State cryptid.

Assembly Member Rogers proposes designating Bigfoot as California's official state cryptid, joining other state symbols like the golden poppy and California redwood in formally representing the state's cultural heritage. The designation would recognize Bigfoot's deep historical ties to California, particularly Humboldt County, where the term "Bigfoot" first appeared in print in 1958.

The bill highlights Bigfoot's role in local tourism and culture, noting that the annual Bigfoot Daze Festival draws approximately 2,000 visitors to Willow Creek, California - a community widely known as the "Bigfoot capital of the world." The Willow Creek - China Flat Museum reports 2,000 to 3,000 annual visitors to its Bigfoot collection, underscoring the cryptid's draw as a tourist attraction.

The legislation defines a cryptid as a creature whose existence is claimed but not scientifically proven. According to the bill's findings, Bigfoot sightings across California's forests have generated tourism activity in rural areas, particularly along the North Coast. The creature's popular depiction as a large, bipedal hominid has become intertwined with California's wilderness areas and storytelling traditions.