Pop quiz, eagle-eyed sleuths of the Internet: Can you find the panda in the snowmen depicted here? The online universe loves a good brainteaser, so perhaps it’s unsurprising that this delightful little illustration is currently taking the web by storm — but it’s all kinds of cute, as well as wonderfully festive. Just what we all need right before the holiday weekend, right?
Created by Hungarian artist Gergely Dudás, aka The Dudolf, the picture in question looks deceptively simple — but it’s actually quite a challenge, largely because it turns out that snowmen and pandas look remarkably similar under the right circumstances. As the comments on Dudás’ Facebook page indicate, some people seem to be able to spot the panda pretty quickly, while for others, it takes a little longer; it’s not a race, though, so I say take as much time as you need. You might spot a few of the other delightful little Easter eggs hidden throughout it if you stop and smell the proverbial roses — personally, I’m rather fond of the snowman who inexplicably has a candy cane stuck in the top of his head. Is it an active choice of headwear? Did it fall from a high window and impale him? OMG, you guys, is the impaled snowman OK?! I have so many questions about that candy cane. So very many.
Or just skip to the bottom of this post to see the solution if you like — that’s cool, too.
OK, here’s the illustration:
Need a hint? Look at the noses.
Give up?
Are you suuuuuuure?
OK.
Ready?
Here’s the answer:
The panda is the seventh creature up from the bottom and four over from the right. Boom.
So why are we all so obsessed with this little illustration? I suspect it has something to do with a combination of holiday nostalgia and something akin to the Norwegian concept of koselig — which, I would argue, go hand in hand at this time of year. Koselig, which is apparently an excellent way to fight Seasonal Affective Disorder, roughly translates to “coziness”; in practice, it means indulging in the things that make you feel cozy, like spending time with your favorite people, drinking warm drinks, building pillow forts, and so on. Holiday nostalgia, meanwhile, definitely plays into the idea of koselig; very few things make us feel quite as cozy as a trip down memory lane, and what with everything the holidays do to our brains… well, you can see how your sense of nostalgia might contribute to some good ol’ koselig action. Dudás’ picture is basically a seasonally-appropriate version of Where’s Waldo?, except that instead of looking for a random dude in a striped shirt and glasses, you’re looking for an adorable little panda in a sea of equally adorable little snowpeople — something that both reminds us of our childhood and hits our holiday spirit buttons.
Dudás also recently released a similar illustration instructing viewers to find a cat in a fleet of owls; I actually found this one a little trickier than the panda-snowman one, so if you thought the first one was easy, maybe this one will present more of a challenge for you.
Happy holiday season, everyone!
Images: Courtesy of Gergely Dud á s; Giphy (2)
