20 Funny And Weird Optical Illusions

Optical illusions are some of the coolest styles of art out there—from “spinning” wheels that are really stationary, to those famous shift-in-perception pictures we know from psychology classes. They have the ability to entrance us, make us say “What the–?” as we try to figure out their mysteries. Some optical illusions turn up as street art, or maybe just the way a drain is framed by bubbles as the water empties out of the sink. Here are some of those illusions, and more.

3-D Bubble Ball

You’d think there are real bubbles inside that image. But there aren’t. It’s all a drawing. But it made you look twice, didn’t it?

3-D Hose Pipe

This is one of the best 3-D art illusions: it looks like real water, coming out of an actual hose on a reel. But look again. The hose reel is drawn on the ground, just like the water.

A-Mazed

The girl doing a handstand on the grass in between two of those chalk lines makes it look like she’s doing gymnastics on top of an actual maze. It’s freaky once your perception shifts.

Clipper Ship

Whoever drew this one is not only supremely good at detail, but the arranging of the three pieces of paper behind the first, and then drawing parts of the ship on each of those pieces to make it look like it’s popping off the page? There are no words for this 3D genius.

The Famous Elephant Leg Illusion by Roger Sheppard

This has to be one of the most famously mind-boggling illusions that appears in lots of brain teaser books. Logic dictates elephants have four legs, right? But the way this is drawn, it appears as if the elephant has more than four.

Famous Vase Faces

Who doesn’t recognize this one? Only this time, the young lady adds another silhouette to the image: her own. It’s either distracting, or funny, or a bit of both.

Find the Animals

At first glance, you think “where’s the illusion?” But look a bit harder — it’s a find-the-animals game. There’s a badger, for sure, but are there others you can find?

Hypnotizer

Just try to look at the image without “seeing” the circles and stripes move. This kind of illusion is a classic that anyone can stare at for at least a good ten minutes or so.

Llama-Head

Apart from the fact that we know the person’s hiding behind the llama head, it’s still funny as anything.

Illusions, MC Escher-style

It’s tough to think of an illusionary artist without bringing up MC Escher’s style, recreated here near-perfectly. Just try and follow the lines around.

Mobius Illusion “Tattoo”

Surely this person didn’t get blue and black stripes in a mobius-style tattoo. Because yes, that would be just ridiculous. It’s more than likely Photoshopped, but it’s still a freaky-looking design nevertheless.

Mr. Stretch

It kind of looks like his arm is stretching out just by the way he’s hanging there, doesn’t it? If we didn’t know better, you could say “Gumby lives, and he’s human!”

Past Within the Present

This is a rather interesting take on the old face-silhouette-or-vase concept, drawing the two old people’s pasts on their faces—giving you the impression they’re an old married couple.

Is The Pipe Over The Horizon?

Definitely a “What-the-heck?” type of illusion that will have you staring for quite a few minutes.

Sand Game

Just look at the image, think about it and you’ll see what’s going on. After you freak out for a couple of seconds, that is.

Starbucks Siren Illusion

This is the toughest of all the illusions to see. Get really close to the image, then shift your eyes back and forth. One “siren” looks like she’s got her eyes open, and the other one looks like she has her eyes closed.

The Eye Fools You

The phrase “trompe l’oeil” in French means “fool the eye.” Well, it looks like this eye in the drain has that down pat.

The Long Arm of the Lunch Table

Is this kid for real? Is he related to that long skinny-armed alien at the end of “Close Encounters of the Third Kind?” Or is that someone else’s arm that’s butted up against his in a convenient limb placement?

Tree-for-a-Brain—Igor Morski

At first you think it’s just a silhouette of a face with a nature picture in the background, but then you pull back and you realize the tree looks like a brain in the top of the silhouette’s head.

Upside Down, Right-Side Up

Is it a criminal with a big hole in his head and his criminal number under his face—or is it a really surprised cop? You decide.