by The Tumblr universe is vast. From the endless GIF blog nebulas to the ever-expanding galaxies of nail art, it’s a sprawling, mostly unnavigable, awe-inspiring mess. How to find the meme-iest gems, or at the very least some face-melting photos? It’s been two years since I shared my ten favorite Tumblrs of 2011 (thanks for reading it 250k times- yowza!) so this list is pretty damn overdue. This time I thought I’d start early in this banner year for Tumblr, and update the list as I find new gold. If the Yahoo acquisition does end up being the moment Tumblr jumps the shark, well, hey – here’s the final batch of awesome, Golden Age Tumblrs.
[Psst – the titles are links.]
10. UNINHABITO
From post-apocalyptic amusement parks to modern day glimpses into our inevitable zombie-ridden future, this glorious Tumblr’s focused squarely on abandoned places. There are stunning new photos daily.
9. SUPER MAGRITTE
As the site’s creator says, somewhere in that lucid dream between the mushroom kingdom and subconsciousness lies a surreality of pipes, plants, airships, dinosaurs, talking fungi, combustible flowers and flying turtles. (Think Super Mario Bros-meets-surrealist-painter-god-Magritte.)
8. TIME LIGHTBOX
This blog by TIME’s photo department explores how photography, video and the culture of images define today’s world. Which is to say, mind-blowing pics on your Tumblr stream every day.
7. PICTURES OF HIPSTERS TAKING PICTURES OF FOOD
When my grandkids ask what the turn of the millennium was like, I’ll send them here.
6. AWKWARD ELEVATOR
Two internet funnybros creating original content for Tumblr that’s actually funny. What’s not to like?
5. TO LOVE MANY THINGS
Aleyma trawls through art museum databases for fun so we don’t have to.
4. 99 PROBLEMS
Illustrator Ali Graham takes us through Jay-Z’s life, one problem at a time.
3. WTF EVOLUTION ?!?
One of my very favorite Tumblrs, honoring natural selection’s most baffling (often disgusting, nightmarish, and sometimes LOL-worthy) creations.
2. THINGS FITTING PERFECTLY INTO OTHER THINGS
This year’s version of Tumblr-darling Things Organized Neatly takes OCD to glorious new heights.
1. THIS ISN’T HAPPINESS
My #1 Tumblr of 2011 is my #1 Tumblr of 2013. And my all-time favorite site. You can’t miss Peteski’s glorious tapestry of things worth looking at.
