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ART BY:
AshleyFoxKit
Original Work - https://www.furaffinity.net/view/47423407/
I’ve been inspired in my mental health journey by Birdz[/i], which aired on CBS during the Fall of 1998, for over 3 years now. I’ve listened, related, discussed, and rewatched the show more than I have ever revisited any other television program, which does say a lot for how deep I was, and still am, into all generations of animated [b]My Little Pony.
***
So what makes such an obscure animation, which CBS only did a single airing of the 13 episode series before cancelling it, so special? Allow me to (re)introduce you to Mr. Nuthatch.
***
Mr. Nuthatch is a 45 year old, anthropomorphic, lime-colored therapy patient of psychiatrist Dr. Morty Storkowitz. (Eddie Storkowitz, the ‘middle child’ of father, Morty, and mother, Betty, is the show’s lead protagonist. The show has amazing depth and character development for multiple characters, but focusing on Eddie best suits the viewers who most watch Saturday Morning Cartoons.).
The picture above is an updated take on Mr. Nuthatch with the youngest member of the family, Abby. How does a 45 year old therapy patient relate with a newborn chick? The answer lies in how our feelings interpret our perceived past, the present, and possible future.
***
Episode 1 of Birdz introduced us to Mr. Nuthatch as he, very likely, began his journey towards better mental health. As over 14 days pass over the course of Episode 1 (The Agony & The Eggstacy), Abby’s egg is laid and and in need of care by Morty during one of his scheduled sessions with Mr. Nuthatch. This is when we first become aware of how Mr. Nuthatch has a strong desire to return to simpler times.
Episode 2 (Can’t Buy Me Love) expands upon how the middle-aged nuthatch is doing all that he can to return himself to his younger years. Not only does he still wear an eggshell on top of his head, but he also carries around a ‘blankie’. He even goes as far as to push back against Dr. Storkowitz when the psychiatrist implies he may be ready to stop needing a ‘security blanket’.
***
Both Abby and Mr. Nuthatch, we never get his first name, show noticeable character development throughout the show’s 13 total episodes. It is unfortunate that Mr. Nuthatch stops appearing after episode 10 (Life of Riley). However his final appearance is also his most profound.
The ‘B Plot’ of Life of Riley has Morty and Betty swapping jobs and household responsibilities to see who works the hardest. This puts Dr. Storkowitz as the primary caretaker of Abby while Betty goes from self-employed artist to fill-in therapist. (NOTE: It is mentioned that only those patients who agree to Betty being their temporary therapist will be seen by her. Perhaps Morty did not charge those patients who volunteered for this experiment while he still personally worked with those patients who needed his certified and accredited psychotherapy services?).
Mr. Nuthatch’s final appearance comes as Morty has become totally overwhelmed by all that his wife does each and every day as Betty finds herself completely out of patience for how Mr. Nuthatch continues to act like a baby. This is when we see Mr. Nuthatch wearing a diaper, which looks a lot like an adult-sized version of what Abby wears, along with the eggshell on top of his head. The scene ends with Mr. Nuthatch frantically leaving the Storkowitz home without a care of how he is flying home in his adult-sized baby diaper and eggshell in full view of every birdy in Bird Land.
WATCH IT HAPPEN:
TIME – 16:00
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-22ilykd3c
***
Despite improving greatly upon his overall mental health, Mr. Nuthatch still needs his eggshell, blankie, and other infantile items in order to manage his anxiety and depression. This goes against how acting like a baby and desiring infantile items is a very frowned upon taboo in our real world society.
We all can learn a lot from Mr. Nuthatch about how everyone copes with anxiety and depression. Does his eggshell and diaper wearing pose any threat to anyone? Does needing his ‘blankie’ for comfort in high stress situations make him a pedophile? Perhaps he would find more acceptance if he were to take to alcohol and/or drugs to get through the trials and tribulations in life? Maybe he should just commit suicide to end his pain while ridding the world of such a miserable, unwanted, and socially toxic individual?
Taking into consideration all the ways in which people cope with life struggles, I believe we can all agree that doing what Mr. Nuthatch does to work through his depression and anxiety is quite tame. Unfortunately the social stigmas associated with those who try to return to simpler times through the use of infantile paraphernalia cause those who cope in such ways to suffer additional anxiety and depression from fear of social persecution.
I encourage everyone to really think before they decide to pass judgment upon those who may not make their way through life in ways that are commonly accepted by society. You can learn a bit more about understanding those who are afflicted and cope with mental health struggles in less commonly understood ways by watching Birdz for free over on YouTube, or by using the Tubi app.
AshleyFoxKitOriginal Work - https://www.furaffinity.net/view/47423407/
I’ve been inspired in my mental health journey by Birdz[/i], which aired on CBS during the Fall of 1998, for over 3 years now. I’ve listened, related, discussed, and rewatched the show more than I have ever revisited any other television program, which does say a lot for how deep I was, and still am, into all generations of animated [b]My Little Pony.
***
So what makes such an obscure animation, which CBS only did a single airing of the 13 episode series before cancelling it, so special? Allow me to (re)introduce you to Mr. Nuthatch.
***
Mr. Nuthatch is a 45 year old, anthropomorphic, lime-colored therapy patient of psychiatrist Dr. Morty Storkowitz. (Eddie Storkowitz, the ‘middle child’ of father, Morty, and mother, Betty, is the show’s lead protagonist. The show has amazing depth and character development for multiple characters, but focusing on Eddie best suits the viewers who most watch Saturday Morning Cartoons.).
The picture above is an updated take on Mr. Nuthatch with the youngest member of the family, Abby. How does a 45 year old therapy patient relate with a newborn chick? The answer lies in how our feelings interpret our perceived past, the present, and possible future.
***
Episode 1 of Birdz introduced us to Mr. Nuthatch as he, very likely, began his journey towards better mental health. As over 14 days pass over the course of Episode 1 (The Agony & The Eggstacy), Abby’s egg is laid and and in need of care by Morty during one of his scheduled sessions with Mr. Nuthatch. This is when we first become aware of how Mr. Nuthatch has a strong desire to return to simpler times.
Episode 2 (Can’t Buy Me Love) expands upon how the middle-aged nuthatch is doing all that he can to return himself to his younger years. Not only does he still wear an eggshell on top of his head, but he also carries around a ‘blankie’. He even goes as far as to push back against Dr. Storkowitz when the psychiatrist implies he may be ready to stop needing a ‘security blanket’.
***
Both Abby and Mr. Nuthatch, we never get his first name, show noticeable character development throughout the show’s 13 total episodes. It is unfortunate that Mr. Nuthatch stops appearing after episode 10 (Life of Riley). However his final appearance is also his most profound.
The ‘B Plot’ of Life of Riley has Morty and Betty swapping jobs and household responsibilities to see who works the hardest. This puts Dr. Storkowitz as the primary caretaker of Abby while Betty goes from self-employed artist to fill-in therapist. (NOTE: It is mentioned that only those patients who agree to Betty being their temporary therapist will be seen by her. Perhaps Morty did not charge those patients who volunteered for this experiment while he still personally worked with those patients who needed his certified and accredited psychotherapy services?).
Mr. Nuthatch’s final appearance comes as Morty has become totally overwhelmed by all that his wife does each and every day as Betty finds herself completely out of patience for how Mr. Nuthatch continues to act like a baby. This is when we see Mr. Nuthatch wearing a diaper, which looks a lot like an adult-sized version of what Abby wears, along with the eggshell on top of his head. The scene ends with Mr. Nuthatch frantically leaving the Storkowitz home without a care of how he is flying home in his adult-sized baby diaper and eggshell in full view of every birdy in Bird Land.
WATCH IT HAPPEN:
TIME – 16:00
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-22ilykd3c
***
Despite improving greatly upon his overall mental health, Mr. Nuthatch still needs his eggshell, blankie, and other infantile items in order to manage his anxiety and depression. This goes against how acting like a baby and desiring infantile items is a very frowned upon taboo in our real world society.
We all can learn a lot from Mr. Nuthatch about how everyone copes with anxiety and depression. Does his eggshell and diaper wearing pose any threat to anyone? Does needing his ‘blankie’ for comfort in high stress situations make him a pedophile? Perhaps he would find more acceptance if he were to take to alcohol and/or drugs to get through the trials and tribulations in life? Maybe he should just commit suicide to end his pain while ridding the world of such a miserable, unwanted, and socially toxic individual?
Taking into consideration all the ways in which people cope with life struggles, I believe we can all agree that doing what Mr. Nuthatch does to work through his depression and anxiety is quite tame. Unfortunately the social stigmas associated with those who try to return to simpler times through the use of infantile paraphernalia cause those who cope in such ways to suffer additional anxiety and depression from fear of social persecution.
I encourage everyone to really think before they decide to pass judgment upon those who may not make their way through life in ways that are commonly accepted by society. You can learn a bit more about understanding those who are afflicted and cope with mental health struggles in less commonly understood ways by watching Birdz for free over on YouTube, or by using the Tubi app.
Category All / Baby fur
Species Avian (Other)
Size 1116 x 1280px
File Size 253 kB
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