Laughing Squid

Great Big Story visited with legendary television and film composer Michael A. Levine to talk about one of the most iconic pieces he’s ever written – the infamous KitKat jingle. Levine explains that the song was originally a “throwaway piece”. It would, however, eventually become one of the most famous...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Kit Kat Jingle Composer Talks About the Song’s Origins first appeared on Laughing Squid.

In a procyonid episode of SciShow, host Olivia Gordon explains the real reason that raccoons dunk their food in water. Let’s just say that cleanliness is not particularly high on a raccoon’s list. Raccoons are famous for “washing” their food, but this behavior, called dousing, isn’t really about cleanliness. …but...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post The Real Reason Raccoons Dip Their Food in Water first appeared on Laughing Squid.

In a historical episode of Things You Might Not Know, host Tom Scott (previously) explained the history of The Icknield Way, the oldest known road in Britain. It consists of various footpaths that run continuously through southeast England and have been open to the public for hundreds of years. Yet...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post How a Crowdfunding Project Is Trying to Save the Footpaths of the Oldest Road in Britain first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Ryan Powell of Ryan’s Cinematics, who previously integrated blooper footage from Star Trek: The Next Generation into the original scenes, has created another supercut from the same series, but through a different lens. Instead of using outtakes, he edited together footage showing every time a character said “some kind of…”...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Supercut of Characters From ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ Using the Phrase ‘Some Kind Of…’ first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Alex Dodson of Burned by Design has again added to his incredible Star Wars inspired collection with amazing TIE Fighter and X-Wing candlesticks. Like his other work, Dodson hand cuts and welds each piece himself. The battle-ready candlesticks are perfectly content to stay at home with warming tealight candles to...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Hand-Welded TIE Fighter and X-Wing Candlesticks first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Brian Ignaut, a talented engineer who previously designed unfolding solar arrays for SpaceX, has designed an absolutely ingenious kinetic chess set that is based upon a specific origami folding pattern that allows for easy transport and portability. The walnut chessboard folds out flat to reveal magnetic playing pieces, which easily...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post An Ingenious Kinetic Chess Set Based on the Folding Principles of Origami for Easy Portability first appeared on Laughing Squid.

We previously wrote about Hot 8 Brass Band from New Orleans performing a truly badass marching band version of the Joy Division song “Love Will Tear Us Apart” in 2018. The band reprised the song with a jazz twist to it in order to raise money for the Jazz Foundation...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Hot 8 Brass Band Performs a Jazz Cover of ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ to Raise Money for Musicians first appeared on Laughing Squid.

The very talented Becky Sánchez of VioDance performed an absolutely gorgeous medley showing how the Star Trek theme has evolved over the years with every series of the franchise. She begins with the original 1966 series and moves chronologically down the line, concluding with the theme from Picard in 2020....Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Gorgeous Violin Medley Showing How the ‘Star Trek’ Theme Has Evolved From 1966 Through 2020 first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Doc Pop, an artist, musician, performer and good friend of Laughing Squid edited together classic clips of Legion of Doom cartoons that show the supervillians attempting to conduct their business through video chat in order to maintain social distancing guidelines. This humorous video was made to accompany Doc Pop’s original...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Supervillains Attempt to Use Video Chat to Plan Their Evil Schemes in Doc Pop’s Song ‘The Legion of Zoom’ first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Johannes Grenzfurthner, founder of the Austrian art and technology group monochrom (previously) and longtime friend of Laughing Squid, is featured in a short film by Hadas Emma Kedar where he tells a rather elaborate, but incredible story involving one of monochrom’s earlier projects. In 2002, the group was invited to...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post How a Nonexistent Austrian Artist Conducted a Quiet Political Protest at the São Paulo Biennial in 2002 first appeared on Laughing Squid.

OwlKitty, the beautiful black cat who previously stood loyally by Walter White in a Breaking Bad parody, inserted herself into the opening sequence of The Office. This playful kitty happily perched upon Michael’s shoulders, sat upon the photocopier, annoyed an already annoyed Dwight, added up some numbers, tangled up in...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Playful Black Cat Interacts With All the Characters In the Opening Sequence of ‘The Office’ first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Moonpie Starbox is an adorable little dachshund who is also a very talented percussionist who strikes a rhythmic beat with her happily swinging tail against the trash can. Moonpie makes drum beat sound with her tail hitting the trashcan. She’s also very happy using her front paws on a more...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Funny Little Dachshund With a Great Sense of Rhythm Plays Drums With Her Tail on the Trash Can first appeared on Laughing Squid.

During the evenings, Armin Küpper likes to play his saxophone into a giant piece of pipeline pipe near his home. The echo from playing directly into the pipe allows him to accompany himself in perfect pitch. (translated) This sound on the tube, in this loneliness always gives me the feeling:...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Saxophonist Cleverly Plays Into Giant Piece of Pipeline to Accompany Himself With an Echo in Perfect Pitch first appeared on Laughing Squid.

DJ Cummerbund (previously) has seamlessly stitched together “Weird Betty”, a fantastic mashup that combines the classic Ram Jam song “Black Betty” withFollow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Fantastic Mashup of the Classic Ram Jam Song ‘Black Betty’ With a Variety of Songs and Characters first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Bardcore band Hildegard von Blingin’ performed a wonderfully melodic cover of the Foster the People song “Pumped Up Kicks” in a traditional medieval style as arranged by Cornelius Link. The lyrics were also modified to fit the era of the music. All ye bully-rooks with your buskin boots (All the...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Melodic Medieval Cover of ‘Pumped Up Kicks’ first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Israeli tattoo artist Eden Kozokaro, who’s known as Kozo Tattoo, creates brightly colored, highly detailed tattoos that feature characters and images from popular culture. While many tattoos remain true to the original, several tattoos quite cleverly mash together different sources of entertainment. One excellent example is Kozo’s combination of Rick...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Colorfully Detailed Pop Culture Tattoos first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Alex Dodson of Burned by Design (previously) has added a new piece to his incredible Star Wars inspired collection with a wonderfully detailed Millennium Falcon fire pit. While it’s not “the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy”, it does ignite pretty quickly. New to our Star Wars collection, we...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Wonderfully Detailed Millennium Falcon Fire Pit first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Like his fellow bird-lover in Colorado, a man Santa Monica, California fashioned a clever hat to attract hummingbirds. The hat has three bright red plastic ramekins, each with a flower in the center that allows only the tiniest of beaks to poke through. The birds happily chirped as they fed...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post California Man Attaches Tiny Bright Red Hummingbird Feeders to His Hat to Spend Time With the Birds first appeared on Laughing Squid.

In honor of World Environment Day 2020, the legendary Dr. Jane Goodall, in partnership with Ted-Ed, narrates a poem beautifully animated Avi Ofer which points out the ways in which the Earth healed while humanity stayed safe inside. Now, as regular daily life returns around the world, Goodall encourages us...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post An Animated Poem Featuring Dr. Jane Goodall Talking About Rebuilding the Earth as We Return to Daily Life first appeared on Laughing Squid.

A beautiful Goldendoodle quite confidently crossed the street while walking in an upright position. As soon as she and her human Maille Dolan hit the corner, the curly-haired dog went up onto her hind legs, crossed her front legs across her chest and wiggled her way across. Casually crossing the...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Dog Confidently Walks Upright While Crossing Street first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Online retailer Alohazing is selling incredibly detailed, anatomically correct Bigfoot hoodies. The full-color design is very realistic, fade-resistant, and appears throughout the garment. The item comes in both zippered and unzippered form. The Hoodie made of lightweight and breathable insulating material against cold and wind, with synthetic fibers that have...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Realistic Bigfoot Hoodies first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Uberphawx (previously) created a rather industrial version the iconic Joy Division song “Love Will Tear Us Apart” using only the C note of the scale. The lack of musical color removes all the incredible emotion for which the song is known, leaving only a mechanized monotone in its place. Commenters...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post An Industrial Mechanized Version of Joy Division’s ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ Performed Solely in the Note of C first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Angus Deveson of Maker’s Muse in Sydney, Australia decided to conduct an experiment with the wild sulfur-crested cockatoos in his neighborhood. One particular older cockatoo named Popeye was the first to come around. Deveson first tested Popeye with a simple puzzle of treats hiding under an egg carton. Popeye passed...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Wild Cockatoo Cleverly Solves a 3D Printed Puzzle first appeared on Laughing Squid.

For each day of the “Makevember Challenge’ in November 2017, artist Federico Tobon of wolfCat Workshop created adorable hand-cranked miniature automatatons out of popsicle sticks and paper, posting each of these individually to social media. More recently, however, he combined footage of each into a six minute video. All the...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post An Amazing Array of Hand-Cranked Miniature Automatons Made From Popsicle Sticks and Paper first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Createk Engineering Lab, in partnership with Université de Sherbrooke and Exonetik, have created a robotic third arm that comes in handy when there are tasks to be completed. The arm is supported by a strap mounted at the the user’s waist and is operated by a joystick operated by a...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Handy Robotic Third Arm That Can Gently Pick Apples and Punch Its Way Through Walls first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Shane of Stuff Made Here engineered a really nifty automatic golf club that can take on the features of any iron needed at the time. The club also senses the angle of the shot, steadies the loft, and corrects the swing for distance. Shane shared how he designed the club....Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Nifty Automatic All-in-One Golf Club That Adjusts to Take on the Features of All Traditional Golf Irons first appeared on Laughing Squid.

In a limber episode of the The Infographics Show (previously), the narrator explains how sitting in the wrong position for any amount of time can cause a wide variety of preventable health conditions, such as musculature and bone problems, body aches and pains, and pulmonary and circulatory diseases. He also...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post How Sitting in the Wrong Position for Any Length of Time Can Cause Serious Health Problems first appeared on Laughing Squid.

In an extremely insightful essay, The Take takes a look at The Simpsons, positing whether or not the ageless character of Bart Simpson and his naughty boy slacker image continues to apply within the modern cultural context of the 21st century. When he first came onto the scene in the...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post How Bart Simpson’s Naughty Boy Slacker Image Has Become Culturally Anachronistic in the 21st Century first appeared on Laughing Squid.

In the late 1970s, artist Claude Reboul created “Le Mécanophone”, an incredible vintage truck that was transformed into kind of a giant calliope with 42 air horns that performs bombastic, circus-style songs. (translated) A perfectly destructive device and a concert of horns that must work wonders in traffic. Great …...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Vintage Truck Transformed Into a Giant Calliope With 42 Air Horns That Performs Bombastic Songs first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Japanese balloon artist Ryo Kajiyama creates amazing baloon sculptures of fine art and pop culture icons. In addition to this series, Kajiyama builds everyday items such as staplers, toilets, locks, musical instruments, and kitchenware. Related PostsIncredible Illustrations of Color Coded Pop Culture IconsAn Instrument for the Sonification of Everday ThingsA...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Incredible Colorful Balloon Recreations of Art, Pop Culture Icons, Musical Instruments, and Everyday Items first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Angry Kitzia is a sweet and amiable tabby cat who always appears to be angry due to the permanent sneer on her little face. Kitzia also possesses a gorgeous pair of expressive green eyes that smooth out her enduring frown. Kitzia lives with her world-traveling photographer human Viktoriia Otdielnova in...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post An Amiable Cat Who Always Appears to Be Angry first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Astrophotographer Bartosz Wojczynski used stabilized images of the Namibian night sky to capture the rotation of the Earth. He pointed his elaborate camera towards the south celestial pole and adjusted the exposure levels as needed. The entire filming process took over 23 hours and 56 minutes at one frame per...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Amazing Timelapse Video Using Stabilized Images of the Sky That Captures 24 Hours of the Earth’s Rotation first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Two very chatty pet otters named Kotaro and Hana, who previously took turns jumping up into the bed in order to have an individual combing session with their human, slithered out of their respective beds and went into the kitchen where their human presented them with breakfast. Each plate featured...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Picky Pet Otters Enjoy a Yummy Seafood Breakfast first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Online personaliy Scott Hubbard, the CEO of Hype went behind the fence to capture footage his fierce, ever-attentive guard dog Gracie on duty in the backyard. The sign on the fence warned “Beware of Dog”, so Hubbard had to ensure the safety of all involved. Things got even more meta...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Beware of the Dog on Duty Behind the Fence first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Comedian Julie Nolke, who in April previously attempted to explain the near future to the January 2020 version of herself, went further down the rabbit hole that is the year 2020. The aforementioned unkempt “April self” thereby tried to explain the subsequent six weeks to a sleeker version of herself...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Comedian Hilariously Explains the Current State of the World to the Isolated April 2020 Version of Herself first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Dutch filmmaker Albert Dros has created a gorgeous 4K timelapse that visually travels through over two years of changing seasons in Amsterdam. Dros, who lives there, wanted to make a film that would be recognizable to residents and appealing to visitors. With that in mind, Dros captured both stunning natural...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Gorgeous 4K Timelapse Film That Captures Two Years of Changing Seasons in Amsterdam first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Video editor Bill McClintock (previously) has put together an unexpectedly catchy and entertaining mashup of the classic Isley Brothers song “Shout” with the legendary Motörhead song “Ace of Spades”. Something tells me that Lemmy would approve. In case you were wondering what “Ace of Spades” would sound like with an...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post An Unexpectedly Catchy Mashup of ‘Shout’ by The Isley Brothers Combined With ‘Ace of Spades’ by Motörhead first appeared on Laughing Squid.

The very amusing Doctor Mix performed a rather bouncy medley of iconic songs on a Wurlitzer electric piano. Each of these songs played featured the instrument at the forefront of the melody and made the Wurlitzer famous. Songs Played In The Video: Marvin Gaye – I Heard It Through The...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Bouncy Medley of Iconic Songs Played on a Wurlitzer first appeared on Laughing Squid.

A tiny kitten named Kimba sat atop another kitten cleaning the dirt from his brother’s ear with his tongue. Kimba’s human Michaele enhanced the scene by providing the sound effects for Kimba’s loud slurping. “You are soooo dirty brother!” Said Kimba Related PostsKitten Happily Wiggles His Ears While Drinking From...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Kitten Loudly Slurps While Cleaning His Brother’s Ears first appeared on Laughing Squid.

The ever-insightful CGP Grey (previously) shares how to become a successful pirate on the high seas through thoughtful, effective branding. Grey based this animation on the book The Invisible Hook by Professior Peter T. Leeson. Grey also explains that pirates instill fear through example rather than a desire to kill....Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post CGP Grey Explains How to Become a Successful Pirate on the High Seas Using Effective, Widespread Branding first appeared on Laughing Squid.

After coming inside from a walk, an adorably determined golden retriever puppy named Jeeya continuously circled the kitchen island in pursuit of the end of her leash, the front of which was still attached to her neck. According to her human, Jeeya finally caught up with her prey. It took...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Determined Puppy Tries to Catch the End of Her Leash While Continuously Circling Around the Kitchen Island first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Artist Chris Toledo creates highly detailed miniature home interiors from the early 20th Century that are to 1:12 to actual size. Toledo’s remarkable attention to detail imbues each of his miniatures with distinct historical flair and architectural knowledge from the era. Many of Toledo’s works are available for purchase through...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Highly Detailed Early 20th Century Miniature Interiors first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Elena G quite amusingly explained how the hour numbers across from each other on the face of an analog clock always add up to 12. This simple, but elusive concept is something that neither she nor many others, had realized up to this point. Why didn’t I know this until...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post How the Hour Numbers Across From Each Other on the Face of an Analog Clock Always Add Up to 12 first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Over the course of five explosive seasons of the brilliant series Black Mirror, creator Charlie Brooker (previously) and a talented team of writers have used history and their imaginations to create eerie tales of compromised life within a fictional futuristic dystopia. The ad for the 6th season, created by Brother...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Art Imitates Life in Eerie Ad for ‘Black Mirror’ Season 6 first appeared on Laughing Squid.

An engineer quite cleverly built in an automated hydraulic entryway that opens from the back porch into the basement. The man’s neighbors were so enthralled with this handy fix, they shared a video showing the door in action. They also answered the question about water intrusion. This is a video...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Engineer Builds a Clever Automated Hydraulic Entryway in His Back Porch to Access the Basement first appeared on Laughing Squid.

A transparent episode of the KQED series “Deep Look” examines the stunning clarity of the glasswing butterfly, their ability to become invisible in any situation and a natural anti-reflective feature that have interested scientists. Ever wanted to be invisible? The elusive glasswing butterfly knows just how to do it. Its...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post The Stunning Clarity of the Elusive Glasswing Butterfly first appeared on Laughing Squid.

In 2018 we wrote about former aeronautical engineer José Naranja who quit his job to travel the world. While doing so, he kept beautifully detailed sketchbooks that documented his time in each city, despite never having drawn artistically before. Since that time, Naranja has published another volume of sketches entitled...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Former Aeronautical Engineer Fills Notebooks With Detailed Sketches of His Ongoing World Travels first appeared on Laughing Squid.

A man in Lyons, Colorado very cleverly attached tiny plastic feeders to his eyeglasses in order to attract hummingbirds. The birds happily chirped as they fed on sugar water while flapping their delicate wings. The man stood very still while getting a close-up view of everything. Related PostsA Little Hummingbird...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Colorado Man Attaches Tiny Hummingbird Feeders to His Glasses For a Close Up View of the Birds first appeared on Laughing Squid.

US Air Force Airmen Sonny Doby built a wonderfully comfortable secret hideout lounge for his two dogs under the stairs of his Charleston, South Carolina home. The project didn’t take long to build and pups Maverick and Olly were very pleased. He said the project took about a week to...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Man Builds a Comfy Secret Hideout Lounge for His Two Dogs Under the Stairs of His Charleston Home first appeared on Laughing Squid.

In a tidal episode Amazing Places, host Tom Scott explains why a seemingly innocent stretch of water is so incredibly deadly. Known as The Strid, this body of water is actually a very narrow part of the River Wharfe in Bolton Abbey, Yorkshire. The river is made up of rapids...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Seemingly Innocent Stretch of River With a Violent Undercurrent That’s Deadly to Anyone Who Falls In first appeared on Laughing Squid.