Today we show you the best optical illusions of 2016.
Let's talk about that.
♪ (theme music) ♪
- Good Mythical Morning! - Each year, the folks over at...
...IllusionOfTheYear.com gather the greatest illusions summarized in
video form on the Internet from that year and and rank runners-up and the
top three. And then every year, Mythical Beasts, we see it as our service
to you to spend the past 24 hours letting our eyes glaze over with these illusions
and then present them to you in a form a long with presenting them to...
- ...each other. So let's get to it. - Oh, wow! This is very complex.
Mythical Beasts, we present to you the 10 best optical illusions of 2016!
Starting with one called "Caught Inside a Bubble."
- (high voice) Ooh! - Okay, Link. I want you to fixate on...
...the cross symbol right there in the middle of that screen.
- Yes. - (Rhett) And play it for us.
(Rhett) Tell me what happens.
(Link) Ooh... okay. It goes from pink and blue circles to, like
big and little ones. And the big and little ones are colored.
- Okay, they're colored green and purple. - But they're not!
- And pink. - They're not colored.
- So what you're seeing... - They are just white?
...[is] and after-image of the colored bull's-eye and basically each bubble
is a different size and it captures a different after-image.
So you see the big one is green. The little one is purple.
- (Link) Yes. - (Rhett) It's all based on the...
...after-image, but it's really just a bubble. It's an optical illusion!
(Link) It's such an illusion! How do we use this in everyday life, Rhett?
Well, I don't know how we use it, but it is very similar to an illusion that
I create in the bathtub whenever I eat Indian foot.
- Ooh. That's grody, man. - (exhales)
- (crew offscreen laughing) - Take that mental picture home...
- ...with you. - All right, I've got one for you called...
..."The Elbow Illusion." A video has been made for this. And just to clarify,
like I said, only the top three are ranked. All these other ones are runners-up.
- Just all runners-up. - I'm not gonna show you their video.
Instead, I'm gonna demonstrate this one for you. So what I want you to do --
because it's not optical. It's touch-ical.
- Okay. Don't think that's a word. - Close your eyes and hold out your...
...arm like this. And I'm gonna run my finger slowly up your forearm.
- I'm nervous. - I want you to yell, "Stop" when it...
- ...hits the crux of your elbow. - The crease?
- The crook. The crease. The crux. - The joint.
- The joint. The inside of your elbow. - Okay. All right.
- Do you feel my finger? - Yeah. I have feeling.
All right. Slowly moving up.
(Rhett exhales)
- (Rhett) Stop. - See, look. I stopped short.
You did! You stopped about an inch short!
- (stammering) I don't understand. - The skin's receptors aren't good...
...at tracking slow-motion movement, as it turns out.
- Oh. - So the finger feels like it's moving...
...faster than it actually is because of your skin receptors. They get antsy.
So if you wanna sneak up on somebody with touch... I mean, I don't recommend...
- ...that, but you should just move slowly. - No, I think if you're in a highly...
...flirtatious relationship, you can say, "Hey, close your eyes. I wanna show you...
...and illusion." Close your eyes. "And hold out your arm. And then
you say, 'Stop' when I get to the crux of your arm. And then you open your eyes."
- And you're right there! - Oh, boy!
- (crew offscreen laughing) - Right there.
- Highly flirtatious relationship? - You know, when you're in one of...
...those flirta-- like, "Does he like me?"
I'm just gonna move on. This one's called "Lights and Darks in Vision."
- Now, there's two phases here. - (Link) Okay.
(Rhett) The one on the left -- they've both been converted into
two tones, but the one on the left, the gray has replaced the light tones
and the one on the right, the same exact gray has replaced the dark tones.
So if you look at these two images together -- you can go ahead and
play it, Eddie -- the color in the white of the eyes on the left is the same exact
color as the lips on the right. Do you believe it? Watch this as we bring...
- ...these two together. - (Link) No!
(Rhett) Yes. It's the exact same gray. Look at that.
- (LInk) What? - (Rhett) It's the exact same gray.
Because your brain just says, "I know what color whites of eyes are," so then it...
Well, basically what's happening is the brain is designed to used context to
determine things like color, shape, and shade. So depending on how the gray
is being used, either as a light tone or a dark tone, it looks lighter or darker.
- (Link) Mhm. - So it's all about contrast.
I'm gonna talk about windmills. This is the "Millusion." All right.
So I'm gonna show you two windmills at night. I want you to tell me...
- ...what direction each windmill... - But it's morning.
...is turning: clockwise or counter-clockwise, okay?
So let's play it. Look at these night windmills, Rhett.
(Link) The one on the left is turning which direction?
- (Rhett) Counter-clockwise. - (Link) And the one on the right?
- (Rhett) Clockwise. - Okay. That was pretty easy...
...for ya. But now let's bring up the sun and see these things in the daylight.
- (Link) What do they look like? - (Rhett) The sun didn't come up.
- (Rhett) Just arrows came up. - (Link) Come on, sun. Come up.
- (Rhett) Oh. - (Link) Here we go.
(Link) Now which direction is the one on the left turning?
(Rhett) Awww, the sun changes everything!
- (Link) They're turning the same direction. - (Rhett) The opposite direction.
When three dimensions are presented in two dimensions without shadows or
shading, your brain can't figure out what's in the front or what's in
the back. I have a similar problem when wearing a sports bra.
They're so strappy. I can't tell which should be the front or which should...
- ...be be back. - That's the back.
- All right, how do YOU know? - Because I see nipples.
- It's... well... - Because you're not getting...
- ...any support at all with that. - (Link and crew offscreen laughing)
- Well, it's not that obvious to me. - That was definitely the back.
Well, don't go out in the sunlight with that thing on.
- Yeah. - Just go out at night.
- Amongst the windmills. - Yes.
Me and my sports bra dance amongst the windmills.
Okay, how about the "Shrunken Finger" illusion? Again, there is a video for...
- ...this one, but we're not going... - Oh, yeah!
...to use the video, because I can demonstrate this to you in person.
- Link, take this. I want you to --... - Ooh!
...and if you have a half-sphere at home, please bring it out.
- This is the chance. Whoa! - One of those things, huh?
Well, I'd prefer you not use it in that way, because that's a different
illusion. So break out your half-spehere.
- Did it look like it flew? - Now, look at it straight on like this...
...and you will begin to think that you're holding just a ball, right?
You can imagine that your're just holding a ball when you see this, because it looks
exactly the same as it would if it had a back on it. You don't know that.
Sure. Like if I hold it for them, it looks like a ball now.
Yeah. So if you place it onto your middle finger and look down on it...
- it will make it appear... - I'm gonna use my ring finger...
- ...so as not to... - Sure, that's fine.
It'll make your finger look and feel shorter than it actually is.
- Does it work? - (Link) It does feel shorter...
- ...than it actually is. - (Rhett) And because it makes your...
...finger feel and look shorter than it actually is, I suggest only using...
- ...this on fingers. - (laughing)
- Keep it on the hands and everything... - Noted.
- ...will be okay. - It, it... that gave me a weird sensation.
- (laughing) That's what we're all... - You know?
- ...about here. - It's an illusion. This one is called...
..."Remote Controls" for reasons that I don't fully understand. I'm gonna show you
a video that has lots of rectangles. But two of the small rectangles --
one in the left quadrant, one in the right quadrant -- are gonna be flashing.
- Okay, - And then the triangles around them...
...are going to move in such a way as to illicit a reaction.
- Okay. I'm excited. - I'm gonna ask your you to tell me...
...are the small rectangles blinking in phase or out of phase. Okay?
- Okay, Got it. - All right, here we go. Watch this.
- (Rhett) Out of phase. - (Link) Out of phase right now.
(Link) And then if I were to bring the rectangles against it.
- (Rhett) Out of phase. - (Link) Still out of phase.
(Link) But then if I added a little bit of a gap.
- (Rhett) In phase! What?! - (Link) In phase all of a sudden, right?
- (Link) And now what if I made the... - (Rhett) In phase. Whoa, in phase.
- ...ones on the side larger. - (Rhett) Out of phase.
- (Link) Out of phase again? - (Rhett) Out of phase.
- (Link) What about now? - (Rhett) Out of phase.
- (Link) Back in phase? - (Rhett) Out of phase.
(Link) Should be going back in phase when then come back down.
Really? Well, it doesn't work. I'm a robot.
- At first you fell for it. - I can't be fooled.
So what happened is, uh...
- I actually have no frickin' clue... - (Rhett and crew offscreen laughing)
- "I have no idea what happened." ...how this one works.
But it is similar to a game I like to play in the cornfields of Iowa: in maize...
- ...or out of maize. - (lips "smack") You play it by yourself?
- Yeah. - (laughing) 'Cause you've never invited me.
- No, no no. Alone. - (crew offscreen laughing)
- It's a solitary game. - You just run through the cornfield?
- Yeah. - Good. Yeah, I don't wanna be...
...a part of that. All right, this one's called the "Dale--"...
You can also play it when you run out of maize.
This one is called the "Dalesman Singers Illusion."
- The Dalesman Singers? - Yeah, Link. You need to listen to...
...this one, because w need to hear the Dalesman Singers sing.
- ♪ (people singing) ♪ - (Rhett) Tell me what's happening...
- ...with those letters. - (Link) I like the music.
(Rhett) What's happening with the letters?
(Link) The letters are kinda dancing like this.
(Rhett) But they're not! The letters are actually stationary!
I don't know why we had to get the Dalesman Singers out.
Why you gotta bring the Dalesman Singers into this. Is this like their logo?
The are the official singers of optical illusions.
It's a horrible logo. If this is your logo, it's horrible. But it is a good...
- ...optical illusion. Because basically... - (Link) That S is not moving!
...the pulsating brightness against the black and white edges of the letters
create a small illusion of movement, which is amplified by the number of letters.
Thanks, Dalesman. Your music is changing lives.
Where are they now? We'll have to figure that out.
Somewhere on a hillside, all together. with their arms around each other.
Now we get into the top three, starting with the third-place illusion of the
year 2016: "The Silhouette Zoetrope." Now typically zoetrope -- we played with...
- ...one of these at Disneyland. - Yeah.
It's a spinning thing with slits in it. And then on the inside, there's a printed
image. But for this particular illusion -- Let's play it -- it's got some birds
around the outside, but on the inside, there's nothing printed. This is
cutting edge. So then, when it is spun, KFC the bird in the middle.
- (Rhett, very confusedly) KFC? - (Link) Like... yeah. It's kind of like...
...KFC, but the opposite, because there's actually no bird in middle.
At there's birds in the middle of the cylinder at KFC, and by cylinder...
- ...I mean buckets. - Buckets?
- And by birds I mean fried chicken. - You said this is KFC's new logo?
- It could be. It could be! - It's on all the (stammering)...
They spin the bucket and it looks like... You don't wanna think about a flying
chicken when you're eating a chicken though.
Right. Cut some holes in your chicken bucket, and then spin it and see
if the fired chicken goes in there. That got third place.
I'm surprised that got third place, but the second-place winner will...
...blow your mind. This is "The Ambiguous Cylinder Illusion." Just play it.
Take it in, Link. That's just a mirror. And look at what is happening.
(Link) What the crud? No freakin' way!
(Rhett) That is that shape. That is that shape.
(Rhett) Look as he brings these in, Link.
- (Link stammering) What?! - (Rhett stammering) Look at that! What?!
(Rhett stammering) How?! How?!
- (Link) What are you asking me? - (Rhett) Look at this!
(Link) You're the one who's supposed to know.
- (Rhett) I know. I do know. - (Link) What?!
- (Rhett) I'm gonna tell you in a second. - (Link) That's not a mirror.
(Link) That's a split screen. It's called "video effects."
(Rhett) No. This is a mirror, but it is just sorcery. This actual sorcery.
- Mirror sorcery. - This is the first illusion that has...
...just been determined to be actual sorcery. So you get second place for that.
- That man is a mirror witch. - Actually, there are bulbous...
...squares. So they're halfway between a circle and a square and the tops wave
up and down. So the shape looks different depending on the angle that you look at it.
And to make it even more ambiguous, all the objects are named either...
- ..."Taylor," "Alex," or "Jordan." - (laughing)
- That is so crazy! It's so crazy! - Yeah! Yeah.
It makes me wanna rend my clothes and reveal my sports bra again!
- Ahhh! Okay. - Why don't you do the best illusion...
...of the year while wearing a sports bra.
Ladies and gentlemen, without further ado -- well, with a little further ado...
- ...because I'm buttoning my shirt --... - Yeah.
...here is the number one illusion of 2016. It is called "Motion Integration Unleashed."
All right, let's play this. Now that is a dot -- a fuzzy circle with some shifting
happening, but the dot's not moving. If the dot would move, it would...
- (Rhett) Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! - ...look like that.
- (Link) Now, with these... - (Rhett) Whoa.
- ...that square is not moving at all. - (Rhett) No, yes, it is.
- (Link) No, it's not. - (Rhett) Yes, it is! It's going like this.
(Link) Only the shifting lines within the fuzzies are moving.
- (Rhett) And now those are going like this! - (Link) They are not going like that!
- (Rhett) They're going like this. - (Link) Only the fuzzies are shifting...
...but they're not moving! And look at that one.
(Rhett) It's like a bunch of little burgers.
- (Link) Is that undulating for you? - (Rhett) It makes me hungry.
- (Link) Is that undulating for you? - (Rhett) Yeah, it is.
I want pair of clothes that has these on it.
I mean, that's pretty amazing. I think that the other -- I mean, this
one's not gonna make me rend my shirt again. I think it got best because they...
- ...put the word "unleashed" after it. - Yeah, you can't be doing that kind...
- ...of branding to it. - If you put "unleashed" after anything...
- ...(stammering) gonna win stuff. - Yeah, that's only for monster trucks.
"Pet Ferret: Unleashed." - Mmkay.
- "Honey Bunches of Oats: Unleashed." - Yeah, they cheated.
- "Regular Cheerios: Unleashed." - Bu you know, what?
Congratulations to you, Motion Integration Unleashed.
You're the best illusion of 2016. And congratulations to you for...
- ...experiencing all of them with us. - And thanks...
- You know what time it is! - I'm Caitlin from Toronto, Ontario.
And it's time to spin The Wheel of Mythicality.
Make sure you watch Good Mythical Crew this weekend, where you can see
Mike and Alex learn an actual illusion from a real illusionist.
And if you want the illusion that your hair is awesome, you should get the...
...Mythical Pomade. Rhettandlink.com/store!
(laughing) Yes. Click through to Good Mythical More. Mike and Alex and gonna
teach us a magic trick or two that they learned in their excursion.
(Rhett) "Chicken is a curse word."
Man... sometimes I just wanna go, "Chicken!"
- Hey, man. What...? -Sorry.
- There's kids! - I didn't mean to...
- There's kids somewhere. I'm sure. - (high voice) Boop! Boop! Boop!
I mean, they're not here, but they're inside the camera.
- You know what else is everywhere? - You shut the chicken up, man.
Chickens. Are Everywhere.
- I meant the animal. Not the bad word. - Sometimes you gotta... It's about...
- ...the context. Yeah. - Right.
I'd love to sink my teeth into some chicken! Some chicken chicken!
(laughing)
[Captioned by Kevin: GMM Captioning Team]