The Legend of Larry Owl

Paul Kafasis, on a seemingly local-to-Boston Genmoji billboard from Apple:

Eventually, though, the penny dropped. After my umpteenth time passing the billboard, while trying to distract myself from the single-digit temperatures and the brutal wind chill, I realized what I’d been missing. That’s not just a basketball-playing foul fowl.

You see, the Last Tenement is located just a few hundred feet from TD Garden, home arena for the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics. The Celtics have had many great players over the years, but only one had the last name “Bird”. Yes, this billboard is surely an allusion to the Hick from French Lick, Larry Bird.

It was obvious once I finally saw it, and I was so amused that I went by with my phone to snap the above pic. At that point, I noticed that the cartoon’s basketball jersey even seems to feature Larry Legend’s #33. It’s cut off, perhaps in the hopes of avoiding a lawsuit, but those numbers really can’t be anything else.

I can’t believe Kafasis didn’t recognize the caricature immediately, but he’s a bit younger than me and didn’t grow up like I did, familiarizing myself with the early 1980s “Familiar Birds of North America” illustrated guide from ... checks notes ... Playboy.

★ Friday, 14 March 2025