Interviewer: Today, we are here with a young girl, unironically named Birdy, who has an intense fear of bird mascots. She is here to speak with us about her traumatic experience with a bird mascot when she was just a child. Hello, Birdy, and thank you so much for coming on our show, Killer Mascots, the all-new documentary series where we try to discover the truth behind what drives these mascots to be so evil. Welcome, Birdy.
Birdy: Thank you so much for having me. It is such an honor to be here and finally have a chance to open up about my story.
Interviewer: Of course, that’s what we’re here for. Can you begin by describing your first encounter with the killer mascot?
Birdy: Well, it all began when I was eight years old attending my brother’s high school basketball game. At halftime, my mother had an idea to get a picture of me with both mascots. We went up to the other team’s bird mascot, and that’s when my life was changed forever. The bird had some feathers on its head, but I couldn’t reach them and accidentally brushed his side. Before I knew it, the bird had pinned me to the ground and ripped out my hair with his beak…
Interviewer: Oh my goodness, this reminds me of the woman on the show last week who’s a survivor of the slasher stork. The stork flew over her at the beach and stole a knife from her lunch that he then threatened everyone with by circling around them for hours. Do you think this bird was trying to kill you too?
Birdy: I think so because it got even worse. I began to cry, but the bird didn’t care. He tried to grab me, and my parents tried to pull me away, but before I knew it, I was in the air. Then, everything went black. My parents said the bird had tried to apologize and say everything was a complete accident, from him knocking me over to ripping out my hair, but we knew the truth.
Interviewer: Thank you so much for sharing that. I know that must have been so hard for you. You said the bird then stalked you and found you in the hospital while you were recovering from your concussion?
Birdy: I was set to be dispatched from the hospital, which was about three days after the accident. I woke up to the sight of clown balloons and then I saw the bird, evil as ever. He kicked my bed, which knocked me to the ground, screaming in pain. My arm was fractured in two places and I had an immediate surgery…
Interviewer: He must have broken into the hospital! Would you say he was targeting you?
Birdy: Absolutely. The bird tried to pretend it was an accident and that he just stubbed his toe, but he didn’t fool us. We knew I was the center of his target. I guess on the bright side, he chose me!
Interviewer: That is truly awful. Why weren’t the police more involved?
Birdy: The police tried but they never caught the bird, so I used to have nightmares that he would find me and then take me back to his nest where he forced me to eat worms. Eventually, it escalated to real birds as well and I couldn’t go outside for a year.
Interviewer: How are you continuing to live knowing he’s still out there? Knowing he could come back at any moment?
Birdy: It’s been hard, but I have begun my healing journey, and I started going to therapy a few years ago. I had a slow introduction to birds recently, so I can go outside again, but the memories still haunt me. My therapist thought it might be a good idea to watch Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds to put things into perspective, but this set my progress back and was the cause of several anxiety attacks.
Interviewer: Can you describe your most recent encounter with a mascot?
Birdy: They still haven’t arrested the original bird, but I had a slow introduction with a similar bird mascot recently. At first, I couldn’t handle the PTSD and ran out of the room. However, I was able to go back the next day and make slow progress. Although I can touch the bird now, the anxiety is very real, and I haven’t been able to attend any sports games for over ten years.
Interviewer: That is such a shame. What’s it like knowing you may never be able to see or play sports again?
Birdy: It’s been so hard to come to terms with this. Since my brother went on to pursue college basketball, it hurts knowing I was never able to see him play. My parents also had high hopes for me to follow in his footsteps, but I can barely look at a basketball. I’ve had some slow introductions with these as well, but they are just so triggering. So many people turn on ESPN every day, but they take it for granted because they don’t realize what people like me are going through.
Interviewer: If you could give one piece of advice to others with masklophobia, what would it be?
Birdy: I would tell them to never give up. Your feelings are extremely valid, and although it is a traumatizing experience, you can move forward. I see you and I recognize your pain. I promise it will get better. Not great, but it does get better.
Interviewer: Thank you so much for being on the show with us today, Birdy. If you have any information on the whereabouts of this bird, which we have sketched a composite of based on Birdy’s memory, please contact us at 1-800-KILLERMASCOTS. Join us on our next episode as we speak to a grown man about his crippling fear of duck mascots.
Stephanie Tokasz is a Senior Film, Photography & Visual Arts major who plans on launching her own true-crime podcast network. You can reach Stephanie at [email protected].