Bizarre Tumblr 'One Tiny Hand' Pokes Fun at Celebs

The Tumblr One Tiny Hand has made the Internet do a collective double-take over the last two weeks. The site posts photos of celebrities and notables, with one subtle change — one hand in each photo has been shrunk.

The main man behind One Tiny Hand, Zach Vitale, launched the site March 19. He says growth has been “unexpected, but awesome.” The Tumblr has earned more than 800,000 hits since then, and has been updating regularly, with new tiny hands every day.

Vitale said the idea came from his work as a photo retoucher for an online studio. He needed a project while his coworkers were taking smoke breaks.

“I’d hang out inside and give myself little projects — like making a hand smaller or a head bigger — that would make me laugh while they were outside,” says Vitale. “I love the ‘WTF’ moment generated where you’re forced to question something you thought you were sure of.”

Vitale left his job in January, but kept the hobby, switching to photos of celebrities. He posted some of his experiments on Facebook with great success, so he, along with co-conspirators Bob O’Connor and James Weinberg, set up the blog.

Vitale said an unexpected effect of the blog is that he’s been contacted by many people with Poland’s Syndrome, in which a missing chest muscle can cause a shortness of fingers.

“It’s been a great opportunity to discuss how this sincerely has nothing to do with any disability or group of people,” says Vitale. “We’ve learned a lot from the people with Poland’s Syndrome who have emailed over the last week, and steadfastly support everyone coping with this condition.

Instead, Vitale wants the blog to be about re-imagining things you think you understand. Because of his job, Vitale especially understands how quickly people consume images, and he wanted to make a small change to how we view photography.

“We look at pictures, make the decision that ‘I like that,’ and like/share/reblog/retweet/pin/etc. the image all within a few seconds nowadays,” he says. “Our hope is that people are looking at images a little bit closer as a result of our site and slowing down a bit. There’s so much good stuff out there, and life is so much better when you take a little extra time to enjoy it.”

Vitale modified this image of Mashable founder and CEO Pete Cashmore. The picture was originally taken at this year’s SXSW by photographer Michael Cummings.