Experiencing pareidolia can range from disconcerting to delightful.
Wait, I should back up and explain what pareidolia actually is. It’s defined as “seeing familiar objects or patterns in otherwise random or unrelated objects or patterns.”
In short, it’s seeing stuff that looks like other stuff. We should get on with the pics, though. You’ll see.
“Sad potato.”
This could almost be art. The face, at least what we can see of it, looks so profoundly sad. I guess I’d feel the same way if I was in the process of getting my whole face peeled off.
“Evil depressed sunflower.”
I don’t know about you, but I’m getting big Tim Burton vibes from this sunflower. This photo really captures the existential, depressing vibes of the end of the summer months. You’ll bloom again next year, little buddy.
“It looks like a ghost.”
The person who posted this says it looks like a ghost, and it doesn’t not look like a ghost. Still, I’m thinking it looks more like Mr. Burns from the episode of The Simpsons when Mulder and Scully came to Springfield.
“Eye for an eye.”
The photographer must have a keen eye for these things, because this is something that would be easy to miss. Ten feet further or 10 feet back and it wouldn’t look like anything other than a trail in the woods.
“My beer bubbles look like the U.S.”
Map shapes, whether they’re countries or continents, seem to spring up naturally in unrelated stuff — cuts of meat, spills, and, as we can see here, beer bubbles. Florida’s looking a little bulbous, but this is otherwise perfect.
“Somebody threw out a perfectly good cardboard robot.”
I want to hug this inanimate object. It looks like it’s tried so hard to be the best box it can be, and now feels betrayed by the person who carelessly threw it out.
“Should I take my ostrich to the vet?”
A pessimist might be worried that an ostrich had somehow merged with a plank of wood. An optimist, on the other hand, would probably just be glad to see that the ostrich was so happy.
“Pattern on my carpet looks like Beavis from Beavis and Butt-head.”
OP is right, this looks exactly like Beavis in the middle of one of his freakouts. The only thing that could make it better would be if his T-shirt was stretched over his head in full Cornholio mode.
“Spilled water is outraged.”
It’s incredible how the spilled water takes on the same expression that I do whenever I knock over a glass. At least it’s water on hardwood, though. I’ve spilled far worse things on far more delicate surfaces in my time.
“This puddle that IS Scooby Doo.”
I don’t know if I’d see this and immediately identify it with Scooby Doo, but I’d definitely see a dog of some description. Maybe if I’d grown up with Scoobs and the gang I’d feel differently.
“How many doofy faces do you see?”
I’m not going to count the doofy faces, because the longer I look at this photo, the more I see, and the more I see, the more I feel like I might be one of the doofy faces.
“Happy dental implant.”
I’m not sure if this screw is happy because it’s helped fix someone’s dental problems, or happy because it got to drill deep and cause discomfort. It could be lawful good or chaotic good, is what I’m saying.
“Shark purse.”
If more purses and wallets looked like scary shark mouths, they might serve as a deterrent against further spending. I doubt this is a million dollar idea, but it’s yours for the taking if you want to claim it.
“Donatello.”
It’s amazing how some abstract shapes with the right colors can form something that’s so instantly identifiable. I hope the other swings on this playground were color-coded to represent the other three Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
“I say koala, but one of my friends says it’s a winking cartoon dog.”
I look at this and say both opinions are correct, because you can’t really parse subtle differences in a vague shape like this. It’s a dog-oala.
“Not mine, but cute.”
Most coffee art is intentional, and the baristas who make it are truly talented. Some coffee art, on the other hand, is really just a happy accident. Don’t buy that cat’s shocked expression. He knows what he did.
“My lunch is staring at me.”
Have you ever ordered a sandwich that’s looked at you in such a way that you feel guilty eating it? Yeah, me neither, but this one at least gets somewhat close. You’re still going to get eaten, sandwich.
“Does anyone else see a happy tuna?”
I’m really glad this isn’t my car, because as soon as you saw something derpy like this amid the otherwise sleek and modern lines, you’d never be able to unsee it. You might be forced to buy a new car.
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“Darth Vader watches over my coffee.”
Did the manufacturer of this coffee maker simply design the most efficient shape possible for the reservoir, or did they knowingly rip off Darth Vader’s iconic silhouette? In either case, they should probably lawyer up.
“Sad recycling bin.”
It’s too bad the recycling bin is so bummed out, but the silver lining is that the handle can be flipped to make it smile again. It’s a literal example of turning a frown upside down.
