A video of four spoons has gone viral on TikTok. The black-and-white clip challenges users to spot the red spoon, but it’s not as simple as you might think. This seemingly easy game has been stumping plenty of users on TikTok, and even we didn’t get it right at first.
Check out the video below to see if you can find the red spoon (and if you can’t get enough of this type of brain puzzle, then don’t miss our optical illusions roundup).
If you haven't already guessed, the red spoon is number four in our line-up. And if you’re thinking, ‘but number four seems too dark to be red’, then we might have an explanation for you. According to Sage Edge, what we are seeing here is the Purkinje shift, which means that colours with larger wavelengths, like the colour red, will appear darker in black-and-white photos (see below).
See how much darker the red looks? (Image credit: Sage Edge)
The TikTok posted by user BeckyBaw777 has racked up a hefty 7.4 million views and its popularity doesn't seem to be slowing down with tens of thousands of users flooding the comment section with their answers. Some users were able to pick up on the red spoon straight away, with some commenting things such as, "I said 4 I got it right I'm screaming," and, "I said 4 with a little hesitation". But most were completely stumped by the photo, and one user commented, "My mind: It's 4. Me: Nah it's 1," and another simply confessed, "I guessed 3".
If you flopped at this challenge and wanted to brush up on your colour knowledge, then you'll love our guide to colour theory. And if you wanted to have a go at making your own TikToks, then you should try out one of these TikTok trends that every creative should know about.
Amelia is Creative Bloq’s Staff Writer. After completing a degree in Popular Music and a Master’s in Song Writing, Amelia began designing posters, logos, album covers and websites for musicians. She now enjoys covering a range of topics on Creative Bloq, including posters, optical illusions, logos (she's a particular fan of logo Easter eggs), gaming and illustration. In her free time, she relishes in the likes of art (especially the Pre-Raphaelites), photography and literature. Amelia prides herself on her unorthodox creative methods, her Animal Crossing island and her extensive music library.
