In February 2019, kids and their parents around the world were introduced to a new deadly online danger: a mysterious and terrifying online figure known as “Momo,” whose creepy image is that of a bug-eyed woman in the Japanese horror tradition (it’s actually a co-opted, unrelated sculpture titled “Mother Bird,” created in 2016 by artist Keisuke Aisawa).
The targeted teens are supposedly sent violent or gruesome images by Momo through an app or social media and encouraged to reply. They are threatened if they don’t and forced to agree to conduct a series of violent and bizarre tasks—resulting in death. It’s called the “Momo Challenge.”