2D Creature and Her Gems

About

2D Creature and Her Gems refers to a series of viral videos on TikTok by educational content creator @tibees. In her content, she uses the story of a two-dimensional chalkboard creature guarding gems in its safe to explain how its interactions with the fourth dimension or higher might work. Tibees describes how she can steal from the 2D creature without it knowing because it cannot comprehend dimensions higher than itself. The videos went viral on TikTok in early January 2023.

Origin

In 1984, English schoolmaster Edwin Abbott Abbott published the satirical novella Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions, which was later adapted into a 2007 animated film, the trailer for which can be accessed below.^[1] The book was also used by Carl Sagan to explain the logic surrounding the fourth dimension.

On December 19th, 2022, TikToker^[2] @tibees posted a video showing a two-dimensional chalk creature resembling a crude drawing of a girl holding a square, which @tibees dubs as a "safe." The square contains two gems, which @tibees removes to explain how a fourth-dimensional creature like herself may steal from a 2D one without it knowing. The video gathered over 1.4 million plays and 200,000 likes in over two weeks (seen below).

Spread

On January 10th, 2023, TikToker^[3] @tibees posts another video, responding to a comment on her previous video that asked her to give the 2D creature her gems back. She proceeds to return the gems, adding an additional one for good measure. But in order to significantly leave her mark and allow the creature to notice that it had been visited by a higher dimensional being, she flips the creature's hat in a way that cannot be rectified in two dimensions. The video gathered over 1.3 million views and 170,000 likes in two days (seen below).

Also on January 10th, TikToker^[4] @teflonjustice posted a video duetting @tibees video, gathering over 2 million plays and 460,000 likes in two days (seen below, left). On January 11th, TikToker^[5] @itsjustafuntiktok posted a video posing as a two-dimensional creature distressed about losing her gems, gathering over 800,000 plays and 160,000 likes in a day (seen below, right).

Various Examples

Search Interest

Unavailable.

External References