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Reddit chart pairs viral ideas, makes them 'more awesome'

The viral site Reddit has a fun chart that lists several viral concepts and shows the new combination they would create.
The viral site Reddit has a fun chart that lists several viral concepts and shows the new combination they would create.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Robert Hamburger decided ask the ultimate question: Who would win in a fight between a pirate and a ninja?
  • Sometimes two viral ideas can be combined to make an even bigger impact
  • One of the most popular viral videos of the past year is the Sneezing Baby Panda
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(CNN) -- Sometimes two viral ideas, or words, can be combined to make an even bigger impact in our culture.

For instance, pirates have been considered cool for years as swashbuckling Halloween costumes, Disney ride attractions, Broadway plays and Hollywood movies.

The concept of ninjas is equally revered. So a decade ago, a guy named Robert Hamburger decided to blend the two concepts and ask the ultimate question: Who would win in a fight between a pirate and a ninja? The extremely popular meme "Pirate vs. Ninja" was born, and it made both parties seem that much more compelling.

Of course, it's not always as simple as combining two cool concepts to make an interesting new one. But the user-generated news site Reddit has a fun chart that lists dozens of viral concepts and cross-references them to show the new combinations they would create.

"If you stick two awesome things together in a phrase, they become more than twice as awesome," says the Reddit post by way of introduction.

Some of these have already been done -- for instance, pandas are the subject of several memes as are babies, but one of the most popular viral videos of recent years is this sneezing baby panda.

Here are the elements in the Reddit chart:

• rocket
• laser
• dinosaur
• old people
• tiger
• chicken
• steel
• crystal
• engine
• lady
• baby
• rhino
• panda
• apocalypse
• zombie
• ninja
• harrison ford
• space
• underpants
• future
• robot
• chocolate
• shark
• jet
• gun
• beard
• sparkle
• fire

It's simple, brilliant and past-due, as in "Why didn't anyone do this before?" It's also not perfect -- the list is too short, "pirates" is missing (?), as is the classic word "epic," and the emphasis seems to be on nouns, not adjectives.

It's too bad, because modifiers, as well as pirates, seem to make everything better.

So what's missing from this chart? Let us know in the comments below. Or, even better, start a new chart yourself.

[TECH: NEWSPULSE]

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