Joseph Luster
March 4, 2019 
If you’ve been online recently, you’ve no doubt heard rumblings about the Momo hoax, which purports that children have been taking part in a dangerous viral game called the “Momo Challenge.” According to a bunch of overblown news story panic, the challenge had Momo messages on WhatsApp and YouTube telling kids to engage in a variety of potentially deadly activities, and you can read more about what is and isn’t legitimate about it on Snopes. Beyond the sensationalized phenomenon itself, where did “Momo” originally come from, and what state is it in now?
The creepy piece dates back to 2016, when artist Keisuke Aiso showcased it at an art show in Tokyo. It’s not actually called Momo, however; its title is Mother Bird and it’s based on a yokai known as an ubume. Images of Mother Bird eventually made their way to Reddit and spawned reports on what is now known as the Momo Challenge.
来場者を迎えるLINK FACTORY相蘇敬介の《姑獲鳥》。これが夜通りがかった街灯の足元に置いてあったら悲鳴上げる自信ある #Bura_Bi_Now pic.twitter.com/GGK36rZVet
— 黒織部 (@kurooribe) August 24, 2016
Just because kids aren’t doing the Momo Challenge doesn’t make this sculpture any less unnerving. You won’t have to worry about her haunting your dreams any more, though, because the sculpture has since been destroyed. Aiso told The Sun that it was rotting and falling apart, making it look even more terrifying near the end of its life.
Aiso was hoping to frighten people with his work, but he didn’t expect it to go this far. “The children can be reassured Momo is dead. She doesn’t exist and the curse is gone,” he commented, reassuringly.
Via Kotaku
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