Crows Ripped Out Animatronic Rapunzel’s Hair at Tokyo Disney and the Internet Completely Lost It
Sometimes the internet delivers a moment so absurd you have to watch it three times just to confirm it’s real. This is one of those moments.
A video going viral on social media shows two crows sitting on top of animatronic Rapunzel’s head at Tokyo DisneySea — ripping out her golden hair while she sings from her tower. Both crows have giant clumps of blonde hair in their mouths. They keep picking at it. They walk all over her head. She keeps singing. It’s magnificent.
The Clips Are Everywhere
The original clip on X set the whole thing off, but multiple angles have since surfaced across social media showing the same horrifying scene from different vantage points. In the background of the videos, parkgoers can be heard gasping, laughing and reacting in utter shock — the exact energy you’d expect from watching two birds dismantle a Disney princess in real time.
The Rapunzel animatronic is part of the Rapunzel’s Lantern Festival attraction in Tokyo DisneySea’s Fantasy Springs area, which officially opened on June 6, 2024. The figure depicts Rapunzel singing from her tower, with her long golden hair flowing realistically as part of the display. Designed to enhance the immersive storytelling of the park, the animatronic combines mechanical precision with detailed artistic design.
Nobody planned for the crows.
The Comments Did Not Disappoint
The reactions online have been just as entertaining as the footage itself. Users on X went absolutely feral.
“They might think her hair is their nest😳,” one person said.
“😂 Guess the crows were trying to get their beak into the hair-raising experience!” another wrote.
“Those crows were probably looking for a snack, poor Rapunzel 🐦,” a third person said.
“They are stealing the hair for their nest. Crows do that all the time,” another X user pointed out.
That last commenter? They might actually be onto something.
Why Crows Want Rapunzel’s Hair
Here’s where the story goes from funny to genuinely fascinating. Crows are highly selective nest builders, choosing items that are durable, flexible and insulating. While twigs, grass and moss are common materials, crows will also use human-made materials such as string, hair or fabric if they suit the nest’s construction, according to Science World.
Urban environments provide ample opportunities for this behavior. A recent study in the Wilson Journal of Ornithology found that human-made materials made up nearly 80 percent of some urban crow nests, highlighting how these birds exploit resources around them.
Experts also note that crows gather materials deliberately. “American crows use only freshly plucked twigs in their nests,” according to the Star Tribune, showing that they are selective and intentional in their building. In a theme park setting, even strands from animatronic figures — like the hair of a Rapunzel figure — can be repurposed into a nest, serving the same practical function as natural fibers.
So those crows weren’t just causing chaos for fun. They were likely apartment shopping.
Nest Building Is Serious Business
Crows typically spend three to seven days building the main structure of a nest, though the work doesn’t always stop there. Even after the nest is functional, birds often continue to reinforce and adjust it over time, adding new twigs, soft lining or human-made materials to strengthen the bowl and improve insulation, according to Science World.
The lining of a nest is just as important as the outer structure. Female crows spend hours arranging softer materials — such as moss, grass, feathers or even synthetic fibers — into a smooth, protective interior for eggs and hatchlings. In urban settings, crows may incorporate materials that are readily available, including threads, hair or fabric from human sources.
Some crows also reuse nests from previous years, repairing and adding to them rather than starting completely from scratch. Over time, a single nest can become a layered structure of natural and man-made materials.
Since its installation, the Rapunzel figure has been a prominent feature of the park — inadvertently becoming a resource for local crows, who have been observed pulling strands of synthetic hair to use in their nests.
Somewhere in Tokyo, there’s a crow nest lined with Disney princess hair. Nature stays undefeated.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
