Hoaxes and fakes have been around since the very beginning of the modern UFO era, when people started reporting their sightings of disc-shaped objects zipping across the skies. A few members of society, within the ranks of those who remained skeptical about UFOs, took it upon themselves to create fake UFO reports by using anything from garbage can covers to garbage bags filled with hot air and candles, in an attempt to fool the public.

However, it is a known fact that hoaxing is considered to be less than 1% of all UFO reports. Misidentification of aerial or celestial objects, on the other hand, is more likely to occur because a large portion of the population is not used to looking up at the sky, and are not familiar with what's up there.

Amongst the many UFO-related publications that I've purchased over the years, I have a collection of tabloid-style UFO magazines. They're fun to read and look at, and sometimes, you'll find a few interesting reports that most UFO researchers are already familiar with. But you do have to be careful when reading these kinds of magazines because they tend to sensationalize UFOs by publishing anything that comes their way with verification or investigation.

Case in point:

I purchased this following issue of UNSOLVED UFO SIGHTINGS in 1995.

In the middle of this issue, I found this two-page photo spread about a cone-shaped UFO that landed in the woods near Gulf Breeze, Florida.

As I looked at it, something struck me when I saw the object in the photo...and I started laughing. I said to myself: "Oh my God. I know what that is! And I can't believe that they published it in a UFO magazine.

Making sure my instincts were right, I went downstairs and rumaged through my Star Wars toy collection and pulled out a toy called Land of the Jawas. Included in the playset is the escape pod in which C-3PO and R2-D2 found themselves as they got away from the Imperial forces.

Land of the Jawas playset

Three different views of the Escape Pod

On a nice sunny day, my friend Todd Fraser and I went out and took the following photograph, using the escape pod as the UFO by stringing it between two small trees, using fishing test line.