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A surprise is the last thing most people want from the Department of Motor Vehicles, but the unveiling of a new license plate Thursday was a welcome one.
Cryptids, animals that have been claimed – but never proven – to exist, are an ever-growing part of West Virginia’s cultural identity.
The state’s latest license plate features a total of nine mysterious creatures with ties to West Virginia locations, most prominently the Mothman and the Flatwoods Monster, also known affectionately as Braxxie. According to the DMV website, the full list of cryptids on the license plate are:
- Flatwoods Monster, a.k.a. “Braxie” – originated from Flatwoods (Braxton County) around 1952. Of the characters on the plate, Braxie is featured most prominently.
- Mothman – according to legend, first sighted in Clendenin (Kanawha County) in 1966, later became associated with the collapse of the Silver Bridge in Point Pleasant (Mason County). The plate features Mothman flying through a wooded scene, just behind Braxie’s shoulder.
- Bigfoot – with sightings all over the United States and many counties in West Virginia, Bigfoot was most recently seen holding the new license plate at the Summersville Bigfoot Festival! Check DMV’s YouTube and Facebook pages for that sighting! Bigfoot graces the right-hand side of the plate, among the characters featured in a shadowy blue.
- Sheepsquatch – a multi-county area from Boone County to Mason County boasts the origins of the Sheepsquatch stories. On the license plate, Sheepsquatch, and the remaining characters, are featured as smaller forms, all living in harmony in the friendly blue background of the wooded scene.
- Batboy – Greenbrier County’s Lost World Caverns area in Lewisburg brought us the Batboy stories.
- Veggie Man – Veggie Man is a Fairmont (Marion County) native, originating around 1968.
- Werewolf – The Webster County Werewolf stories date back to the 18th Century and Native American folklore. Quite a spook in life, but as friendly as the rest of the cohort on the plate.
- Ogua – from the Hoult area of Marion County, along the Monongahela River, rounds out the all-West Virginian otherworldly friends.
- Grafton Monster – originating from Taylor County around 1964, this pale, whistling or bellowing creature calmly graces what may go down in history as the Best. License Plate. Ever.
The plate was designed by the late Jesse Corlis, who also designed the state’s turtle and bee license plates. Corlis, who died in 2023 from complications of temporal lobe epilepsy according to an obituary, was born on Halloween. His murals can be seen all over the state, from the welcome center in Morgantown, to the bridge memorial in Pt. Pleasant and countless locations in Charleston, West Virginia.
“First and foremost, I would like to pay tribute to Jesse Corlis, the talented graphic artist who designed the Cryptid license plate, along with several other license plates you see traveling the roads of West Virginia every day,” Commissioner Everett Frazier said. “We recognize his creativity, talent, and contributions to the West Virginia license plate program, and we are proud to see his work celebrated through this unique design.”
Frazier said that from stories passed down through generations to those who claim to have had a possible sighting, these mysterious beings have long been part of our state’s unique culture and mountain heritage.
The new Cryptid license plate will be available for purchase beginning Monday, Nov. 2 at all West Virginia DMV Regional Offices. Additional information and updates on the new plate will be shared on DMV’s YouTube and Facebook pages, and website at dmv.wv.gov.