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was alerted to crowds gathering in
Crichton, and dispatched reporter Brian Johnson to investigate. Johnson had previously received numerous calls about possible leprechaun sightings and questions about it from friends at a barbershop and his church. "Things sort of snowballed" when the crew arrived,
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conducted a field investigation in 2014, interviewing locals about their memories of the incident. Numerous witnesses identified the
Crichton Leprechaun as a local resident named "Midget Sean," a person of short stature. The interviewers met the man, who recounted the story as a prank played on the
189:"Flute Man" due to his appearance in the report. "I actually saw what was sketched on paper," said Johnson at the time. "Some people say it is a shadow from some of the branches being too close and that there is moss on the tree that could explain it. Certainly I don't believe it's a leprechaun!"
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Among those who were interviewed was a woman who opined that instead of a leprechaun, " could be a crackhead." Another interviewee, Demarco
Morrissette, claimed Irish ancestry and showed off a "special leprechaun flute," that he claimed was thousands of years old. Morrissette became known as the
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of
Internet videos. It's old. It's famous. And it makes the South look terrible." Many quotes and elements of the video, most notably the alleged leprechaun sketch, were printed on T-shirts, mousepads and other merchandise. WPMI-TV later auctioned off the leprechaun sketch for $ 1,100 on
307:. In 2011, anchor Scott Walker wrote about the report: "It's fun to be part of something that's talked about so much for so long, although some of my co-workers are probably really tired of it. But I never get tired of hearing about it."
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praised the
Crichton Leprechaun news report as "one of the most significant pieces of documentary film over the last 20 years", announcing that they would certify the Crichton sighting as a "genuine" leprechaun sighting.
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anchor Scott Walker later recalled, with multiple people claiming to have seen a leprechaun in a tree. Crichton resident Nina Thomas-Brown submitted a crudely-drawn sketch of the supposed leprechaun.
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The piece was aired twice, once on the nightly newscast and again on WPMI's morning newscast. That version, introduced by anchors Scott Walker and Nikole
Patrick, was the broadcast that went viral.
221:, in which columnist Virginia Heffernan called the clip "a local Alabama news segment that seems too hilarious to be real." Reporter Brian Johnson was interviewed by radio stations in
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of the
Crichton Leprechaun and selling them, apparently with great success. An eight-foot-tall version of the Crichton Leprechaun cutout is displayed outside of their store.
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173:. The community is divided by Spring Hill Avenue into North Crichton and South Crichton, bounded generally by Mobile Street, Dauphin Street and
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local community, in which he dressed in a leprechaun suit and climbed a tree while his friends alerted others about a leprechaun sighting.
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Since then the leprechaun has become an icon of the local community of
Crichton. In 2023, the sign shop Sign Source started printing out
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Heffernan, Virginia (April 5, 2006). "Comic shorts, home on the Web; The young stars of a new medium".
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visiting
Crichton and interviewing those involved with the video. Tosh referred to the clip as "the
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177:. The leprechaun was purported to be seen in a tree on Le Cren Street near Bay Shore Avenue.
708:"Ireland's National Leprechaun Museum is well-versed in the ways of the Crichton Leprechaun"
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601:
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Mike
Brantley (April 11, 2006). "Crichton leprechaun sketch fetches $ 1,100 bid on eBay".
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and was referenced in mainstream media. As of 2023, the video has over 28 million views.
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526:"Mobile leprechaun reaches mythical status as the 'Gone with the Wind' of Web videos"
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on March 17, 2006 and soon became a viral sensation, attracting millions of views.
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677:"BAD RADIO REPORTS « BaD Radio | Bob and Dan | Sports Radio 1310 The Ticket"
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415:"Mobile leprechaun story revisited by TV anchor (St. Patrick's Day Fodder)"
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The video was shot in the Mobile neighborhood of Crichton, located near
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featured the clip in a "Web Investigation" segment in 2011, with host
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630:"TV's Bill O'Reilly asks: Is Crichton Leprechaun news story racist?"
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a local Alabama news segment that seems too hilarious to be real.
491:"St. Patrick's Day brings fond memories of Crichton's leprechaun"
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Finally, a funny video that deserves more views on YouTube is
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The clip continues to receive media attention annually on
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The "amateur sketch" of the purported Crichton Leprechaun
348: – Mythological humanoid creatures of small stature
385:"8-foot-tall Crichton leprechaun pops up in Port City"
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524:AL.com and Press-Register staff (July 27, 2011).
602:"Now Playing on YouTube: Web Videos by Everyone"
243:debated whether or not the video perpetuated
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134:following a 2006 news report filed at local
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16:Supposed leprechaun in Mobile, Alabama
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706:Singleton, Darwin (March 17, 2023).
600:Virginia Heffernan (April 3, 2006).
554:"The Mobile Leprechaun: Background"
292:, with the proceeds benefiting the
207:The report received attention from
552:Scott Walker (February 28, 2011).
247:. The video was also lampooned on
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774:Fictional characters from Alabama
759:Internet memes introduced in 2006
489:Debbie M. Lord (March 17, 2014).
628:Brantley, Mike (July 30, 2009).
383:Winter, Dana (March 16, 2023).
764:Leprechauns in popular culture
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367:The original WPMI news report
744:American legendary creatures
577:International Herald Tribune
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754:Culture of Mobile, Alabama
651:"Dan Finds the Leprechaun"
329:National Leprechaun Museum
142:. The video was posted to
346:Little people (mythology)
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37:30.6958239°N 88.1102674°W
215:and received a piece in
200:The video was posted to
294:American Cancer Society
165:Original WPMI-TV report
42:30.6958239; -88.1102674
196:Virality and reception
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583:Leprechaun in Mobile,
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317:KTCK 1310 The Ticket
312:The Bob and Dan Show
211:, radio personality
130:, a neighborhood of
240:The O'Reilly Factor
112:Crichton Leprechaun
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52:Crichton Leprechaun
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607:The New York Times
284:Gone with the Wind
245:racial stereotypes
218:The New York Times
120:Alabama Leprechaun
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305:St. Patrick's Day
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655:The UnTicket
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227:Los Angeles
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733:Categories
717:August 27,
353:References
266:South Park
138:affiliate
124:leprechaun
114:(also the
75:Leprechaun
28:88°06′37″W
25:30°41′45″N
691:March 26,
661:March 26,
613:March 17,
560:March 17,
502:March 17,
427:March 17,
394:April 16,
635:April 7,
537:April 7,
340:See also
235:Fox News
128:Crichton
71:Grouping
389:WKRG-TV
372:YouTube
202:YouTube
182:WPMI-TV
144:YouTube
140:WPMI-TV
89:Country
333:Dublin
321:Dallas
274:Tosh.0
263:, and
223:Dallas
99:Region
209:MSNBC
719:2024
712:WPMI
693:2017
663:2017
637:2014
615:2014
562:2014
539:2014
504:2014
429:2014
396:2023
290:eBay
225:and
110:The
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331:in
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146:on
136:NBC
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