The Crichton Leprechaun (known alternatively as the Mobile Leprechaun) is a leprechaun purported to have been sighted in March 2006 by the residents of the Crichton neighborhood in Mobile, Alabama.[1] The Crichton Leprechaun rose to international prominence after a news story on the creature was aired by the local NBC affiliate, WPMI-TV.[2] The news story soon spread to internet video sites such as YouTube.com and Google Video, eventually reaching an audience of over 6.8 million people worldwide.[3] After the phenomenon hit the web, fans ran away with the idea, prompting the creation of sites dedicated to the Mobile Leprechaun "Where Da Gold At" and "Where The Gold At".[4][5]
The WPMI-TV news story featured an amateur sketch of the creature drawn by Nina Thomas-Brown.[6] Upon realizing the sudden fame of their story, WPMI-TV conducted an auction for the sketch on eBay for charity, which garnered $1100.[6] The sketch was purchased by Tye Miksis of New York City and the money raised was donated to the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life.[6]