CLAIM TO FAME Mason and Love Bird
Boy and his chicken land in Subaru commercial
Mason Brumley of Springville has a chicken, appropriately named Love Bird, that loves to give him hugs. When his family decided to record one of those hugs and share it on Youtube four years ago, they had no idea that millions of people would eventually see it, and that the duo would eventually be featured in a Subaru commercial.
Mason, hatched Love Bird from an egg on Father’s Day in 2011 while attending preschool in Porterville, and he admits she hasn’t always been the loving animal she is now.
“She started off as a meaner chicken,” said Mason, now 11 years old and in fifth grade at Springville School. “We kept her with the other smaller chickens, and when we started letting them outside she would lay eggs and get “birdy” and attack people, but as I spent more time with her she started to get used to it.”
Then something happened that would mark the beginning of an adventure for a small town boy and his chicken.
“One day I just squatted down and held my arms out and she came over and hugged me. After a while we decided to record it and put it on Youtube and a lot of people watched it,” said Mason.
Quite a lot, actually. They posted their first video, “Have you hugged your Chicken today?” on Youtube in 2014, and it has since been viewed 2.5 million times.
The next year they recorded a follow-up clip entitled “Is it really you???” — the one featured in the Subaru ad — which is about to reach 5 million views.
In that video, Love Bird is hesitant to approach Mason because she doesn’t recognize him after his haircut, but after an exploratory peck to Mason’s head she was convinced it was him, and then comes in for the usual hug.
With their new Internet fame came the inevitable influx of calls from people and agencies wanting to be part of the phenomenon.
“Once a video goes viral, people come out of the woodwork,” said Mason’s mother Gretchen. “It’s overwhelming when it first happens.”
The interest was so great in Mason and Love Bird’s work that the Brumleys hired an agency, which was a relief to father Brian.
“It’s a little weird when people recognize him. After the first one went viral people were tracking us down and our phones were ringing at work and at home,” he said.
Mason and Love Bird have been featured by online publishers like The Dodo and Funny or Die, Facebook licensed their videos for an ad campaign, and they have also appeared on several other funny video compilations.
Then the television world came calling last December when Subaru approached the Brumleys about using one of their videos in a TV commercial, and they soon realized they were dealing with an entirely different animal.
“They wanted me to sign a talent release, which was kind of odd because his videos have been used on several different things before without one,” said Gretchen.
But the Brumleys made the necessary arrangements, and now Mason and Love Bird can add a TV commercial appearance to their list of accolades.
“It’s supposed to air in North America for the month of February, but it could be extended. I’ve had several friends message me saying they saw it and recognized Mason,” said Gretchen.
The Brumleys have been surprised with some of the enthusiastic responses Mason and Love Bird have received from fans.
“He’s gotten fan mail, somebody sent him a painting of him and Love Bird, and another person made shirts,” said Brian. He added that Mason’s first video, which didn’t have any words spoken, was particularly popular internationally, especially in eastern Europe.
But the duo haven’t let the fame go to their heads. They live a regular life with their family and the other Brumley pets, which include 20 chickens (including Love Bird’s grandchildren), a horse, three ducks, five quail, a parrot, a dog and three cats.
Every evening Mason and Love Bird share an apple, even if he doesn’t really feel like having one.
“He has to eat it because she expects it,” said Gretchen.
They are also still hoping to see the Subaru ad — being in a TV commercial is one thing, but trying to catch that commercial when it airs on live television is quite another.
“We’ve been looking and looking, but haven’t seen it yet,” said Gretchen.
Mason and Love Bird have both profited from their celebrity (Love Bird has her own Facebook and Paypal accounts), but Mom and Dad are helping them manage the money they have earned wisely.
“It’s going toward veterinary expenses for her and college expenses for him,” said Gretchen.
Love Bird, now 8, has been feeling a bit under the weather lately, but she gets the best veterinary treatment the Brumleys can find. Gretchen said poultry vets are rare, and the nearest one in Fresno recently retired, so they might have to go as far as Petaluma in the future, but it’s something they’re willing to do.
“She’s definitely part of the family,” added brother Aden.
Mason says he wants to be a Youtuber someday (although his Dad says he already is), and he wants to make content that “entertains and makes people feel better.” It will likely feature animals.
He is grateful for the adventure that he has taken with Love Bird, and along the way he’s developed his own thoughts about what chickens can mean to people.
“I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for her. People don’t realize that chickens are more important than just using them for eggs and meat. They have their own personality. They’re like dogs and cats,” said Mason.