What are 'Murder Hornets' and why do people think someone is playing a game of Jumanji?
Who doesn’t love or remember the 1995 Robin Williams fantasy adventure film ‘Jumanji’? For many, it is a cherished childhood memory that still makes us smile at the mere mention of it. Or so it was, as long as it was just a movie. 2020 has sort of changed that.
The spread of the novel coronavirus led to lockdowns, freeing up spaces that are usually occupied by people all the time. This led to animals flocking to more urban spaces, leading people to make comparisons with the 1995 film, where thanks to a mysterious magical board game, ferocious beasts from the wild fantastical land of Jumanji were let loose on suburban New Hampshire.
And while that comparison was sort of adorable a new one is not so much. Jumanji trended on Twitter with more than 14,000 tweets at the time of writing this report because of something resembling the larger-than-life, deadly beasts from the film -- “Murder Hornets”.
If that name sounds ominous, it’s because it is supposed to be. The Asian giant hornet, per The Guardian, is the world’s largest and can kill humans. Yikes. The biggest threat these hornets pose, however, is to the European honeybee, which is reportedly defenseless in the face of the hornet’s spiky mandibles, long stinger, and potent venom.
Washington state reportedly verified four reports of Asian giant hornets in two north-western cities in December. The species supposedly becomes more active in April.
“It’s a shockingly large hornet,” Todd Murray, Washington State University Extension entomologist and invasive species specialist, said in a statement to the press. “It’s a health hazard, and more importantly, a significant predator of honeybees.”
The hornets are known to be as big as the size of an adult thumb, with a yellow and orange head. Researchers sometimes refer to the insect as a “murder hornet” because in Japan, up to 50 people a year reportedly die after being stung by them.
So, the ‘Jumanji’ references make absolute sense -- remember the giant mosquitos? HuffPost journalist Philip Lewis wrote on Twitter, “Whoever is playing Jumanji this year, I need them to stop.” A visibly exasperated Twitter user said, “Whoever the f*** is playing jumanji contact me (I'm going to) help you find the f****** stone. I can’t take this s*** no more.”
Comedia Dwayne Perkins, sharing a photo of a flabbergasted Regina Hall, wrote, "I’m sorry, did y’all say 'murder hornets'? Whoever is playing Jumanji, can ya'll just please hurry up and win? We can’t take no more!"
Another said, “Murder hornets are now coming for us all... who the hell is playing Jumanji and why do they suck so much.” A Twitter user put things more into context with, "Year 2020: Threats of World War, Australia bushfires, Coronavirus Pandemic, Chernobyl fire, Locust attacks in Africa, Explosion of Krakatoa volcano, UFOs spotted, Asteroid passing by Earth. Now - Murder Hornets! Someone's playing Jumanji in real life!"
Most people seemed to agree with a Twitter user who said, “I need to declare that I never opted into this Jumanji game.”