Mobile Embraces Viral Leprechaun Lore 20 Years Later

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Two decades after a supposed leprechaun sighting in Mobile, Alabama sparked a viral local news story, the tiny figure has become an enduring part of the community's identity. The 2006 WPMI-TV segment showing residents crowding under a tree and a rough sketch of the leprechaun circulating helped define early "viral local news" on YouTube. Today, the leprechaun appears on cookies, t-shirts, Mardi Gras beads, and even tattoos, as Mobile leans into a legend that some locals admit was always more performance than paranormal.

Why it matters

The Mobile leprechaun story is an early example of how a local news gag can take on a life of its own in the age of viral media. What started as a two-minute bit has become a 20-year mascot for the community, highlighting how quirky local stories can capture the public imagination and take on new meaning over time.

The details

In 2006, WPMI-TV aired a segment about residents in the Crichton neighborhood of Mobile crowding under a tree, hamming it up for the camera as a rough pencil sketch of a supposed leprechaun circulated. The story, which unknowingly helped define the early "viral local news" genre on a then-fledgling YouTube, featured Demarco Morrissette claiming he had a magic flute passed down from his Irish ancestor (the "flute" was actually just garbage he had picked up). Two decades later, the crude leprechaun sketch has become a ubiquitous part of Mobile's civic branding, appearing on cookies, t-shirts, Mardi Gras beads, and even tattoos.

• In 2006, WPMI-TV aired the original news segment about the supposed leprechaun sighting.
• The leprechaun story went viral in the early days of YouTube, becoming "Comedy Central fodder" and a "recurring late-night clip".
• In 2026, the New York Times revisited the story, 20 years after the initial broadcast.

What they’re saying