Internet lore has given birth to scary characters like Slender Man and Momo, and now there’s Al Ayowoki, said to be on the prowl in northern Mexico.

The spread on social media of what some people find a terrifying concept has led police in Baja California Sur and Sonora to issue statements assuring the public that El Ayuwoki is nothing more than a character invented by online culture for laughs and maybe a scare or two.

The Sonora Cyberpolice posted an infographic on Twitter to explain the origin of what it called “an urban legend.”

El Ayuwoki is but the latest creature to emerge from creepypastas, brief horror-related legends or images generated by users that have been copied and pasted around the internet. In order to scare readers, creepypastas include gruesome tales of murder, suicide and otherworldly occurrences.

Ayuwoki is a Spanish-language creepypasta, a creature that resembles Michael Jackson. The lore surrounding the character is that it will appear in one’s bedroom late at night and say, “Hee-hee,” Jackson’s signature vocal riff.

The creature’s name is an intentionally misspelled play on the lyric “Annie, are you okay?” from Jackson’s 1987 hit Smooth Criminal. If one says the last three words, “are you okay,” really fast and with a Spanish accent, it sounds like ayuwoki.

The image that accompanies the meme comes from My Ghoul Jackson, a video of an animatronic character modeled after Jackson’s likeness that was posted to YouTube in 2009.

Source: Milenio (sp)