You can have characters from “The Office” stare at you in any emotion, and it’s just as weirdly perfect as it sounds
It’s one of the hallmarks of The Office: the moment when the characters look directly at the camera. All the characters do it (though Jim probably does it the most). Consequently there are hundreds of these looks, in a wide array of emotions.
Now, you can go to a website where The Office characters stare in every emotion imaginable – and they’re staring at you. Obviously, we miss The Office – so does John Krasinski. We’ve even been making The Office holiday cookies inspired by Dwight and Angela to deal with the Michael Scott-shaped hole in our hearts. Now, we have this to hold us over.
It’s called The Office Stare Machine, and it’s strange and beautiful. And, honestly, it *might* become our new obsession. Here’s how the site describes the Stare Machine:
"The Office Stare Machine showcases every single time a character speechlessly breaks the 4th wall and stares at the camera. It then indexes those stares into an interactive machine encompassing the full range of human emotional expression."
There are a whopping 706 stares in total, and 800 different emotions coded. It took the creators, Joe Sabia and Aaron Rasmussen, a year and a half to complete the project.
It’s impressive, and also a little strange. If you’re wondering why Sabia and Rasmussen did it, though, they do include that: “This project seeks to explore the many nuances of visual expression through the beloved familiarity of our favorite office-dwelling TV icons.” We’re intrigued.
Oh, and here’s one of the results we got when we typed in “intrigued.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRmIxCBJHyo?feature=oembed
Here’s “joyful,” because that’s how knowing this exists makes us feel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3hW0d2ULgE?feature=oembed
Finally, here’s “uncomfortable,” because it’s The Office, after all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRyyiPgM-lk?feature=oembed
The site also reveals trends they noticed. For example, Jim has the most sad stares. On the other hand, Michael Scott has the greatest number of happy ones. Finally, the site ends its FAQ with a “that’s what she said,” joke, because of course it does.
Thankfully, The Office Stare Machine is just the thing we need to keep us going after missing The Office for so long. We’re extra glad it’s here, too — things were starting to get out of hand with the cookies.
