A unicorn hunter is a pleasant image or video, often of a unicorn, used to purify the mind and eyes after viewing unpleasant content on the internet. It can also be used to ensure visitors aren’t grossed out when landing on a main page and to showcase images found on the web. Unicorn hunters can be altered photographs, paintings, or pastel drawings. They are often used in posts about medical conditions, crass videos, or heated debates. Permission should be obtained before using an image.
A unicorn hunter is a picture or video of a unicorn that is viewed to purify the mind and eyes after seeing unpleasant content on the internet. The concept was launched by BoingBoing in August of 2003, when one of the editors posted a photograph of a mysterious rash and another editor followed a picture of a unicorn to push the rash down the page so that viewers would see the unicorn when they landed on the site, rather than a horrific rash. BoingBoing often includes unicorn hunters on their site after discussing unpleasant issues or showing gross photography, and some other websites have picked up on the concept.
While it’s certainly nice to see a pleasant image after looking at a disgusting image or crass video, a unicorn hunter actually serves several functions. On a major website, for example, using a unicorn hunter to tear down posts on a page can ensure that visitors aren’t grossed out when they land on a main page. It also allows people to view sites at work, as they can be sure that an unpleasant topic won’t be the first thing to load. A unicorn hunter can also be used to showcase an image found on the web that the poster thinks other people might like.
A typical unicorn hunter is simply a picture of a unicorn, but variations include short videos featuring songs or unicorns presented in a lolcat style, with silly, ungrammatical text. The style of art can be very varied; unicorn hunters can be altered photographs of horses, paintings, pastel drawings, or anything in between. It is also possible to use images of other fantasy creatures or baby animals in the same way a unicorn hunter is used.
Classic situations where a unicorn hunter might be used include posts about various medical conditions that look nasty, crass videos, or heated conversations and debates that turn nasty. If you want to use a unicorn hunter on your website, make sure you have permission to use the image. Many artists are happy to have their images published as long as you host them on their own servers and clearly credit the artist, but it’s a good idea to ask first, just in case. You can also link to a unicorn hunter hosted on another site; BoingBoing, for example, has a plethora of past unicorn hunters in their archives.
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