The Crichton Leprechaun, also known as the Mobile Leprechaun or Alabama Leprechaun, is an urban legend that originated in Crichton, a neighborhood in Mobile. According to local legend, a leprechaun is always sighted in a particular tree in the neighborhood, usually around St. Patrick’s Day. The high amount of intrigue among the citizens of Crichton and the subsequent media coverage made the Crichton Leprechaun legend one of YouTube’s first viral videos.
In early March 2006, word was spreading about a leprechaun who was said to be living in Crichton, Alabama. The citizens flocked to the tree where a purported leprechaun was seen hiding. The locals all started trying to catch this legendary creature on film. Word spread throughout the greater Mobile area that the NBC affiliate WPMI-TV sent reporter Brian Johnson to the Crichton neighborhood to investigate. His video was posted on YouTube on March 17, 2006 (just in time for St. Patrick’s Day), consequently creating one of their first viral videos. As of St. Patrick’s Day, 2014, there have been more than 23 million views on YouTube. In the video, eyewitnesses claimed that the leprechaun only comes out at night and that if you shine a light on it, it disappears. When asked why they thought the leprechaun was hiding out in Mobile, one citizen said there must be a pot of gold under the tree. This has become the main theme of the urban legend: the leprechaun is protecting his gold.
Another eyewitness stated, “It could be a crackhead who got hold of the wrong stuff. And it told him to get up in the tree and play a leprechaun.” Regardless of skepticism, the urban legend has continued to surface around St. Patrick’s Day every year in Crichton. In fact #CrichtonLeprechaun remains a trendy hashtag on all social media sites on St. Patrick’s Day.
Self-titled “Leprechaun expert” Shamus Feherty explained why the leprechaun chose this location:
Leprechauns are known as quite mischievous little devils. There are countless legends involving them outwitting Americans. Maybe the Irish were too clever for them so they went to Alabama instead. The idea of greedy Americans trying to get their hands on the gold would probably amuse them. (Brouwer 2007)
Another important piece of evidence from the report was the amateur sketch of the alleged leprechaun. The unknown artist, who was later called the Flute Man after a follow-up interview by comedian Daniel Tosh, has made a considerable amount of money from his widely circulated artistic rendering. This merchandise is widely available in the greater Mobile area.
Tourists who want to get a glimpse of the leprechaun and the tree can stop in and buy T-shirts, coffee mugs, and other items with the amateur sketch on it. For skeptics there are also shirts bearing the caption “Leprechaun on Crack” on them.
There has been some criticism of WPMI-TV’s decision to air the story. On his July 29, 2009, show Bill O’Reilly stated, “If I were the news director I don’t think I would have run the piece.” His concern was that it fed racist stereotypes by interviewing an African American who believed the authenticity of the sighting. However, correspondent Courtney Friel, who was also on the show, countered: “This was an actual news story that aired on a real station. And look, it’s not racist because the reporter, Brian Johnson, was black. One of the anchors tossing him the story was black. Half of Mobile’s population is black.”
The South Park episode “The Coon,” which aired March 18, 2009, parodied the interview from the original Brian Johnson report. In this episode, the reporter is seen asking residents about the “Mysteria,” an unknown superhero. The one African American interviewee in the episode says, “Everyone that see ‘Mysteria’ say ‘Yeah!’” The crowd reacts by saying “Yeah.” He then smiles for the camera. The original leprechaun report interviewee actually said, “Everyone that see a leprechaun say ‘Yeah!’” The crowd reacts by yelling “Yeah.” He then smiled for the camera.
Although most locals regard this legend as a St. Patrick’s Day prank, the locals in Crichton still love that their little neighborhood holds national fame, and they take the legend seriously, albeit good-naturedly.
Kevin Hawk
See also Fairylore; Urban Legends/Urban Belief Tales
Further Reading
Brouwer, Julian. 2007. “Leprechaun Spotted in USA.” Sunday Mirror, April 1. Available online at Newspaper Source Plus. Accessed July 11, 2015.
Haining, Peter. 1998. Great Irish Stories of the Supernatural. New York: Barnes & Noble Books.
“Mobile Leprechaun Story Revisited by TV Anchor (St. Patrick’s Day Fodder).” 2011. [Mobile] Press-Register. Available online at AL.com. http://blog.al.com/live/2011/03/mobile_leprechaun_story_revisi.html.