The ‘Wyoming Doesn’t Exist’ Myth Began With Garfield The Cat [VIDEO]

One of the most popular urban legends in Wyoming is that it doesn't even exist. Nearly three decades after a cartoon cat said it, thousands of people are convinced that the entire state is a figment of our imagination.

The "Wyoming doesn't exist" myth began on the classic cartoon Garfield and Friends. Originally aired on November 11, 1989, the "It Must Be True" episode features Garfield's theory that the Cowboy State was created to cover up a mistake from explorer and mapmaker Arbuckle Vespucci.

The myth has taken on a life of its own in recent years. Wyoming is one of several places around the world that has been used by satirical conspiracy theorists online.

Most of the "doesn't exist" myths typically employ similar logic: Do you know anybody from (place)? Have you ever been to (place)? Do you know anybody who has ever been to (place)? If not, it doesn't exist.

According to Urban Dictionary, "If you think you are driving through Wyoming, you are really unconscious in a secret government facility where scientists are implanting false memory engrams into your mind."