Graphic artist uses panoramic camera mode to make ridiculously long hot dog
By Joanna Sarah-Freedman
10 Jul 2020
2m
At Twisted, we are no strangers to the not-so-subtle art of giant food. To us, any normal-sized portion isn’t just an opportunity to eat something tasty, but a direct challenge to our powers of engineering. However, as one graphic artist has recently proven, it turns out that there’s more than one way to make a massive meal.
In a now-viral video on Instagram and Twitter, San Francisco-based art director Pablo Rochat wowed the internet by creating a virtual five-foot hot dog with his phone. Dubbing the picture the #longhotdogchallenge, Rochat’s invention spread like wildfire, racking up over 7 million views in just a few days.
Despite panoramic cameras being included as standard on most smartphones for years, Rochat’s innovative use seems to have really struck a chord with the public. In addition to the vast number of views, his original post has been liked over 135,000 times as of the time of writing, receiving over 1,000 comments in the process.
Most of the reaction to the short clip has been overwhelmingly positive, with several Twitter-users praising Rochat for his ingenuity. Many shared their own interpretations of the trick, uploading photos featuring everything from elongated lemons to actual dogs. One user even shared a picture of their artificially distended ferret, suggesting that there really are no limits on what you can distort if you put your mind to it.
Although the long hotdog challenge has really captured the public’s imagination, it isn’t the first time that Rochat has found viral fame. His social media is littered with creative and often hilarious alternative uses for technology, ranging from heartwarming hacks to childish pranks.
In one famous example, Rochat printed out perfect replica stickers of Apple Airpod headphones, before sticking them to pavements all over San Francisco, fooling residents into trying to pick them up. It just goes to show that food isn’t he only thing on the menu when it comes to playing with people’s expectations.
