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Fresno’s Creepy Cryptid Becomes a Cuddly Build-A-Bear
ANTHONY SITE PHOTO
By Anthony W. Haddad
Published 10 minutes ago on
August 19, 2026

Build-A-Bear has transformed Fresno’s legendary Nightcrawler cryptid into a cuddly, posable plush complete with long legs and optional pants. (Facebook/Build-A-Bear)

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A mysterious creature that once reportedly crept across a Fresno lawn in the middle of the night can now creep into your stuffed animal collection.

Build-A-Bear has released the Fresno Nightcrawler Posable Plush as an online exclusive, turning one of Fresno’s strangest local legends into a soft, smiling stuffed animal with long, movable legs.

The plush is inspired by the Fresno Nightcrawler, a cryptid described as a pale, semi-humanoid creature consisting mostly of two long legs. The creature has become known online as a “walking pair of pants” because of its unusual appearance.

 

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Build-A-Bear’s version has soft white fur, a smiling face and long, posable legs, according to their website. And for anyone who thinks a walking pair of pants should actually wear pants, the company says the plush can be dressed in clothing and accessories.

The Nightcrawler legend traces back to surveillance footage recorded in Fresno in 2007. The grainy video appeared to show two small, pale figures walking across a resident’s lawn. The footage later attracted paranormal investigators and television programs and helped turn the mysterious figure into a piece of Fresno folklore.

Whether the original figures were unexplained creatures, puppets, or something else has never been settled. That uncertainty has helped keep the Nightcrawler alive in popular culture.

Over the years, the creature has inspired artwork, T-shirts, stickers and other merchandise, while gaining fans well beyond California’s Central Valley. Fresno County’s tourism organization has embraced the Nightcrawler as part of the area’s quirky local identity.

Now, the legend has another form: a paranormal plush pal ready for a nighttime stroll (pants optional).

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Anthony W. Haddad,
Multimedia Journalist
Anthony W. Haddad, who graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with his undergraduate degree and attended Fresno State for a MBA, is the Swiss Army knife of GV Wire. He writes stories, manages social media, and represents the organization on the ground.
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