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Grandchildren hilariously act out iconic real life photos for grandfather's 70th birthday

They've raised the bar for grandkids everywhere.

Image via Canva

Grandchildren surprise their grandpa for his 70th birthday by acting out his old photos.

You only turn 70 once--and the milestone birthday is a big one to celebrate. For grandparents, there is nothing better to commemorate the special day than with their kids and grandkids. And one family went above and beyond to make their grandpa feel special on his big day.

Aimee (@athomeiwthaimee), a stay-at-home mom and certified personal trainer, shared a hilarious video with her followers on Instagram of an epic birthday surprise her family pulled off for her dad, 'Papa'. At his 70th birthday, all of Papa's grandchildren dressed up and recreated old photos of him throughout the years. Each one came out individually to show him to roaring laughter that is contagious.

"Papa's 70th Birthday photo recreations 🤣❤️🤣," she captioned the post, adding, "We surprised our dad for his 70th birthday. All of his grandchildren recreated old photos of him."

In the video, it begins with Papa sitting in the family's living room in front of a mantle covered in 70th birthday cards. He is sitting in a chair, waiting for the first grandchild to come out in costume. And it did not disappoint--the first grandson is dressed in an altar boy outfit, recreating a photo of Papa standing in front of an altar at church as a young boy. "Oh my goodness," he says as his grandson walks out.

The second recreation is a vintage golf photo, and another grandson comes out wearing a red tank top and jean shorts rocking a fake mustache just like his Papa did back in the day. He's also holding a golf club. "That's awesome," he says laughing as he shakes his grandson's hand.


golfMoon Walk Dance GIFGiphy

A third grandson comes out dressed up as Papa posing pensively on a tree in a yellow button down, navy shorts and striped crew socks--with a fake mustache, of course. "I love the mustaches! Look at those socks, they're beautiful!" he says. "I made them," his grandson responds.

For the fourth look, his granddaughter comes out in a bathrobe and fake mustache to recreate a lazy morning photo. The sixth look is another grandson dressed as Papa in a previous Halloween costume--a poker dealer, complete with a see-through visor, bow tie, button-up white shirt and arm band. "I remember that!" Papa says.

And the looks just keep coming. For the seventh recreation, another granddaughter comes out in a midlife outfit of Papa wearing a checkered button-down, jeans and glasses with the mustache. She stands next to him to pose exactly as he did in the original photo, and the family laughs loudly.

snowmobileCriss Angel Snow GIF by DefyTVGiphy

The eighth look is Papa from an old photo on a snow mobile, rocking a retro snowsuit. His grandson comes out in a nearly identical one. "That is awesome," Papa says to him.

There is a ninth look, and for this one Papa was in baseball coach mode. Another grandson comes out in a red polo, red and white ball cap and fake mustache to recreate the photo, and Papa is loving every second.

California RaisinCalifornia Raisins GIFGiphy

For the grand finale and tenth look, another grandchild comes out dressed like a California Raisin to mimic a previous Halloween costume. The family's laughter is boisterous and from the gut, and viewers fully enjoyed watching the family come together to celebrate Papa. "People from background should be hired for sitcoms 😭," one commented. Another wrote, "The moustache was the main character in all this!!! 😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣" And another viewer added, "Now that is a life well lived and a family well adjusted ❤️."

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Pop Culture

A popular optical illusion with a mindbending twist proves we can't trust our senses

Mind. Blown.

Curiosity Show/YouTube

The Ames window trick.

Optical illusions are universally beloved for how they trick our brains and blow our minds. There's a reason we enjoy magic shows and Escher paintings and are mesmerized by fake oases in the desert. We love seeing things that bend our perceptions of reality, and the science behind the magic always proves fascinating as well.

The Ames window is a pretty well-known optical illusion, but it's always cool to see. When spun, the angled window appears to oscillate back and forth instead of spin all the way around. But this video adds a twist that makes the effect even more mindbending—our brains simply can't process objective reality mixed with an optical illusion.


The YouTube channel Curiosity Show explains the science of the illusion and gives a DIY demonstration for making your own Ames window. But wait until the pen gets taped to the window and spun. This is some real-life magic right here. Mind. Blown.


This article originally appeared on 02.21.20

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Joy

Magician explains the incredible power of empathy using his best tricks

Empathy is magic.

via Nikolay Ivanov/Pexels and Liza Summer/Pexels

A magician does a card trick and two women embrace.

Ryan Modjeski, the Executive Director of Empatico, has found an interesting way of sharing the benefits of empathy — by using magic. Empatico is a video-meeting platform for educators that helps foster empathy among students through meaningful connections around the globe.

Although teaching people interpersonal skills through magic may seem strange, studies show that visual demonstrations help people remember and recall information.

In the video, he uses a card trick to explain how empathy makes us more resilientby fostering connections with others.

“With empathy, you build resilience,” Modjeski says in the video. “So, then, no matter how hard life is, no matter how shuffled up or jumbled up things are. No matter how much life pushes down on you. When you're empathetic and you're connected with yourself and with others. You always come on top.”

The Magic Of Empathy

In the second video, he uses a handkerchief trick and the mythical Green and Orange people's story to show how empathy breaks down barriers between different types of people. “How do we get Green people and Orange people to connect?” he asks. “The answer is with empathy. When we learn how to listen to each other, how to be kind, how to hear each other's stories.”

FInally, he uses four glasses of water to show the different types of empathy: cognitive, emotional, and behavioral. “Now, this might seem like a lot, but in fact, when you put in a little effort and you open up your heart, well you can do anything,” he concluded the video.

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Family

Dad and kid demonstrate a simple-yet-impressive illusion to wow your friends and family

Get the timing right on this magic trick and a kid will “appear” out of nowhere.

@MindBlownMagicIllusion/YouTube

Anyone can do this trick with a little practice.

Magic tricks and illusions never fail to fascinate us, even in the age of the internet when the secrets how many of them work are available to anyone with reasonably good Googling skills. But even when we know how a trick works, it's still delightful to witness a flawless execution that allows our minds to sit in that sweet suspension of disbelief for a bit.

There are still some tricks that true masters of illusion have managed to keep completely secret, but you don't have to get that complex to wow your friends and family. In fact, with just some cardboard and gift wrap and a little practice to get the timing down, you can make a child seemingly appear out of nowhere.

In a split-screen video shared by @MindBlownMagicIllusion on YouTube, a dad and child demonstrate what the audience sees during the trick and what's happening behind the scenes to create the illusion at the same time.

In the audience view, the man opens a door on a gift-wrapped box, revealing nothing inside of it. Then he walks around the back and opens the back door, showing that no one is behind it, either. He walks through the opening, then back around the whole thing, closing both doors. Then he walks around to the back of the box, opens the front door, and voila! There's a kid inside!

Watch the "Front View" on the bottom of the screen first to see what the audience sees, then rewatch again focusing on the "Back View." It's quite simple, but the effect is impressive nonetheless.

It wouldn't take much work to build a box like this and could be a fun little party trick at friend and family gatherings. And it doesn't need to be Christmas-themed, either. The kid just needs to be old enough to know the cues and move in such a way that people won't see them, but it's not terribly complicated.

People in the comments loved the family fun as much as they did the magic. There's just something about seeing a dad and kid doing something like this together, taking the time to get it down and enjoying the heck out of the whole process, that is surprisingly touching.

"This is the most wholesome family moment I have ever seen I love this a dad and son having fun is so precious," wrote one person.

"This is the wholesome content I need in my life. Thanks for sharing," wrote another.

"That is truly one of the best dads in the world. You can tell with the look on the child's face that he was having an awesome time," wrote another.

"Just imagining the planning and preparation for this moment gives me so much joy. You know they loved it the whole way through," shared another.

Here's to awesome dads, willing kids and the joy and wonder of magic. Follow @MindBlowingMagicIllusions on YouTube or visit mindblownmagic.com for more free magic trick and sleight-of-hand tips.

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