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Just try to picture something so round, hearty, and out of proportion to its surroundings that it would grab anyone’s attention and simply wouldn’t let it go. If you’re already feeling amused, this post might be just for you. You see, today we’re all about celebrating Absolute Units, a meme dedicated to objects, animals, and people that are just comically oversized.

In fact, it got so much attention on the internet that it even inspired an online community with the same name. Also titled “Lads that you’re in awe at the size of,” the subreddit offers a variety of pictures that vividly illustrate just how big some things can get.

From gigantic toads to chonky cats to exceptionally huge statues, some of these critters and objects can’t even be compared to their peers. Below, you’ll find the most recent top-voted posts Bored Panda has selected from the group, so continue scrolling and let us know which ones you liked most! And since you might find it hard to turn your gaze away, be sure to check out our previous compilations about absolute units right here, here, and here.

#1

Meet Bonner, The Bestest Therapy Dog At Children's Hospital Los Angeles

Meet Bonner, The Bestest Therapy Dog At Children's Hospital Los Angeles

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#2

"Although Many Are Ignored (Especially In The Third World), There Are Good Artists Everywhere." -Kumi Samuel. Ghana

"Although Many Are Ignored (Especially In The Third World), There Are Good Artists Everywhere." -Kumi Samuel. Ghana

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Davo gifman
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Man that rickety ass table is doing a helluva job. That's got a be a ton of clay at least. 😄👍

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According to the internet meme database Know Your Meme, 2017 seems to be the origin of the "absolute unit" meme. A Twitter user who went by the handle @mrreptoid posted a picture of a British hotelier David Morgan-Hewitt posing with the Queen of England. He captioned the photo, "In awe at the size of this lad. Absolute unit." The tweet and its caption caught on and people all over the internet started using it on pictures of amusingly large objects.

The online community in question has amassed more than 1.1M members since it was created in 2018. One of the most important rules there is to simply be nice, "there's no reason to be an unfriendly unit." Moreover, moderators let the users know that toxic behavior of any kind is banned, and there should be no harassment, creep-shots, witch-hunts, or fat-shaming. As they write, "We're looking for animals mostly, particularly cute animals which happen to be very large."

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#4

This Vietnamese Street Vendor

This Vietnamese Street Vendor

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To find out what an expert had to say about the meme universe and the "absolute unit" joke, we reached out to Bradley E. Wiggins, Ph.D., an associate professor and department head of Media Communications at Webster Vienna Private University. He is the author of The Discursive Power of Memes in Digital Culture and his research interests also include digital semiotics and strategic communication.

"Memes have consistently been a part of online parlance, something academics refer to as 'digital culture', for nearly 20 or more years," he told Bored Panda. "The difference in awareness is due to the proliferation of a massive amount of content created, consumed and shared widely nearly all the time especially since cellular networks have increased the capacity for bandwidth."

The professor mentioned that one of the earliest internet memes — "unlike the concept discussed by Richard Dawkins in his oft-cited but mostly misunderstood book The Selfish Gene in 1978 — is the Star Wars Kid, originally a video that was shared and then later remixed and shared via early P2P services."

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So Wiggins explained that memes have been around for longer than people think, "but their apparent increase in popularity stems from the truncated form of communication they allow. In other words, memes help you to keep it simple and short, but not without a possibly huge impact in terms of humor, but most interestingly because of resonance with an issue, a person or group, etc. at a given point in time," he added.

"It bears noting that when Trump was elected president in 2016, online supporters posted on 4chan that 'we've elected a meme as president', or something like that. That idea of a person inhabiting meme-ness (whatever that means) isn't that new. And one of the reasons why the absolute unit spread is due to the participation of Elon Musk in the meme's spread and remix, in my professional opinion."

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#8

We Met Poncho Via, The Longest Longhorn To Ever Longhorn

We Met Poncho Via, The Longest Longhorn To Ever Longhorn

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#9

My Parents Dog Who I Got To See Over The Holidays

My Parents Dog Who I Got To See Over The Holidays

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#10

An Absolute Unit Of A Bat (5 Foot 5)

An Absolute Unit Of A Bat (5 Foot 5)

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It has commonly been assumed that memes usually have to cite or refer to some aspect of popular culture to resonate with a person or a bigger mass of people. "This isn't always the case and depending on the situation, the meme itself can swiftly become the same popular culture aspect that is making itself more understood and by more people," he said and asked you to think about memes that remix a politician as a villain from a movie or TV series. "That's a clear reference to pop culture."

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"Now consider how a meme like the Ever Given cargo ship happened often without any reference to pop culture. Yet online users can remix the meme to talk about daily struggles, anxiety, jokes about failure, etc., and the larger online 'community' can ingest the meme as long as is needed," Wiggins told Bored Panda.

However, humor is still an essential part. "But sometimes the humor that is included might not be humorous for a different group than is intended for the original meme."

#14

The World's Oldest Bonsai Tree - Over 1000 Years Old

The World's Oldest Bonsai Tree - Over 1000 Years Old

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#15

These Absolute Units Of Antlers On These Red Stags

These Absolute Units Of Antlers On These Red Stags

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When it comes to the "absolute unit" meme, the professor noted it’s a relatively neutral category whose main component would be light humor. "It's therefore pretty attractive, you can remix it pretty easily by applying the absolute unit phrase to any image, for example, that shows an exaggerated proportion and this then serves as the joke." However, there is a catch.

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"Being comically oversized also implies the potential for body-shaming, or sometimes called fat-shaming. It might also point to other physical attributes that the person affected has little or no agency over. However, it's very important to remember that in the history of humor in general, sometimes a bit of pain is necessary for the joke to succeed."

Wiggins asked you to think of the basic joke about some guy whose hair is thinning. "It is as common a joke as anything similar, but for the person with thinning hair or a bald head, the joke might sting. This is an important catch to memes especially as their rapid dissemination might tempt the people enjoying the meme to ignore this aspect completely all for the joy of the joke," he said.

#16

This Is Peter Freuchen, A Danish Explorer

This Is Peter Freuchen, A Danish Explorer

He Completed A 1000km Dogsled Journey And Was Trapped In An Avalanche, He Escaped With A Knife Made From His Own Frozen Feaces. He Killed A Wolf With His Bare Hands, Fought Against The Nazis And Escaped A Pow Camp.

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Michelle M
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That coat was made from a polar bear he killed. Probably why I'm not a badass. This man was born with the guts of three generations 😩

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#17

The Tallest Mallard Duck To Have Ever Lived Known As 'Long Boi'. He Lives On The Campus Of The University Of York, England. He Stands Just Over 1m Tall

The Tallest Mallard Duck To Have Ever Lived Known As 'Long Boi'. He Lives On The Campus Of The University Of York, England. He Stands Just Over 1m Tall

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#18

This Bunny Has An Absolute Unit Of An Ear!

This Bunny Has An Absolute Unit Of An Ear!

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Aran Lindvail
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Unfortunately not healthy for the rabbit, as the ears will get injured and infected from normal rabbit activities.

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After all, we turn to the meme world to relax, unwind, and sometimes to make sense of our chaotic existence. But seeing how unique and bizarre some jokes on the internet can get, it may suggest our sense of humor might only be getting weirder. Sharing and creating memes "has a lot of possible motivations with regard to the person or group active in this process," Wiggins noted.

"Humor is a part of it but perhaps also [a] connection with someone or some group by means of commenting upon or sharing the meme, or even creating their own. If the humor is getting weirder, then it's time to take a long cold look at whatever one understands to mean 'society'," he concluded.

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#21

Absolute Unit Of A Sculpture. Senegal Renaissance Monument

Absolute Unit Of A Sculpture. Senegal Renaissance Monument

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#23

This Absolute Unit Of A Baobab Can Hold 120.000 Liters Of Water

This Absolute Unit Of A Baobab Can Hold 120.000 Liters Of Water

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#25

Quartz Crystal Cluster On Display In A Museum In Namibia

Quartz Crystal Cluster On Display In A Museum In Namibia

This Is The World's Largest Quartz Cluster, It Was Discovered In 1985 At The Bottom Of A 45 Metre Deep Cave In The Otjua Mine Near Karibib In Namibia. It Weighs 14,100 Kg And Took Three Years To Excavate And Remove

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Hannah Edwards
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Makes the woman look itty bitty. Very slimming, standing next to the biggest quartz in the world.

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#27

The White House Chef Is An Absolute Unit And The Last Line Of Defence

The White House Chef Is An Absolute Unit And The Last Line Of Defence

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#28

Sculptor Creates Massive 12 Feet Tall "Techno Gorilla" From Car Parts

Sculptor Creates Massive 12 Feet Tall "Techno Gorilla" From Car Parts

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Michelle M
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Didn't he learn anything from sci-fi movies? When the robot revolution begins, the damn robots will fix up this bad guy and insert a chip into it. Then, it would become a robotic King Kong. Nope. Destroy it!!

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#29

This Eagle Seen In Alberta, Canada

This Eagle Seen In Alberta, Canada

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#35

Ukranian Antonov An-225 Mriya - Worlds Largest Aircraft Destroyed By Russian Invaders

Ukranian Antonov An-225 Mriya - Worlds Largest Aircraft Destroyed By Russian Invaders

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Serial pacifist
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The fact that the acronym of the Russian secret service is GRU shows how desperately they want to be the world's greatest villain.

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#36

Jeff Dabe, A Competitive Arm Wrestler, Has The Biggest Recorded Ring Size, With His Finger Measuring 4.78" Around

Jeff Dabe, A Competitive Arm Wrestler, Has The Biggest Recorded Ring Size, With His Finger Measuring 4.78" Around

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#38

This Absolute Unit Of A Calf Has Hit The Juice Young

This Absolute Unit Of A Calf Has Hit The Juice Young

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#39

The Blunt-Headed Burrowing Frog, An Absolute Unit!

The Blunt-Headed Burrowing Frog, An Absolute Unit!

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#40

Gigantic Couch

Gigantic Couch

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Michelle M
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I've always dreamt of having a couchy room. Like wall to wall. Would be awesome.

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#41

Me In My Kindergarten Class Reading Room

Me In My Kindergarten Class Reading Room

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#43

Crewmembers Standing Inside The Cargo Hold Of An Lng (Liquiid Natural Gas) Tanker....

Crewmembers Standing Inside The Cargo Hold Of An Lng (Liquiid Natural Gas) Tanker....

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#44

These Bananas My Wife Got At The Store

These Bananas My Wife Got At The Store

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#45

C H O N K

C H O N K

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Serial pacifist
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The famous blackboard incident, when livestock ate all the blackboards in the country.

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#46

This Unit Of A Dog I Met At The Dog Shop

This Unit Of A Dog I Met At The Dog Shop

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#47

Former Soviet-Georgian Water Polo Athelete Petre Kako Mshvenieradze Is An Absolute Unit

Former Soviet-Georgian Water Polo Athelete Petre Kako Mshvenieradze Is An Absolute Unit

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#48

This Bottle Of Vodka My Wife Wouldn’t Let Me Buy…

This Bottle Of Vodka My Wife Wouldn’t Let Me Buy…

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#49

This Is One Of The Biggest Personal Weapons Used By Man, The Punt Gun

This Is One Of The Biggest Personal Weapons Used By Man, The Punt Gun

It Was Used For Hunting Ducks On An Industrial Scale. It Was Proven So Deadly That Nowadays It Is Illegal In Most Western Countries.

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#50

This Frog’s Thicc Thighs

This Frog’s Thicc Thighs

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Zedrapazia
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This frog is actually having a sad fate, it's an African clawed frog with bloating disease. This means its body is going to absorb liquid, feeling pain and having its organs squeezed until it dies. There's no cure.

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Note: this post originally had 64 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.

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