Why Bigfoot Is Called a “Booger” in the South

The term “booger” (sometimes “boogerman” or “boogey”) comes from “bogey” or “bugbear”, old English words that meant a frightening creature or ghost used to scare children into behaving. “Bogey” appears in English as early as the 1500s, referring to a hobgoblin or specter.

This word traveled through Scotland, Ireland, and the American colonies, especially into the Appalachian Mountains and the Deep South, where accents and local slang transformed bogey → booger. In this sense, booger didn’t originally mean something gross from your nose that came later as slang evolved.

Why Bigfoot Is Called a “Booger” in the South

In many parts of the rural American South and Appalachia, “booger” became a catch-all word for any frightening, mysterious creature — ghosts, haints, wild men, or monsters lurking in the woods. So when early reports of a hairy, man-like creature began circulating (especially before the word Bigfoot became popular in the late 1950s), locals already had a name for such a being “the Booger.”

Some regions have specific versions, like:

• “Booger Man” in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama

• “Boogerman” Swamp in Mississippi

• “Booger Hollow” (a real place name used in several Southern states)

People would say things like:

“Don’t go out after dark, the booger’ will get you.”

This was part cautionary tale, part folklore blending fear of the unknown with local storytelling traditions.

Summary

• Origin: From old English bogey = ghost or hobgoblin.

• Meaning in the South: A general term for any scary or supernatural creature.

• Connection to Bigfoot: Early Southern sightings of a tall, hairy “wild man” were called “boogers” long before Bigfoot became the standard name.

So when you hear a Southerner say “the Booger’s out in them woods,” it’s their regional version of saying “Bigfoot’s out there.”

Examples

The Flintville Booger (Tennessee)

• Location: Lincoln County, Tennessee (near Flintville)

• Era: 1930s–1950s

• Story: Locals reported a large, hairy, man-shaped creature haunting the woods outside town. It was blamed for killing livestock, throwing rocks, and scaring travelers on back roads at night.

• Description: About 7 feet tall, covered in brown hair, glowing red eyes, and a foul odor — classic Bigfoot-like details.

• Legacy: The legend became so embedded in local lore that older residents still refer to “that Booger down Flintville way.” Some researchers connect it to early Southern Bigfoot sightings before the term “Bigfoot” existed.

 

The Blount County Booger (Alabama)

• Location: Northern Alabama foothills of the Appalachians

• Story: Throughout the early 1900s, people claimed a “Booger Man” lurked along rural roads, stalking hunters and frightening children. One story tells of a group of men who chased a tall, hairy figure only to have it vanish into thin air.

• Cultural Role: The “Booger Man” became a cautionary tale parents used — “Don’t go past the creek after dark or the Booger’ll get you.”

 

The Chickasaw County Booger Man (Mississippi)

• Location: Near Houlka, Mississippi

• Era: Mid-20th century

• Reports: Locals described a shaggy, bipedal beast seen crossing roads at night or lurking around barns. In some versions, the creature screamed like a woman.

• Interpretation: Some considered it a ghost, others a wild man; today, many Bigfoot researchers cite it as part of Mississippi’s long history of “booger” sightings.

 

The Boogerman of Marion, North Carolina

• Location: Marion, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains

• Story: In the 1940s–50s, residents reported a hairy creature raiding chicken coops and cornfields. One farmer said the “Boogerman” left enormous barefoot tracks behind his barn.

• Note: North Carolina mountain folklore has dozens of “booger” tales — they were as much ghost stories as monster sightings, told around campfires to keep kids close to home at night.

 

Booger Hollow (Arkansas)

• Location: Pope County, Arkansas (near Dover)

• Legend: The name itself comes from local tales of a “Booger” that haunted the woods there — sometimes described as a ghostly man, other times a hairy creature.

• Fun Fact: The area later became a quirky roadside attraction, but locals insist the name traces back to genuine “booger” encounters from the 1800s.

 

The Pascagoula River “Booger” (Mississippi Gulf Region)

• Reports: Fishermen and hunters have long spoken of eerie screams and heavy footsteps in the marshes along the Pascagoula River. Some say it’s a swamp-dwelling “Booger,” others link it to the “Skunk Ape,” the Southern version of Bigfoot.

• Features: Sulfur smell, red eyes, and footprints found in the mudbanks.

 

The Tennessee “Booger Lights”

• Location: Near Columbia, Tennessee

• Twist: In this version, “Booger” refers to a ghostly light phenomenon — glowing orbs that chase cars or wanderers. Locals said they were spirits or “booger lights.” Though not a Bigfoot, it shows how “booger” once meant any supernatural fright in the South.

 

Before Bigfoot became the national name, “Booger” was the Southern word for any wild, hairy, or supernatural thing that scared people in the night.
In Appalachia, there are also “Booger Dances” — old Cherokee and mountain folk rituals meant to scare away evil spirits — showing how deeply that word connects to the region’s ghost and monster lore.