Hey, a friend of ours is doing an awesome little animation kickstarter. Give it a look!

It looks like creepy dating is universal.

What?????

Via cringechannel.com

?!?!?

Via englishrussia.com

?????

Via humorsharing.com

Hmmmmm...

Via extraslike.com

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A new competitive cooking show with kids ages 8-13 sounds like it would be the most annoying thing ever. Instead it is absolutely delightful, and here’s why.

Because the kids are little angels and they cry when anyone gets sent home.

And it just breaks your heart.

youtube.com

And it's actually cute when they are super dramatic.

If an adult did this because he or she got saved from elimination, it would be obnoxious. When a 10-year-old with a New York accent does it, you die.

thedamper.com

Because they can't even see over their mystery boxes.

delapaz912.tumblr.com

And then are genuinely horrified by what is inside.

Why hide it?

slate.com

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Here's hoping this experiment goes well. Design by Ross Nover. Crotchety grousing, as ever, by yours truly.

If you'd like a poster version, it's available here.

Han bites first.

Hey, remember that Star Wars blooper reel Reddit unearthed last week? It was pretty funny, but it was also just sort a bunch of out of context silliness. Ah, but now someone has gone and put those flubs to good use by editing them into the original 1977 trailer for Star Wars. This new version of the trailer paints a slightly disturbing picture of a galaxy far, far away where everyone seems to have suffered varying degrees of brain damage.

Check it out below…

For the sake of comparison, here’s how the trailer originally appeared in theatres…

Eh, not bad — could use some more Inception booms and maybe a little Requiem For a Dream song.

via Geekosystem

Oh man, I'll never forget the moment I got gay. December of '84 it was. I was just a regular garden variety heterosexual toddler, excited about this thing called "Christmas" I'd been hearing so much about in the six months I'd been able to understand human words. I knew it was going to be good. Maybe I'd get that Diaper Studz™ Baby Jonathan Taylor Thomas pin-up calendar I'd been (literally) drooling over! Oh man, I'd totally like to get to baby-first-base* with that guy. Oh man, being a straight baby was amazing. But then...then came the caroling.

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Oh man. Just got first draft of the BAHFest vids, and you geeks are gonna love it.

If you live in Toledo and were having trouble finding something to do Saturday night (as if), you definitely now want to buy tickets to see the ECHL's Toledo Walleye host the Kalamazoo Wings. It's Star Wars Night. The teams will be wearing these sweaters.

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“Aunt Meredith Vieira, I need help. There’s a bully picking on me at school, and I’m not sure what to do. I’m too little to fight back, but I don’t want to tattle, either. What should I do? What’s your advice?”

“Today I am thinkinbg today I am thinkib I obviously suck at tweeting. Trying to say that today I am thinking about dear friend Mo Cashin and fami screwed up again. Month cashin and fami I give up love month and fami famly in breezypoi month cashin I give up. Love Mo and Breezy not drunk…just incompetent. Just bear with me. Stu Still learning.”

“OK, who forgot to give Aunt Meredith her pills? Or did she have too many…?”

(Even if she was hacked, this is still hilarious.)

(via Getty Image, via Twitter)

--------: 3:48 PM
LouisTheCat: rick
LouisTheCat: rick
RickDickens77: Yeah
LouisTheCat: rick
RickDickens77: YEAH
LouisTheCat: rick the wheelbarrel has a flat
RickDickens77: wheelbarrow.
LouisTheCat: uh
LouisTheCat: ok then it has a fwat
RickDickens77: What do you need the wheelbarrow for?
LouisTheCat: pennant fever rick
LouisTheCat: everybodys playing baseball in the vacant lot behind the bodega
RickDickens77: And this involves my wheelbarrow how?
LouisTheCat: ok so mittens is pitching right
RickDickens77: of course he is.
LouisTheCat: so he jumps in the wheelbarrel
RickDickens77: barrow
LouisTheCat: and he gets pushed toward home plate
LouisTheCat: like super fast
LouisTheCat: and then the batter tries to jump at just the right time and knock over the wheelbarrel
RickDickens77: barrow
LouisTheCat: and if mittens falls out he has to chase the batter around the bases
LouisTheCat: first base is that big elk head from rays store
LouisTheCat: second base is a pile of rusty scrap metal
LouisTheCat: third base is this crazy huge hole the kids dug
RickDickens77: Those all sound kind of... dangerous.
LouisTheCat: i know
LouisTheCat: its exactly what baseball has been missing
RickDickens77: What happens if Mittens doesn't fall out?
LouisTheCat: then the batter is out and mittens gets to shoot at him
RickDickens77: Shoot?
LouisTheCat: with danny caldwells bb gun
RickDickens77: Danny from down the street?
LouisTheCat: yeah
LouisTheCat: nice kid
RickDickens77: He traps dogs in his back yard and shoots them in the butt, Lou.
LouisTheCat: like i said
LouisTheCat: hero is as hero does rick
RickDickens77: Wait, how does Mittens aim the gun?
LouisTheCat: well he sorta doesnt
LouisTheCat: i mean he bats at it for a minute and eventually it just kinda goes off
LouisTheCat: he hasnt hit anybody yet
LouisTheCat: but he hits things sometimes
LouisTheCat: speaking of which
RickDickens77: The wheelbarrow has a fwat, yes. I get it now.
RickDickens77: So Ray is ok with this?
LouisTheCat: hes umpiring
RickDickens77: It's going to be a busy week, I'll fix the flat over the weekend.
LouisTheCat: rick its the playoffs
LouisTheCat: rick
--------: 4:14 PM
LouisTheCat: rick
--------: 4:34 PM
LouisTheCat: rick
RickDickens77: The weekend, Lou.
LouisTheCat: not that
LouisTheCat: i want to get real for a sec
RickDickens77: Um, ok.
LouisTheCat: rick do you ever feel like youre like
LouisTheCat: you know
LouisTheCat: in the middle of missing an opportunity
LouisTheCat: like you could be something
LouisTheCat: or part of something
LouisTheCat: way way bigger
RickDickens77: Every day.
LouisTheCat: like you dont want to wake up one day and realize you blew it
RickDickens77: I've done that before.
RickDickens77: And yeah, I guess, to answer your question... I will probably always worry that I'll do it again.
LouisTheCat: i want to make a mark rick
RickDickens77: I figure most everyone does.
LouisTheCat: but like a really big mark
LouisTheCat: a legacy of real impact
LouisTheCat: i want to make the world wake up
RickDickens77: I've always believed a very ambitious individual can achieve anything they want.
LouisTheCat: realize the error of its ways
LouisTheCat: revisit some policies
LouisTheCat: deliver freedom to the deserving masses everywhere
RickDickens77: Well, sure, although it's important to identify attainable goals
LouisTheCat: end unjust occupations and recognize sovereignty through total destruction of unwelcome power
RickDickens77: I'm not sure what you're talking about now.
LouisTheCat: crush the oppressors by dramatically and instantaneously eliminating sources of greed both real and symbolic
RickDickens77: I think maybe we need to have a chat about your mood swings with your doctor
LouisTheCat: blow a fiery revolution sized hole in evil interests domestic and international
LouisTheCat: create a disruption so massive that no hint of the old ways remain
LouisTheCat: so devastating that the victims cant even be named
LouisTheCat: so clear in purpose that its influence on the new reality is unmistakable
LouisTheCat: so the whole world will be forced to stop what its doing and take notice
RickDickens77: This is making me a little uncomfortable.
LouisTheCat: to remember
LouisTheCat: forever
LouisTheCat: lou did that
LouisTheCat: that was lou
RickDickens77: Maybe it's time you tell me exactly what you're planning.
LouisTheCat: or at least leave behind like one decent quote that takes on a life of its own
LouisTheCat: something people identify with
RickDickens77: That's good, go with that.
LouisTheCat: or the other thing would be cool too
LouisTheCat: i know some guys
LouisTheCat: brb i gotta make poopies
--------: 5:03 PM
LouisTheCat: rick
LouisTheCat: what about you
RickDickens77: ...what about me?
LouisTheCat: your mark
LouisTheCat: your legacy
LouisTheCat: what is it
RickDickens77: Well.. I'm not sure, I guess. I mean, I like to think I've made something of myself already...
LouisTheCat: no but for reals what are people gonna remember of you
RickDickens77: I've made things, I've meant something in peoples' lives!
LouisTheCat: but you dont want to change the world
LouisTheCat: you dont want to be in history books and stuff
LouisTheCat: statues
LouisTheCat: memorial libraries
RickDickens77: Not really.
LouisTheCat: breakfast cereals
RickDickens77: The thing is, these days I'm trying to remind myself that we're here to live. Just to live. To be able to say we did our best, tried to be kind, stuff like that.
LouisTheCat: wow rick
LouisTheCat: thats very noble
RickDickens77: It is what it is.
LouisTheCat: ok well in that case its super super boring
RickDickens77: Alright smart guy, what should I be doing with my life?
LouisTheCat: im not here to tell you what to do rick
LouisTheCat: but you gotta take the bull by the horns
LouisTheCat: man is what he believes
LouisTheCat: opportunities multiply as they are seized
LouisTheCat: the world is a butt canvas
RickDickens77: That's "but a canvas"
LouisTheCat: that makes no sense
RickDickens77: I agree yours is better.
LouisTheCat: look rick alls im saying is this
LouisTheCat: youre not a smart guy
RickDickens77: Thanks for that.
LouisTheCat: youre not especially good looking either
LouisTheCat: really kind of old if you think about it
LouisTheCat: you dont have any money and nobody listens to you
RickDickens77: I honestly can't wait to see where this is going.
LouisTheCat: but one thing you do have
LouisTheCat: is a cat who believes you can overcome all of that to do something special
LouisTheCat: something that lasts
RickDickens77: I have to admit, that was a pretty good payoff.
LouisTheCat: you just need a killer idea rick
LouisTheCat: something that inspires you
LouisTheCat: something that will inspire the world
LouisTheCat: change it forever
RickDickens77: Yeah
LouisTheCat: liberate the proletariat with one explosively violent strike from the fist of freedom
RickDickens77: Wait, what?
LouisTheCat: and i believe you have the ability to make it happen
RickDickens77: The part about one good idea - I like that, Lou. I can run with that.
LouisTheCat: good
LouisTheCat: now rick
LouisTheCat: come on home
LouisTheCat: its dinner time
RickDickens77: Alright buddy, give me like twenty more minutes.
--------: 5:32 PM
LouisTheCat: rick
RickDickens77: headed out the door, what
LouisTheCat: grab a tire patch kit on the way home
RickDickens77: Will do, see you in a bit
--------: RickDickens77 has gone offline
LouisTheCat: and some guys from the home depot parking lot who look like they know how to build a compound

Spooky, right? I wonder where that tradition stopped, where you look in the mirror and see your future husband's face on Halloween. Judging by the card collections, it was pretty popular!

Just a couple of sketches for the season.

I was busy a while back designing shirts! They should be up in the store soon. Keep track of things on my tumblr, where I post sketches and updates and things I find interesting!

I mean, sure, the World Series is still going on, but does it involve a San Diego Chargers cheerleader hitting a home run and high-fiving the Jamaican bobsled team?

Welcome San Diego State University’s annual “Halloween contest,” a baseball game played entirely in costume, even if your costume keeps you from effectively playing baseball. Highlights include a double play involving both Buddy The Elf and Barack Obama, a man in a gorilla suit giving signs and the aforementioned Jamaican bobsled team trying to run the bases IN THE BOBSLED.

Via the YouTube description:

Members of the SDSU baseball team took part in the annual Halloween Baseball Contest and Game on Sunday afternoon at Tony Gwynn Stadium. The Red team beat the Black team, 5-3, in a four-inning affair. Players in costume ranging from Captain America to a Charger Girl to the Jamaican bobsled team made it a fun afternoon for all.

What’re the chances we could get the Red Sox and the Cardinals to say f*ck it and play game 6 like this?

Phoenix and Golden State look mah-velous as the NBA unveils its updated 2013-14 uniforms.

Google is essentially what happens when you give hardcore, old-school nerds massive piles of money they can spend any way they want. When you’ve got billions in cash, it’s easy to, say, make a music player with features no one wants or a computer to slap on your face to avoid talking to people. Or building a mystery structure on a barge, because why the hell not?

Currently we know two things. The first is that Google is building something on a barge in both San Francisco and Portland, ME out of shipping containers. The second is that it’s either something practical but kinda weird, or something absolutely bonkers, namely a floating Google Glass store:

The tipster, who is well-connected in Silicon Valley but asked to remain anonymous, told me that he had heard from multiple sources at Google that the company plans to float the Glass stores from city to city by rivers, and that the idea for the project came straight from either Larry Page or Sergey Brin, Google’s founders. Finally, he said, the idea is in part that Google wants to launch stores without looking like they are trying to chase Apple.

Honestly, it’s hard to make this call, because Google is simultaneously quite practical and really, really weird. A floating Google Glass store is a ridiculous and expensive publicity stunt, but it’s also the kind of publicity stunt that undeniably draws attention. Admit it, if this thing showed up in your city, you’d go to gawk at it and you’d probably go inside.

That said, making a Google Glass store out of shipping containers may not be entirely practical. The other alternative is that Google is building floating data backup centers; in case of a massive disaster, the barge could be towed out to sea and then brought back and reconnected. Which is somewhat more practical, but it does raise the question of why we need access to our email if a disaster so massive it’s knocked out major communication networks just happened.

We’ll likely find out sooner rather than later; Google will likely be rolling this out soon, possibly to coincide with their November 1st press event showing off the new Nexus 5 and Nexus 10 refresh. And, hey, if nothing else, it might liven up a dull workday.

(Image courtesy of YLev on Flickr)

It’s tough to be cute and vindictive at the same time, but these guys pulled it off in style .

The seal who singlehandedly ruined the chillest seal party ever

reddit.com

The dog who "just wanted to see what would happen":

pbh2.com

The cat who doesn't think you really deserve any relaxation time:

animalsbeingdicks.com

The stingray who was all, "Peekaboo! Now get out of my house":

reddit.com

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The Ohio State band performed an impressive Michael Jackson tribute last week. Yesterday, the band played a medley of movie theme songs, which doesn't sound that impressive until you watch Harry Potter riding on a broomstick or a T-Rex walking across the field and remember, "Oh yeah, those are people."

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They’re not quite as small as they believe.

This dog who's too big for the car and has to sit with his head out the sunroof.

instagram.com

This dog who doesn't understand why someone is judging him for sitting comfortably on the couch.

instagram.com

This dog who's just trying to protect his human from bad boyfriends.

instagram.com

This dog who likes to cuddle on Sundays and binge on Netflix.

instagram.com

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I’m not complaining. After all, this was my favorite part of Mass Effect. Also, come on Thor, we all know you don’t fly, you just throw your hammer and don’t let go.

(via Comic Book Movie.)

Are you following The Mary Sue on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, & Google +?

I have to say, I appreciate Sesame Street‘s brilliance a lot more now than I did when I was a kid. They refuse to be left behind as we barrel forward into the Internet age – I think they were on Vine before I even knew what Vine was. See their take on the “What Does the Fox Say?” under the jump.

(via: Laughing Squid)

Are you following The Mary Sue on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, & Google +?

A friend of mine has a pretty clever tablet holding kickstarter.

As a companion to "Six Decades of the Most Popular Names for Girls," the map above shows the most popular names for boys, by state, from 1960 to 2012. Once again, names that are the most popular nationwide for that year are colored, and all data come from the Social Security Administration. One note: For space reasons I shortened "Christopher" to "Chris," all other names are as they appear in the SSA rolls.

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Over at Slate, Ben Blatt has put together something amazing and useless and entirely engrossing. Plug in any two athletes from the history of professional baseball, football, and basketball, and it will connect them via teammates in as few steps as possible.

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It’s a slow Tuesday for NFL news. Seems like a good time to revisit the iconic campy posters of the ’80s by the brothers Costacos. As least those they did for NFL players. Nuts to those other sports. If you’re old enough, there’s a chance you might have had one on your wall. Sorry if it was Don Majkowski.

In case you wanted an oral history of the aesthetic, SB Nation had a great longform piece earlier this year.

[images via]

Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin went to Twitter to last night to announce that he had been involved in a monster trade. Uh oh, where is he going? Everyone knows the Patriots could use some help at receiver.

Haha, nope. Baldwin was talking about swapping Pokemon.

@DougBaldwinJr who would make that trade? That's a steal lol

— Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25) October 23, 2013

Instead of being roundly mocked by teammates, Richard Sherman expressed belief that Baldwin was able to rip someone off so badly.

I won’t pretend like I know the value of respective Pokemon. In fact, I find the fact that NFL players are into Pokemon less surprising than the fact that Pokemon still exists.

Still, fun to know the team is sitting in the clubhouse examining decks while getting buzzed on Marshawn Lynch’s Skittles supply.

[via]

Reader Kevin sends along this photo from, of all places, a pumpkin festival in Virginia. Nobody mourns the end of shorts weather more than this guy.

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So here’s a fun mini reunion photo our friend Scott Porter (aka Jason Street) shared yesterday when he and a bunch of his male Friday Night Lights alum got together for a “Sunday Funday” chocked full of watching football and –presumably — tossing the pigskin around Wranglers Jeans-style. In case you aren’t quite FNL fan club material, that’s Matt Lauria, Gaius Charles, Zach Gilford, Porter, and Kevin Rankin (i.e. Luke Cafferty, Smash Williams, Matt Saracen, Street, and Herc) from left to right.

I hear Taylor Kitsch and Jesse Plemons didn’t get invites because they’re Cowboys fans. And for the record, I choose to believe Porter is wearing Broncos Crocs ironically, despite the fact that is not a thing and in no way justifies his actions.

Instagram via AV Club