Week in Weird: Pigs Can’t Fly, But They Can Play Video Games

Pigs can play video games now

Researchers have discovered that they can teach pigs how to play video games. According to the study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, the two Yorkshire pigs named Hamlet and Omelet and two micro pigs Ebony and Ivory were used a “rudimentary joystick-operated video game task” to learn how to manipulate a joystick using their snouts in order to move the computer’s cursor around. When the cursor hits a wall, the pigs receive a treat from a dispenser connected to the joystick.

Peppa Pig Pancake

In other pig-related news, a video of this hilarious pancake-gone-wrong went viral on February 16, a.k.a. Pancake Day in England. Tiktok user .stelldog attempted to make pancakes using her Peppa Pig frying pan, which had an outline of the famous cartoon character on it so users could simply fill it in so to speak. Except things went sideways when she added too much batter. “Looks like my sleep paralysis demon,” said one comment.

People wanted to stay at Cecil Hotel more after Elisa Lam’s case

People are once again talking about the disappearance of Elisa Lam after Netflix dropped the docuseries Crime Scene focusing on the case. This included former hotel manager Amy Price, who shared that the hotel was “like an adult amusement park” after the case got media attention. Random people — not actual investigators — would come to the hotel trying to solve Lam’s case. “It was extremely disruptive. From the moment that she was discovered and the circumstances of her death, it became almost like an adult amusement park. It was a circus. I mean, people [were] trying to access the building from the exterior [and] coming in with cameras. It was crazy.”

This silicone-made baby doll will make you question what is real

Sculptor Cristina Jobs is so good at her job she can make silicone models of newborn babies look so real they make people cry. The baby dolls could be ones that just came out of the womb or ones dressed in cute clothes, but one thing is similar: all of them look too real. She shared with Mirror that she can take as much as “two months to a year” to make her sculptures. “The feeling of creating something that might confuse reality with fiction is something I’m passionate about,” she said. And well, yeah, she’s clearly accomplishing that.

‘Dismembered’ body parts are actually just . . . mannequins?

Officials in California kept on receiving reports of body parts floating in the waters next to a highway ramp. Motorists said it looked like dismembered body parts from afar. But upon closer look, they’re really just mannequin torsos, arms, and legs floating in the water. The mannequin parts have since been removed.

Coffee shop offers free squishy toy

Deliver now at https://t.co/wWtJTwqCIO

Or

Download The Cold Sip Mobile App Available on Google Play Store and App Store

Click this link to download:https://t.co/uurVHXdGxo pic.twitter.com/cJmNWXSmQb

— Cold Sip (@coldsip_) February 18, 2021

Local coffee shop Cold Sip just started tweeting, but they got raised eyebrows from some netizens when they posted their first-ever Twitter ad. It was a simple one stating that you could get free delivery for what seemed to be the first 250 orders (we’re not sure on the wording, too). But it’s really the “free squishy toy” that caught people’s attention, because it looks like a miniature penis. Cold Sip hasn’t clarified if it really is meant to look like that, but they’ve followed up that first tweet with equally suggestive tweets promoting their brand. Our only question is: is that really the brand image?

This woman straps nearly 1,000 cacti and succulents to her body

In New Zealand, a woman was found guilty of violating biosecurity laws when she attempted smuggling 947 cacti and succulents valued at over USD 10,000 by strapping them all to her body. Wenqing Li wrapped them in moldy, wet paper, which could have been a potential source of disease, while seeds were hidden in her luggage. She has been sentenced to intensive supervision for 12 months and 100 hours of community work.

Snowstorms bring snow art

Someone is bored.. 🕷🕸 pic.twitter.com/5b0zXCjYpN

— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden_) February 16, 2021

Snowstorms are currently beating down some parts of the world, and most people are simply staying in and huddling in for warmth. But some people thought of making huge artworks on the snow: this guy in the Netherlands decided to create a spiderweb. He’s taking relieving boredom to the next level.

What other weird news have you seen on your feed this week? Share them with us!