Cryptid fans are in love with this ‘funky little dude.’ What is the Fresno Nightcrawler?
Move over, Bigfoot, Mothman and the Loch Ness Monster.
Fresno has its own famous cryptid.
Described as a pale, ghostly pair of pants, the Fresno Nightcrawler has gained a devoted fan following since it was first captured on video about 15 years ago.
The creepy yet cute critter has inspired songs, stickers, T-shirts and plush toys. It even has its own perfume.
“Fake or not, it’s a pretty adorable creature,” said Demelza Salisbury, who sells handmade Fresno Nightcrawler plushies on Etsy through her business, Nerd Bird Studios. “A lot of folks just love the funky little dude.”
What is the Fresno Nightcrawler?
According to previous reporting by The Fresno Bee, the Fresno Nightcrawler first came to the public’s attention in a video shot by a local resident in 2007.
One version has garnered 1.8 million views in YouTube, with commenters describing it as “absolutely terrifying” and “so freaky.”
Shot in south Fresno, the video shows “two very small bipedal creatures walking across this person’s lawn,” said Weird Fresno content creator Michael Banti, whose website shares tales of strange and paranormal sightings in the Fresno area and the greater San Joaquin Valley.
According to paranormal investigator Victor Camacho, the man who shot the original surveillance footage initially brought it to television network Univision in search of answers.
“He didn’t even want to go out of the house,” Camacho, who analyzed the footage, told The Bee in 2018. “He stayed home for a couple weeks … It wasn’t possible that someone tried to make this video just to fool you or the TV station.”
In 2010, the video was featured in an episode of the television show “Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files,” The Bee previously reported.
Former FBI agent Ben Hansen and his team tried to recreate the footage with puppets and a child dressed in a white sheet, but determined it to be “unexplainable.”
Since then, the Fresno Nightcrawler has been the subject of countless other investigations — from the History Channel series “The Proof Is Out There” to the YouTube series ”Monsters Dissected” and the podcasts “”Camp Monsters” and “Mega Strange.”
What does Central Valley cryptid look like?
The Fresno Nightcrawler is an “extremely thin, white humanoid with no arms” and two long legs, according to the Cryptid Wiki website.
Nightcrawlers stand about approximately 1.5 meters — a little under 5 feet — with “most of their height being made up of their legs as they possess an extremely small upper body,” the website said.
But what is the Fresno Nightcrawler actually?
A ghost? An elf? An “extraterrestrial insectoid,” as Camacho speculated in 2018?
At least one Fresnan has a different theory.
“I love a good urban legend, ghost story or bit of lore just for the entertainment and elements of culture,” Fresno resident Matthew Jacobs wrote in an X post in 2018. “In some ways, it is pretty ‘Fresno’ that our local cryptid is a puppet made from pajama pants ...”
Has urban legend been spotted again?
Creatures resembling the Fresno Nightcrawler have been reportedly spotted in Carmel, Yosemite and Billings, Montana, Cryptid Wiki said, as well as Poland.
According to Banti, however, the Fresno sighting was “the only known occurrence” of the Nightcrawler.
“You mostly hear about Bigfoot sightings,” he said.
“This (Fresno Nightcrawler) incident was so rare (that) I think that’s why it got famous,” Banti said. “I talk to others interested in the paranormal throughout the country and they all know of the Fresno Nightcrawler.”
Love the Fresno Nightcrawler? There’s merch for sale
Over the years, the Fresno Nightcrawler has become an icon of the Central Valley city — as well as a running gag of sorts.
“There is a lot of merchandise of the Fresno Nightcrawler that you can buy on Etsy, and the majority of it is outside Fresno,” Banti said. “So it seems to have captured people’s imagination. “
There are Fresno Nightcrawler-themed earrings, sweatshirts, hats, tote bags and trading cards. “Multiple artists have written songs about the Nightcrawler, and there are multiple artworks inspired by the cryptid.
Etsy shop Groovy Galaxy in Charlotte, North Carolina, offers a line of cryptid-inspired fragrances, including a roll-on Fresno Nightcrawler perfume oil for $12.95.
The earthy, musky fragrance has notes of “damp air, fern, cedarwood, redwood, oakmoss, musk, violet (and) vanilla,” the seller said.
“ I can never decide between a woodsy fragrance or an aquatic fragrance, so finding one that beautifully combines the two felt like such a perfect find,” Etsy buyer Leif Dodig wrote in a review of the perfume. “And the cherry on top — Fresno nightcrawlers are my FAVORITE cryptid!!! This perfume just feels like a match made in heaven for me.”
Salisbury, who’s based in New Zealand, sells a variety of cryptid-inspired offerings — including scented Fresno Nightcrawler plushies that sell for $25.60 a piece.
Customers can select from scents including strawberry, vanilla and whisky wood smoke.
Salisbury calls the Fresno Nightcrawler “Fresie” and said she appreciates that it’s “super simple, uncomplicated, just a pair of pants out for a walk.”
“We like a big, spooky intricate creature foretelling disaster but Fresie’s just a lil’ guy hanging out,” she said.
This story was originally published October 12, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
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