GagBase Logo Explore

The Observer Effect in Real Life

A three-panel comic strip illustrating the observer effect. In the first panel, a wildlife researcher with blonde hair wearing a green shirt is writing in a notebook while observing three serious-looking gorillas (two on the ground, one hanging from a branch). In the second panel, the researcher looks away from her notebook. In the third panel, with the researcher gone, the gorillas are revealed to be relaxed with potbellies, smoking, and appearing much less serious - showing their true behavior when not observed.
Make

Overview

A three-panel comic strip illustrating the observer effect. In the first panel, a wildlife researcher with blonde hair wearing a green shirt is writing in a notebook while observing three serious-looking gorillas (two on the ground, one hanging from a branch). In the second panel, the researcher looks away from her notebook. In the third panel, with the researcher gone, the gorillas are revealed to be relaxed with potbellies, smoking, and appearing much less serious - showing their true behavior when not observed.

Origin notes

The comic originates from TOONHOLE.com, a webcomic platform, as indicated by the watermarks 'TOONHOLE.com' and '@TOONHOLECOMICS' in the bottom right corners. It was shared on 9Gag as indicated by the provided source information. The comic uses anthropomorphic gorillas to humorously demonstrate the observer effect, where behavior changes when being observed.

Similar memes

This is a single-panel image meme consisting of text above and below a photograph of a silverback gorilla. The top text reads 'Why did apes stop evolving?', followed by an image of a serious, stoic-looking silverback gorilla sitting in a lush, sunlit jungle environment with a small stream and waterfall visible in the background. The bottom text provides the punchline: 'Because they knew they would need to go to work if they kept evolving'. The humor stems from sarcastic anti-work sentiment, jokingly implying that apes intentionally halted their evolutionary path into humans to escape the stress and obligations of modern employment, framing the gorilla's simple natural life as a far better alternative to working a job.

modern problems avoided

This is a single-panel image …

This is a 3-panel hand-drawn webcomic with an absurd pun-based joke tied to the 'Friday Bobr' internet meme. In the first panel, a group of people gather at a party; one man excitedly greets an anthropomorphic beaver saying 'FLOWING BODY OF WATER, YOU MADE IT!!', assuming the beaver is the expected guest. Right behind him, a literal personification of a flowing body of water (an anthropomorphic blue moving river form) enters the room. In the second panel, everyone reacts with shock and confusion: the excited man drops his red solo cup, and the beaver shrinks down to a normal wild animal size. In the third panel, all the party guests panic, scrambling to pull apart the confused literal river guest and the beaver, with the excited man frantically yelling 'GUYS. GUYS, GUYS...'.

Friday Bobr

This is a 3-panel hand-drawn …

This is a two-panel comparative meme. The top left panel features a sick, frail baby orangutan receiving oxygen support, looking weak and exhausted, paired with the text on the right reading 'Scalp hair follicles.' The bottom left panel features a large, extremely muscular, intimidating silverback gorilla sitting confidently, paired with text on the right reading 'Body hair follicles.' The meme makes a humorous, relatable joke about the stark difference in resilience between scalp hair follicles, which are often fragile, prone to thinning and falling out for many people, and body hair follicles, which are typically extremely robust, grow rapidly, and are difficult to remove permanently.

Hair Follicles Comparison Meme

This is a two-panel comparati…

The meme is a two-part collage: the upper section features an illustration of a prehistoric great ape hominid lying prone on grassy ground above a cross-section of soil. Printed over the soil cross-section is the text "We still talk about you", below which is a well-known photograph of Harambe the gorilla sitting on grass with a stoic, calm expression. The joke plays on the enduring, decades-long internet cultural legacy of Harambe, framing the gorilla as a beloved cultural figure that is still widely remembered and referenced by internet users years after his death, drawing a parallel to ancient ancestral species that are still talked about millennia later.

It’s been 10 years since the savior Harambe walked this earth

The meme is a two-part collag…

This meme shows a real gorilla in a grassy zoo enclosure, stopped mid-movement with its head hanging down in a contemplative, dejected posture. Overlaid at the top of the image is the text "When that 'wtf am I doing' randomly hits", which describes the common relatable experience of suddenly being hit by an intrusive random thought questioning why you are doing whatever activity you are currently engaged in, creating a funny relatable moment of sudden existential awkwardness.

When that 'wtf am I doing' randomly hits

This meme shows a real gorill…

The image features a split composition: the top section shows a person lying on the ground surrounded by tall grass, appearing peaceful or resting. The bottom section depicts a gorilla sitting against a cracked, earthy background. Centered between these elements is the text 'We still talk about you', creating a poignant atmosphere that evokes themes of remembrance and enduring memory of someone who may have passed or left.

Gorilla and Person with 'We Still Talk About You' Text

The image features a split co…

This is a two-panel webcomic. In the first panel, a cartoon character lies in bed at night, holding a smartphone displaying a photo of an adult orangutan cradling a smaller, sad-looking monkey; the character has a dialogue bubble stating 'HE'S JUST LIKE ME.' The second panel pulls back to reveal the character is lying beside an anime-style dakimakura (body pillow) of a smiling female character, with two Monster Energy cans on the bedside table. The joke relies on a double meaning: the character identifies with the adult monkey's care for the smaller one, but the visual punchline reveals his own substitute for companionship is the body pillow, framing his loneliness and attachment to the pillow as parallel to the monkey's bond. The humor is darkly relatable, tapping into feelings of seeking connection in non-human/non-living things.

He's Just Like Me - Relatable Monkey & Dakimakura Webcomic

This is a two-panel webcomic.…

This is a three-panel comic illustrating a classic pen-and-paper game that children played before smartphones became widespread. The first two panels show the process of drawing a line and marking a target cross on lined paper. The third panel shows three boys gathered around a spiral notebook, playing the paper version of Battleship: one boy on the right holds a pen ready to make his move, sweating slightly in focus, while the other two boys lean in watching intently. This comic references the common childhood activity of playing pencil-and-paper games when mobile games were not available.

Pre Smartphone Game

This is a three-panel comic i…

This is a two-panel hand-drawn web comic set in a gym environment. In the top panel, a skinny, self-conscious character holding small dumbbells has a thought bubble saying, "I feel so awkward among all these bodybuilders," as he assumes the more muscular gym-goers around him are judging his physique. The bottom panel subverts this expectation by revealing the inner thoughts of the three other gym members: the muscular man doing bench press thinks, "Good for him for showing up," expressing support; the man doing sit-ups reflects, "I started out the same way once," relating to the skinny character's beginner experience; and the man using a cable machine is preoccupied with his own personal struggle, thinking, "Only the clanking of iron drowns out Mom's yelling in my head." The humor and heart of the comic come from the contrast between the insecure character's self-focused anxiety and the reality that others are either supportive or wrapped up in their own issues, not paying attention to him.

Gym Insecurities: The Other Side of the Story

This is a two-panel hand-draw…