The sculpture that inspired the Momo meme has 'rotted away' and been destroyed

• The artist who created "Mother Bird," the sculpture that inspired Momo, said he destroyed it because it "rotted away."
• He told The Sun that it was made for an art exhibit in 2016 but wasn't meant to last.
• Momo is a viral character that supposedly told children to partake in dangerous activities in different YouTube videos. There's no evidence the "Momo challenge" is anything but a hoax.
• The artist said he was glad the work was getting recognition, but didn't want it to scare children.

The creepy sculpture that inspired Momo, a viral character at the center of a hoax YouTube challenge, is no more.

Keisuke Aiso, the artist who created the sculpture, called "Mother Bird," said he threw it in the trash a few months ago because it "rotted away." It was made of rubber and natural oils, and wasn't meant to last, he told The Sun.

"It was falling apart," he said. "If you'd have seen it in the state it was in, it would have probably looked even more terrifying."

In a viral hoax, people said the Momo character somehow inserted itself into videos for children on YouTube and told kids to engage in dangerous activities that would kill them. There's no evidence that has actually happened. YouTube bans videos that encourage people to harm themselves, including any that would include Momo, the company told INSIDER, and is taking steps to kill the hoax.

Read more:YouTube is removing ads from videos about the so-called 'Momo Challenge' in an attempt to kill the viral hoax

Keisuke originally made "Mother Bird" for a 2016 art show in Tokyo that features creepy artwork, he told The Sun. But while it was meant to be scary, never expected it to go viral years later, he said. Now, he has mixed feelings about the sculpture's reception.

"When it was exhibited at the gallery it did not receive much attention, so at the time I was very disappointed," he told The Sun. "On one hand they have caused me nothing but trouble, but on the other hand as an artist I have a little sense of appreciation that my art piece has been seen across the world."

• Read more:
• YouTube is removing ads from videos about the so-called 'Momo Challenge' in an attempt to kill the viral hoax
• The Momo Challenge is supposedly instructing children to kill themselves, but there are no confirmed cases of it actually happening
• Kim Kardashian is warning parents about the Momo Challenge, but YouTube says there's no evidence that it's actually real
• A 7-year-old YouTuber who makes $22 million a year reviewing toys is getting a TV show

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