Do you want to find your doppelganger? The word doppelganger is German and literally means double walker — as in a ghost or shadow of yourself. In September of 2009 (yes, 2009) I wrote this post about doppelgangers. I speculated on the possibilities, good and bad, of each of us possibly having a twin out there that looks just like us.
Picture courtesy of BusinessInsider.com
Sadly, until just yesterday I thought that the only way to meet my doppelganger was to wander the Earth for eternity, hoping to run into him, or her, by chance. Not anymore! Yesterday I found this article about people finding their doppelgangers.
See that picture? Those two women found each other through a website that helps anyone find their own doppelganger. The women even did genetic testing to see if they were related, and guess what? They’re not even likely to be remotely related, meaning that they are truly doppelgangers.
The website, TwinStrangers.net, for $3.99 ( or 2.79 GBP) lets you upload your image to a database and then you select your age range and types of facial features, such as snub nose, curved eyebrows, round face etc. (Why they didn’t name the site Doppelgangers ‘R Us is beyond me) The program will then search for others who have identified the same age range and features and allow you to peruse their images for a match!
These were two of my potential matches. Do those two guys look like me? Maybe a little, but I’m way better looking and smarter. I’m pretty sure I could take them in a fight if it comes to that. How fun would it be to watch a doppelganger fight? That would make a great reality show wouldn’t it? The Doppelgänger Fight Club! Would you be able to punch yourself in the face?
Initially when I signed up it gave me five possible doppelgangers that I quickly ruled out. Then today, I adjusted the filters a little and got those two dopes. For your $3.99 you get to use the website for 6 months. After the ABC News feature the other day I’m sure that there are probably a lot of people signing up, so I’m going to continue my search for my Vice-Presidential candidate or evil twin.
If you’re up for a little fun, I want you to sign up too and report how it goes on your blog, or if you don’t have a blog, e-mail me and I’ll add your story to my planned periodic updates here. Let me know in the comments if you plan to sign up. C’mon! Somebody take me up on this. We could start a Doppelganger Club that would have meetings and go on cruises together. We’d all plan ways to screw with other people like twins do.
I hope you and your doppelganger have a great weekend! ~Phil
Whoa… That’s crazy! Those women could be identical!
*ponders* I wonder if I have a Doppelgänger?
Go to the website and look!
I did. I couldn’t believe it! It was hard enough getting my head around the fact that there are actual doppelgänger websites! I’m curious! 😳
I was disappointed in the potential matches it offered me. None were really close. The site doesn’t use facial recognition software, it just goes by the characteristics you check off and looks for matches based others that checked the same.
If any TV company mames a reality show based on this, I’ll know who to blame!
They’ll have to sure me for the rights to the name!
Back in Chicago I had a doppelgänger. I never actually saw the guy, but longtime friends of mine would approach him on the street and chat him up. Several times his friends, or exes, would catch up to me. Very awkward conversations would ensue. That guy was a wild man.
I’ve never been lucky enough to be told I had a doppelgänger. I’m jealous.
I have an app on my phone called celeb-twin. It tells you what celebrity you most look like. It tells me I look like Diane Lane! (I’ll take it!) The hilarious thing is that you can change it to see what male you most resemble and I got Marlon Brando! What?!?!?
Ooh, my first thought is Marlon Brando would be bad, but if it’s the young Marlon Brando, not so much. Diane Lane is a good one. I’ll have to try that app!
It’s free, too!
There is a website for everything! Crazy!
A doppelganger oh, how weird
Yours not so much if you’d shave your beard
As for your offer, I’d say I’m in
‘Cept I already have a twin.
Yes … but what are the chances you have a doppelganger who is also a twin?!!! Scary, I know 😉
Oh no! Don’t even get me started!
hahahahaha!! 😀
I found a website that offered this service for free. I’m guessing their bank of images wasn’t great as I was matched with a black guy in his twenties, with a beard. The only thing we had in common is that we both had a face. I mean, really? It did suggest it was only a 17% match but still. I was matched with a team of about 15 women who were about 20 years younger than me…that’s wrong, some where blonde and some were not…I’m not blonde. Ah yes, glasses, they are a bit of a bugger as I am not of Asian descent, at least I don’t think I am and so how on earth…whatever.
Oh my god. I’m defo doing this tomorrow!
It’s funny, I thought one of the other possible matches for me looked like you.
Interesting…
That second guy has NOTHING in common with you. Jeez.
People used to tell me about someone who looked “just like you!” When I finally saw her, she was, sad to say for both of us, quite the opposite of pretty, and I was far from happy that she and I were considered identical. I will NOT be going on that site to be ego-smashed again. Boooo!
(To clarify, since you are now deceased, Phil, and may be confused: I am still among the living. That was NOT ghost applause.)
I worked at a convenience store in college and I was told by customers that I looked like two different celebrities in one night. The first guy told me I looked like Brittney Spears (yay!) and the second guy told me I looked like Tonya Harding (sob!). So, yeah….
LOL , I used to get Michael J. Fox a lot before he got all shaky
Hey, he was pretty cute!
Yeah, I didn’t complain. Now I get told that I remind people of Dave Foley. I’m not as fond of that comparison.
Was?
You are just being nice, but thanks
He’s not bad looking now:) My sister is ten years older than me and was a teenager in the 80s. She had Michael J Fox posters in her room. That’s how I remember him.
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Great article! TwinFinders.com uses facial recognition technology to help people find their lookalikes. Upload your photo and they compare your face to the database of faces then instantly give you your top matches!