r/subredditoftheday • u/joshguillen Unconventional • Jul 14 '14
July 14th, 2014 - /r/babyelephantgifs: For every two hundred pound package of uncoordinated curiosity.
/r/babyelephantgifs
44,279 elefans stumbling about for 4 months!
Everything is different now. The way I see the world, the way the world sees me. It had all changed, so quickly, so radically, that there was no time for questions. But it doesn't matter now; it worked. It actually worked. Yeah, I might be out ten thousand dollars, but money is a thing of the past, just as my human body now is. How weird will it must be, finding my body in my bed with a note rambling on about a shaman, a ritual, and the opportunity of a lifetime. But you want to know what's really weird?
Having a trunk.
It's been almost 24 hours since the change, but I still have a long way to go until I figure this thing out. I've tried to move and shape it like the others do, but I usually end up splashing everywhere (which is way more fun anyway, in my opinion.) And don't even get me started on the unbelievable number of smells I've smelled today! I'm telling you, there is almost nothing this oversized nose isn't capable of. Walking, on the other hand, proved to be a bit tough at first, but I've discovered the secret behind keeping up the pace: it's all in the tail. I have no idea how it works, but it does.
I also saw quite a few humans here and there, but I'm not quite sure how to feel about them. Sometimes they frighten me, other times I just can't get enough of them. Most of them like to play, although a few of them aren't the best at wrestling. I suppose they all have their own little quirks, just like we do. We even had a pool party today! Naturally I hit the main pool as soon as possible and rolled around for a few hours. Eventually I was tapped out and had my own pool/nap party to finally relax a bit. My only complaint regarding the party is that sometimes the elders seem a bit clueless as to what "kiddie pool" actually means.
What a marvelous day it's been! I've felt the grass beneath my feet and the breeze ripple my floppy ears, and I've ran and played and jumped and splashed like never before, bathing in muddy water and sunshine all the while. And here I am, without a care in the world, lying beneath an endless night sky littered with stars, shining bright around the moon and that ceiling fan.
Wait, what? Why is there a ceiling fan? Why did-- Hey, where'd the sky go? Why is the grass disappearing? What's happening?! My trunk, the trees, they're... where did... how the...
It's gone. And he's gone, along with my ten thousand dollars. And my television. Sigh. I knew I should have read the fine print on that contract first. If I had knew I would have blown ten thousand dollars just to be an elephant for a single day... I would have done this much sooner.
Well, I guess I'll leave you now to the moderators of /r/babyelephantgifs to hear what they have to say about those uncoordinated baby behemoths. I have to go buy another television.
1. Tell us a little about yourself.
holdenwook Hi! I'm /u/holdenwook, and I've been a redditor since 2009. I remained a lurker until this past fall when I started making gifs. My current favorite subs are /r/photoshopbattles and /r/behindthegifs, and I'm a fan of all subs about animals. I am a frequent contributor of gifs to /r/aww and /r/gifs.
preggit /u/preggit here. I've been around reddit since 2008. I used to do a fair bit of posting and commenting but now I mostly stick to moderating and contributing to smaller, tighter knit communities.
Motha_Effin_Kitty_Yo I'm currently a college student who loves animals, skiing, an playing Xbox. I spend many hours a day on reddit and absolutely love this site! My favorite subs to be a part of are cute animal subs and one that are full of inappropriate/childish humor.
lula2488 I am a Twenty something Chemistry graduate. I got into reddit a couple of years ago as something to do on the bus ride to work and end up getting involved in moderating, as currently I have a bit too much free time on my hands!
Greypo I am Greypo. Baby elephants are grey. Greypo and Gifs both start with G. I am made for this subreddit.
love_the_heat A little about myself. I have been on Reddit for about 8 months now. Still learning new things all of the time. I love animals and elephants have always been my favorite. My sense of humor includes all subjects. Nothing is off limits as long as it’s funny. I love hot temperatures(you knew that) and all of the activities you can do in them. Cold sucks! Haha.
2. What have you learned from moderating babyelephantgifs?
holdenwook I have learned that cute animal gifs can be a fantastic way to draw people into the conversation about the threats they face. This was my big hope in making the sub and the conversation is growing every day. The illegal ivory trade combined with natural habitat loss are big issues for this generation to confront if these gentle giants are to remain among us.
preggit I've learned quite a bit about explosive subreddit growth. Honestly /u/holdenwook has blown me away with his dedication to this subreddit. He learned CSS specifically for this place and has been churning out high quality content since it's creation. The amount of dedication he put in has been tremendous and the fact that he cares a lot about the animals makes this place not only a great sub to hang out in, it's becoming a great place for discussions and for finding out more information on elephants in general.
Motha_Effin_Kitty_Yo Unfortunately I've learned just how dangerous it is to be an elephant...Poachers go a long way to get an exotic trophy. One upside I've learned is that baby elephants can be just as cute and goofy as humans!
Greypo Baby elephants are way more adorable than they are given credit for.
love_the_heat I have learned a lot since discovering and being a part of /r/babyelephantgifs. I learned more about elephants in general because making gifs requires me to watch every single video and documentary that I can find to capture just the right scene that I think our subscribers will enjoy. It’s crazy how random conversations at work can lead to a “did you know…” fact about elephants. It’s a demanding job but I love it. I have also learned a lot about how Reddit works. It is definitely a culture all its own. I fostered a baby elephant this year and have already begun to receive monthly updates. I keep the blog posts and pictures in a book that sits on my coffee table. Company loves it.
3. Tell me, what makes baby elephant gifs different from other animal gifs?
holdenwook Baby elephants are so delightfully uncoordinated and charming that it makes it impossible to hold back a smile.
preggit I think it's a combination of their size, lack of grace, and their general temperament. Baby elephants are almost universally adorable, which is the first draw. They are the heaviest living land mammals, which lends to some giant and clumsy offspring. And in general they just always look very happy, which makes for some amazing 'aww-inspiring' gifs.
Motha_Effin_Kitty_Yo Baby elephants are huge! If you see little kitten or puppy gifs they are just these adorable little fluffballs, but elephants on the other hand, they are some of the funniest little fellas who just haven't quite figured out how to control their trunk or big legs and just romp around comically.
love_the_heat Baby elephant gifs are unique because a baby elephant has a level of energy and curiosity that a lot of people have no idea they have. We see adult elephants in zoos or in movies and unless they are charging, they are mostly eating or swinging their trunk. Kind of like large cows. However when you see our baby elephant gifs and can see for the first time they run, splash, flop, play, and smile, the curtain is lifted and in some cases you just discovered your favorite animal. I swear every gif instantly puts so many words and phrases into your mind that you can hear them speaking! “Mom look!” or “Huh, who are you?” I dare you to repress the voices next time!
4. So what's your favorite baby elephant gif that you've seen so far?
holdenwook It's a tie between this one and this one.
preggit I'm a big fan of this one. As a parent though I really love this one too.
Motha_Effin_Kitty_Yo Definitely This one! Talk about an excited little elephant!
lula2488 My current favourite is this followed closely by this one, so pretty much any gif with elephants wand water.
Greypo "Dammit Mom, they didn't set it up for you!"
love_the_heat What is my favorite baby elephant gif? Are you crazy? Why not ask me to reach into a bag of M&Ms and pick out only one and say that it’s my favorite? I want the whole bag! However I never run from a challenge. Here is one and here is a bonus one
5. You're a baby elephant for a day! What does your day look like?
holdenwook I would find a kiddie pool as soon as possible and go nuts. That seems to be the thing to do. I might also try to master my trunk a little better than this guy.
preggit First I would wake up and give myself a shower with my trunk. That always looked like a lot of fun. Then I would spend the day rolling in some mud and hanging out with some other elephants. Working on my coordination skills would be at the forefront of the days activities of course, and I'd make sure to close the day out with a dip in the water.
Motha_Effin_Kitty_Yo I splash around in the water. Get some food to eat. I'm a growing boy, I gotta eat. Take a nap after lunch, 'cause being an elephant is hard work. After that I get together with my friend rhiney the rhino. We kill a few poachers for fun. I go back and take a bath to clean off the evidence and then go to sleep for the night. #justelephantthings
love_the_heat I am a baby elephant?! I First thing I do is wake up and roll around. First in the grass, then in the mud, and then in the dirt. The sun is not my friend right now so I stay very close to my mother and my parade of elephants to keep me shaded. I don’t know about the dangers right now because I have a lot on my mind. Trunk, ears, tail? I can move them all at the same time, but how in the heck do you only move one at a time? Impossible this baby elephant says.
6. Have anything to say to current or potential subscribers?
holdenwook I hope you all enjoy the sub as much as I enjoy making gifs for it! I also encourage you to check out some of the amazing organizations in our sidebar and join the conversation!
preggit If you haven't seen this sub before, take a look, you will almost surely leave with a smile! If you have been here, make sure to join the conversation!
Motha_Effin_Kitty_Yo Yes! BabyElephantGifs has an awesome community and it's a great place to be because of the subscribers! We are the largest new sub of 2014 thanks to all of the people who love baby elephants and I'm so happy to see everybody who says we brighten their day with our gifs :) Aside from that, check out some of our other subs such as /r/babyduckgifs or /r/babyrhinogifs and look forward to a couple new ones coming soon! ;D
lula2488 Can I use this section to plug our Elephant in the Room Challenge? This is our fundraiser for elephants, which was put together before I joined, to raise money for Elephants and we would be grateful if anyone could donate anything, even a small ammount, to help protect elephants. More info can be found here
Greypo When you are done watching baby elephant gifs, look up baby elephant on google images. They don't need gifs to make them look like the best animals on earth!
A fantastic subreddit with enthusiastic mods and a great cause. What else do you want?
Until next time! (☞ﾟヮﾟ)☞
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u/holdenwook Jul 14 '14
We hope you all enjoy the sub, and make sure to check out our ongoing fundraiser for elephant/rhino conservation efforts, the Elephant in the Room Challenge!
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u/awesomebananas Jul 14 '14
Geat job guys! i've been a sub of this subreddit for a few months now and every day I get to enjoy these adorable creatures. To quote a (to me unfortunately unknown) redditor: 'When a baby elefant is happy, everything is happy.'. Keep up the great work!
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Jul 14 '14 edited Jul 14 '14
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u/Sir_Meowsalot Jul 14 '14
Just wanna say I love your sub. Been a member since the beginning. And I love me some Baby Elephants. Keep up the great work!
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u/PatBabyParty Jul 14 '14
I have been so stoked to be a part of this sub, I LOVE what /u/holdenwook is all about and I really respect him for all of the time and effort he puts into raising awareness for our little friends.
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u/CowsAreCurious Jul 14 '14
I hope this leads to more subscribers which could mean more money being donated to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.
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u/hairheads3 Jul 14 '14
This is a wonderful sub. Thank you for the work of finding, collecting and posting these gifs. If I knew you all in real life I'd bake you a pie (cherry, of course).
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u/knightsinwhitesatin Jul 14 '14
Yayyy this is my favorite subreddit! I enjoy every gif they post and it's made me want to meet a baby elephant more than ever before!
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u/Swag_Attack Jul 14 '14
I visit this whenever im feeling down. Or when i havent visited it for the day
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u/Yserbius Jul 14 '14
I'm still angry at yall for rejected my choice of a theme song.
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u/Motha_Effin_Kitty_Yo Jul 18 '14
ha! Great song and very fitting, I wonder how i could incorporate it into anything though?
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u/joshguillen Unconventional Jul 14 '14
Also worth mentioning: /r/babyelephantgifs is one of the most positive and supportive communities I've ever had the pleasure of coming across, and having watched their development and having talked to their mod team, I am certain that there is much more good to come from them in the future. Keep your eyes and floppy ears open!