Birds Aren't Real and Teletubbies Will Always Be Creepy

In this episode of Conspiracy Happy Hour, Dann may or may not being joining the Bird Brigade that supports the Birds Aren't Real conspiracy and Allie tells us a possible origin story for the Teletubbies TV show.  Spoilers...one is funny and the other is really not!

Music by: Hadar Sopher
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Transcript

[00:00:00] Allie: Action. All right. Welcome back everyone, to another episode of Conspiracy Happy Hour. I'm Allie,
[00:00:06] Dann: And I'm Dan. And we're
[00:00:08] Allie: I am
[00:00:09] Dann: Happy hour
[00:00:09] Allie: Outta Frame right now. That's where I am.
[00:00:12] Dann: We're all over the place.
[00:00:14] Allie: the podcast where we discuss those crazy conspiracies, cult stories and the unknown. So today we've got some new ones for you. I don't know what Dan's doing.
[00:00:24] Dann: and I don't know what allie's doing.
[00:00:25] Allie: There we go. Just how we like it.
[00:00:28] Dann: Yes. How have you been? Allison?
[00:00:32] Allie: I was gonna say today was absolutely gorgeous. Outside, I think it was like 62 degrees. I just had a long shirt on. No like jacket or anything like that. It was perfect. I was very active all day long, so this is
[00:00:47] Dann: I saw, I saw your, was following your snaps,
[00:00:49] Allie: Oh my God. So I started the morning, I did my morning yoga.
[00:00:53] Allie: Then I went, I got home. Tim and I went to go play disc golf and then we got home, [00:01:00] stayed home for like an hour, ate our late lunch, and then we went to go play pickleball for like two hours. So it was a full day outside that. It was so much fun. So it was, ugh, the
[00:01:09] Dann: Yeah, it was nice.
[00:01:10] Allie: The weather.
[00:01:11] Dann: I went, I had breakfast, I had breakfast with my parents this morning.
[00:01:15] Allie: I thought I saw your parents dog.
[00:01:16] Dann: Yes. And but when I left, I feel like it was colder inside their house than it was outside.
[00:01:22] Allie: I mean, it's freezing in the basement right now, so
[00:01:24] Dann: Because when I left, I had a jacket on. I was like, it's hot out. Well, it could, well, 62 degrees, but it was still nice.
[00:01:30] Allie: it was, yeah. It was one of those days where the car actually got hot, which I missed those
[00:01:35] Dann: I know. And I had the windows. I had the windows down
[00:01:37] Allie: we didn't have the air conditioning on.
[00:01:39] Dann: little on, but the windows were on down. Oh, it was so
[00:01:42] Allie: Ugh. I love those days when you have the moon roof open and stuff, do you have a moon?
[00:01:46] Dann: No
[00:01:46] Allie: Okay. I do. My car's
[00:01:48] Dann: when I punch a, a hole through the roof.
[00:01:50] Allie: My car is . Just open it
[00:01:54] Dann: Yeah, just open it up like a can opener. I had the option of getting a sunroof. Well, [00:02:00] the option, I mean, I could have bought one with a car, with a sunroof, but my mom had so many problems with her sunroof in her car. Not her current car, but her one before it,
[00:02:10] Allie: Oh, that's a shame. I love my
[00:02:12] Dann: it always leaked, and it was at, at one, at one point.
[00:02:15] Dann: It was, she had to like pla like plastic bags over
[00:02:18] Allie: I wouldn't even think of that. Cause I, I've had
[00:02:21] Dann: it also,
[00:02:21] Allie: in every car.
[00:02:23] Dann: yes. But it also didn't help that she refused not to park under a tree and the little has drains and stuff, right? And so they would get clogged from the squirrel stone, a little nuts down and . So she's like, no, I'm not moving my parking spot.
[00:02:38] Dann: I was like, well, , because she
[00:02:40] Allie: what's gonna happen.
[00:02:42] Dann: But,
[00:02:43] Allie: But I need a new car. My car is getting old and bad and suspension's gone. It bounces like I've got hydraulics in my car. So yeah, it's about time for a new one.
[00:02:58] Dann: I'm sorry, but your face [00:03:00] froze really in a bad spot.
[00:03:03] Allie: Yeah.
[00:03:03] Dann: like, But but yeah, I did that this morning and then I went to,
[00:03:11] Allie: Did you eat breakfast at their house or did you go somewhere?
[00:03:14] Dann: Yeah, I went to their house. We just made eggs and bacon and what we're doing for Easter this year. We're just doing a breakfast and then calling a
[00:03:22] Dann: That's nice.
[00:03:23] Allie: Yeah. Well it's always on a Sunday too. Yeah. Well, yeah, but my parents live an hour away where your parents are only like 20 minutes.
[00:03:30] Dann: Mm-hmm. , when is
[00:03:31] Allie: we'll stay over the next four. I know ninth. I don't know why. I
[00:03:35] Dann: Oh, okay.
[00:03:36] Allie: I think I, I could be wrong. Yeah.
[00:03:39] Dann: I'm just like, wait, when? That's actually Easter. I, I forgot it didn't happen yet cuz it's in April.
[00:03:45] Allie: No, it's always in April, isn't it
[00:03:47] Dann: No, it can be in March. Yeah.
[00:03:50] Allie: Hmm. Okay.
[00:03:51] Dann: it's depends on when, you know, the, the church decides it is. Oh yeah, it is the ninth. You're right.
[00:03:57] Allie: Okay.
[00:03:58] Dann: But yeah. [00:04:00] And on, and last week I got a massage. The first time I had one in a while. I got a deep tissue
[00:04:07] Allie: Doesn't that hurt
[00:04:08] Dann: I, yes, I think I I think I passed out a couple times during it.
[00:04:15] Allie: That's a problem. Okay. You should not pay us out during your massage
[00:04:19] Dann: I don't know if I was hessing out from like excruciating pain or if I was actually like falling asleep. Cause there was, there was a few times where I caught myself, you know, you that jolt and you're just like,
[00:04:32] Allie: Yeah.
[00:04:33] Dann: I did that like two or three times and I was drooling at point . So
[00:04:38] Allie: So I mean, if you don't remember, it might have been you just falling asleep, which is a good
[00:04:43] Dann: yeah, I think I just fell asleep. and but I was like, whoa, . I was like, I've never done that during a massage before. And so yeah, it was a full body and she was doing my hands, which I love the hand massage. It always feels so good. And she got to [00:05:00] my left wrist and she like, you know, moved it, whatever.
[00:05:04] Dann: And then she like, you know, I guess cracked it. And can I tell you the sound that my wrist mean? I never usually, I don't usually say anything during massages.
[00:05:16] Allie: Yeah.
[00:05:16] Dann: I just, you know, tried to relax and I literally was like, was that my wrist? And she was like, yeah, I was like, what does that sound mean? She's like, well that is the sound of the beginning stages of carpal tunnel
[00:05:34] Dann: And I was like, cool. Back to my massage.
[00:05:37] Allie: for me. Yeah.
[00:05:39] Dann: my massage, I was like, you know, pass back out and I was like, great, you know, just found out from my nice massage that I have, I guess carpal tunnel in my left wrist.
[00:05:47] Allie: Can't you wear like a, oh, I was gonna say, can't you wear a thing for that?
[00:05:50] Dann: I bought one. And you know, it's funny cuz I put it on, actually I had to read the instructions how to put it on and
[00:05:57] Allie: wrap it around you, put your thumb through and then wrap [00:06:00] it
[00:06:00] Dann: you do, but I wasn't sure cuz it has like Velcro in a few different places.
[00:06:03] Dann: Cause it's supposed to be like tight and. I put it on and I was like, wow, my wrist feels great. I guess I do have a problem, It doesn't hurt or anything. Like I don't have pain, but
[00:06:17] Allie: My mom had something before, and I think it's the same exact thing, but it's just in your elbow instead. It's
[00:06:22] Dann: like tennis
[00:06:23] Allie: tennis Elbow. Yeah, and she used to wear the brace all the time for that. I just remember, I guess she's healed now. I don't know. She never wears it, but.
[00:06:31] Dann: yeah. So I got a, I got a brace cuz I'm old apparently. And I'm just gonna wear it, you know, at like, while I'm working
[00:06:38] Allie: Maybe I'll get disability or something. This is what you guys did to me.
[00:06:41] Dann: I can't, I can't type can't send my harshly worded emails anymore.
[00:06:46] Allie: Oh my God. Tim has all like that AI stuff, like the artificial intelligence. He has them, right? His emails just like the hell, okay, that's what
[00:06:56] Dann: it before for that too, but not all
[00:06:59] Allie: It's good in [00:07:00] the sense like when you really want to.
[00:07:03] Dann: Get a point across
[00:07:04] Allie: Yeah. Let me
[00:07:05] Dann: or if I'm too livid and I need an AI to make me not get fired.
[00:07:12] Allie: Have you ever seen like, because I, my one coworker I sit next to, I always make fun of her cuz she goes, she's angry and she's typing. I tell her all the time that she looks like that meme of like the cat just playing on the piano like this. And she types like one finger at a time when she's in head . So, oh my god.
[00:07:32] Allie: I thought it was like so funny cuz she looks exactly like the stupid cat playing on piano. I just use this photo right here. I'm all like pre-planning my photos for when I share my.
[00:07:42] Dann: I can see it at the bottom. I was like, that's not a cat.
[00:07:45] Allie: Oh, no,
[00:07:48] Dann: It's
[00:07:48] Allie: That's a video though. That's not what I wanted.
[00:07:52] Dann: What what else have you been up to? Anything.
[00:07:54] Allie: I don't know what I mean. On Thursday we did the we did trivia [00:08:00] together, which that was fun. It was better that time.
[00:08:03] Allie: I don't know. It's just a weird trivia and I think we've talked about it on this podcast
[00:08:07] Dann: We, we talked about it last time. Yeah.
[00:08:10] Allie: but it's not what, like you don't need to know any like normal trivia facts in order to be good in this.
[00:08:17] Allie: Like I think we came in fourth place overall. All three of us suck at trivia, but it's like just things that you wouldn't know. You just have to get lucky guessing.
[00:08:28] Dann: And that's the round that always messes us up too. Cuz we were doing, we were actually doing really well
[00:08:32] Allie: did really good. Yeah.
[00:08:34] Dann: the top of the list of like the ranking and we were about to, Alison wanted that turtleneck prize really bad
[00:08:40] Allie: my God. They had a cute little turtleneck that said something and I don't even know what it said. I just wanted the turtleneck.
[00:08:46] Dann: This last round, like, like we've said before, it's not, it's nonsense. Like you literally just guess
[00:08:52] Allie: Yeah, and you hope for the best. There is no pre-planning
[00:08:57] Dann: And we got knocked down from the top to fourth. [00:09:00] So sad.
[00:09:00] Allie: Yeah. All right. So should we go over our Mandela
[00:09:07] Dann: Yes. Hit me with the fact
[00:09:09] Allie: fact? I still can't say that. Like, that's like oh yeah. Anyways.
[00:09:13] Dann: twister.
[00:09:14] Allie: Yeah. Okay. I'm gonna show you an image and I need you to tell me what this character's name is there.
[00:09:22] Allie: Okay. So we are going to, Who is that?
[00:09:30] Dann: Smokey The Bear.
[00:09:32] Allie: Say that again.
[00:09:33] Dann: Smokey The Bear.
[00:09:34] Allie: Smokey The Bear. That's wrong.
[00:09:38] Dann: I don't know that. , is it
[00:09:39] Allie: His name. His, yes. His name is Smokey Bear. There was never the.
[00:09:46] Dann: it's not a title.
[00:09:48] Allie: No, but you know, it's funny, when I was like looking this up, if I put Smokey the Bear, this image still comes up, but his name like, you couldn't even see it down here. Well, I don't know if you can read it, but it says [00:10:00] Smokey Bear poster showing a half body image of Smokey pointing.
[00:10:04] Allie: It's, which Smokey Bear doesn't sound just doesn't flow. So, yeah, but I always thought it was Smokey the Bear. It's not the, it's Smokey Bear. I thought that was funny. I saw that one today. I was like, huh.
[00:10:18] Dann: It was, yeah, it's just one of those things. It's just one word off, because I guess that's his name, not the
[00:10:25] Allie: bear. Yeah, I guess Bear is like last name,
[00:10:28] Dann: Yeah, exactly.
[00:10:30] Allie: But yeah, I thought that was really weird. So that's on the Mandela Effect.
[00:10:34] Dann: Ooh, that was a good one. That was a fun one.
[00:10:36] Allie: And if you're not, obviously, I mean at this point you should know if you're not watching the YouTube clip or that is fine. We have an image of Smokey Bear pointing at the, at you saying only you with the shovel, which I don't know why it's a shovel either.
[00:10:54] Allie: I would think it would be like a fire
[00:10:56] Dann: Hi extinguisher.
[00:10:57] Allie: or something. Yeah, a shuffle. Okay. [00:11:00] Anyways.
[00:11:01] Dann: guess he puts it, the fires out with a shovel. He,
[00:11:03] Allie: Dig those fires. Yeah. Right. . So that's our Mandela effect. Should we figure out who's going first this time?
[00:11:13] Dann: Yep. I'm ready. I practice
[00:11:15] Allie: your rock, paper, scissors going. All right. Ready? Rock. Oh god damn. Cracking your fingers over here.
[00:11:23] Allie: Shit. Okay, ready? Rock paper, scissor shoot.
[00:11:28] Dann: Okay.
[00:11:29] Allie: What was that?
[00:11:30] Dann: Well I was thinking cuz last time we didn't look at each other, let,
[00:11:35] Allie: oh, okay.
[00:11:36] Dann: well, well before, was there a delay? Did it look
[00:11:38] Allie: there was a delay
[00:11:40] Dann: okay, so we won't look at each other.
[00:11:41] Allie: close our
[00:11:42] Dann: close our eyes and then do it. Okay. Yeah, because to me it looked like we were in sync, but I wasn't sure if you were having a delay.
[00:11:48] Allie: No, I said I, when I got to scissors, you were shooting your first rock.
[00:11:51] Allie: So
[00:11:52] Dann: Oh, okay. On my
[00:11:53] Allie: it was a really delight.
[00:11:54] Dann: on my screen. We were actually fine. That's why I wanted to check with you.
[00:11:57] Allie: All right, we'll
[00:11:58] Dann: Okay. So we, yeah. Okay.
[00:11:59] Allie: [00:12:00] Okay. Ready. Rock, paper, scissor. Shoot. All right.
[00:12:04] Dann: took 21 episodes for me to win
[00:12:07] Allie: do you wanna go first or second?
[00:12:09] Dann: I'll go first. Mine's not, mine's not too long and I think it'll go quick. So
[00:12:12] Allie: sounds good.
[00:12:14] Dann: mine is kind of, it's funny, it's one I've heard of before, but never like thought anything more about until I was like, I don't know what to do.
[00:12:22] Dann: So so, but. and it's a relatively new one, and it's one that pokes fun at conspiracies, which I thought was really
[00:12:32] Allie: Okay.
[00:12:33] Dann: So I am going to tell you about the conspiracy that birds aren't real
[00:12:39] Allie: I feel like
[00:12:41] Dann: have you ever heard this one before?
[00:12:42] Allie: I feel like I've heard you mention it
[00:12:44] Dann: Yeah. We, I, we talked about before, but
[00:12:46] Allie: but I also could be thinking of the Switzerland one, that that's not real.
[00:12:51] Dann: or, yeah. Finland wasn't
[00:12:52] Allie: Oh, Finland. Finland. Yeah. That might be what I'm thinking about, but I felt like I've heard you said something about this one before too. So go ahead, continue.
[00:12:58] Dann: So yeah, this one is [00:13:00] the theory that birds are not real. They are little cameras that are spying on us.
[00:13:06] Allie: okay.
[00:13:07] Dann: alright, the birds aren't real Theory is a satirical conspiracy theory that suggests that all birds have been replaced by government, created robotic drones. According, I hear the cat according to the.
[00:13:20] Allie: my God. You hear her?
[00:13:21] Dann: I just hear little meows in the background.
[00:13:24] Allie: I think she's locked outta the room.
[00:13:25] Dann: according to the theory, the US government killed all the country's birds in the 1950s as a form of population control, and then replaced them with fake surveillance drones that are used to monitor the population. The theory originated as a joke, so this is why it's satire.
[00:13:43] Allie: Okay.
[00:13:44] Dann: The theory originated as a joke, but has gained a surprising amount of traction. as things do, supporters of the theory point to the fact that birds are everywhere and that they seem to be watching and following everyone
[00:13:58] Allie: I mean, they're animals, [00:14:00] so
[00:14:01] Dann: I know they're just flying around mine and their own business spying on us.
[00:14:05] Dann: They also argue that the government has a history of using technology for surveillance and that it's not a far stretch to imagine that they would use robotic birds for this purpose. I mean, Probably,
[00:14:19] Allie: I mean, you have drones, same thing. Pretty much I would imagine.
[00:14:23] Dann: Yeah, exactly. They have big birds that don't look like
[00:14:26] Allie: motorized. Yeah.
[00:14:27] Dann: Despite the lack of evidence to support the theory, some people have taken it very seriously.
[00:14:33] Dann: There is even a website and merchandise associated with the theory, including t-shirts, hats, and stickers. Yep.
[00:14:38] Allie: Get outta here.
[00:14:40] Dann: I've seen bumper stickers before. On Instagram and TikTok, birds aren't real. Accounts have racked up hundreds of thousands of followers and YouTube videos about it have gone viral. Birds aren't real adherence, even protested outside Twitter's headquarters in San Francisco to demand that the company [00:15:00] change its bird logo
[00:15:02] Allie: Who?
[00:15:04] Dann: people who believe the theory
[00:15:05] Allie: No demanded Who changed the logo? Tw. Oh. Oh yeah.
[00:15:09] Dann: because the, the theory started out as a joke, but on, so when it translated online, people were actually believe, like all the conspiracy theorists were believing that this was true
[00:15:20] Allie: It's just weird.
[00:15:22] Dann: But okay, so the events were all connected by a Gen Z fueled conspiracy theory. , which po poses that birds don't exist and are really drone replicas installed by the US government to spy on Americans.
[00:15:39] Dann: Hundreds of thousands of young people have joined the movement wearing birds aren't real t-shirts, swarming rallies and spreading the slogan
[00:15:47] Allie: So we're that hardcore that we're gonna have rallies about birds not being real.
[00:15:51] Dann: Yep. The conspiracy, the qan non conspiracy theory that the world is controlled by an elite cabal of. [00:16:00] Child trafficking Democrats except that the creator of birds aren't real and the movements followers are in on the, on the joke. So they're, the people are showing up at these rallies being like, birds aren't real.
[00:16:12] Dann: To kind of like almost distract from like the
[00:16:15] Allie: Distract from the real
[00:16:16] Dann: Yeah. And like make fun of the other people that are there. Like, like demand, like qan on like, oh my god. Being controlled by Democrats. But the then on the other side, the, the birds aren't, yeah, the birds aren't real. People are like, oh my God, birds aren't real because like, you guys are idiots, And so the, the birds aren't real and it's movements. People who are part of it are in on the joke. They know that birds are in fact real and that their theory is made.
[00:16:48] Allie: Okay.
[00:16:49] Dann: and, but they're
[00:16:50] Allie: doing it intentionally as a distraction.
[00:16:54] Dann: What birds aren't real truly is they say, is a parody movement with a purpose in a [00:17:00] post-truth world dominated by online conspiracy theories.
[00:17:03] Dann: Young people have coalesced around the effort to thumb their nose at fight and poke fun at misinformation. It's Gen Z's attempt to upend the rabbit hole with absurdism. . It's a way to combat troubles in the world that you don't really have other ways of combating. Said one person about birds aren't real in Pittsburgh.
[00:17:27] Dann: My favorite way to describe the organization is fighting lunacy with lunacy. At the center of the movement is Peter Mica McIn. He's 23. He is a . He is a floppy haired college dropout in Memphis who created birds aren't real on a whim. In 2017,
[00:17:49] Allie: love how they just described him. A floppy headed
[00:17:52] Dann: a floppy haired, and I can picture it too,
[00:17:55] Allie: Yeah.
[00:17:56] Dann: For years he's stayed in character as the [00:18:00] conspiracy chief believer commanding acolytes to rage against those who challenged his dogma. But now, He said in an interview, he is ready to reveal the parody. Least people think birds are really drones dealing in the world of misinformation.
[00:18:17] Dann: For the past years, we've been really conscious of the line we walk. He said the idea is meant to be a preposterous, but we make sure nothing we're saying is too realistic. That's a consideration with coming out of character.
[00:18:35] Allie: So he's saying it like he knows that this is just made up. I mean, the way he's saying it, it sounds like he doesn't believe it at all. He just knows it's made up and he knows it's a distraction from everything else going on. Okay.
[00:18:49] Dann: And his point is to raise awareness to like how crazy conspiracy theories is and how easy people believe them. Cuz he just made this up in 2017 and everyone's like, yeah, [00:19:00] you're right.
[00:19:00] Allie: jump on the bandwagon. Well, it also doesn't help now that like stories are coming out where like there are videos of birds and stuff
[00:19:07] Dann: Mm-hmm.
[00:19:08] Allie: I'm assuming it's because of the wind current and being so strong, it looks like the birds in the air stationary when ACT reality, they're trying to fly.
[00:19:16] Dann: see it at, you see it at
[00:19:17] Allie: and they look like they're still.
[00:19:18] Dann: Yeah.
[00:19:19] Allie: so, but that mean that probably doesn't help his cause at all, so,
[00:19:23] Dann: he's there with his
[00:19:24] Allie: or does, I don't
[00:19:25] Dann: little, his little like remote control. He is like, yeah, these birds, flying them around. So most birds aren't real members, many of whom are part of an on the ground activism, activism network called the Bird Brigade, which I want to join. Grew up in a world overrun with misinformation.
[00:19:44] Allie: I just want the merch.
[00:19:44] Dann: Yeah, me too. some relatives who have fallen victim to conspiracy theories. So for members of Gen Z, the movement has become a way to collectively grapple with those experiences by cosplaying conspiracy. They [00:20:00] have found community and kinship. Birds aren't real, is not a shallow satire of conspiracies from the outside.
[00:20:09] Dann: It is from the deep inside. He said, A lot of people in our generation feel the lunacy in all this and birds aren't real, has been a way for people to process that. Another member, her name is Cameron 21, an activist from Parkland, Florida. Who helped organize the March for Our Lives student protest against gun violence in 2018 and is involved in birds aren't real.
[00:20:35] Dann: Said the parody makes you stop for a second and laugh in a uniquely bleak time to come of age. It doesn't hurt to have something to laugh about together. Mr. McDo two. Marin ended in conspiracies for his first 18 years. He grew up in a deeply conservative and religious community with seven siblings outside Cincinnati, then in Royal Arkansas.
[00:20:58] Dann: He was homeschooled, [00:21:00] taught that evolution was a massive brainwashing plan by the Democrats, and Obama was the antichrist. He read the books like remote Control. About what it said were hidden Anti Christianity messages from Hollywood. In high school, social media offered a gateway to the mainstream culture.
[00:21:19] Dann: He began watching Philip DeFranco and other popular YouTubers who talked about current events and pop culture, and went on Reddit to find new viewpoints.
[00:21:28] Dann: He stated he was raised on the internet because that's where he ended up finding a lot of my actual real world education through documentaries and. His whole world understanding was formed by the internet by the time McDo left home for the University of Arkansas in 2017. He said he realized he wasn't the only young person forced to straddle multiple realities.
[00:21:55] Dann: Then in January, 2017, he traveled to Memphis to visit [00:22:00] a. . Donald J. Trump had just been sworn in as president, and there was a woman's March downtown, pro-Trump counter protestors were also there. When McIndoe saw them, he said he ripped a poster off the wall, flipped it over, and wrote three words. Birds aren't real. It was a spontaneous joke, but it was a reflection of the absurdity. Everyone was feeling. I.
[00:22:29] Allie: Mm.
[00:22:29] Dann: Mr. McDo then walked around and improvised the birds aren't real conspiracy lore. He said he was part of a greater movement that believed that birds had been placed with cer, that birds have been replaced with surveillance drones, and that the coverup began in the 1970s.
[00:22:48] Dann: Unbeknownst to him, he was filmed and the video was posted on Facebook. It went viral, especially among teenagers in the. In Memphis, birds aren't real [00:23:00] Graffiti soon showed up photos of the phrases being scraw on chalkboards, and the walls of local high school surfaced. People made birds aren't real stickers.
[00:23:11] Dann: which is I want one.
[00:23:13] Allie: I need to look on Amazon.
[00:23:14] Dann: Mr. Mck Kendo decided to lean into birds aren't real. I started embodying the character and building out of world. This character he belonged to, he said he and Connor Gatos, a friend, wrote a false history of the movement, concocted elaborate theories, and produced fake documents and evidence to support his wild claims.
[00:23:38] Dann: It basically became an experiment in misinformation. He said we were able to construct an entirely fictional world that was reported on as fact by local media and questioned by members of the. His friend added. If anyone believes birds aren't real, we're the last of their concerns, because then there's probably no conspiracy.
[00:23:59] Dann: They [00:24:00] don't believe. In 2018, McDo dropped out of college and moved to Memphis to build birds aren't real. Further, he created a flyer that shot to the top of Reddit. He hired an actor to portray a former CIA agent who confessed to working on bird drone surveil. The video has more than 20 million views on TikTok.
[00:24:25] Dann: He also hired actors to represent adult bird truthers in videos that spread all over Instagram. The same year McDo began selling birds aren't real merchandise. The money totaling several thousand dollars a month helps mck Kendo and his friend cover their living. That's actually pretty cool. I'd buy that.
[00:24:49] Allie: Yeah. Stay woke.
[00:24:51] Dann: that after this.
[00:24:52] Allie: I know they have a tank top too.
[00:24:54] Dann: All the money from our merch lineup goes into making sure me and Connor [00:25:00] can do this full-time. We also put the money into billboards flying out, members of the bird brigade, the rallies, none of the proceeds go to anything harmful. To adults with concerns about McKen DO'S tactics, researchers say any harm, or most likely minimal, you have to weigh the potential negative effects with any of this stuff.
[00:25:21] Dann: But in this case, it is also so small. Said Joshua Cinderella, an independent researcher who studied internet culture and online radicalization in youth, allowing people to engage in collaborative world building is therapeutic because it lets them disarm, conspiracy, and engage in a safe way. McIndoe said he kept the concerns top of mind.
[00:25:48] Dann: Everything we've done with birds aren't real is made to make sure it. Tip into where it could have a meg negative effect and end result on the world. [00:26:00] It's a safe space for people to come together and process the conspiracy takeover of America. It's a way to laugh at the madness rather than be overcome by it.
[00:26:10] Dann: The effort has been cathartic for young people, including Heath, though. Ship 22 a Pittsburgh. Most conspiracy theories are fueled by hate or distrust, or one powerful leader, but this is about finding an outlet for our pain. She said she added that the movement was more about media literacy. Birds aren't real.
[00:26:34] Dann: Members also have become a political force. Many often join up with counter protestors and actual conspiracy. To deescalate tensions and de-legitimize the people they are marching alongside with irreverent Chance.
[00:26:51] Allie: That's actually really
[00:26:52] Dann: It's it, yeah. It's
[00:26:54] Allie: a good idea.
[00:26:55] Dann: them from the inside.
[00:26:57] Allie: Yeah.
[00:26:58] Dann: It is really good. I [00:27:00] was reading this and I was like, I, I'm gonna join the, this place is cool I'm gonna buy that shirt and I'm gonna join. I'm gonna be a part of the bird, Bri. In September, shortly after a restrictive new abortion law went into effect in Texas, birds aren't real Members showed up at the protest held by anti-abortion activists at the University of Cincinnati. Supporters of the new law had signs with very graphic images and were very aggressive in condemning people.
[00:27:28] Dann: It also led to arguments, but the bird brigade began chow start. But the bird brigade began chanting birds aren't real. Their shouts soon overpowered. The anti-abortion activists who's left Malindo now has big plans for 2022. You can tell this article's a little old character is necessary for help. Breaking character is necessary to help birds aren't real. Leap to the next level and force [00:28:00] swear. Actual conspiracy theorists, he said he added that he hopes to collaborate with major content creators and independent media like news channels, which aimed to help people make sense of America's current state and the entertainment. I have a lot of excitement for what the future of this could be as an actual force of good. He said, yes, we have been intentionally spreading misinformation for the past four years, but it's with a purpose. It's about holding up a mirror to America in the internet age, and that is the origin of birds aren't real.
[00:28:37] Allie: You know what? It gives a whole new meaning to that movie birds. Like it's not just about birds attacking a city anymore. It's about like drones and like
[00:28:47] Dann: Yeah.
[00:28:48] Allie: It's just like a movie ahead of it's time.
[00:28:50] Dann: Yep. I thought that was a really interesting SPAC story to a conspiracy theory.
[00:28:56] Allie: I like it because it's different than what we normally do. Like it was a [00:29:00] conspiracy that was made up by people they know it's a fake conspiracy, but they're spreading it for like a, like I said, a comic relief in the world right now.
[00:29:09] Dann: they're doing it. It's like for the greater good
[00:29:11] Allie: Yeah. Which, I mean,
[00:29:13] Dann: Which is funny.
[00:29:15] Allie: It's a weird thought, but I mean, hey, if
[00:29:17] Dann: It's like this, you know, fight fire with fire seems to be working.
[00:29:21] Allie: So my conspiracy. Complete opposite of that, there is no comic relief situation at
[00:29:29] Dann: there's no force of good.
[00:29:32] Allie: so mine is a little bit less. Haha. And a little bit more sad and kind of scary.
[00:29:39] Dann: cool.
[00:29:41] Allie: this is the conspiracy that the Children's Show, the Teletubbies was created based on true events of the Bulgarian mental institution called Lala Land.
[00:29:57] Dann: Wow.
[00:29:58] Allie: Yeah.
[00:29:59] Dann: I have [00:30:00] never heard about this, so I'm
[00:30:01] Allie: Me either until yesterday. So let
[00:30:04] Dann: you said you found this one on TikTok.
[00:30:06] Allie: I did, I found the the idea on TikTok, actually, there was more than one person who covered this. So I was like, okay, now I think the tos that I saw, I'm just gonna say they gave me the idea because I think every TikTok that I saw was full of shit.
[00:30:20] Dann: Oh,
[00:30:21] Allie: So, but for reference, I'm just gonna leave this photo up.
[00:30:28] Allie: Of the tele wies. Try to slide that up a little. There we go. Make it bigger. Nope, that just made it worse. Nope.
[00:30:35] Dann: the new baby for the.
[00:30:37] Allie: yeah, you changed.
[00:30:39] Dann: is. It's a different race.
[00:30:41] Allie: All right, so I'm gonna minimize. Nope.
[00:30:45] Dann: I didn't realize the show was still on, to be honest. I guess
[00:30:47] Allie: I didn't either, but like if you look at their faces and stuff, like everything about them is now.
[00:30:55] Dann: they've always been terrifying.
[00:30:57] Allie: They happen. They still, their faces look worse now, but [00:31:00] like you can see, like this one right here, he's like, I guess darker skinned version of a Tell Tubby now, cuz they were all like this light color. Anyways, just thought that was interesting. But, so the, the mental institution was called Lala Land. Now.
[00:31:19] Allie: in the 1970s and the 1980s. This was actually an institution for, or was known for its inhumane treatment of patients and cruel experimentation, which is really not that long ago, seventies and the eighties. That's kind of recent. Yeah.
[00:31:38] Allie: is. Yeah. Which is kind of scary that all of this happened. Now, the institution was established with the goal of studying and curbing various mental disorders, but it quickly dissolved into a nightmarish hell hole when patients were subject to a myriad of horrors.
[00:31:56] Allie: Behind the closed doors of Lalo land patients were often [00:32:00] subject to cruel and unorthodox treatments. Some of the most appalling methods, including sensory deprivation they would leave patients in pitch black rooms completely isolated from any outside stimuli for prolonged periods of time leading them to severe psychological.
[00:32:20] Allie: There were electroconvulsive therapy, which the Philies staff administered E C T without anesthesia or any muscle relaxants causing the patients excruciating pain and leaving them with long-lasting physical and mental scars. And then there was also drug experimentation that went on. The patients were used as Guinea pigs for untested drugs resulting in dangerous side effects and even deaths.
[00:32:49] Allie: Now the conditions at Lolo Land went on for years before the f facility was eventually shut down in the late 1980s due to mounting pressure [00:33:00] from international human right organizations. So I'm gonna get into a little bit more. That's just the background of the mental institution. So now a little bit more into the connection between Teletubbies and this mental institution.
[00:33:15] Allie: So the conspiracy suggests that creators at the show were secretly influenced by the events of Lala Land and used the show as a means to subtly expose the cruel treatment that took place there. According to the theory of Teletubbies, each represents a patient who suffered a specific treatment. So I'm gonna have, for instance one of the, the shared connections is obviously the name itself, the mental institution was called Lala Land.
[00:33:45] Allie: One of the Teletubbies, I've got shit stuck to me. One of the , one of the Teletubbies is called Lala. Now, This connection raises questions about whether or not the creator intentionally named the character after the institution, thereby [00:34:00] association associating the show with traffic events that occurred there.
[00:34:03] Allie: Now you have Tinky Winky. which he is that purple Tele Tobi. He's the largest of them, so hi. He may be alluded to the men fragile and mental health, a delicate balance of the emotions experienced by those within the institution. The next one that you have is FIPSE may evoke the sense of disorientation or confusion, reflecting from the patient's struggle to make sense of their experiences.
[00:34:30] Allie: First of all, I don't think I mentioned it too, but majority of the patients there were children.
[00:34:33] Dann: Oh, that's even scarier.
[00:34:35] Allie: Then you have Lala, as I said, Lala land Lala. It is a pretty big connection right there. And I did not post pose, so I don't have pose and little connection there between PO's name, but No one likes po. Anyway,
[00:34:53] Allie: oh, that was my favorite.
[00:34:54] Allie: So cute.
[00:34:55] Dann: I don't think I ever liked that show.
[00:34:57] Allie: Oh no. I love that show when I was a kid, [00:35:00] but the surreal setting between the two places. All right, so the show takes place on a bright dream-like world which symbolizes the patient's attempts to escape the grin reality at the mens institution through their imagination and their fantasies.
[00:35:15] Allie: So the show is kind of like what they wish. They were seeing in the world, it was kind of like their own inside thoughts. The lush green hills, colorful flowers and magical elements of the Teletubbies world may serve as stark contrast to the opposive and bleak environment of Lala land. Then you have the Teletubbies behavior.
[00:35:33] Allie: The Tall Tubby is often engaged in simple childlike activities, such as playing with objects, eating tubby custard, and watching television on their stomachs. These innocent, carefree actions might represent the simple joys and pleasures the patients had, or excuse me, the patients at Lala Land were denied due to the inhumane treatment they received, so, This one I kind of went into a little bit more depth, but there's symbol [00:36:00] symbolic colors and objects.
[00:36:02] Allie: So for instance, Tinky Winky, he was the eldest and large Teletubby, and he was often seen, he was purple, often seen, carrying a red bag around his object with a red bag. So He also had the unique antenna, antenna, I don't think it's the word antenna,
[00:36:22] Dann: Antenna.
[00:36:22] Allie: Which was like an upside down triangle. Let's see.
[00:36:26] Allie: Oh, we're still up there. There we go. So he's got the upside down in triangle and This could symbolize the victims of the electroconvulsive therapy. Now, the color purple could symbolize the bruises and the trauma that they experienced that, that the patients experienced at Lala Land. And the Red Bag might represent a few personal belongings.
[00:36:47] Allie: Patients were allowed to keep
[00:36:50] Dann: Hmm. Interesting
[00:36:51] Allie: so Ditsy, which he's the second one, he's the green one. He has a dis he has that distinctive [00:37:00] hat thingy, but . But he did also have a green he was green, frequently wearing a cal print hat, so, His distinctive hat represents the patient's subjects to isolation and sensory deprivation.
[00:37:16] Allie: The green color may also represent growth and healing in the face of adversity, as well as resilience of the patients at Lala Land. And his Cal printed hat, his item. Could symbolize the patient's desire to maintain their individuality and self-worth, despite the dehumanize, dehumanizing treatment that they received.
[00:37:38] Allie: Lala was a third tele Tabby. She was the yellow one. We all know who Lala was. Obviously, like I said before, Lala Lala land and she was often seen playing with an orange ball. Now, some believe Lala represents the victims of drug experiments at the facility, showcasing their resilience and determination to hold onto their [00:38:00] humanity.
[00:38:00] Allie: Lala's yellow color could represent inner strength and hope of the patients. Even when facing the harsh conditions of the institution, the orange ball might symbolize the brief moments of joy and playfulness the patients tried to find, despite their circumstances. Poe, this is the youngest tele, we've read that a little circle piece on his head. He is a smallest Stella Tubby and stands for the vulnerable patients. The children who are subject to the horrors at ho At Lala land, the red color of Poe might signify love, warmth, and the emotional bond formed between the patients as they saw it stolen in each other. Post scooter. That's the object.
[00:38:40] Allie: He had a little scooter that he wrote around all the time. Yeah. So post scooter could represent the desire for freedom and escape from the confines of lulo. Now if you've seen the show, you know it's right in the cover. Also, there is a baby face in the sun.
[00:38:57] Dann: Mm-hmm. . And does this [00:39:00] represent all the children?
[00:39:01] Allie: the baby's face, recurring image of the sun and the baby's face.
[00:39:04] Allie: Smiling down on the Teletubbies could represent hope, new beginnings, and the idea that the spirits of the lost children have found peace and happiness beyond the confines of the. Now it is also said that each of these tellies represents a specific child who was can. Who was in this institution? So for instance, Tinky Winky, who was the eldest in large Tel Tobi, who was also believed, who represents Stefan and he was a gentle teenager who protected young patients with in the facility like Stefan Tinky.
[00:39:39] Allie: Winky is portrayed as caring, nurturing, and often looking after the tele. Then you have Dipsy, which is the second Teletubby. Dipsy is theorized to represent Maria, a bright and resourceful girl who tried to maintain her dignity despite so Dipsy was the second Teletubby and Dipsy is, [00:40:00] Theorized to represent Maria, which is a bright and resourceful girl who maintained her dignity despite the harsh conditions at Lala Land, Dipsy shares Maria's intelligence and determination, often displaying problem solving skills and strong sense of self.
[00:40:16] Allie: And then Lala, which is the third tall W may symbolize, I wanna say her name is Annie, a n i or an i something,
[00:40:25] Dann: Yeah, it's
[00:40:25] Allie: is. Yeah, a young patient who brought joy to the others through singing and dancing. Lala is known for her love of music, dance, and embodying the spirit of Annie who used her talents to uplift the fellow patients. And then we have Poe. And Poe was the smallest of the youngest tele Poe could represent. I'm going to say this wrong, but di di Diar That was a name.
[00:40:57] Allie: Yeah. D I M I t A R. [00:41:00] This is all Bulgarian names,
[00:41:02] Dann: Oh,
[00:41:02] Allie: yeah. Yeah. The curious and resilient boy who managed to remain optimistic despite the traumatic experience he faced, pose inquisitiveness, nature and sense of adventure, mirrors sumar determination to overcome the challenges he encouraged at the mental hospital.
[00:41:22] Allie: Now Like I said, the TikTok that I watched was all full of bullshit. I'm pretty sure I would not have quoted anything from that, but it's just forget about the conspiracy aspect of this one for a minute. Just the fact that this mental hospital existed.
[00:41:38] Dann: Mm-hmm.
[00:41:39] Allie: and they called it la la land. Like that's just creepy in itself.
[00:41:43] Allie: But honestly, I could see these patients being or this, the show trying to, because it came out at the same time. I don't even know what time this show came out. Do you know?
[00:41:55] Dann: Yeah, I was just googling it myself because I was like, who? Which, because it's, I know it [00:42:00] wasn't an American show, but it's a British TV show. I was like, is it a Bulgarian TV show, ? It's not. It's a British TV show.
[00:42:09] Allie: which that actually makes sense. And it came out in 1998, so that's less than, well, just about 10 years after this hospital was shut down.
[00:42:19] Dann: Yeah. So it's possible that they heard it, heard about it.
[00:42:23] Allie: Yeah. I'm trying to look in here, see if I see anything. Producer Annie Wood and writer, Andrew Davenport, the Children Explorer. But I got a cattail coming by
[00:42:37] Dann: I don't have one. I didn't get one tonight. She's done. She doesn't wanna talk to me.
[00:42:42] Allie: I just thought that was like super traumatic. Like
[00:42:45] Allie: like I said,
[00:42:46] Dann: kids are creepy. And that's a creepy story.
[00:42:48] Allie: Well then like some of the stuff I was saying, there was another, there was another, which I didn't put this in here cause I don't know how trustworthy the TikTok source was, but they were saying [00:43:00] that each of the Teletubbies also and color might also represent a A death that each of these children faced, like I don't remember all of 'em.
[00:43:10] Allie: I remember the green one. Dipsy might have represented one of the children who, not to get too graphic, but he died after the electroconvulsive. But he ended up choking in his own.
[00:43:26] Dann: Ooh.
[00:43:27] Allie: So the green of that Tetel represents now, I don't know, and I didn't really, like, I didn't trust the source enough to use that information, but if that is the case, that's really, really disturbing.
[00:43:40] Allie: So but yeah, that's all I have. It was just one I've never heard of, so I was like really curious to research it.
[00:43:47] Dann: No, I've never heard of that one either. And I, it almost makes sense because I always thought that show was creepy just to
[00:43:54] Allie: It was, but
[00:43:56] Dann: Like, I get it, it's for kids and it's not really supposed to be appealing to us, but [00:44:00] I just, it always made me uncomfortable.
[00:44:02] Allie: well, the baby's son too. Like if you think about it with this topic right here and you compare the two, the show does make a whole lot more sense than it
[00:44:10] Dann: It does.
[00:44:11] Allie: and I don't even know. Yeah, I don't even know why it was geared towards children in the first place. Like I feel like it was more so a show for high adults,
[00:44:20] Dann: Yeah. Or it's just like, put your kids in front of this and they're like mo colorful objects that
[00:44:25] Allie: I guess.
[00:44:26] Dann: I don't know.
[00:44:27] Allie: Well then the baby's son too. Like that, I mean, when you're thinking about it in comparison to this, it does kind of represent all of the pa like the souls that have passed on, still looking down to protect the, the children that are still there. A k a, these four teletubbies. , but it was just really weird.
[00:44:47] Allie: There was, there's, yeah, there was just, I wish I could, there was just a lot of information. I wish I could like, dig into some more of the similarities to see if there was any truth behind, like how [00:45:00] some of those, how some of those patients died and if there was a relationship
[00:45:03] Dann: Did you, did you look into anything about the actual facility?
[00:45:08] Allie: No more than I covered. But that's definitely
[00:45:11] Dann: that'd probably be something yeah. To look into later. Just a curiosity.
[00:45:15] Allie: yeah, the, like, that could be its own like episode right
[00:45:18] Dann: Mm-hmm.
[00:45:19] Allie: is just
[00:45:19] Dann: about the facility? Yeah.
[00:45:22] Allie: and I, if does, is it still standing? Like, is it now haunted? Like
[00:45:26] Dann: Hmm. Is it haunted by tele Toughies?
[00:45:31] Allie: but I mean, that would be like a, a second whole video if that hospital is still around. People explore it and see ghosts
[00:45:37] Dann: Yeah. Write that down. Write that down.
[00:45:39] Allie: But yeah. Right. Well, that's all I have. We should go onto our second recording. We're gonna work on recording something for our Patreon now. So
[00:45:53] Dann: aren't subscribed to our Patreons conspiracy happy hour@patreon.com, [00:46:00] we have some cool stuff there. Cause we usually post either some a behind the scenes type video or just a fun little video of us doing, you know, a quiz.
[00:46:08] Allie: Trivia
[00:46:10] Dann: Yeah, depending. We, a lot of times our guests continue on to that video as well.
[00:46:15] Dann: So if you saw the last one, you missed out on a good guest. Tim was on that one.
[00:46:19] Dann: Yep. Tim was there. He was giving us all his alien advice to join the cause
[00:46:25] Allie: He freaking went hard on that one. Let me say, I can't believe like he was very nervous about doing it, but he, when we told him to come up with like pictures, whatever, just display pictures, he created a whole fucking PowerPoint. I was like, okay.
[00:46:40] Dann: And that PowerPoint is uploaded on our Patreon, so if you
[00:46:43] Allie: Oh, did you? Okay. Yes.
[00:46:45] Dann: Yeah. So if you got. , you got the video and you got the, the collateral that went along with the video. So if that's something that interests you, if you went a little bit extra, hop on over to our Patreon. We have different tiers.
[00:46:58] Dann: They're not expensive,
[00:46:59] Allie: [00:47:00] No, I think our cheapest is what, $3?
[00:47:01] Dann: yep.
[00:47:02] Allie: Yeah. So just supporting the cause.
[00:47:05] Dann: yep. You're just supporting the cause. So thank you guys so much for joining. You can find us on Instagram. You can find us on, I mean, we're on Facebook, but no one cares. I, we don't even care. We don't even care about that one.
[00:47:17] Allie: No, but whatever we post on Instagram, it goes over to the,
[00:47:20] Dann: our Instagram is where we like to keep everyone updated on everything.
[00:47:23] Dann: So if you've, if you would like to follow us on one thing, please follow us on. I.
[00:47:28] Allie: Yeah, if you, I mean, we post the pictures of our cocktails when we do our happy hour episodes. We post spoiler alerts, we post some funny memes behind the scenes clips such as this. So we would love to gain more followers. I think right now we're not doing so hot on Instagram, but
[00:47:45] Dann: know what it is.
[00:47:46] Allie: I think we're like over a hundred.
[00:47:48] Allie: That's.
[00:47:48] Dann: Woohoo.
[00:47:49] Allie: Yeah. Which is so like annoying because we post so much, we keep it so up to date. And then people who barely post anything, they have over a thousand. I was like, SI, son of a bitch. [00:48:00] So, but anyways,
[00:48:02] Dann: That's besides the point. Join us That's just us being bitter.
[00:48:07] Allie: Well thank you guys all for joining and we will see you next time on Conspiracy. Happy hour. Bye.
[00:48:13] Dann: Bye.