‘Pot sasquatch’ trudges through a live newscast in a snowstorm

During a live report in the middle of a snowstorm last week, a Massachusetts TV meteorologist turned around and found a Bigfoot creeping up behind her.

Make that a sasquatch covered with marijuana leaves.

What did Jennifer Pagliei of WWLP-22 News do when she saw her stalker? She laughed, then kept reporting like a boss — thus becoming the star of a video that went viral with nearly 2 million views.

Viewers dubbed the monster “Pot Sasquatch.”

But his true identity has been revealed, and turns out, he’s not as sinister as he looked on live TV.

That was the mascot for Potco, a “Costco for marijuana” that opened last year in Springfield, Mass., says its owner, Dave Mech.

And that was Mech inside the costume.

And for the record, the character is called “Potsquatch.”

(Or “The Abominable Weedman,” as the marijuana lifestyle website Merry Jane nicknamed him.)

“That would be me,” Mech told MassLive.com. “I actually saw them out there and decided to pay a little visit, say hello.”

In a state where pot became legal last year, Mech serves medical marijuana patients. He told MassLive he believes marijuana can help people kick opioid addiction and wanted a strong mascot to convey that power.

Thus, Potsquatch.

When he saw Pagliei and her crew setting up for their live shot in the snow, he decided to have some fun.

What wasn’t so fun was trying to trudge through deep, heavy, snow wearing a Bigfoot costume.

“I don't wear it that often because some of the leaves are fragile, but it didn't break when I fell in the middle of the street, which was good,” he said.

Mech is now thinking about launching a line of Potsquatch T-shirts, he told The Huffington Post.

This story was originally published February 13, 2017 at 11:39 AM with the headline "‘Pot sasquatch’ trudges through a live newscast in a snowstorm."