Unmasked: The Big Bird Bandits who allegedly stole a $160,000 costume

June 30, 2021 Ava

The ‘Big Bird Bandits’ who allegedly stole a $160,000 costume from a Sesame Street- themed circus in Adelaide have been unmasked as mullet-sporting hipsters as they faced their first court appearance.

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In bizarre scenes outside court, Tasman Binder, 22 and Cody Alain Milne, 26, wore their best outfits as they sashayed down the steps – being asked by reporters if they ‘knew where Sesame Street is’.

The pair, who were then picked up by a moustache-sporting mate who referred to his old car as a ‘limo’, are accused of stealing the big yellow bird from a circus in Bonython Park on either Sunday April 18 or Monday April 19 this year.

The character was returned to the circus during the early hours of April 21, with an apology note – signed off ‘the Big Bird Bandits’ – stuffed inside its beak.

The duo fronted Adelaide Magistrates Court on Wednesday, each charged with an aggravated count of dishonestly taking property without consent, and were granted bail.

© Provided by Daily Mail
Cody Alain Milne, 26, (pictured left) from Norwood, and Tasman Binder, 22, (right) from Murray Bridge, faced Adelaide Magistrate Court on Wednesday – and put on quite a show

The hipsters – who both wore white turtle neck sweaters, a gold necklace, oval-lensed sunglasses, and blazers – put on quite a show as they departed the courthouse.

The outfits were remarkably similar to those worn by Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton in the action classic Bandits.

With a group of supporters and a vehicle waiting for them out front, the pair shot an in-sync glance at each other, slid on their glasses, then strutted to the car.

The driver, who appeared to be wearing a fake black moustache, ordered reporters to ‘back away from the limo’.

As the pair jumped inside the vehicle, the driver, struggling to operate the manual vehicle, made a few botched attempts to reverse before finally speeding away.

Just hours later, Mr Milne and Mr Binder took to their Instagram accounts to joke about the media coverage they had attracted.

In his story, Mr Milne shared a photo of himself sitting in bed, covered in a tiger blanket with a big bird sleep mask wrapped around his head, and a mug in his hand.

In yellow font, he captioned the photo: ‘Coming down with the bird flu’.

Other photos in his story showed snaps of him and his co-accused leaving court, and a clip of the pair laughing hysterically while watching a new report about themselves on television.

He also changed his Instagram bio to include ‘Danger in the sheets, Sesame in the Streets.’

Hours after leaving court, the duo took to their Instagram accounts to poke fun at the media coverage their case has attracted

Mr Binder (pictured) and Mr Milne are each charged with an aggravated count of dishonestly taking property without consent

The Big Bird costume was found dumped at the circus (pictured) days after it went missing, with a note stuffed inside its beak

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Meanwhile, Mr Binder shared a photo of the duo standing on the courthouse stairs, writing; ‘Little photo shoot “allegedly”.’

During the hearing, the prosecution supported changes to their bail conditions, including lifting a curfew and removing a ban on the friends from communicating with each other.

‘They’re friends. I don’t think it’s going to impede the case,’ the prosecutor said, the Herald Sun reports.

Magistrate Karim Soetratma permitted the changes, however, said a clause banning the pair from the circus could remain as it is no longer in the state.

In April, after the costume was allegedly taken, the circus was forced to pull the lovable yellow personality from his regular appearance during show intervals, leaving thousands of fans devastated.

© Provided by Daily Mail
Mr Milne shared a photo of himself sitting in bed, with a big bird sleep mask wrapped around his head and a mug in his hand hours after leaving court

Two days later, police found the outfit dumped by an electricity box in the southwestern end of the circus, with a handwritten note inside its mouth.

‘We are so sorry!!’ The note read.

‘We had no idea what we were doing or what our actions would cause.

‘We were just having a rough time and were trying to cheer ourselves up.

‘We had a great time with Mr Bird, he’s a great guy and no harm came to our friend.

‘So sorry to be such a big birden! Sincerely, the big bird bandits.’

The two men were arrested and charged two days later.

Mr Binder and Mr Milne are due to face court again in November.

Source: Thanks msn.com