Momo is a July 2018 meme and the name given to a photograph of a woman possessing a large grin, pointed nose, and bulging eyes. The image was first uploaded onto reddit's subreddit /r/creepy. While the image itself is actually of a modern art sculpture and was cropped down as well, an urban legend had arisen about the image, believing it has some connection to the WhatsApp app. Given reports of private information being leaked, there will be no number to get into contact with the "Momo" account.
After a surge of controversy, it was announced that the original sculptor, Keisuke Aiso, had dismantled the sculpture of Momo
(its real name being the Mother Bird), largely because of the controversy as well as it additionally beginning to rot.
The 2020 movie Getaway focuses more on the urban legend spawning from the sculpture. Another Momo-inspired movie (currently untitled) focuses more on the Japanese folklore that inspired the sculpture and does not have a set release date at the moment.
Nothing to do with Michael Ende's fantasy book.
Momo contains examples of:
- Bird People: A very horrifying example. Momo's features resemble a mishmash between human and bird in the most creepy way possible. She has eyes that are fixed forward like a bird of prey, no teeth, and a "beak" that forms an UnSmile, but all of that fixed into the features of an otherwise human-like figure makes it more horrific.
- Fan Disservice: While it's not visible in the many cropped images circulating the internet (likely because of the nudity), the original statue has rather large sculpted breasts. That being said, the rest of Momo is so horrific that you'll be hard pressed to find anyone who enjoys looking at them, not that it stops some people.
- Feathered Fiend: Kind of — she's part bird and she's evil.
- Fluffy the Terrible: The name 'Momo' is a cutesy diminutive of the statue's true name, "Mother Bird", and it means "peach" in Japanese.
- Humanoid Abomination: Her image is known to incite visceral reactions from those with the misfortune to see it.
- Hybrid Monster: Momo is a combination of a human and bird, with her arms being birdlike in appearance.
- Jumpscare: The image had reportedly caught several people off guard.
- Must Be Invited: Despite her horriffic appearance, she only haunts people if they contacted her on WhatsApp.
- Slasher Smile: Aside from the eyes, Momo's other most notable feature is her long, toothless grin. Although, it's not exactly a smile, as, given the formation of her skull, it's more that her "beak" gives the illusion that the corners of her mouth are pointing upward.
- Stringy-Haired Ghost Girl: She's obviously an Ubume, which fits this trope.
- Thousand-Yard Stare: Momo's most notable feature is her massive, unnaturally bulging eyes circled with dark bags that stare straight forward. The sculpture gives the impression that she's staring at something far away ahead of her, and that her eyes are fixed forward like a bird. Interestingly enough, birds in real life often have large bulging eyes, but rather than having them further apart, Momo's are fixed to the front of her face like a human.
- Urban Legend: There was rumor of an account using the "Mother Bird" picture to scare children into doing dangerous challenges, up to and including self harm," on apps like WhatsApp and YouTube Kids. A scary as that sounds, there is very little actual evidence that points to this being true.
- Wide Eyes and Shrunken Irises: Momo's sclerae are incredibly visible and her pupils look like dots in comparison. Interestingly enough, she does seem to have irises, but they are white, making her pupils that much more prominent.
- Youkai: The original sculpture is apparently a portrayal of an Ubume, the ghost of a woman who died during childbirth.
