Pop Cryptid Spectator #1

In this edition:

• What's up with this project

• Pop Goes the Cryptid explainer

• r/cryptid aims to be inclusive

• New cryptid media

• Texas' Chupacabra coaster

• Cryptozoology.com shuttered

[Originally posted to SharonAHill.com on 1-Jan-2025]

Hello! Welcome to the first edition of the Pop Cryptid Spectator, my regular (hopefully) posting of observations and commentary on my current favorite personal project - watching the parade of “cryptids” in popular culture.

I recently recalled that when I was a kid, like 9 years old, I used to collect interesting things about whatever I was interested in at the time and send to my friends or just pretend to be running a newspaper. Here I am, still doing that decades later. It seems to be what I do.

My intent with this regular posting is, roughly:

• To highlight the fun ways legendary or dubious animals are showing up in modern media.

• To explore the expansion of cryptozoology from what was originally framed as a “science-based” endeavor to what is now a mass cultural phenomenon - a profusion of strange entities that are labeled “cryptids".

• And, to share interesting news bits I find related to “hidden” or legendary creatures.

If you are looking for me to criticize Bigfoot believers, or to make fun of Hodag hunters, there will be none of that. I would suggest that might a.) lighten up because this is not a highly serious subject and, b.) stick around to just enjoy it, because the cryptid scene is crazy right now. It’s so diverse, creative, and complicated. It’s so much more than monster hunting or extinction guilt. Cryptids are a way to express personal and regional identity, attract tourism, inspire art, examine history, explore spiritual ideas, represent liminality and a sense of the “other”. I could go on and on. There is a lot to say. So I’m going to get started.

But, I feel I have to backtrack just a bit first.

Pop Goes the Cryptid

I put out an explainer presentation called Pop Goes the Cryptid a little while ago as part of the Virtual Folk Zoology conference hosted by researcher and data scientist, Floe Foxon. Check it out if you haven’t already. I reworked the presentation a little bit and put it up on my website, as well as re-recording it into a video for people who prefer that. The reaction has been interesting. I received comments by some respected colleagues that highlighted some hot button issues in the cryptozoo. My subsequent post noting these issues just fanned the flames. In short - there is a bifurcated view of the world of cryptozoology in more than one way. And each side can be broken into additional factions. It’s messy. The two opposing camps argue a lot.

First, there is the division between those with a scientific view of cryptozoology and those who embrace the paranormal and supernatural. Now, that is grossly oversimplifying it. I’ll may try to address that at some later time but I think you get the general idea.

There is also a more nuanced break between those who wish cryptozoology would return to a more scientific framework and those who say it never was scientific and might never be. And, that’s also is an oversimplification. You can take a look at my recent writings for more explanation on that dispute.

And, there is the evergreen argument about what does or doesn’t fit under the label of “cryptid”? What's the definition? How should the word be used? The reasons for the bickering about labels and boundaries is very much under the umbrella of my Pop Cryptid framing. However, I'll attempt to be neutral in this forum.

Alternative naming

Venturing into the latest goings-on, I begin with a specific dispute regarding the inclusion of two popular “cryptids”. The moderator of the cryptid subreddit has broached the sensitive topic of the use of two entity names that represent Native spiritual creatures. I’ll say them once, with apologies, to clarify. It is common to see Skinwalker and Wendigo referred to as "cryptids" in the broadest sense of being secretive or hidden creatures of dubious existence. They are in no way zoological animals to be named and collected, which is why many on the subreddit don’t think they should be mentioned at all. However, they are both extremely popular in media. The “what is a cryptid” question remains the core of contention. For now, the moderator is asking contributors to come up with alternative names for these two beings. The ’S’ word has already been substituted with options “flesh gait”, “flesh pedestrian” (which is objectively stupid) and “pale crawler” based on modern storytelling, not indigenous lore. The W creature doesn’t seem to have a ready substitution, and the floor is open to suggestions. If you are familiar with the legend of the cannibal monster with a heart of ice, you probably noticed how the modern depictions play fast and loose with the lore.

And they will continue to change because they are not physical things able to captured and measured, they can morph into whatever we need them to be.

New cryptid media

The venerable Adrian Shine has a new book out on sea creatures titled A Natural History of Sea Serpents. You certainly know him - he’s the exceptionally bearded scholar of Loch Ness legends. The book was out in the UK in October and is now available in US markets and looks like a worthy volume.

Jenna Ortega and Paul Rudd are starring in a very bizarre-looking film featuring life-saving and life-threatening unicorns. In a setup that reminds me of Harry and the Henderson’s, they have a vehicular encounter with the magical creature. Death of a Unicorn is set to be released in the next few months.

Once again, we see how the line between cryptid and not-a-cryptid is more porous than a bad email spam filter. The title unicorn is labeled in at least in some media outlets as a cryptid even though it historically was not seen as such. However, in this case, it seems to literally be one.

Six Flags Fiesta Texas amusement park in San Antonio announced that it’s changing the branding of its Goliath roller coaster into that of the Chupacabra. The news release for the transformation includes mention of the chupa as a “Texas folklore legend”. Indeed! I was interested to see which version of the chupacabra they picked - the spiky alien kangaroo or the mangy vampire dog. Turns out they combined them both and added additional parts, embracing the chupacabra tradition of being a cultural shape-shifter representing any weird thing that looks scary.

Loss of an OG cryptid website

Wordpress sent me a notice that I’ve been blogging for 18 years on that platform. But 25 years ago, there was cryptozoology.com. The site was registered in 1998, before some of you were even aware that the subject, or the internet, even existed. The site had articles about lots of popular creatures and stuck mostly to the zoological framing, as much as I can remember. I hadn’t visited in a while but, when looking for other cryptid forums online, I checked in. And it was gone. Shut down. This happened in (oops) November 2022! The domain name is still registered for the next several years. I have no clue as to what might happen to the site.

During those 25 years, the scene changed drastically. Most of the content on cryptids has shifted to Cryptid Wiki which includes more modern media and depiction of many new creatures that seem to appear or resurface from the past on a weekly basis.

Will the original .com site return all new and shiny? If it doesn’t, what a lost opportunity. However, the loss of this place on the web feeds into the Pop Cryptid trend very neatly. People don’t do an internet search for the word “cryptozoology” like they do for “cryptids”. The zoology part, while still guarded by the stalwart old-school gatekeepers, is completely overrun by the pop cryptid scene all over the web that deals in folk horror, AI and game-based creatures, cosplayers, DeviantArtists, and pokecryptids. Although a bit sad, it seems appropriate that cryptozoology.com would fade away at this time as a symbol of how things used to be.

For more on this trend from cryptozoology to cryptids, check out my post called "Cryptid" out-trends "cryptozoology", which includes the Google trends data results comparing the two terms. There is a story being told there.

Pop Goes the Cryptid Facebook group

If you are still on Facebook, I have a page where I drop all the links I find to new cryptid content. Read them there first at facebook.com/Popcryptids

Here are some recent posts:

• Cryptid dogs subreddit r/crytpiddogs

• A Russian creature called the Witkes that may have been inspired by buried frozen mammoth carcasses

• A cryptid themed holiday bar that popped up in Wilmington, NC

• A cryptid themed band called Beach Creeper. Their surf rock content is creative and cover art is hilarious. Check them out on BandCamp.

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That’s a wrap for the first Pop Cryptid Spectator. I hope to be back soon to supply new observations from the world of mystery creatures.

Go to SharonAHill.com and click on Pop goes the Cryptid landing page. While you’re there, make sure you subscribe to all the posts - it’s always free and I don’t send annoying spam.

You can also email me with comments, suggestions or questions at Popcryptid(at)proton.me

Watch the video version of Pop Cryptid Spectator on my YouTube channel.