Laughing Squid

In 2010 NPR invited the great “Weird Al” Yankovic and his band to perform in their offices as part of their Tiny Desk Concert Series. In between clever banter, Yankovic and band performed beautiful acoustic versions of three different parody songs: “You Don’t Love Me Anymore”, “Good Old Days” and...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic Performs Beautiful Acoustic Versions of His Parody Songs In a 2010 NPR Tiny Desk Concert first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Teenage wildlife photographer Isaiah Lieberenz hilariously captured the sight of a spooked opossum playing dead near his home in Illinois. The little marsupial lay completely still with an open jaw, an action widely known as “playing possum”. In case you ever wondered what a possum playing dead looks like, they’ll...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Spooked Opossum Plays Dead for Young Photographer first appeared on Laughing Squid.

The original cast members of Lin-Manuel Miranda‘s incredible musical Hamilton joined The Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon and The Roots to perform a lively version of Eliza Schuyler‘s love song “Helpless”. Being that the performance was virtual, several of the musicians played whatever instruments they could find around the house....Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Jimmy Fallon, The Roots and Original Cast of ‘Hamilton’ Perform ‘Helpless’ With Instruments Found at Home first appeared on Laughing Squid.

An absolutely adorable Alapaha blue blood bulldog named Hulk who lives in Leeds, England, seems to be obsessed with laundry. Whenever the washer or dryer is empty, Hulk claims it as his own and even gets a bit testy when either is occupied. If that’s the case, he’s happy to...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post An Adorable Bulldog Puppy Climbs Inside the Washing Machine or Dryer Whenever It’s Available to Him first appeared on Laughing Squid.

During quarantine, Rich McCor, aka paperboyo, used his immense talent for creating paper cutouts to make vignettes of movie scenes using items that he found around his home. The theme came from the number of films the artist was watching while stuck at home. More than ever I’m grateful that...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Artist Creates Paper Cutout Vignettes of Movie Scenes Using Everyday Objects Found Around His Home first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Steve Lukather (guitar), Joseph Williams (vocals, keyboards) and Lenny Castro (percussion), three members of the band Toto, performed a very cheerful rendition of their iconic song “Africa” aka the internet’s favorite song. Even in these current times of social distancing, we can still come together. Williams, who seemed to have...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Members of Toto Cheerfully Perform ‘Africa’ From Home first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Cyriak Harris, the creative mind behind many wonderful surreral short films, created a brilliant but appropriately anxiety-inducing animated music video for the song “The Existential Threat” by the Los Angeles band Sparks, from their album “A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip”. The existential threat that I always feel Nothing’s happened yet...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Brilliant But Appropriately Anxiety-Inducing Animated Video for The Sparks Song ‘The Existential Threat’ first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Musician Stefan Murphy of the Mighty Stef performed the iconic theme song from the 1990s Will Smith sitcom Fresh Prince of Bel Air as if it were a traditional Irish pub ballad. Murphy’s voice perfectly translates the distinctly hip hop song into a somber tale best served with a couple...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Musician Performs ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel Air’ Theme Song As a Traditional Irish Pub Ballad first appeared on Laughing Squid.

The incredibly talented “Weird Al” Yankovic hilariously mashed together his incredibly lively tribute song “The Hamilton Polka” with clips from the filmed performance of Lin-Manuel Miranda‘s wildly popular musical Hamilton. While the actors sang the songs with incredible rapidity in the original performance, Yankovic’s polka version takes them to breakneck...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic Hilariously Mashes Together ‘The Hamilton Polka’ With Clips From the ‘Hamilton’ Movie first appeared on Laughing Squid.

While diving near the Farne Islands off the coast of Northumberland, England, Ben Burville (previously) encountered a bob of curious seals who swam over to him in order to fully investigate his presence. The seals put their noses to Burville’s helmet, armpits, and hands before one sweetly offered up a...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Curious Seals Thoroughly Investigate a Visiting Diver first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Just ahead of the Independence Day holiday in the United States, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission put out a rather humorous, but extremely serious safety video about the proper handling of fireworks (here’s the video from 2015). Since many official 2020 displays have been canceled due to health concerns,...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Test Dummies Act Out Deadly Scenarios Caused by the Misuse of Fireworks in a 2020 Consumer Safety Video first appeared on Laughing Squid.

A startled owl employed the defensive posturing technique of puffing out feathers to appear much larger in order to intimidate a family cat in a Belgian backyard. The alarmed feline became equally puffed up at the sight of the strigidae stranger, leading to a standoff between the two. We looked...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Startled Owl Puffs Up to Appear Much Larger In Order to Intimidate an Equally Defensive Family Cat first appeared on Laughing Squid.

The very talented designer Jason Allemann of JK Brickworks built an incredible continuous LEGO marble run system that features an elevator to automatically return the marbles to the start. Allemann also built and alternator that sends incoming marbles in opposite directions Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been working...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post An Amazing Continuous LEGO Marble Run System That Automatically Returns Balls to the Start first appeared on Laughing Squid.

McCoy couldn’t convince him to wear a mask after Spock’s Tricorder detected a COVID-19 outbreak. We all know this will not end well for the redshirt… Related PostsConverting the COVID-19 DNA Sequence Into MusicYoung Boy Helps Brave Knight Slay the COVID-DragonTurning Little Free Libraries Into Free Food PantriesCatchy Animated Coronavirus...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Star Trek Redshirt in the Age of COVID-19 first appeared on Laughing Squid.

On the tenth anniversary of the Solar Dynamics Observatory being in space, the Goddard Flight Space Center of NASA shared an absolutely magnificent timelapse that documents the activities of the sun over the course of a decade. Every second of the timelapse represents a single day of solar viewing. Over...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Magnificent 425 Million Image Timelapse That Documents the Activities of the Sun Over 10 Years first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Nate Bonham of The King of Random (previously) incrementally nested balloons of various different sizes inside of each other in order to see what popping each of them would look like in slow motion. So today we’re gonna try not just popping balloons in slow motion but nesting balloons, so...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Slow Motion Footage of Popping a Balloon Inside a Balloon Inside a Balloon Inside a Balloon first appeared on Laughing Squid.

In a cloaking episode of Things You Might Not Know, host Tom Scott and series animator William Marler amusingly demonstrate the many ways in which the use of a green screen can go wrong due to issues with lighting, color, key, shutter speed, and framing. Green screen looks terrible sometimes....Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post How the Use of a Green Screen Can Go Wrong first appeared on Laughing Squid.

A rescued chicken named Francis sat in the arms of her devoted human Lisa Biondo Backs and burst out into bubbly, anthropomorphic laughter whenever Backs tickled her feathery sides. Whenever Francis laughed, a rooster crowed and a couple of cats hilariously meowed in the background This is Francis, and if...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Chicken Bursts Out Into Humanlike Laughter Whenever Her Human Tickles Her Feathery Sides first appeared on Laughing Squid.

New Zealand carpenter Henk Herhoeff builds fabulous pieces of whimsical furniture featuring crooked angles and broken lines that make them look as if they should be in a cartoon room somewhere. Each piece is fully functional, although items may not be exactly what they first appear to be. Verhoeff told...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Whimsical Cartoon Style ‘Broken’ Furniture first appeared on Laughing Squid.

In a deep sea clip narrated by David Tennant from the PBS/BBC series Dolphins – Spy in the Pod, a robotic spy squid looking to peer into the life of dolphins, finds itself being pursued by a couple of rather large potato cod who were in no mood to play....Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Robotic Spy Squid Is Destroyed During an Unexpected Encounter With a Couple of Potato Cod first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Phi Compile of the British micro game studio Phigames and his 4 year old son used refrigerator magnets to make a very clever stop motion animation that recreates a Super Mario video game level on their stainless steel refrigerator. My 4 year old son and I attempted some stop motion...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Clever Refrigerator Magnet Stop Motion Animation That Recreates a Super Mario Video Game Level first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Dawn Fagan of Marengo, Ohio captured the absolutely adorable scene of her husband Dean cradling their rescued mini-donkey Mr. Donker Donks in his arms. As the two sat together, Dean sweetly serenaded the rescued equine with the very timely song “What the World Needs Now Is Love”. Yes it does....Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Ohio Man Sweetly Serenades His Pet Donkey With a Timely Cover of ‘What the World Needs Now Is Love’ first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Dublin resident Mevlut Kacmaz captured hilarious footage of a slightly cautious yet cheeky seagull deciding whether or not to enter a Londis convenience store on Grafton Street. After a few moments, the bird boldly stepped through the threshold, grabbed a bag of crisps that was sitting on a bottom shelf,...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Cheeky Seagull Steals Bag of Crisps From a Shop first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Spanish street artist Dados Punto Cero created an incredibly powerful 3D mural of a tetra fish that was made out of a plastic wrapper. The mural is featured on the side of the Chozas de Abajo Town Hall in Cembranos, Castilla y León, Spain. Much of the artist’s work is...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Powerful 3D Mural of a Tetra Fish Made Out of a Plastic Wrapper That Promotes Recycling and Reducing Waste first appeared on Laughing Squid.

The great Steve Martin along with the talented musicians of The Philadelphia Orchestra played a truly rousing version of Martin’s original banjo song “Office Supplies”. The song is from Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers’ long-awaited album entitled The Long-Awaited Album. I was honored to play with members of...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Steve Martin Performs His Rousing Original Banjo Song ‘Office Supplies’ With The Philadelphia Orchestra first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Things Made of Cardboard, who previously built a harmonograph with a robotic arm that draws Lissajous curves with an attached pen, created a simple, but ingenious cardboard sculpture that demonstrates the principle of tensegrity (floating compression) through an optical illusion. I made a sculpture out of cardboard based on the...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Simple Yet Ingenious Cardboard Sculpture That Provides the Illusion of Floating Structural Compression first appeared on Laughing Squid.

A tiny orphaned baby wombat named Elsie adorably fell asleep as her adopted human Lindy gave her a nice little rub on her pudgy belly. In March 2020, Elsie was brought to ACT Wildlife in Canberra, Australia after being rescued from her dead mother’s pouch. She was extremely underweight, unable...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Tiny Orphaned Baby Wombat Adorably Falls Asleep While Her Human Caretaker Rubs Her Pudgy Belly first appeared on Laughing Squid.

The Ikorudu Bois, a group of three “future filmmakers” in Lagos, Nigeria quite hilariously and meticulously recreate incredibly big budget scenes from films and music videos using low budget household items. Each mimicked scene is performed to near perfection. In fact, Extraction directors the Russo Brothers loved their recreation so...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Three Nigerian Boys Meticulously Recreate Big Budget Film Scenes Using Household Items first appeared on Laughing Squid.

In a terrapine clip narrated by David Tennant from the PBS/BBC series ‘The Tropics: Spy in the Wild 2’, an incredibly realistic robotic spy sea turtle joins thousands of other olive ridley sea turtles to climb the sandy beach of Ostional, Costa Rica in order to lay their eggs. This...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Robotic Spy Sea Turtle Crawls Up Costa Rican Beach to Lay Camera Eggs For Vultures to Steal first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Schoolhouse Rock! was an incredible series of educational animated shorts that were shown during television breaks between 1973 and 1984 and then from 1993 to 1996, addressing such issues as history, government, multiplication, grammar, and current events, each with a catchy song. The idea originally came to advertising executive David...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Original Episodes of ‘Schoolhouse Rock!’ on Disney+ first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Filmmaker Devin Graham (previously) captured the stunning natural beauty of Iceland in a super high-definition documentary film. Graham and crew traveled to different geographical areas within the country, finding glaciers, waterfalls, and the otherworldly sights that make Iceland so unique. Filmed on the Red Dragon in 6K with all drone...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post The Stunning Natural Beauty of Iceland Captured in a Short High Definition Documentary Film first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Swedish artist Fynn Jackson makes absolutely gorgeous miniature origami masks using free-folding techniques and a little paint to capture exquisite details within each face. Jackson also offers folding tutorials through his YouTube channel and sells folding patterns through his Etsy store. I’ve been enjoying the art of paper folding for...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Exquisitely Detailed Miniature Origami Masks first appeared on Laughing Squid.

“Bugged” by filmmaker Doug Alberts is a wonderful clay stop-motion animated short about tiny insects that are free to express themselves however they wish. Unfortunately, their dangerous predators also have that very same freedom. A newly explored place where bugs can be bugs. This animation was Alberts’ senior thesis for...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Tiny Insects Freely Express Themselves Within a World of Dangerous Predators in the Animated Short ‘Bugged’ first appeared on Laughing Squid.

When special effects makeup artist JIRO was temporarily made unemployed due to the countrywide quarantine, he found that he, like others, still needed to be creative. Using his incredible skills and a few small props, JIRO turned one of his hands into a series of “gloom-eating one-handed monsters”. He then...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Special Effects Makeup Artist Draws Unique Monsters Onto His Own Hand ‘That Eat the Gloom of Quarantine’ first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Great Big Story visited with the musical duo of Boris Blank and Stan Lee look-alike Dieter Meier of the band Yello. The pair wrote and performed the now-iconic song “Oh Yeah”, which became wildly popular with the release of the 1986 comedy film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. The song was...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Composers of ‘Oh Yeah’ Share the Origins of the Song That Became Popular With ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ first appeared on Laughing Squid.

While promoting their brand new show Muppets Now on Disney+, several members of The Muppets joined James Corden and Reggie Watts of The Late Late Show for a lovely uplifting cover of Joe Cocker‘s iconic version of The Beatles song “With A Little Help From My Friends”. Sing along with...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post The Muppets, James Corden and Reggie Watts Perform Uplifting Cover of ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’ first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Dan Harmon, the wonderfully irreverant co-creator of the multi-faceted animated series Rick and Morty, explained the distinct steps of his often-referenced story circle and then applied it to several of the show’s primary characters. Dan Harmon shares the circular journey characters often take during a Rick and Morty episode. Related...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Dan Harmon Applies His Often-Referenced Story Circle to the Primary Characters of ‘Rick and Morty’ first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Bebop (previously) has created a tasty stop-motion animation showing all the preparations involved in making an extra-large homemade LEGO pizza. The dough was expertly thrown, rolled out, and shaped, a sprinkling of olive oil and canned tomatoes were then spread on top along with slices of pepperoni, onion, and olives....Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Tasty Stop Motion Animation of an Extra Large Homemade LEGO Pizza Being Made first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Spanish engineer Ivan Miranda, who previously created a self-propelled, 3D printed, programmable robot that writes letters onto the sand, shared his process for updating and improving his brilliant invention. Miranda upgraded the robot much to be faster than the previous one, although he admits that the previous one was a...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Newer, Faster 3D Printed Self-Propelled Robot That Writes Letters and Phrases Onto the Sand first appeared on Laughing Squid.

In a now classic episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation entitled “Deja Q”, the enigmatic character Q (John Delancie) who, upon parting the USS Enterprise, gifted to Lieutenant Commander Data (Brent Spiner) the ability to laugh for a few moments. Because Data is an android, he did not have...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post The Origins of Data’s Infectious Laugh in the Iconic ‘Deja Q’ Episode of ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ first appeared on Laughing Squid.

The auto enthusiasts at Garage 54 decided to replace the rear wheels of an old red Lada sedan with sturdy metal legs, just to see what would happen. Unlike their previous automotive experiments, this one didn’t go very far due to broken axle shafts. But it did work, if only...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Russian Automotive Engineer Replaces the Rear Wheels of a Car With Sturdy Metal Walking Legs first appeared on Laughing Squid.

The Statue of Liberty is known all over the world for many things – her beautiful neoclassical design, her incredible history, and her specific message of hope to all those who come to the United States. Lesser known, but equally as powerful is the bronze statue of “Minerva: The Altar...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post The Minerva Statue in Green-Wood Cemetery Waves to the Statue of Liberty From the Highest Point in Brooklyn first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Researchers at the Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering have partnered with the Atlanta Botanical Garden to deploy an incredibly slow-moving robotic sloth (SlothBot) within their leafy midst. The Slothbot moves along 100 feet of cable to monitor temperature, weather, carbon dioxide levels, sunlight, and other conservation efforts....Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Georgia Tech Deploys Slow-Moving SlothBot in Atlanta Botanical Garden to Monitor Conservation Efforts first appeared on Laughing Squid.

James Blackwood, a wonderfully self-described “Raccoon Whisperer” and retired Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) constable, hauled out a giant bucket of frankfurters and gleefully distributed them to the hungry group of 17 raccoons that had gathered on his back porch in Nova Scotia, Canada over the course of a single...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Generous Man Happily Feeds a Group of 17 Hungry Raccoons Gathered on His Back Porch in Nova Scotia first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Vlogger N.T. Jordan of the cinematic series Behind the Curtain takes a look at how the sublime animated series Rick and Morty is written. Jordan gathered clips of interviews with showrunners Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon and put it into a compilation video that shows how the series is written....Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post How Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland and Staff Writers Come Up With New Ideas for ‘Rick and Morty’ Episodes first appeared on Laughing Squid.

In the amusing animated short “B is For Ben” by Rok Andic, an astronaut named Ben finds himself stranded on an unknown planet far from home. He desperately tries to board his lofty ship and leave by using any and everything at his disposal but to no avail. Unfortunately for...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Stranded Astronaut Desperately Tries Board His Ship in the Amusing Animated Short “B Is For Ben” first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Artist Lucy Jean Green creates wonderfully realistic kinetic birds out of paper. These gorgeous sculptures have an incredible lightness of being – a desire to fly away but for whatever weight may be holding them down. Green captures this sense of flight through wires that stimulate reticulated wings to flap...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Gorgeous Kinetic Bird Sculptures Made Out of Paper first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Designer Alexi McCarthy and his son built a really amusing, very functional bookshelf that looks like the smiling face of a cartoon character. Finding that this Face Shelving became really popular online, he decided to share the plans so admirers can build one for themselves. Shortly after we made it,...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post How to Build a DIY Bookshelf That Looks Like the Smiling Face of a Cartoon Character first appeared on Laughing Squid.

While artist Marta Grossi was on assignment in Milan, Italy, she found herself having to stay there for an extended period of time due to the country’s quarantine. As she contemplated her own situation of being away from her family, Grossi found comfort in her craft. When she ran out...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Ephemeral Watercolor Sink Art That Reinforces the Importance of Washing Hands and Staying Creative first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Researchers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute captured absolutely fascinating ROV footage of a bloody-belly comb jelly (Lampocteis cruentiventer), a fascinating deep-sea creatures that possess a self-descriptive red belly. These comb jellies live in the mesopelagic zone of the ocean where only 1% of the sun’s light reaches, so...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Fascinating ROV Footage of a Deep Sea Bloody-Belly Comb Jelly Camouflaging a Bioluminescent Dinner first appeared on Laughing Squid.