Medford, Oregon - Big Goofy Black Bird

Gigantic Black Bird at hardware store. Store owners dress the bird in different outfits throughout the year. Santa Claus, track runner, other costumes too. I remember coming from the next town when I was little just to see the bird. [Katie Tinker, 10/24/2004]

[RA: Black Bird, today an "Outdoor Auto and Hardware Store," was first opened in 1965 by Lee Hobbs to sell army surplus. Lee was inspired by Centralia, WA's Yard Birds to design his own 29-ft. tall monstrous mascot.]

The Black Bird. Nearly 2-stories high, made of plaster and papier mache. [Molly Brandenburg, 10/08/2000]

[RA: We are informed by a recent visitor that the "crow" statue may actually represent a mynah bird. The owner has a live mynah inside, "whose shrieks and whistles can be heard throughout the store."]

Mascot for Black Crow Hardware in Medford, Oregon, this Black Crow statue is the stuff of nightmares. With fiendish crazed googly eyes, he gawks at passing motorists from the parking lot. His 20 - 25 foot height is made more intimidating by his having hands with three twisted fingers each instead of wings. I nearly ran off the road when I encountered this guy. The photo was taken around 1990. [Scotty Wimpress, 08/21/1998]

[RA: Sept. 2003 - Medford resident Suzie writes: "The black bird, over the years, always gets his clothes and equipment stolen. It's one of the local pastimes or something. So don't go by any photos of him except the nude ones -- they are most accurate."]

The Black Bird [mentioned in Oregon Tips] is at its most disturbing during holiday seasons. It has a Santa hat and candy cane for Xmas, bunny ears and a basket for Easter, and other outfits I have succeeded in blocking from my memory. It can talk through a loudspeaker in the head, but the folks in the store rarely make use of that.

There is a smaller Black Bird, about 5' tall on wheels, that they used to haul out for sales and special occasions, but I haven't seen it in years. I hope it's in storage, not lost or destroyed. It definitely made up for in disturbingness what it lacked in size. It was covered with tatters of black cloth, like a Hiroshima survivor, and had a tortured, haunting expression. Compared to the little Black Bird, the outdoor one is downright wholesome and cheery. [Annnnnnnnnnnna, 01/07/1998]