Misleading Thumbnails
Type: Optical Illusion,
Tags: photograph, illusion, thumbnail, flufeetalks, metal321,
Navigation |
About • Origin • Spread • Notable Examples • Search Interest • External References • |
About
Misleading Thumbnails are images that appear to resemble something else entirely after they have been reduced in size, creating a type of optical illusion. These are not to be confused with the contextually misleading thumbnails associated with YouTube vloggers known as "Reply Girls", which contain sexually suggestive images meant to increase video view counts.
Origin
On February 13th, 2005, the "Misleading Thumbnails" Flickr[1] group was launched, featuring photographs which could misinterpreted as a picture of something else when viewed as a small thumbnail on a gallery page.
![d45.jpg Misleading Thumbnails + Join Group 427 131 We've all clicked on a thumbnail image, expecting it to be one thing and finding it to be something else entirely. This is a... See more Photos Discussions Members Map About Discussions 《 Hide nuns... this one of mine has a misleading thumbnail, but when i post it to the pool, the.. getthebubbles 99 months ago 0 replies Neat Last week, looking at the Illusions group, I Othought-what would a "Disillusion... GustavoG 102 months ago 7 replies Top Tags 4/ Aliterr](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/727/340/d45.jpg)
Spread
On March 23rd, 2008, Ebaumsworld[6] posted a photograph of a lamp that appears to be the underside of a woman wearing bikini bottoms in the thumbnail (shown below).
![8ca.jpg](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/727/339/8ca.jpg)
On April 1st, 2011, YouTuber FluffeeTalks uploaded a video in which he discusses a misleading photograph of canyon that resembled a woman's genitalia (shown below). In the next three years, the video received more than 290,000 views and 2,500 comments.
On April 16th, a page titled “Misleading Thumbnail” was created on the Internet culture wiki Encyclopedia Dramatica,[3] which highlighted misleading cropped photographs from social networking and dating site profile pages. On July 12th, BuzzFeed[5] highlighted 15 examples of images that appear to be sexual in nature when cropped or viewed in a reduced size (shown below). On October 1st, Redditor Metal321 submitted a visually misleading photograph of several pigs titled “Its not what it looks like” to the /r/funny[4] subreddit, where it gained over 3,100 up votes and 200 comments (shown below, bottom right). On December 21st, the /r/misleading[2] thumbnails subreddit was launched, which gained upwards of 31,200 subscribers in the following three years.
Notable Examples
![Human Brain](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/727/314/31a.jpg)
![6ce.jpg](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/727/315/6ce.jpg)
![cab.jpg](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/727/310/cab.jpg)
![Helicopter Landing](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/masonry/000/747/807/cd1.jpg)
![The New Mario Kart Lineup](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/masonry/000/747/806/91c.jpg)
![Police with riot shields blocking an alley DAIR PACK PAIR PACK $16 $16 $16 $16 3 PAIR PACK $16 PAIR PACK PAIR PACK $16 3 PAIR PACK $16 3 PAIR PACK $16 HUE HUE HUE HUE HUE kn ee-niS 3 PAIR PACK $16 PAC薰 $16 PAIR PACK nee-hi's](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/masonry/000/747/809/5ef.jpg)
![Sweet mancave BURRITO GRANDE Ro mildcheddar 10r TRES immy Dea](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/masonry/000/747/814/19f.jpg)
![Coffee or owl?](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/727/570/4e1.jpg)
![e3b.jpg](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/masonry/000/727/572/e3b.jpg)
![Keyboard](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/masonry/000/747/802/84c.jpg)
![Huge Explosion](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/masonry/000/747/813/45e.jpg)
![b0d.jpg](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/masonry/000/727/318/b0d.jpg)
![ae1.jpg](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/727/327/ae1.jpg)
![HEY KIDS WANNA SEE A DEAD BODY](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/727/311/075.jpg)
![b6b.jpg](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/masonry/000/727/565/b6b.jpg)
![My iPod Classic](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/masonry/000/747/812/16c.jpg)
![Yawning Dog](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/masonry/000/747/811/c21.jpg)
![Taco Elevation Map Updated November 1, 2012 by Glenn Nix 3 10 15 21 22 23 31 3233 41](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/747/819/677.jpg)
![Waffle Iron China-defense-mashuo.c하](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/masonry/000/747/818/f62.jpg)
![e45.jpg](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/masonry/000/727/321/e45.jpg)
classic iPod | dog yawn | taco shell | waffle iron | ice cream cone
NSFW
Search Interest
Not available.
External References
[1] Flickr – Misleading Thumbnails
[2] Reddit – /r/misleadingthumbnails
[3] Encyclopedia Dramatica via Wayback Machine – Misleading Thumbnail
[4] Reddit – Its not what it looks like
[5] BuzzFeed – 15 Things That Look Dirty But Arent
[6] Ebaums World – Lamp Illusion Truth
Entry Editors ( 3 )
Tags: photograph, illusion, thumbnail, flufeetalks, metal321,
Comments ( 26 )
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