Searching for Cryptids

Imaginary Worlds

Eric Molinsky

Arts, Science Fiction, Fiction, Society & Culture

4.8 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 3 December 2025

⏱️ 40 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

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

Transcript

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0:00.0	The holidays are almost here, and if you still have names on your list, or in my case, a spreadsheet,
0:06.7	don't worry, uncommon goods makes holiday shopping stress-free and joyful, with thousands of one-of-a-kind
0:13.5	gifts. In each category is a treasure trove. For instance, I have a cousin who is a cat, and she loves
0:20.6	getting cat-related gifts. I know she's probably listening now, has a cat, and she loves getting cat-related gifts.
0:22.7	I know she's probably listening now, so I'm not going to say what we got you. It could be the
0:28.1	laptop scratching pad, or the Catatitude mug, or the KitTie Cat T-Bags, or the raining
0:35.1	cats and dogs umbrella, which changes colors when exposed to water,
0:39.2	or something else that I haven't mentioned yet.
0:42.3	When you shop at Uncommon Goods, you're supporting artists in small independent businesses.
0:47.8	And with every purchase you make, Uncommon Goods gives a dollar back to a non-profit partner of your choice.
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	...

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