+
Design

Holy moly, these handmade miniature film and TV sets are incredible

miniatures, art, Bridget McCarty, tiny rooms

Looks real, doesn't it?

There truly is no limit to the amount of creative brilliance in the world. And sometimes seeing the works of talented humans is all you need to have your faith restored, or at least to brighten your day a bit.

Los Angeles based artist Bridget McCarty creates incredibly lifelike, yet nonetheless tiny rooms with remarkable craftsmanship.

Her Instagram, TikTok and YouTube are chock-full of these intricate, elaborate mini-masterpieces, and even some amazing how-to videos that can help get your own creative juices flowing.

Taking a look at these creations, it’s easy to forget that these models are in fact only inches tall.


…that is, until you notice a “giant” hand in the frame.

The amount of serenity I received from seeing this tiny sushi restaurant cannot be expressed by mere words.

Just when you thought apartments in New York couldn’t get any tinier.

McCarty also takes iconic sets from well-known movies and televisions shows, and recreates them—with exact detail—as miniature models.

When I say exact detail, I mean it.

"Seinfeld," but make it small. Like, really small.

In this recreation of Jerry’s apartment from “Seinfeld,” McCarty offers a little hack for making teeny tiny potato chips … by using bell pepper seeds! How genius is that?

A "Jurassic Park" that could fit in your pocket.

Pro tip from McCarty’s behind-the-scenes video: If doing this at home, don’t forget you have to break the tiny fence open, so that the tiny dinosaur can get out and cause tiny mayhem.

The not so "Big Bang Theory."

I think even cynical Sheldon would approve of this recreation of the popular sitcom’s Comic Center of Pasadena.

Enter a fun-sized "Friends."

Behold, a 1:12 scale model of Monica’s kitchen. Could this BE any cooler?

Harry Potter and the magical miniscule model.

Looking at McCarty’s handcrafted Flourish and Blotts, the wizarding world’s beloved bookstore found on Diagon Alley, is making me feel like a muggle.

"Star Wars" fans rejoice at this itty-bitty baby Yoda.

… aka Grogu, for "Mandalorian" purists.

Scaled-down spookiness.

The Haunted Mansion fans were baffled by McCarty’s Haunted Ballroom, complete with ghostly pipe organ and glowing chandelier. Actually, according to her website, McCarty is a huge Disney aficionado and even supplies art to Disney Parks galleries.

@bridgetmccartyminis Who has been baking in my kitchen?! #ShowYourGlow#36SecondsOfLightWork#fyp#halloween#baking#wow#amazing#lol#foryoupage♬ Who Ya Gonna Call (From "Ghostbusters") - Karaoke Version - Urock Karaoke

And I mean, who you gonna call when you need some compact "Ghostbusters" nostalgia? McCarty, clearly.

McCarty found this seven-inch house at a Michael’s craft store, and decided it would be the perfect home for a tiny Gizmo.

Many of McCarty’s pieces have itty-bitty working TVs (like, you can change the channel on them and everything), which can be found at Walmart. Who knew?

Though currently on hiatus from Etsy, McCarty also creates the most adorable custom pet miniatures. Like this doggo. 

Look at the awe on this fella’s face!

A coin-sized kitty is also available and adorable. 

Personally, I’d like 500 of these.

McCarty’s designs might be small, but they’re certainly making a big splash on social media. On TikTok alone, she has 110,000 followers.

Her art is already so clever and creative, but seeing someone authentically live their passion makes it all the more inspiring.

A Korean mother and her son

A recently posted story on Reddit shows a mother confidently standing up for her family after being bullied by a teacher for her culture. Reddit user Flowergardens0 posted the story to the AITA forum, where people ask whether they are wrong in a specific situation.

Over 5,600 people commented on the story, and an overwhelming majority thought the mother was right. Here’s what went down:

“I (34F) have a (5M) son who attends preschool. A few hours after I picked him up from school today, I got a phone call from his teacher,” Flowergardens0 wrote. “She made absolutely no effort to sound kind when she, in an extremely rude and annoyed tone, told me to stop packing my son such ‘disgusting and inappropriate’ lunches."

Keep ReadingShow less

It's incredible what a double-sided magnet can do.


A new trend in treasure hunting called magnet fishing has blown up over the past two years, evidenced by an explosion of YouTube channels covering the hobby. Magnet fishing is a pretty simple activity. Hobbyists attach high-powered magnets to strong ropes, drop them into waterways and see what they attract.

The hobby has caught the attention of law enforcement and government agencies because urban waterways are a popular place for criminals to drop weapons and stolen items after committing a crime. In 2019, a magnet fisherman in Michigan pulled up an antique World War I mortar grenade and the bomb squad had to be called out to investigate.


Keep ReadingShow less
Pop Culture

Woman was mocked online for calling an $80 purse a 'luxury item.' Her response went viral.

"I'm so grateful that my dad was able to get me one. He worked so hard for that money.”

@zohtaco/TikTok

Zoe Gabriel, showing off her new purse from Charles & Keith

Insults of any kind are painful, but jabs towards someone’s financial status are their own breed.

In January 2023, Singapore-based Zoe Gabriel was on the receiving end of this particular flavor of mockery when she posted a TikTok about a purse from local retail brand Charles & Keith—a gift bought for her by her father.

In her excitement, the 17-year-old called the bag, which costs around $80, a “luxury” item as she unwrapped it. Her excitement was sadly cut short by some of the negative comments she received.

One comment seemed to stand out above the rest and prompted Gabriel to post an emotional response video.

Keep ReadingShow less

Ring doorbell video captures what it's like to be the default parent.

Kids, man. I'm not sure of the scientific way audacity is distributed, but kids have a lot of it and somehow make it cute. That audacity overload is especially interesting when you're the default parent—you know, the parent kids go to for literally everything as if there's not another fully capable adult in the house. Chances are if your children haven't sought you out while you were taking a shower so you could open up a pack of fruit snacks, then you're not the default parental unit.

One parent captured exactly what it's like to be the default parent and shared it to TikTok, where the video has over 4 million views. Toniann Marchese went on a quick grocery run and *gasp* did not inform her children. Don't you fret, they're modern kids who know how to use modern means to get much-needed answers when mom is nowhere to be found. They went outside and rang the doorbell.

Back when we were children, this would've done nothing but make the dogs bark, but for Marchese's kids, who are 3 and 6 years old, it's as good as a phone call.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pop Culture

'American Idol' contestant has perfect response to Katy Perry's 'mom-shaming' joke

The 25-year-old used the moment to stand up for moms everywhere.

@sarabethliebe/TikTok

"Keep loving your babies."

You might recall us singing the praises of Sara Beth, the exuberant young mom with major vocal chops dubbed the “Accidental American Idol.”

During Sara Beth’s initial audition for the show, judge Katy Perry made a joke that rubbed many viewers the wrong way.

Before Sara Beth even began to sing, the 25-year-old revealed that she had three children, which prompted Katy Perry to dramatically stand up from her seat and feign shock. When Sara Beth, all smiles, said, “If Katy lays on the table, I think I’m going to pass out,” Perry retorted, “Honey, you’ve been laying on the table too much.”

Keep ReadingShow less

YouTube creator Steve Mould shows us what echo looks like through an acoustic camera.

It’s bizarre to think about seeing sound, but nowadays we can do just that. If you haven’t seen an acoustic camera before, that’s because they’re mainly used for industrial purposes, but they’ve been available commercially from gfai tech since 2001.

YouTuber Steve Mould, who has a science channel with over 2.1 million subscribers, took the complicated concept of the acoustic camera and made it easy to understand in his latest video, “Acoustic cameras can SEE sound.”

In the video, Mould explains how an acoustic camera is much like your smartphone's video recorder. But it also creates visual representations of sound emanating from where it’s generated within the video.

Keep ReadingShow less