Laughing Squid

LEGOLAND Japan set a Guinness World Record in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan last month for building the largest LEGO brick cherry blossom tree (supported). The tree, which was made up of over 800,000 bricks, stood 14 ft 4 in tall, 17 ft 9 in long, and 16 ft 2 in wide. A post shared by LEGOLAND...The post LEGOLAND Japan Sets Guinness World Record for the Largest LEGO Brick Cherry Blossom Tree appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Legendary musician Joan Baez chose a powerful song that was written by fellow musician Zoe Mulford to be featured on Whistle Down the Wind, her final album. The song, “The President Sang Amazing Grace“, talks about the horrific shooting on June 17, 2015 at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, carried...The post A Powerful Animated Video for ‘The President Sang Amazing Grace’ From the New Joan Baez Album appeared first on Laughing Squid.

A post shared by Mezco Toyz (@mezcotoyz) on Apr 2, 2018 at 7:58am PDT Mezco Toyz created a realistic Popeye the Sailor action figure for their One:12 collection. Popeye is available to pre-order and expected to release sometime between November 2018 and January 2019. The One:12 Collective Popeye figure includes two masterfully crafted head portraits:...The post A Realistic Popeye the Sailor Action Figure appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Self taught designer and maker Kiriakos Christodoulou of Innovo Design created a flat, 3D printed chess set that is the size of a standard credit card. Christodoulou’s clever chess set, which can easily fit in a wallet, is available to purchase from his Shapeways shop. Arguably the Worlds Smallest Commercial Chess Set with a size...The post A Credit Card Sized Chess Set That Fits in a Wallet appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Yesterday, we wrote about the how the archaic Neanderthal Species continues live on through modern human DNA. In a related video, Geobeats compiled a number of images and scientific sources to explain the distinctive facial differences between Neanderthals and modern Humans along with the specific purpose behind each of the differences. The…Neanderthal migrated to Eurasia...The post The Distinctive Facial Differences Between Archaic Neanderthals and Modern Humans appeared first on Laughing Squid.

On an episode of How To Do Stuff, master craftsman Simon Arthrell of Oryx Design shared his secret on how to perfectly sharpen a pencil with a block plane and 150 grit sandpaper. Whenever anyone sees your pencils sharpened using this technique, they will be absolutely amazed at your skills! submitted via Laughing Squid Tips...The post How to Perfectly Sharpen a Pencil With a Block Plane and Sandpaper appeared first on Laughing Squid.

A baby orangutan at a rescue center very calmly held on to his human caretaker’s arm as she gave him a bath in the sink. Even though the caretaker poured scoops of water over his head, belly and elsewhere on his tiny body, the little primate maintained his adorable serenity throughout the process. This baby...The post A Baby Orangutan Calmly Grips His Caretaker’s Arm While She Gives Him a Warm Bath in the Sink appeared first on Laughing Squid.

A Series of Unfortunate Events star Neil Patrick Harris performed a magic trick for Vanity Fair by tying his shoes without using his hands. The Baudelaire Orphans Embark on a Grand Adventure in ‘A Series of Unfortunate Events’ TrailerA ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ Autobiography by Actor Neil Patrick HarrisNeil Patrick Harris Answers 73 Questions While...The post Neil Patrick Harris Demonstrates How He Can Tie His Shoes Without Using His Hands appeared first on Laughing Squid.

4096 has created a new animated video that provides a look at the history of video game controllers. The video seamlessly transitions from the Nintendo Switch (2017) to PlayStation 4 (2013) and end with the Atari 2600 controller from 1977. ‘PBS Game/Show’ Examines the History of Nintendo’s Video Game ControllersA Brief Animated History of Video...The post The History of Video Game Controllers appeared first on Laughing Squid.

The incredibly talented musicians of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra perform amazing symphonic interpretations of soundtracks from a variety of films. The Orchestra often partners with Danish television to present three night themes such as “The Dual – Morricone draws first“, which included songs from westerns and gangster movies such as The Good, The Bad...The post Amazing Film Soundtrack Covers Performed by The Danish National Symphony Orchestra appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Great Big Story visited with Wira Cusuma, an Indonesian farmer who raises Ayam Cemani, a specific breed of black feathered chickens who posses a dominant gene called fibromelanosis, which creates hyper-pigmentation down to the animal’s bones. The bones are black, as are the chicken’s beak, feet, crown and organs. Cusuma stated that while some might...The post Beautiful Hyper-Pigmented Chickens With Charcoal Black Beaks, Feathers, Feet, Organs and Bones appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In a confidence boosting animation, the gently insightful School of Life posits the question as to why one is so much harder on yourself than one would be to a friend. When a friend makes a mistake, most people would not immediately call that person a name or tell them that they are useless, but...The post The Intrinsic Value of Treating Yourself Like a Good Friend Rather Than a Bullying Enemy appeared first on Laughing Squid.

The prolific French filmmaker Max Contour of Menilmonde created “Barcelona Archi’llusion”, a whimsical video in which he redrew and rearranged the city skyline of the Spanish city according to where he wanted the buildings to be. This was accomplished with a skillful use of photoshop, which Contour details on a webpage dedicated to this project....The post Barcelona Archi’llusion, A Whimsical Short Film That Rearranges the Skyline of the Spanish City appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In a dystopian Ted Ed lesson written by Naomi R. Mercer and animated by Phuong Mai Nguyen, narrator Susan Zimmerman explains why the iconic Margaret Atwood book The Handmaid’s Tale is worth the time to read, despite or because of the hugely popular Hulu series of the same name. Mercer notes that one of the...The post How Gilead in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Is Based On Strict 16th and 17th Century Puritanical Societies appeared first on Laughing Squid.

A post shared by Jian Yang (@jianyang1979) on May 29, 2017 at 9:30am PDT Prolific doll collector Jian Yang creates wonderfully elaborate, sparkling white wedding and couture dresses for his beloved 9,000+ Barbies out of tissues, toilet paper, napkins or other paper products. While many of the dresses are traditionally European/American bridal, other traditional bridal...The post Gorgeous Barbie Doll Wedding Dresses Made From Toilet Paper, Tissues and Other Paper Products appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Artist Noah Scalin of Skull-A-Day fame and other amazing projects, created an incredible portrait of the iconic American civil rights activist Ruby Bridges with commercially produced stickers, similar to the ones he used in a self-portrait timelapse. Scalin was recreating a photograph from 1960, in which Bridges was being escorted from school by federal marshals,...The post A Stunning Sticker Reproduction of the Iconic 1960 Photo of Ruby Bridges Being Escorted to School appeared first on Laughing Squid.

A colorfully illustrated episode of the animated series After Skool explained the concept of Neanderthals. Specifically, when and where they lived, how they communicated and how these archaic humans might have gone extinct but for the genome that lives on through the DNA of modern humans. There was roughly a 5000 year period where both...The post How the Archaic Neanderthal Species Continues Live on Through Modern Human DNA appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In March 2018, we posted a hilarious video by cartoonist Lauren Lorenzo of the animated series eLL cartoons in which her father and 98 year old grandmother tried communicating with their Amazon Echo Alexa, without much success. The video rightfully went viral overnight. In a newer cartoon, Lorenzo hilariously recounted the day after during which...The post Cartoonist Hilariously Recounts the Day She Had After Her ‘Alexa Ruins Families’ Video Went Viral appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Last week we announced the launch of our brand new Laughing Squid Store which features flash sales on variety of unique and interesting products at a significant discount. One such product is the very handy ECOVACS DEEBOT Mini2 App-Enabled Robotic Vacuum. This powerful little cleaner can take care of all sorts of debris, such as...The post Powerful ECOVACS Mini Robotic Vacuum Cleaner That Can Be Easily Controlled With a Smartphone appeared first on Laughing Squid.

A man in Vroomshoop, Netherlands and his friend turned a Sea-Doo XP jet ski into a motorcycle. He test drove his motorized jet ski by cruising down the street and greeting people who passed by. Stuntman Troy Hartman Performs Aerial Test of His Jet PackComedian Kurt Braunohler Rides a Jet Ski From Chicago to New...The post Dutch Man Turns His Jet Ski Into a Motorcycle appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Jo Luijten of Squirrel-Monkey has released a new episode of their Wonders of the World Wide Web series that takes a look at what the messaging application, WhatsApp, would have been like if it came out in the 1980s. MS-DOS, dial-up internet access, and a wireless pager is all that would have been needed to...The post What WhatsApp Would Have Been Like in the 1980s appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Netflix released the first trailer for Cargo, an upcoming zombie film written by Yolanda Ramke and directed by Ramke and Ben Howling. The trailer follows Andy Rose (Martin Freeman), who has been infected by a zombie, as he ventures out to save his daughter within 48 hours, before the infection takes him over. Cargo is...The post Martin Freeman Has 48 Hours to Save His Daughter in the First Trailer for Netflix’s Zombie Film ‘Cargo’ appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Ryan Reynolds has partnered with Omaze to auction off the opportunity for a lucky winner to acquire a “custom-made, pretty ‘n’ pink Deadpool suit” and “send a big F-you to cancer.” Proceeds from the auction will go to LetsFCancer, a non-profit charity that provides prevention, early detection, and support to those affected by cancer. GET...The post Ryan Reynolds Auctioning Off a Unique Pink Deadpool Suit to Benefit a Breast Cancer Charity appeared first on Laughing Squid.

YouTuber DuckSoss posted an amusing video where he welcomes us all to the great state of Iowa and its abundance of cornfields that stretch out as far as the eye can see. Taken from the highest point of the great state of Iowa. Field of Corn in Dublin, OhioWeird Facts About All 50 StatesMimal, The...The post Welcome to Iowa and Its Abundance of Cornfields appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Pat McAfee of The Pat McAfee Show captured suspensful footage his father, Tim McAfee, strategically pushing a single wooden block through the middle of a giant Jenga stack. He was then able to quickly and successfully pull the block out with one quick yank and keep the game going. AN ABSOLUTELY ELECTRIC EASTER MOMENT FROM...The post A Man Successfully Yanks a Single Wooden Block From the Middle of the Giant Jenga Stack appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In a fascinating Ted Ed lesson written by ecologist Anika Hazra and animated by Giulia Martinelli, narrator Pen-Pen Chen explains how to easily identify insects that otherwise look the same. The secret is in their mouths. There are nearly a million known insect species in the world, but most have one of just five common...The post How Scientists Can Easily Identify the Order to Which an Insect Belongs By Looking at Its Mouth appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Vlogger Li Ziqi who very gracefully demonstrated the traditional Chinese art of making paper from scratch and a step-by-step process for truly homemade kimchi, took on a project of much greater scale. After watching an instructional video, Li set to work carting and laying bricks, filling in rocks, scooping up dirt and rolling out mud...The post Homemade Bread Made in a Homemade Outdoor Wood Fired Oven Shaped Like an Open Mouthed Cat appeared first on Laughing Squid.

For his short film “Nobody Dies in Longyearbyen“, Los Angeles filmmaker David Fried traveled over 18 hours to Longyearbyen, Norway to find out more about this northernmost populated town within the Arctic circle, what kind of people live there, how they thrive in their surroundings, the effect that global warming is having on the town...The post Nobody Dies in Longyearbyen, A Visit to the Arctic Norwegian Town Where the Dead Can’t Be Buried appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In April 2017, the talented cello rock band Break of Reality performed a truly dramatic cover of the iconic Soundgarden song “Black Hole Sun“. This version is particularly haunting as the cello perfectly matches the vocal timbre of the tragically late Chris Cornell, who passed away just a month later, in May 2017. This song...The post A Haunting Cover of the Iconic Soundgarden Song ‘Black Hole Sun’ by Cello Rock Band Break of Reality appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Anna Henry, a musician who was suffering from the common and benign movement disorder called essential tremor, decided to undergo deep brain stimulation to calm the effects of the disorder. The surgery took place at the Memorial Hermann-TMC in Houston Texas, where, after the doctors inserted electrodes into her brain, a wide awake Henry played...The post Musician Plays Her Flute During Tremor Relieving Brain Surgery to Show That Her Hands Are Steady appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Rémi Gaillard, the brilliant French prankster, literally stopped traffic with a pair of willing accomplices. The accomplices stood on either side of the road and pretended to be a railroad signaling system that put down barriers to keep cars at bay, while Gaillard, dressed as a little choo-choo train, safely crossed over the roadway. Grève...The post Prankster Rémi Gaillard Stops Traffic as a Little Choo Choo Train That Needs to Safely Cross the Road appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Centuries of Sound is a wonderful podcast and blog by James Errington that compiles original and historical music mixes from each year of recorded sound from 1859 to the present. Errington not only compiles the music, but also researches the artists, the style and the technology used in the specific year. As of this date...The post Centuries of Sound, Original Historical Soundtracks From Each Year of Recorded Sound Since 1859 appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Queens animator Branko Kljajic (a.k.a. “SuperBrankman“) has created “The Heist,” a fantastic animated short film about a group of robbers who try and break into a bank without putting together an escape plan. Now they’re locked in a vault and have to think of a way out before they get arrested! via Neatorama A Lego...The post A Group of Robbers Break Into a Bank Without an Escape Plan in the Animated Short ‘The Heist’ appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Using a clever compilation of a variety of films, GeoBeats explained how the word “toast” became associated with pithy speeches and clinking glasses. According to an informative Today I Found Out video, the term came from a tradition of placing spiced bread into the wine in order to soak up the acidity and improve the...The post How ‘Toast’ Became Synonymous With Pithy Speeches, Clinking Glasses and Consuming Alcohol appeared first on Laughing Squid.

As part of their Exo-Bionics initiative, Furrion built a Prosthesis exoskeleton, which is a giant mech suit that stands 15-feet tall, weighs 8,000 pounds, and can reach a a top speed of 20 mph. At the heart of every mech, is a human pilot. We combine cutting edge technology with the age old pursuit of...The post Prosthesis Exoskeleton, A Giant 15′ Tall, 8000 Pound Mech Suit That Can Reach a Top Speed of 20 MPH appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In late January 2015, Indian musicians Samarth Swarup and Asa Singh hilariously accompanied the Apple iOS Siri as she evenly recited the answer to the question “What is 10 trillion raised to the power 10” I being a music producer [musician] was quite attracted to the response of Siri on this question. So I clubbed...The post Indian Musicians Beatbox Along With Siri’s Answer to the Question of 10 Trillion Raised to the Power 10 appeared first on Laughing Squid.

A post shared by ThinkGeek (@thinkgeek) on Apr 2, 2018 at 4:24pm PDT ThinkGeek created a warm and cozy Tentacuddle Blanket for Kraken lovers that features five tentacles that each come with three suckers. This was originally an April Fools’ Day that they made into a product real. We’ve had enough of mermaids. They get...The post A Cozy Tentacuddle Blanket for Kraken Lovers appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In an inquisitive episode of their incredibly informative whiteboard series for Mental Floss, linguist Arika Okrent and illustrator Sean O’Neill verbally and visually explain the concept of lexical gaps – a term for those particular words that don’t exist in a language, but probably should. One prescient example of a lexical gap is a term...The post Descriptive Words That Don’t Currently Exist in the English Language But Probably Should appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Automated Industrial Machinery, Inc. (AIM, Inc.) posted mesmerizing footage of their amazing AFE-2D6 machine bending wires in all sorts of shapes at incredible speeds. The AFE-2Dx line of equipment is designed around our standard AFM-2Dx line without all of the features that might not be needed from all users. It is a simplified version of...The post An Amazing Machine Bends Wires in a Variety of Shapes at Incredible Speeds appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Netflix has released a new trailer for Seth Rogen’s upcoming comedy special, Hilarity for Charity, that features Rogen and his famous comedian friends bringing the laughs to help fight against Alzheimer’s. Hilarity for Charity premieres on April 6th, 2018. In 2012, Seth and Lauren (along with some amazing friends), created Hilarity for Charity, through which...The post Netflix Releases Star-Studded Trailer for Seth Rogen’s ‘Hilarity for Charity’ Comedy Special appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Fox Searchlight released a wonderful behind the scenes video for Wes Anderson‘s newly released stop-motion animated film, Isle of Dogs, that takes a look at how the talented team of artists built the unique canine and human puppets. An Incredible Behind the Scenes Look at Wes Anderson’s New Animated Film ‘Isle of Dogs’Wes Anderson Announces...The post A Behind the Scenes Look at How the Canine and Human Puppets of ‘Isle of Dogs’ Were Made appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Actor John Goodman, who recently eased back into the comfortable role of Dan Conner after 20 years in the Roseanne reboot, sat down with Sam Jones of Off Camera to talk about his early years as an actor. Goodman opened up about first moving to New York City after spending his whole life in Missouri,...The post John Goodman Opens Up to Sam Jones About Moving to New York City, His Addiction and His Idols appeared first on Laughing Squid.

While at WonderCon 2018 in Anaheim, Tested editor Norman Chan caught up with replica prop builder Darren Moser (a.k.a. “Dr. Sci-Fi“) to chat with him about how he went about creating his incredible life-size puppet cosplay based on K-2SO from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. A post shared by Darren (Dr. Sci-Fi) (@drscifi) on...The post Life-Size Star Wars K-2SO Puppet Cosplay appeared first on Laughing Squid.

While chasing weather in the northern part of the midwestern United States, photographer Chad Cowan captured an absolutely gorgeous timelapse of a colorful storm moving across the plains of South Dakota. In Cowan’s judgement, the storm was somewhat weak, but reflected the sunlight beautifully as it gathered. Although this storm was fairly weak, the colors...The post Storm Chaser Captures a Gorgeous Timelapse of a Colorful Storm Moving Over the South Dakota Plains appeared first on Laughing Squid.

A post shared by Lorien Stern (@lorienstern) on Mar 3, 2018 at 10:44am PST California designer Lorien Stern who’s known for her whimsical style in ceramics, accessories and clothing, has released a fun series of soft huggable plushie sharks in vibrant colors that are sure to appeal to children, adults and maybe even an ichthyologist...The post Soft Huggable Brightly Colored Shark Plushies appeared first on Laughing Squid.

A post shared by ELYSE DODGE (@elysedodge) on Feb 28, 2018 at 10:40pm PST Canadian artist Elyse Dodge creates absolutely stunning landscapes using colorful geometric shapes, often partnering with photographers to recreate the natural beauty in the captured images. In order to get the proper proportions, Dodge first digitally mocks up her design over the...The post Beautiful Mountainous Landscapes Reimagined Using Colorful Geometric Shapes appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Stephen Robinson of 52 Skillz spent over a year and a half (300 hours) learning the basics of robotics and then used his newly gained knowledge to build an awesome cake baking robot. The goal of this project was to use a large project to force myself to learn the basics of robotics, and I...The post Persistent Man Learns the Basics of Robotics to Build a Cake Baking Robot appeared first on Laughing Squid.

While attending to his duties within the Nagarahole National Park in Karnataka, WCS India Assistant Director Vinay Kumar captured fascinating footage of a beautiful female elephant who appeared to be enjoying a peaceful cigarette break, exhaling plumes of billowy smoke from her mouth. In actuality, the magnificent pachyderm was consuming burnt wood charcoal and then...The post Fascinating Footage of an Elephant Who Appears to Be Smoking After Consuming Wood Charcoal appeared first on Laughing Squid.

If you wrestle with a pig, the best you can be is a pig wrestler. Commander Chris Hadfield, the guitar playing, song writing Canadian astronaut and author of An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth: What Going to Space Taught Me About Ingenuity, Determination, and Being Prepared for Anything offered some very good advice about...The post Astronaut Chris Hadfield Offers Helpful Advice For Filtering Out Conspiracy Theories on Social Media appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In a clip from the BBC show Deadly 60, naturalist Steve Backshall had the challenging opportunity to follow a honey badger named Buster as she foraged for food during exercise time. The little weasel moved quickly through the South African landscape, turning around to growl and bare her teeth at Bachkshall. While Buster is one...The post A Brave Naturalist Follows a Fierce Teeth Baring Honey Badger As She Forages for Food appeared first on Laughing Squid.