Shrek fans are flocking online to weigh in on a the ‘mystery of the Duloc woman’ who can be spotted in the first of the franchise.

While we wait impatiently for the fifth in the iconic franchise currently expected for release in 2026, there’s a ‘mystery’ to keep us occupied – the appearance of a not so mythical looking creature in the 2001 original.

Standing out among the fairytale creatures of Far Far Away, eagle-eyed Shrek fans have pointed out there appears to be a photograph of a real-life woman in the background of a scene.

The image appears in the first Shrek when the swamp-defending ogre (Mike Myers) and ‘trusty steed’ Donkey (Eddie Murphy) make their way towards Lord Farquaad’s castle in Duloc.

And if you pause the movie – whether watching on the Netflix copy or on the original 2001 DVD – when Shrek is about to enter the castle at about 00:21:18, you’ll spot an image which seems quite out of place from the rest of the animated characters on screen – what appears to be a photograph of a human woman in the window of a ticket stall.

Unlike the latest season of Squid Game which saw a camera operator picked up in the back of a shot, given Shrek is animated, this wouldn’t be a possible explanation here.

And a Reddit user has taken to the thread r/Shrek to reflect on the mystery, saying it ‘immediately intrigued’ them and they ‘knew [they] could offer unique insight into the mystery’ given they ‘own the oldest physical copy of Shrek [that they think is] possible’.

The woman’s face appears in the first Shrek (DreamWorksPictures)

They explained: “I checked this release tonight and found that the woman has always been in the film, even in 2001. This doesn’t mean a ton, but it does mean that it’s not a Netflix thing and an edit in this spot didn’t happen to the film between 2002 and today.

“I have attached photo proof, another photo from my latest Blu-Ray release of the film and a digitally manipulated screenshot from the film on VUDU hoping to show a more accurate representation of the original photo’s scale and color.

“It’s a difficult thing for me to get in high quality. She’s behind a window with lots of reflection on it in the film and the low bitrate of anything except for Blu-Ray makes for a difficult viewing experience of our mystery lady.”

What’s your theory? (DreamWorks Pictures)

The user has since suggested a potential answer to the ‘mystery’ explaining their ‘cross referencing with photos of animators and other crew members who worked on the film, along with their family members’.

And they’re not the only person to suggest it.

Another Redditor commented: “My guess would be an animator or one of their loved ones, since it’s hidden and so obviously not meant to be there by it just not fitting in.”

“That’s what I thought but she looks like she is crying,” another added.

So, what do you think?

A man has shown how he aged over 25 years through the art of photography, and people can’t believe the changes and his overall dedication to the task.

Even if someone paid you, I don’t think you could take a selfie every single day for an entire year. Chances are, some days you would simply forget, others you couldn’t be asked, and there would be loads of days where you would basically just be too busy.

Now, one man has shown that he is essentially built different.

He was able to take a photo of himself, emotionless, every day not just for one year, not 10… but a total of 25 years.

The YouTuber behind the impressive stunt is JK Keller (JK Keller/YouTube)

The YouTuber behind the unbelievable stunt is JK Keller, who describes himself as an artist and coder on his social media pages.

He shared the video on his page back in 2023 and said he started the project when he was 22 in 1998 and completed it when he was 47 in 2023.

I can’t imagine the patience and dedication to pull off this task and on a more existential side of things, it really makes you think about your own mortality.

You sure might feel young spry and fit as ever, but those younger years are gone forever…

But on a brighter note, the video itself is impressive and shows little snapchats of Keller’s life.

You can see him don different hairstyles, facial hair (I love the wiggly moustache portion of the video), t-shirts and hoodies.

The viral clip has recently found its way on to Reddit with many remarking they are amazed at how little the YouTuber actually appears to have aged.

“[His] hair not greying or receding either. I have a baby face and the grey hair is the only thing from keeping me getting carded at every bar,” one person commented.

“That’s what I also noticed most,” another wrote. “He must be a very disciplined person, not only to take the time to do this of course, but with his diet and fitness because judging from his face, he doesn’t budge more than a pound or two in any direction.”

25 years really do pass in a flash… (JK Keller/YouTube)

“Me at 27 with the hairline of idk someone w a really bad hairline, watching this video and clutching my fist,” joked another

“I like how his mustache grows and then starts fluttering like it’s a bird in a flipbook,” commented a fourth person, and I couldn’t agree more.

If you think you have the dedication, why not give this a go yourself.

If you’ve never had the joy of being short-sighted and requiring glasses to function, prepare yourself.

Embarrassed after being prescribed glasses aged nine, I refused to wear them unless I was in class.

However, after many an awkward moment waving back to someone who actually wasn’t waving at me alongside getting on the wrong train and ending up in the middle of buck f**k nowhere, I resolved it probably a sensible option to commit to looking like Velma from Scooby Doo.

Now, you may think this sounds dramatic – how bad can it really be? – but just you wait until you see a video which accurately represents the difference in visuals before and after someone pops on their glasses.

Sakata Yoshi – who works in the optician industry – not only creates glasses but gives insights into what it’s like to be visually impaired on social media too.

In a post to Twitter, the glasses seller revealed what it’s like for glasses wearers to see without their lenses versus what it’s like after they pop them back on, explaining how you can test it out for yourself too.

And it’s surprisingly simple – all you need is an iPhone and a pair of glasses.

He wrote: “Take a photo with the camera through your glasses, and on an iPhone, press and hold to lock AE/AF. If you just take off your glasses, you can experience how the person wearing the glasses sees with the naked eye.”

In the video, you can see just how blurry everything is – you might feel a little queasy if you stare at it for too long – and it didn’t take long for social media users to weigh in.

Sakata Yoshi developed a cool method to show how visually impaired people see (Twitter/ @sakata_yoshi)

After the video was reshared on Reddit in the thread r/Damnthatsinteresting, many users flocked to the post to back up how accurate it is.

One user commented: “Thank god now I don’t need to explain for 20 minutes what I mean by blurry”.

Another agreed with the above and vowed to show people in the future: “Nearsighted as f**k. This is 1,000 percent accurate. I’m going to use this to show people what it’s like since they always wonder.”

And others opened up more about their own personal experiences with their vision.

The video resonated with many users online (Twitter/ @sakata_yoshi)

One user said: “I wore glasses since about age 15 and then developed cataracts at a young age.

“Cataract surgery gave me 20/20 vision. I remember stopping to look at the grass and was amazed at how I could see the shadow of one blade on another. It was incredible. My friends thought I was crazy.”

Another added: “I call it HD when I put my glasses on. Needless to say, I don’t pay extra for HD lol.”

American Airlines might finally have a solution to an annoying pest at airports unflatteringly referred to as ‘gate lice’.

Now, you don’t need to go worrying that you need to protect your luscious hair while travelling through the airport.

Gate lice aren’t *actual* lice, but rather a slang term for people who have quite a frustrating habit right before boarding planes.

It is when passengers gather right in front of the boarding gates and attempt to get on the plane, despite their boarding group not yet being called, in hopes of beating the queue and getting on before they are supposed to.

Gate lice are probably shaking in fear right now (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

For frequent flyers, people who do this have become quite a nuisance, as it can make boarding more confusing and just busier in general. Not exactly traveling in style if you have to make your way through a whole hoard of people just in the way.

Well, worry not, because American Airlines seems to have come to the rescue, as they are in the process of implementing a new system so passengers can’t board early.

In a statement to the Washington Post, a spokesperson for the airline said: “We are in the early phase of testing new technology used during the boarding process.

“The new technology is designed to ensure customers receive the benefits of priority boarding with ease and helps improve the boarding experience by providing greater visibility into boarding progress for our team.”

It sounds straightforward enough; if someone tries to board with the wrong group, the software gives an audible signal and shows the gate agent a message with the correct group they should be in.

The airline has reportedly tested the new technology at the Albuquerque and Tucson airport and is happy with the results.

The airline isn’t the only one satisfied with the system, as a recent post on Reddit saw a user explain they had seen it in real-time.

“Was flying out of ABQ yesterday and saw the test boarding system for the first time,” user Rich_Ad6066 said.

Pointlessly busy boarding gates could be a thing of the past (Getty Stock Images)

“As usual, group 1 was flooded with people, but several people ahead of me when trying to scan their boarding pass got an error beep. The gate agent proceeded to tell them ‘sir/ma’am you are group 5, please step aside’.

“Was awesome to see this enforced and looked like it was system-driven vs gate agent having to make that call.”

Other people also commented their praise for the new system.

“I saw this in action yesterday. It was great. I saw about 5 people get punted out of line for trying to board before their group was called. About time!”

Another said: “Thank the heavens.

“It’s ridiculous to have to care about this stuff but when so many people are boarding out of order or pre-boarding, and you as a group 1 or 2 are already finding limited overhead space something is wrong lol.”

A third commented: “I LOVE THIS SOOOO MUCH. I hope I see it on one of my flights soon.”