Bird Bashing

Birdie, who looks like a bright green version of Sesame Street’s Big Bird, uses a little comedy to entice people into a southeast Houston furniture store on weekends, but it wasn't too funny when he was attacked during his shift Saturday. 

You’ve seen those costumed characters outside of local businesses, promoting a product. While most drivers laugh at them and just keep going, Saturday, a couple of guys pulled over and got violent.

"It felt like a truck hit me," said the man behind the mascot, Russ Vogel.

Vogel was working from 2pm to 5pm Saturday out in front of Exclusive Furniture store on Interstate 45 near Almeda Genoa.

Right as his shift was ending though, someone attacked from behind, sending him and his furry costume tumbling to the ground.

"I think he was laughing as he was running away until he found out I was in back of him and then he got a little panicky," Vogel said.

So he chased his attacker down to an awaiting car.

"Put both hands on the front of his hood and looked them dead in the eye, 'I got your license plate number and I got you and you,'" Vogel recalls telling the suspects.

But the suspects backed over a curb and got away.

Vogel was left with some minor bruises and tweaked his arm. The costume was damaged. The eyes and mouth no longer move because of a broken cable.

Vogel believes movies and YouTube videos could be to blame.

"I guess this is life imitates art, because there have been a couple of movies, where the guy is dressed as a burger and somebody comes by and body slams him and knocks him down," Vogel said.

But the stunt is also a crime and police are investigating it as an assault. Some eyewitnesses were able to provide police some good clues. The attacker left in a silver Scion with the license plate number HRT 980.

This must be getting pretty old for Vogel.  There was another guy in the costume, but a bird mascot owned by Vogel was attacked on Frye Road in Katy back in January, 2008, and that wasn’t the first time.

"I saw shadows behind me," said the mascot Kyle Lincecum.

"Then I turned around and he shoved me real hard," he said.

A couple of assailants took part.

"One was videotaping while the other was harassing me," Lincecum said.

The assailants got away. Consider though this is the fourth time the mascot has been attacked around this same Katy intersection.

"They just look like hellions and ruffians and they say, 'There's a big bird, I'm gonna get it,'" the mascot's owner Russ Vogel recounted. "Sometimes I don't think they're aware of whose inside and it's a person just like them."