Encryptids

Highlighting modern threats with mythical ones

The Encryptids project reimagines folkloric cryptid creatures as guardians of digital integrity in an era of AI-generated deception. Through distinctive character design and thoughtful branding, this animated series transforms legendary monsters into symbolic representations of various online scams and manipulations prevalent in contemporary AI art communities.

Each character embodies a specific predatory behavior—the hat-wearing darkwatcher represents identity theft, the antlered Wendigo personifies data harvesting, while the devil-like Miniwashitu symbolizes malicious ai prompt engineering. These creatures are rendered in a consistent stylistic approach that balances whimsy with menace, using a sophisticated color palette of navy backgrounds with cream and amber accents that evokes both nostalgic folklore aesthetics and modern digital interfaces.

The project serves as both entertainment and educational commentary, with each monster's narrative arc revealing the mechanics behind different forms of digital deception. Bigfoot, portrayed as "The Voice of Reason," offers a contrasting perspective as the wise guardian helping users navigate these threats. Through this creative metaphor, Encryptids transforms complex technological concerns into accessible cautionary tales, using the familiar language of monster mythology to help viewers recognize and avoid the growing landscape of AI-enabled scams, while the playful visual approach prevents the message from becoming overly alarmist or unapproachable.