Text:

My informant, from Fresno California, told me a story of a local cryptid.

“Around the parts where I’m from, we have this legend, this thing called the Fresno Nightcrawler, right? Now, no one really knows the origin of the Fresno Nightcrawler, right? Or like what it is, but that’s the mystery of it. Because there’s actual camera footage of like a camera set up outside of a Fresno residence where there’s this one white thing shaped like a U, right? Like walking on its legs? And you’re like, ‘What is that?’ And it’s like kinda grainy footage so you can’t really tell what it is. And then it has like a little child come out? Like a smaller one. And they’re kind of walking around together. And then they go back into the forest, and no one knows what it is, but I think people have said that there’s been sightings? I’m not really sure.”

Context:

“What I do know is that what really is more important about it is the joke, like ‘Oh, the Fresno–’ Like as an emblem of the city, if you will. Well, I wouldn’t say it’s an emblem, I don’t know. I was like, ‘Maybe if I wanna get a Fresno tattoo, I should get a Fresno Nightcrawler tattoo.’”

Interpretation:

The informant’s assessment of the legend as a sort of symbol of Fresno may suggest that people in this area are seeking out something that will make their city unique. I think it is significant that the informant delivered the story in a humorous tone, and even noted that the important part of the legend is the joke. It does not appear to be a cryptid that the informant takes particularly seriously. Instead, The Fresno Nightcrawler seems to be a humorous symbol that residents of Fresno can perhaps find camaraderie in or share a laugh over.