Igopogo

In Canadian folklore, the Igopogo is a mythical creature said to dwell in Lake Simcoe, Ontario.^[1] The creature's name is ostensibly based on the Ogopogo, of Lake Okanagan, British Columbia, and also the title of the 1952 book I Go Pogo, a slogan often mentioned in the comic.^[2] Other nicknames for the Igopogo include Beaverton Bessie, after Beaverton, Ontario, and "Kempenfelt Kelly" after the bay that extends from the lake into the city of Barrie, Ontario.^[3] The city of Barrie erected The Sea Serpent sculpture, representing the legendary Igopogo, at the waterfront.^[4]

Igopogo

Photograph of Igopogo, taken by an observer in 1976.
Creature information
Other name(s)	Kempenfelt Kelly, Beaverton Bessie, Simcoe Kelly[1]
Sub grouping	Lake monster
Origin
Country	Canada
Region	Lake Simcoe, Ontario
Details	Found in water

Alleged sightings

David Soules, an early settler, is credited with the first alleged Igopogo sighting in 1823. While tending sheep, Soules reportedly saw a long creature leaving a wake in the water and a trail in the mud. Another major sighting took place in 1952 by four witnesses including Wellington Charles, chief of the Georgina Island First Nation.^[1] In 1983, sonar operator William W. Skrypetz reported spotting a large animal with a long neck,^[1] although some have disputed this account, claiming the reading could have instead been a school of fish.^[3] The Globe and Mail also told of Charles, who worked as a local fishing guide.^[5] Charles described seeing a marine animal with "a neck like a stovepipe with a face like a boxer dog."^[5]

Other alleged sightings include reports in 1903 and 1906, and a 1991 video recording of "a large, seal-like animal."^[3] In 1952, David Luu reported to the Globe and Mail seeing a "huge gray thing", that "leaped" while boating on the lake.^[5] In 2016 John Kirk of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club claimed on The Shirley Show to have a tape of the creature, though he did not show it.^[2] E. J. Delaney described it as a creature with two long antennae, four octopus-like arms, three pairs of legs, and six gill-like appendages with feathers.^[1]

Proposed explanations

Some writers have speculated based on this appearance that the sightings were actually of pinnipeds, such as otters or seals.^[1][3]

See also

• Ogopogo, reported to live in Okanagan Lake, in British Columbia, Canada
• Manipogo, said to live in Lake Manitoba, Manitoba
• Memphre, said to live in Lake Memphremagog, Quebec
• Seelkee, said to live in the swamps of what is now Chilliwack, in British Columbia