Searching for Cryptids

Searching for Cryptids

From Imaginary Worlds by Eric Molinsky | Daylight Media

December 3, 2025 · 40 min

About this episode

The episode explores the world of cryptids and their cultural significance through interviews with experts.

When I was growing up, Bigfoot appeared regularly on the covers of supermarket tabloids, so I assumed he was a joke. But I’ve discovered that he’s part of a larger and even stranger world of cryptids – creatures that people believe are real but haven’t been scientifically verified. Cryptids are having a cultural moment, and they’re a vital part of folklore. Native Alaskan storyteller James Dommek Jr. discusses his podcast Alaska Is The Center of The Universe and his audiobook Midnight Son. James has been collecting tribal stories about cryptids because he sees them as cultural treasures that need to be preserved. I also talk with J.W. Ocker, author of The United States of Cryptids: A Tour of American Myths and Monsters, about why so many small towns in the U.S. are embracing their local cryptids as a last ditch effort to revitalize their economies. This episode is sponsored by MiracleMade and Uncommon Goods Get 15% off your order at uncommongoods.com/imaginary. Go to TryMiracle.com/IMAGINARY to save over 40%, and when you use promo code IMAGINARY, you’ll get an extra 20% off plus a free 3-piece towel set. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Eric Molinsky

Guests: James Dommek Jr., J.W. Ocker

Topics covered

  • cryptids
  • folklore
  • cultural preservation
  • local economies
  • storytelling

Keywords

  • Bigfoot
  • cryptids
  • folklore
  • cultural treasures
  • local myths
  • storytelling
  • economy

Sponsors

MiracleMade, Uncommon Goods

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Alaska Is The Center of The Universe, Midnight Son

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