The human brain is really good at recognizing faces, and reading them for emotion. With rare exceptions, we’re so good at picking out faces that we sometimes do it when there’s no face to be seen (look at an electrical socket and tell me you don’t see a tiny surprised person staring back at you.)
But what really throws our minds for a loop is when we see a face that’s actually two faces. Two recognizable faces merged into one. Our hardware’s not equipped to handle it, and the result is laughter, revulsion, and sending it on to all your friends so they can also be confused. This is the model for all output by Instagram artist @arkanememes, who combines celebrities and fictional characters for a huge wtf gallery of modern art.
Check out a few of our favorites:
15. Conan O’Brien + Hulk Hogan =
14. Chandler Bing + Bernie Sanders =
13. Dwayne Johnson + Lil Wayne =
12. Dr. Phil + Bill Goldberg =
11. Taylor Swift + Jonathon Taylor Thomas =
10. Jay-Z + Mr. T =
9. Jim Carrey + Eminem =
8. Bill Nye + Billie Eilish =
7. Bret “The Hitman” Hart + Brad Pitt =
6. Harry Potter + Guy Fieri =
5. Hulk Hogan + Step Brothers =
4. Dr. Dre + Billy Ray Cyrus =
3. Ben Affleck + Vin Diesel =
2. Skrillex + Bill Nye =
1. Ron Swanson + Kim Jong-un =
It seems like the artist’s method for deciding on which subjects to use mostly relies on whose names sound the funniest together. And honestly, I applaud it.
What celebrity mashup would you like to see? Tell us in the comments.
Bonus points for a clever name.