+
Joy

10 things that made us smile this week

Upworthy's weekly roundup of joy.

boy riding bike with joy, older women entertaining baby

From giggling kiddos to the generosity of strangers, this week's roundup is full of joy.

What do you get when you combine a hilarious Boyz II Men remake, Paul Rudd singing about a beanie, a heartwarming obituary and a sling-shotting squirrel with perfect aim?

You get Upworthy's list of 10 things that made us smile this week. Naturally.

These roundups are always an eclectic mix of delightful finds, and this week's list is no exception. Joy can be found in so many places in so many ways, and it's fun to see what trips people's smile triggers.


If you're looking for something to lift your spirits, something in this list is sure to do the trick. Enjoy!

1. Daughter shows her deaf mom Rihanna's interpreter at the Super Bowl and it's so wholesome.

@mylifeasbella

#duet with @rollingstone My mom didn’t watch the superbowl so this was her first time seeing this and SHE LOOOVED 🤩 #fyp #deafparents #ASL #rihanna #reaction #coda #xyzbca

The way she starts to jam! Priceless. Read the full story here.

2. A baby started crying on a flight and three older women came to the rescue.

It really does take a village, even when your village is a temporary one 30,000 feet in the air. Here's to the kindness and helpfulness of strangers.

3. Boys II Men remade 'I'll Make Love To You' for long-time couples and it's hilariously spot on.

"I'll make love to you like you want me to. Unless you're too tired, because I'm tired too." Oh my gosh. Nailed it. Read the full story here.

4. Daughter's viral TikTok made her indie author dad a bestseller overnight.

The internet has its problems, but it also has a whole lot of beautiful moments. Check out dad's reaction to finding out the book he spent 14 years writing was selling out on Amazon and read the full story here.

5. Emmy-winner Bob Weide's obituary for his wife of 25 years is a heartwarming viral love story.

It may seem odd to put an obituary in a "things that made us smile" list, but this one deserves it. It's a wonderful tribute to his wife Linda, wrapped up with a perfect last line: "For those who never knew her, I'm sorry for your loss." Read the sweet love story here.

6. Dad captures his son's pure joy riding his bike and his giggle is infectious.

There's nothing better than the sound of a child experiencing genuine delight. So precious.

7. Squirrel slingshots a chipmunk off its pad with perfect aim.

(Pardon me while I watch this half a dozen more times.)

8. Paul Rudd and Jimmy Fallon's 'Teenie Weenie Beanie' song just gets funnier and funnier.

Give it 45 seconds to get to the best parts. I promise, "teenie weenie beanie on a tub of Vaseline-y" is worth it. Read the full story here.

9. Sound up to see why this dog's perfectly timed side-eye got 10 million views.

@noodleandtilde

feel like someone in this room might have been part of the survey (original credit @Paddy)

Yep, Noodle is most definitely judging you. Read more about Noodle's constant side-eyes here.

10. Let's take some lessons in stealth and precision from this brilliant ragdoll cat.

Talk about walking in someone's footsteps! Impressive. And the way it took one step into the snow and said, "Nope." Totally felt that.

Hope you found some reasons to smile here! If you'd like to have these posts delivered straight to your inbox each week, subscribe to our free email newsletter, The Upworthiest, here.

Joy

Sorry, Labradors. After 31 years, America has a new favorite dog.

The American Kennel Club has crowned a new favorite.

via Pixabay

A sad-looking Labrador Retriever

The sweet-faced, loveable Labrador Retriever is no longer America’s favorite dog breed. The breed best known for having a heart of gold has been replaced by the smaller, more urban-friendly French Bulldog.

According to the American Kennel Club, for the past 31 years, the Labrador Retriever was America’s favorite dog, but it was eclipsed in 2022 by the Frenchie. The rankings are based on nearly 716,500 dogs newly registered in 2022, of which about 1 in 7 were Frenchies. Around 108,000 French Bulldogs were recorded in the U.S. in 2022, surpassing Labrador Retrievers by over 21,000.

Keep ReadingShow less
via Google and Freepik

Google's new personal information removal submission page.

In the internet era, the idea of personal privacy is all but a myth. With a few keystrokes just about anyone can get your home address, phone number, email, age and the names of your family members. The fact that this information is readily available puts us all in the dangerous position of being the victim of fraud, stalking and violence.

What makes the situation even worse is that our information was put online without any of our consent.

The good news is that Google just made a big change that gives us all a little more control over our personal information. On April 27, the company announced it will allow anyone to request removals of their personal information from its Search feature.

“Open access to information is a key goal of Search, but so is empowering people with the tools they need to protect themselves and keep their sensitive, personally identifiable information private. That’s why we’re updating our policies to help people take more control of their online presence in Search,” Michelle Chang, Google’s Global Policy Lead for Search, announced on the company’s blog.

Keep ReadingShow less
Joy

An 8-year-old snuck his handwritten book onto a library shelf. Now it has a 56-person waiting list.

Dillon Helbig's 81-page graphic novel— written by "Dillon His Self"—captured the hearts of his local librarians and their patrons.

Dillon Helbig's 81-page graphic novel captured the hearts of his local librarians.

Writing a book is no easy task, even for adult professional writers. Many would-be authors dream of a day when their work can be found on library shelves, unsure if it will ever come.

But for 8-year-old Dillon Helbig, that day has already arrived—in truly unconventional fashion—thanks to his own determination to make it happen.

Dillon wrote his 81-page graphic novel, "The Adventures of Dillon Helbig's Crismis" (written by "Dillon His Self") in a hardcover journal with colored pencils over the course of a few days. He even put a label on the back of the book that reads "Made in Idho" [sic] and put an illustrated spine label on it as well. Then, without telling anyone, he brought it to his local library in Boise, Idaho, and slipped it in among the books in the children's section.

Keep ReadingShow less

Becca Moore and Raul Torres having margaritas.

Becca Moore is a popular TikToker with over 800,000 followers who's known for her funny, laid-back takes on dating. Like any influencer-type she was at the Coachella music and arts festival in Indio, California recently. While she was at Coachella, she was robbed of her phone, rental car keys and wallet.

“I went to Coachella this weekend and I thought this guy was kinda hitting on me but then he just robbed me,” Becca says at the beginning of her three-minute TikTok video with over 3 million views. After the festival, she was left with no ride, money, or means to get in contact with friends and family. She was stranded in the desert.

Becca’s friend’s hotel called her an Uber so she could get to a local store to buy a new phone. The driver she was incredibly lucky to be connected with was a lot more than a guy with a car in a time of need, he was a guardian angel named Raul Torres from Fresno, California, six hours north of Indio.

Keep ReadingShow less
Joy

44 years ago he became her protector after a terrible act. Today, they've been reunited in love.

Betsy and Irv are finally getting the happy ending they deserve. Together.

It’s pretty safe to say that everyone loves a good love story.

There’s a whole genre of music and movies dedicated to the idea of someone being swept off of their feet after circumstances tried to keep them from their true love. Romance novels could single handedly keep public libraries and bookstores afloat. Everyone loves "love" and the story of Betsy and Irv just takes the cake. Betsy Sailor attended Penn State University as a business major, which was almost unheard of in 1978 and Irv Pankey attended the university while playing football. The pair’s paths never crossed, until an unfortunate incident bonded the two forever.

Keep ReadingShow less
@SopheAlice/TikTok

Best way to travel, really.

As they say, “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.”

This old adage was brought to life in a whole new way after two friends who thought they booked tickets to Budapest, Hungary, instead found themselves heading to Bucharest, Romania.

Just a minor 500-mile difference, but who’s counting?

TikToker @SophAlice posted a video of the pair realizing their mix-up, which went viral and set them off on an impromptu adventure based entirely on the comments they received.
Keep ReadingShow less