The Fresno NightCrawlers

### Summary of Entry

The Fresno Night Crawlers, what exactly are they? Some say they are a Native American creature that carries dread with its presence. Fast-forwarding to the 2000's. The start that got these small creatures well known was in 2007 from grainy security cam footage. These small weird looking creatures who seem to have no knees. Later took the internet by storm and has a small internet fandom for their ‘Cuteness’. While there isn't many sightings, the few they have are quite memorable. The Fresno Nightcrawlers began to be mentioned in podcasts and other small shows about the paranormal.  This nonviolent cryptid actually gets most of its love from outside of its local community which makes it very different from other folklore stories.

#### Brief History

2007 a Man only known as Jose reported paranormal activity caught on his front yard camera. Another Sighting in 2011 and said a few more surfaced in 2020.  While there isn't a long detailed history of this cryptid it's still quite interesting. They are described as little creatures ranging from 2ft-3ft tall, with only really a head and legs that have no knees and swing in any direction. Also known as a non violent cryptid. Hyper Realistic artist Eduardo Valdes-Hevia helped spark the media's love for this little paranormal with his digital edit photo of them.

After the Sightings in the 2000's a creepy pasta writing was published saying they saw the Fresno Nightcrawlers as far back as 1993. The story goes as the author leaves his campsite he gets turned around and lost for a split second. Looking for the campfire the glow is no where to be found and once he finally does find the campsite the fire was put out and the air felt empty and cold. Looking for his friends he heard and eerie noise almost like a tornado siren but distorted. Locating the source of the sound he was greeted with the image that is the nightcrawlers, all leg and a faceless head.

#### Sightings

1993 Origin time of creepy pasta story. Related the Nightcrawlers to Native American origin.

In 2007 this paranormal was spotted on security tapes and reported to Paranormal investigator Victor Camacho. Jose and Victor described these lil guys as 2-3 ft tall and looked like a walking pair of pajama pants. They simply just walked by and posed no threat. Where the description of "walking pajama pants" came from.

The 2011 sighting in Yosemite park is only by word of mouth and has no base of proof. This is the same for the other cases that have been popping up out through the years.

Being a fairly young cryptid most argue if it was a hoax or not and become quite cautious of said sightings. Although due to the age of these walking pajama pants they were birthed during a time of fast media where their existence is well known quickly.

#### Adaptions/Analysis

When it comes to modern day adaptations there aren't many adaptations of the Nightcrawlers, But there is a lot of pop culture love for there. During 2020 when the world shut down there was a big surge in cryptid fascination. Being locked in our homes for months had people look into different topics and learn about the different creatures. The Nightcrawlers quickly became a fan favorite. Became a popular topic in paranormal podcasts, stickers, plushies, patches, art, you name it.  While that is the only main adaptation for Fresno Nightcrawlers I think the age of this cryptid has a lot to do with its lack of adaptations. Being only well known since 2007 compared to other paranormal this is a baby cryptid so there is still room for it to grow into other forms of media. I do see this cyprid developing well with the next few years. People state the sightings have been see outside of Fresno and are more frequent after 2020 and the surge of cyrtid lovers. This walking pajama pants lil paranormal I highly doubt will ever change from more than that and will continue to be a fan favorite out of the community. Possibly as it ages and grows maybe a small movie adaptation where people babysit the Fresno nightcrawlers while their parents left them home alone. Like a cute little alien cat in the hat.

###### Sources

Lopez, Frank. “More than Fresno Famous: How the Nightcrawler Captured the World's Imagination.” *The Business Journal*, 15 Sept. 2022, https://thebusinessjournal.com/more-than-fresno-famous-how-the-nightcrawler-captured-the-worlds-imagination/.

Pfeifle, Tess. “Fresno Nightcrawlers.” *Astonishing Legends*, Astonishing Legends, 11 Oct. 2021, https://www.astonishinglegends.com/astonishing-legends/2021/10/11/fresno-nightcrawlers.

Helton, Kellie. “Fresno Nightcrawler: Hoax or Real? Mystery Remains Years Later.” *YourCentralValley.com*, YourCentralValley.com, 27 Dec. 2022, https://www.yourcentralvalley.com/digital-exclusive/fresno-nightcrawler-hoax-or-real-mystery-remains-years-later/.

“The Nightcrawler.” *Creepypasta Wiki*, https://creepypasta.fandom.com/wiki/The\_Nightcrawler.