Then came the WhatsApp hoax. Someone started a rumor that “Momo” would pop up in Peppa Pig videos on YouTube Kids. It told kids to do dangerous things. Parents lost their minds. Schools sent home warnings.
MOMO CHALLENGE: Facts You Probably Don't Know Yet About This
Here’s the funny part: there is zero evidence Momo ever actually hacked a Peppa Pig video. The few viral screenshots were faked. It was a classic game of telephone, boosted by panicked news segments. Nobody fact-checked the creepy chicken.
The Uncomfortable Truth
The real monster wasn’t Momo. It was our collective anxiety about screens. We were all so scared of a faceless “internet challenge” that we made one up. Momo was just the unlucky, trash-made mascot.
Even the original artist was horrified. Keisuke Aisawa asked people to stop using his sculpture for scares. He hated that his “art” was being used to terrify children. But by then, Momo belonged to the internet. Good luck putting that genie back in the bottle.
