightfall | Kinderhook Blob | 78/163 | Bronze-rarity Cosmic Beastie Alien. [3] |
| Nightfall First Edition Tribal Theme Decks | Kinderhook Blob | 4/12 | A separate theme-deck entry. [5] |
| Caster’s Cup 2022 | Kinderhook Blob | 13/45 | Full Holo card pictured in the Caster’s Cup section. [4] |
When identifying a card: record its release, collector number, printing, and any event stamp. A shared name is a starting point, rather than a complete identification.
Browse Beastie Files → Browse set lists →
Sources and further reading
- The Higherside Chats: Bruce G. Hallenbeck interview, December 27, 2022; Blob discussion begins around 26:39. Hallenbeck’s retrospective account of his childhood experiences and reports from others.
- Cryptopia: Kinderhook Blob (New York, USA), February 2015. A secondary retelling that dates the first encounter to 1962 and discusses uncertain chronology and the separate Kinderhook Creature reports.
- Card Game Collector: Nightfall card list—Kinderhook Blob’s card number, classification, statistics, and rules.
- MZCodex: Kinderhook Blob Caster’s Cup 2022 card scan—artwork, printed rules, illustrator credit, and collector number.
- ValueMyCard: Kinderhook Blob, Nightfall First Edition Tribal Theme Decks—release identification and 4/12 collector number.