Shrimpy: Bremerton’s Giant Shrimp In The Laundry Room

Key Facts

• Sightings: August, 1948

• Location: Bremerton, Washington, USA

• Height: ~5 feet

• Distinguishing traits: Giant shrimp-like appearance, long antennae, segmented body

• Investigators: No official investigation is known to have taken place. The legend survives almost entirely through the testimony of Virginia Staples, whose account was later published in Strange Magazine.

According to the legend, in 1948 a Bremerton resident named Virginia Staples was doing laundry in the basement of her apartment building on Denny Street when she felt like she was being watched. When she turned around, she reportedly saw a creature standing in a large hole in the wall. She described it as being about five feet tall, bright orange, with thin spidery legs and moving antennae, essentially a giant shrimp-like creature.

The basement was said to have large openings in the walls that allegedly connected to underground passages and possibly nearby seawater. Staples claimed the creature began moving toward her, causing her to flee the building. She later moved away and reportedly remained shaken by the experience for years.

What makes the story especially unusual is that there was never a second sighting, no physical evidence, and no photographs. The entire legend comes from Staples' account, which was later published in Strange Magazine and has since become part of Pacific Northwest cryptid folklore.

Today, Shrimpy has become a beloved piece of Kitsap County weirdness. The story is still referenced in local paranormal events and haunted-history presentations around Bremerton and the Kitsap Peninsula.