On March 14, 2006, bedlam broke out in the Crichton neighborhood of Mobile, Alabama. According to some locals, there had been verified sightings of a Leprechaun in the vicinity.
Seeing how it was just a few days before St. Patrick’s Day, the whole thing likely originated with somebody’s goofy grandpa or crazy uncle teasing some young-uns about a mystical little green creature and his pot of gold. As these words fell on the bewildered and naive little ears, it probably elicited a few “nuh-uhs”. So, goofy grandpa/crazy uncle, built on his case exclaiming “they are real! I saw one up in yonder tree!