Laughing Squid

a daily dose of unique and curious things

Engraving of a crowned, bearded Thor raising a hammer amid lightning, under the word Thursday and a Thor's Day banner

Common Words That Were Inspired by Mythological Gods and Goddesses

October 28, 2026

Hope sits on straw and hugs Rodney, a young miniature donkey lying across her lap in a fenced paddock

Miniature Donkey Enjoys Snuggling With His Favorite Human as an Integral Part of His Training

October 28, 2026

A hyperrealistic red octopus cake with tentacles coiled around a woman's outstretched arm against a dark background

Cake Artist Creates a Hyperrealistic Life-Sized Octopus Cake With Tentacles That Grip Her Arm

October 27, 2026

Wanda the donkey up close, and backstage in a red pointed hat and saddle blanket beside a performer in a top hat

An ‘Interview’ with a Donkey Named Wanda Who Performs in ‘La Bohème’ at the Metropolitan Opera

October 27, 2026

Auggie the African gray parrot nuzzles the chin of a woman in a maroon hooded sweatshirt

Paralyzed Elder African Gray Parrot Finds Loving New Home Where He Gets All the Care He Wants

October 27, 2026

Pidge the pigeon peeks out of a black purse while street pigeons eat off cardboard in a city park

New Yorker Shares How She Ended Up With a Snobby Pet Purse Pigeon

October 27, 2026

Sea otter at the Oregon Zoo reaches over a stone hoop as a small orange pumpkin drops through it into the water

Playful Oregon Zoo Sea Otters Dunk Mini-Pumpkins Like Basketballs

October 26, 2026

Giant black rat sculpture crawls down a red brick West Village townhouse toward an oversized slice of pizza

A Giant Memorial ‘Pizza Rat’ Crawls Down the Side of a West Village Townhouse for Halloween

October 26, 2026

Laina Morris, the Overly Attached Girlfriend meme star, grins wide-eyed beside the words Come Back to Firefox

‘Come Back to Firefox’ Ad Reunites Some of the Most Viral YouTube Creators of the 2000s and 2010s

October 26, 2026

Balloon Saloon owner Sharon Hershkowitz stands behind a counter piled with candy and toys in her Tribeca shop

A Joyful Tour Inside Balloon Saloon, A Historic Novelty Shop in Tribeca

October 26, 2026