Cryptozoology is something near and dear to my heart that makes me feel incredibly nostalgic.



I have been infatuated with cryptids ever since I was a little kid. They filled me with wonder and uncanny fear of the unknown that left me feeling addicted! I loved the way they would make me question existence and feel creeped out. There's just something about a blurry photo with very minimal information that really does it for me; it's real life analog horror! I love accepting that we can barely scratch the surface of what we understand about life on Earth and existence as a soul; it leaves the door wide open for pondering the possibilities of life. It's really fun to ponder cryptids in tandem with the fascination so many humans have for them. I love when small towns embrace their cryptid and really make it part of their identity.

Cryptids are just a real treasure.

Nessie has been my favorite cryptid for as long as I can remember. I was equally enraptured and terrified of the idea that she was real as a kid. I would get lost in books and documentaries about her and had notebooks full of adventure plans to find her with so many drawings. I have written songs and poetry about her and collected many sea monster figures in my childhood that resemble her. Not to mention I have always had a great love for Lapras because of Nessie too!

Scooby-Doo and the Loch Ness Monster scared me a whole lot as a kid and honestly, the CGI on Nessie really holds up as being scary and uncanny. It was super cool having that film come out while I was so little, it really impacted me and nurtured my love of cryptids and all things spooky and mysterious. Mega comraderie with this Reddit post because this scene scared the fuck out of me as a kid and still makes me scared to look out of windows at night.

I would scroll on the computer, the old beloved Internet, with my dad looking at black and white photos of Nessie and reading about her. Since she's one of the original and most documented cryptids, she almost doesn't feel like a cryptid to me. She's such a legend and her spirit is incredibly real to me.

Believing in her, even if just believing in the "once existed" of her is one of the ways I keep the child in me nurtured and alive. Nessie is one of the primary symbols of my childhood that I still cling to. She is so ingrained in my person that there would be a huge chunk of me missing without her. I have so much love for her.

What can I say? These guys are fucking incredible. My friends the pants. I love how simple their appearance is and how uncomplicated their lore is. They literally don't have any lore, they're just ghosty guys. They're so cute and wonderful; they really capture the feeling of creepy cute to me; with much more emphasis on the cute and silly! Always in pairs, just buddies hanging out!

I freaked out in excitement then was absolutely devastated that the Build a Bear plushie sold out so fast ;-; I wanted one so badly. I just love them, I don't know how to explain it. And I love that so many people feel the same way. They just click with so many of us and it's very touching and awesome. The fact this sold out so fast is indicative of that love. I have been really wanting to play the game Creature Kitchen so I can see my friend Pants omg. They're just such a perfect little friend.

They're almost the very symbol of how cryptids are beloved just for the simple fact that they're cryptids. I say that because of the lack of drama in their behavior and sightings. Such enduring imagery that really resonates as a creature. It's so cool and I love that the love of them isn't really easy to explain. If you are someone who loves unique creature design and puppetry, these are guys you can easily connect with!! So not threatening and just a good time.

I hope merchandise and media is made of the Fresno Nightcrawlers forever!

The idea of human sized frogs is enough to get me excited, let alone the fact Loveland is just an incredibly awesome and memorable name. It is incredibly silly that a cop supposedly shot a tailless iguana in the middle of the night---though I am not suprised a dumb ass cop would shoot such a creature. I do find it fascinating that law enforcement is tied to this cryptid's story. I feel I don't read about that very much!

I discovered the Loveland Frogman through MetaZoo (RIP to the original meta). This is definitely one of my favorite cryptids to look at fanart of! I love the sightings that specify them holding an object like a wand. Bipedal wizard frogs. Man, I really wish I was friends with Loveland Frogmen. I love how there are multiple Men.

 In general, I love the symbolism and imagery of frogs; I even have one tattooed! So this one just works for me and makes me so happy to imagine being real. The photos are way cool too. This is another one that doesn't have super complicated or dated lore, it's just a really cool idea that people seem to really enjoy, including me. Every leap year the people of Loveland celebrate the Frogmen and I think it's super unique and fun. I would love to travel there for their 2028 event, it isn't super super far from where I am.

Big big bipedal frog fucking rocks.

I actually didn't become super keen on the Flatwoods Monster until recently when I played Majora's Mask. The alien invasion mission at Romani Ranch really stood out to me for its imagery, air of distress, and mysteriousness. I also just love how Japanese creators are super inspired by North American cryptids, especially this one!

I love how old of a phenomenon this one is with an iconic illustration to boot. There's numerous sightings of varying interpretation and it adds layers to the mystery. I especially love that this one is dually a cryptid but also speculated to be an extraterrestrial; which checks out with most of its media depictions!

What an iconic image, such an identifiable silhouette. A complex creature with a lot of nuance and legend. It's super cool that UFOs are often described in sightings. I love the complexity of this one. Since Majora's Mask is incredibly beloved to me, it makes me love the Flatwoods Monster and appreciate much more than I did before.

I decided to include Grey Aliens in this lineup just because I wanted to. Since the Flatwoods Monster is included and much more aligns with being an extraterrestrial, I thought it was appropriate to include the grey aliens.

This is definitely the most iconic on this list, especially in imagery. The classic grey alien is timeless and easily recognized by all. It's super fascinating learning about the origin of that physical description and illustration. Especially since so many people, all unrelated, claimed to have saw such creatures before.

There's so many sightings and stories of aliens. It is a fascinating idea to ponder and one that exceeds the realm of cryptids. They let us ponder the idea of life outside of Earth and how much more complex or advanced they may be. Grey Aliens make me feel nostalgic but they are something I greatly fear. Especially since most encounters and depictions are portrayed as very scary! Alien movies always make me all paranoid! LOL. But I adore when this type of alien is drawn or portrayed cutely! :3

Smeet frogs are a cryptid in my state that I've become keen on lately. Since I'm currently a journalist, I'm actually trying to write an article about them! They're specific to Ypsilanti and are a really cute idea. Flying fuzzy frogs who travel to a place called Frog Island to mate. The Smeet Frog info block mysteriously appeared one day and no one knows its origins. Apparently this place is a hot dating spot where couples come to watch the smeet frogs and carve their names on trees!

Not much is known about them but they're a local cryptid and one that is so cute to imagine being real. Again, I love frogs. Just a super cool idea.