#xing-xing

Cryptid of the Day: Xing-Xing

My two sleeping beauties: Laurie, a Volks Yo-SD Anne Sweet Dream from 2006, and Seren, a kindergarten Kun-kun head circa 2020, on a temporary Pettimal body. His open-eyed face-plate, below, is a kindergarten Xing-xing, and his adorable outfit is by 暖暖暖薄荷 (official English name: Melting Mint).

The Xing-Xing is a cryptid from the Himalayan Mountains. It is essentially a regular orangutan, but since the Himalayan Mountains are not part of the orangutans natural habitat, this places it in a category similar to Alien Big Cats. It's a real creature that is wildly out of range, if it exists.

The creature is usually described as a primate with dark (usually black) fur, and about 10 feet tall. It has yellowish eyes. The height of the Xing-Xing is up for debate however, as some claim it is the size of a normal orangutan while others claim it is up to 10 feet tall.

If the Xing-Xing does exist, there may be two large, undiscovered primates living in the Himalayas, as it would likely share territory with the Yeti.

The shōjō is a sea spirit in Japanese folklore. It is depicted as an orangutan-like creature with a red face. It is known to be very fond of sake.

Shōjō are famous for the Noh play of the same name, where they dance drunkenly and reward a sake seller by making his sake vat bottomless. There are also several things in Japan that have been named after the spirit, including maple trees known as "shōjō-no-mai," roughly translated as "dancing red-faced monkey."

Image source.

Monster master list.