Hmmm. Hmmm? Hmmm! Allow us to introduce you to r/hmmm, a popular online community on Reddit that boasts over 1.8 million members, who call themselves internet aesthetes, and search the world wide web for artistic, meaningful, odd, and obscure photos. ‘Hmmm’ (technically written with a lowercase ‘h’) is the sound of deep thinking as you contemplate the weirdness of out-of-context internet pics. And we’ve collected some of the most bizarre ones to share with you, Pandas.
They’re stranger than strange, some to the point of hilarity, and they’ll likely make you go ‘hmmm’ as you look at them, trying to guess the story behind the elaborate images. It’s time to put your imaginations into overdrive, so get ready to have a good laugh and put your minds to use.
Bored Panda reached out to the team behind the r/hmmm subreddit. The head moderator, CosmicKeys, was happy to shed some light on the community and what it stands for. "The idea for /r/hmmm was to create a highly curated subreddit with a quality bar where all the pictures are interesting, meaningful, aesthetic, and shine a light on how random image culture on the internet had become its own genre of art. I think we are popular because we maintain this quality bar," they told me that high quality and a focus on aesthetics are both vital to the long-term success of the subreddit.
They also revealed the reason why each and every photo on the subreddit has the title 'hmmm.' "The titles are all 'hmmm' because it means you can experience the image without someone forcing their personal interpretation onto it in the form of a title. Whether it's funny or sad is up to you to determine. It is also about purity. In order for your post to go through, you need to submit to a rigid tradition. People willing to do that generally care enough to post excellent content."
Scroll down for our full interview with the head moderator, as well as with author and comedy expert Ariane Sherine, who gave her take on bizarre images that lack context.
As you scroll down, remember to upvote the pics that you liked the most. Got any wacky theories about what’s going on in each one? Share your thoughts about them in the comments. If you’re in the mood for some more photos that will raise the bar for what you find peculiar, then you’ll definitely want to check out Bored Panda’s previous articles about the r/hmmm community right over here and here.
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thats why he hasn't returned, he's been waiting for the cat to get off his lap
The head moderator, CosmicKeys, revealed that even though the r/hmmm subreddit was technically created in 2008, we should consider its real founding date to be 2016. "/r/hmmm was founded in 2016 by users from snoonet irc. It was technically created in 2008, but had no activity up until that point, so 2016 is the real creation date," they told Bored Panda.
CosmicKeys said that they'd add new content to the subreddit every day. "I would post daily pictures while chat was going for people to laugh at oddities from different corners of the internet. That grew into a large collection, so /r/hmmm was born. The name comes from a thread that would appear occasionally on 4chan, and the content was inspired by a website called spaceghetto," they shared the inspiration for the subreddit as a whole.
According to the moderator, some images tend to be excluded if the idea behind them becomes far too popular. Face swaps are a good example of this. "The subreddit is about obscure and strange images, so over time as certain types of images have gone from obscure to popular we've made rules to exclude them," CosmicKeys shared.
British comedy expert and comedy writer Ariane, from London, told Bored Panda that, generally speaking, the more bizarre something is, the more we’re likely to chuckle, giggle, and laugh about it.
“The weirder and more surprising the photo, the more likely it is to make us laugh,” she said that the weirdness catches us unaware and we instinctively end up laughing.
“I tend to laugh the most at animals pulling human expressions while doing crazy things!” she opened up.
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Anyone else hearing the Mission Impossible music in their head whilst looking at this one?
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I spoke to Ariane about the role that context plays in comedy. In her opinion, humor is instantaneous. Context only becomes vital when there’s such a stunning lack of it that it starts to infringe on our ability to get the joke. If the audience doesn’t find the photo or situation relatable at all, they might end up asking for more information to get the joke. And that can harm the comedic effect.
“Context is important only if we’re unlikely to get a joke otherwise, as I think the sooner we get a joke, the funnier we find it,” Ariane told Bored Panda. “If it takes us a while then that initial shock and surprise is delayed and so we’re less likely to laugh and more likely to go ‘oh, I get it now!’”
In short, this means that even though the photos from r/hmmm quite obviously lack context, they also seem to have enough of it available to make us laugh. We can relate to the photos on some level. Well, at least to most of them.
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I like that. We should have more accurate mannequins for women too ;)
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I was also curious about Ariane’s opinion on whether we’re born with comedic talent or if it’s a skill like any other. To be developed, nourished, and honed. In her view, it’s both.
“Some people are born with funny bones, but those who aren’t so lucky could watch a lot of great standup comedy and try to emulate the timing and pace,” Ariane suggested how we can develop our sense of humor and comedic timing. “There are also some excellent comedy courses available online.”
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According to Urban Dictionary, ‘hmmm’ is the sound made by those who are “in the act of thinking.” However, fellow internet users, note the number of m’s there. There are, in fact, 3. ‘Hmmm,’ therefore, “represents more thinking than hmm, but significantly less cranial activity than hmmmm.”
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The subreddit, stresses the fact that all titles have to be ‘hmmm,’ all in lowercase. Yes, absolutely every post shared on the sub has the same title. It’s as bizarre a rule as many of the photos themselves. Do we love it? You betcha! This is the sort of quirky stuff that the internet was made for.
The moderators of r/hmmm also ask their members not to post any memes, mashups, or drawings. They might be funny and make us go r/hmmm, but the subreddit is for real-life situations only. Oh, and if you’ve got a gif instead of a photo to share, they’ve got their own separate subreddit for them called r/hmmmgifs right over here.
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Know Your Meme explains that the r/hmmm subreddit “remained relatively dormant” until mid-February of 2017. A photo of a man with a pack of Pitbulls wearing sunglasses went viral and put the entire community on the map. And no wonder, the photo really does make you go ‘hmmm,’ as you wonder what the ever-loving heck is going on there. Ever since then, r/hmmm has been a thriving community. And we hope that’ll continue. In a world where information is readily available at our fingertips, it’s a real luxury to look at a photo and stand, confused, wondering what exactly is happening.
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For the kind of drivers that also plow into snow figures and tidy lawns.
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I don't see anything wrong here. Just a teen (not) enjoying their birthday.
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Crocs may not be a good fashion choice but she has every right to wear them
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Idk that sniper up front looks awesome. And if there’s a home intruder, just grab a gun and make Swiss cheese /j
Load More Replies...When your financial priority is more guns, MORE, over decent clothes, decent haircuts, a decent barbecue, decent garden furniture and a decent bike for your daughter. (And no, I’m not shaming, but they can clearly afford all of the above if they’ve spent that much on this collection).
You're not shaming but I will: They are a shame, stupid bloody idiots.
Load More Replies...Unless you are going to start a war there is absolutely no reason to have this many guns, right to bear arms or not. W*nkers
Kids and Guns.. always healthy together. WTF is wrong with these people?
That little girl is literally staring down the barrels of multiple guns... geez
maybe a vision of her future in school (sarcastic thought, I pray this doesn't happen again 😥)
Load More Replies...you could because burglar know they could get A LOT of gun by robbing you
Load More Replies...What a way to raise a family. Sorry kids, no Christmas presents this year. Daddy needs more guns.
Hey, Europe? Can I come and live with you? I don’t want to be around these people anymore.
The dude probably can't, either. I can almost bet that he has several teeth rotting.
Load More Replies...Most of those weapons a civilian DOES NOT need and SHOULD NOT have access to.
So, once you fill the house with all those guns, where tf do you sleep and eat?
I'm retired from the U.S. military. I can very effectively use any of those weapons. I have no need or desire to own or possess any of them as a civilization.
Maybe they wouldn't have to live in a shack if they didn't spend everything on weapons. You can only use one, maybe two at once. I see four of you. Four morons.
I'm for people responsibly owning guns....but this is overkill. And also, unless they also have a stockpile of bullets, all of these will be worthless if there was "that kind of event".
A responsible gun owner doesn't display their entire arsenal posing their daughter on a bike in the middle of it and then post it to social media. They're just asking for someone to case the place waiting for them to be gone. You're arming thieves when you do this crap
Load More Replies...An obsession with guns is so childish. Its a ridiculous, infantile power fantasy. Its like those middle-aged American men decked out in 'tactical' gear. Silly little boys playing make-believe soldiers.
So glad I don’t live in a country where literally anyone on the street might be carrying a gun and could use it on whoever they wanted at any time if they were so inclined. Occasionally have to cross the border and it actually makes me nervous being in a country like that.
Not “literally anyone” could be carrying a gun on the street. Where I’m located you have to get a permit to even carry a gun out but then also to conceal carry. This is a detailed process with background checks and it makes sure nobody unsafe is carrying a gun. There are always some people who slip through of course, however that is the exact reason we have conceal carry. If you were put in a dangerous situation, it would be good to have a decent weapon on you, such as a gun. Not everyone you meet is conceal carrying but when they are it’s for their own safety and the safety of those around them.
Load More Replies...How could you smile when loaded rifles and pistols around you and some are even pointing at your direction? I feel sorry for them. So, I hoped those guns were photoshopped.
My estimate guess is, the guns collection cost more than the house.
And we all know why our education is so horrible...
Load More Replies...American kids shot (either by themselves or others) increased by 50% in 2020. I WONDER WHY?
"Now honey, you know better than to ride your bike near the loaded ones - go ride on the roof with the unloaded ones where it's safe!"
That is a sickness. Too much of anything is bad, especially when it is lethal.
With the money they spent on all that, plus all the ammo to run through it, they could have been living in a mansion. Having that many sliding glass doors is not secure either. These folks can never go on vacation and trust that all those could very well wind up in the wrong hands.
Load More Replies...someone in this family has a mental illness of some sort... this is ridiculous and saddening.
OMG -- hope they are all toys. If not, that little girl is in danger. Just ask an ER nurse who has seen the results of too many guns and not enough supervision. Try a 3 year old child killed by his eight year old brother who thought that gun was a toy. And watch that family implode. Too many times the person who gets killed by such a display is not an intruder but a friend or family member.
Sick f****. I wonder if she realises that statistically one of those guns are more likely to be used in her and the kid than to protect them.
Waste of money. Too many trash guns. For those unaware this is way way over 10,000$ in firearms
you can't use them all at once so more than 2 per person is a waste
Unless they've got an elephant gun or two, they're screwed. Just ask Burt.
Load More Replies...Everyone can have a collection of something, cars, stamps, coins, cars, tools, wives, or guns
Which one of you wants to see the next victim? Seriously who would want that around their kids and what kind of statement is this?
Absolutely Ridiculous! There is No Need for this many weapons! Or are they waiting for an Apocalypse?
All the hate is so r******d; if they were any other currency would you act so self rightous? I would guess this man owns a chain of 2nd amendment related businesss or p**n brokers, or acts as a responsible and safe storage facility for gun owners a.who have children, but. Who are on a trip, c. Who are part of a collective collective of seasonal residents who live in a hunting community etc. . BTW that's easily a million dollars probably times 10
or tell me you´re a killing machine with out telling me you´re a killing machine
Background of the picture: https://www.leica-oskar-barnack-award.com/en/series-finalists/2021/gabriele-galimberti.html
FFS, that's a sure sign of mental illness. I hope the little girl has not been abused in some way.
You know, if these losers were more politically active they wouldn't need a stockpile in the event of a government catastrophe.
When the libs invade, I'll get me sum ammo and make a heck of a lot of noise.
Just one of the reasons I no longer consider any of the the U.S. a tourist destination.
Joel, 44, and Lynne, 43, in Austin, Texas, with their children and 80 per cent of their gun collection
And when they end up dead the "Poor" family sets up a go fund me page to cover medical & funeral expenses because they have no insurance. Poor gun nuts. 🙄
And this is just the back porch.....wait until you see the front porch's collection!!!
This is like one of those experiments with loads of mouse traps and ping pong balls, only allot more dangerous.
They could have at least pointed them away from the house. Are they inviting others to come and shoot them?
Why not buy couple good guns and horde/stock ammo? This doesn't make sense to me since I am not gun person.
What's it like to be so afraid of the world that you think you need those?
These are the kind of people who form militias in Montana and call themselves "sovereign citizens".
We don't know the context here. Also, if you say they shouldn't have so many guns, are you saying they should have just one gun, like members of street gangs do? And do you know if they've ever hurt anyone with any of these? If so, they'd be in jail and not posing. Should ancient sword or other weapons collectors be vilified? If so, picket a museum. So much self-righteous presumption.
& on THE ROOF? If I lived in that bad of a neighborhood . . . or perhaps these ARE the bad neighbors. Shame it's not guitars! Music will save the world!
tell me you've got a micropenis without telling me you've got a micropenis.
Why would you even need that many guns? Also if you're going hunting and you need automatic rifles then you are a bad hunter.
Media calls more than 3 firearms an "arsenal". They are doing it wrong....
You better hope to God that there will never be a fire. If I were a firefighter, your house would burn.
Maybe, if they leave them out long enough, they’ll get rained on, and rust, and never work. We can pray!
God bless America, or else ! And Leo, not even the right to bear them. We no longer have a militia.
Notice how these are all arranged to look like letters? And words? Now, read the letters backwards ... can you see what it says? ;)
We believe in the 2nd Amendment. We got the message! But why are the ones on the deck all pointed at the children?
As long as they're not attacking innocent people, fine by me.
Freedom means they can have the guns. Freedom means we can also call them syphilitic ass-monkeys for doing so. We can also freely express the opinion that the gun-aholic is telling his family that his collection is the MOST important thing in his life. Freedom is to say that family likely has Stockholm syndrome and/or fears for their lives so much they cannot leave lest this micro-phallic pyscho USE these prosthetic extensions on them
Load More Replies...Note: this post originally had 99 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
What the... I had to return to the post to confirm this! I didn't notice!
Load More Replies...Some posts in here were pretty cool, some interesting, and some that makes me understand why aliens hover over earth, then decide "Nah" and leave.
It would be great if people stop posting anything with the Confederate flag Hitler or guns. They've had enough commercialization as it is
Have you ever played Quiplash with a bunch people? Often people will just type the first obvious response. Sometimes it isn't even a joke. It is just a cliche or a catchphrase or some meme punchline. But then it gets all the votes because the other people are just excited to recognize the line. I get reminded of that every time I look at the top voted comments on this site.
Lithuanians have a very twisted and lovely way of seeing life. Aciu Bored Panda!
46 looks like a Breaking Bad convention so not exactly hmmm that a bunch of bald guys dressed up as Walter White.
Why are they all called 'Hmmm'? literally all of them. Capital H and 3 ms
What the... I had to return to the post to confirm this! I didn't notice!
Load More Replies...Some posts in here were pretty cool, some interesting, and some that makes me understand why aliens hover over earth, then decide "Nah" and leave.
It would be great if people stop posting anything with the Confederate flag Hitler or guns. They've had enough commercialization as it is
Have you ever played Quiplash with a bunch people? Often people will just type the first obvious response. Sometimes it isn't even a joke. It is just a cliche or a catchphrase or some meme punchline. But then it gets all the votes because the other people are just excited to recognize the line. I get reminded of that every time I look at the top voted comments on this site.
Lithuanians have a very twisted and lovely way of seeing life. Aciu Bored Panda!
46 looks like a Breaking Bad convention so not exactly hmmm that a bunch of bald guys dressed up as Walter White.
Why are they all called 'Hmmm'? literally all of them. Capital H and 3 ms