what's so scary about the scarygirl be@rbrick?

Nathan Jurevicius' Scarygirl Be@rbrick (left) has a very interesting pattern, but there's nothing scary about it. The term 'Scarygirl' was simply derived from the designer's signature comic strip of the same title.

Look closely – what seems like a school of fish is actually a flock of silver birds (note the beaks).

I am reminded of African cuckoos (below, right), migrant birds with a fascinating story. Do you know that they fly from Africa to England every summer, breed there and fly back home after? What's even more interesting is that they're called brood parasites. Why?

They don't build their own nests. Instead, they search for existing ones (often with eggs) built by host birds, and lay their own eggs on them while the host birds aren't looking.

Even more disturbing is the behavior of their offspring. Once a cuckoo egg hatches, the baby cuckoo pushes the host's eggs out of the nest! The poor, innocent host does not realize that the baby it is feeding isn't actually his own. What treachery!

Right after giving birth, cuckoo parents fly back home to Africa. The young are left to traverse continents on their own once they are strong enough to. I guess being abandoned and unguided at such a young age makes them extremely tough – and downright selfish. It's called survival.

Now, that's scary.

(The Scarygirl Be@rbrick was released at the 2006 Taipei Toy Festival. To see more of Jurevicius' wonderfully whimsical work, go here. Cuckoo Info: RSPB Wildlife Explorers)