For Day 6 of my 12 Days of Christmas project, I’ve compiled a full archive of the fakejohngreen photos. If you don’t know, fakejohngreen was a Dailybooth account I ran anonymously from September 1, 2009 to July 19, 2010. The photos were daily for the first two months, and then just sporadically whenever I had a good idea.
The Dailybooth came about after talking to a friend about fake celebrity Twitter accounts, and the idea just came to me – what if I started a Dailybooth and posted Photoshopped pictures of John Green every single day? This was also shortly after John had started his Twitter account realjohngreeen, so the name was obvious. It’s so funny looking back, because so many of the photos have to do with nerdfighter injokes from years ago, some of which I’ve completely forgotten the context for.
Keep reading to see every photo that was posted to the account (some with a larger size linked underneath), the original caption, and some commentary from present me. The photoshopping was all done pretty quickly, so not all of them are great, but it was such a fun project and now that Dailybooth is shutting down, I’m glad that I took the time to archive everything.
**The Project for Awesome is still going on for another day! If you missed my video yesterday, you can watch it here and also vote for it on the P4A website!**
Original Caption:
Hey guys, I think it’s time to let my true self be known to the world…
Commentary:
This was the beginning of it all, and at the time, John was constantly going on about how much he hated unicorns. So of course, I had to make it look like he was the biggest unicorn lover of them all.
Original Caption:
I just thought I’d give you guys a preview of my new YouTube channel.
Original Caption:
Nerdfighters, I have a confession to make. I don’t know how to say this, but the puff is actually a wig.
Commentary:
This one (and a lot of these) was inspired by Worth1000, which is a site that hosts Photoshop contests, and I used to enter them every so often back in the day. One of their most popular contests was challenging people to turn celebrities bald, so I thought John was the perfect candidate for that.
Original Caption:
Oh, hey guys, what’s up? I’m just, you know, hanging out with a couple Margo Roth Spiegelmans.
Commentary:
This photo was originally of Monica and Chellie Carr, the shortsisters on YouTube. I had the idea to put Margo’s face from the original two covers of Paper Towns onto real bodies, even turning blue Margo’s arm blue as well.
Original Caption:
Honestly, I’m surprised no one’s noticed before.
Full size
Original Caption:
This should be coming your way in just a few weeks. Alan, you’ll handle all the shipping, right? Awesome.
Commentary:
And thus begins my obsession with Guess Who, which you may understand if you saw the Doctor Who Guess Who set I made just a few months ago.
Full size
Original Caption:
Nerdfighters, I present to you the cover of my next book. We’re just waiting to hear back from the lawyers, but I’m sure it’ll be fine.
Commentary:
Fun fact: When I first posted this on Dailybooth, I had forgotten the T in nerdfighters. I quickly fixed the image and put a link to the new version in the description, but now that I have a say in it, the misspelled one will be lost to the internet forever.
Original Caption:
Ok, Cookin’ with Peeps featuring John Green was just a joke. But this one is definitely happening.
Commentary:
I’m a little bit obsessed with HGTV and Design Star, so this may not have been as funny to everyone else as it was to me. But this was when John was redoing his basement, so I thought it would be funny if every contestant on Design Fail was a different version of John.
Original Caption:
Oh hey there, I was just practicing for the tap dance portion of the Second Annual Tour De Nerdfighting (still yet to be planned). What else would you like to see?
Original Caption:
Oh, hi there. I was just trying on my Edward Cullen Halloween costume. Carrying around this blue filter is going to be a pain by the end of the night though…
Original Caption:
The Yeti may have vetoed the Edward Cullen costume, but she never said I couldn’t use the white face paint to make myself a mime.
Commentary:
John used this image as the thumbnail for one of his Vlogbrothers videos, which made me so happy. It was actually surprisingly easy to make, just a lot of blending modes and opacities on all the different colors.
Original Caption:
McDonalds was so impressed with my cooking skills that they just had to buy the recipe.
Full size
Original Caption:
Our friends may have gotten married in a giant elephant, but I bet you didn’t know that the Yeti and I got married in a giant unicorn.
Commentary:
You can see the original photo of the giant elephant here. I had to do quite a bit of work liquifying the features to try to make it more horse-like, which you can still see in the gate at the bottom that I never bothered to clean up.
Full size
Original Caption:
It’s true, I have a superpower: the ability to turn into a bobblehead at will. It’s actually kind of useless, but a fun party trick nevertheless. (And no, my bobblehead self and my human self do not have two separate social security numbers.)
Original Caption:
They decided Harry Potter wasn’t popular enough anymore, so they’re making this instead.
Commentary:
I still wish this was a real thing.
Full size
Original Caption:
Introducing DFTBA Records’ newest band, The Noisy Green Waiters. Featuring @JohnGreen, Hank Green, Dr. Noise, and @wheezywaiter.
Original Caption:
We may not have happy dances on all the continents yet, but we did have one on the moon.
Full size
Original Caption:
Remember that time we pwned Oprah? Well, we’re doing it again.
Commentary:
This is still one of my favorites. I had to make up all the headlines and features and I still think it’s so funny.
Full size
Original Caption:
My proposal on how to bring more tourism to Easter Island.
Commentary:
The reason why I used the bobblehead so much is because I could photograph it from any angle I needed, rather than trying to watch John’s videos frame by frame to try to get the perfect screenshot.
Original Caption:
What? I thought you wanted a John Green Day.
Original Caption:
Few people know the lengths I was willing to go to in order to win the feud against Maureen Johnson.
Commentary:
This one was fun since I had to recreate all the custom text out of the text that was already on the poster. It wasn’t one of the most successful images on here, but it’s still one of my favorites.
Original Caption:
Who needs Edgar Allan Poe awards when you can have your face on a cereal box? I mean, really.
Full size
Original Caption:
My suggestion for a promotional statue to be erected in Agloe, New York in honor of my book Paper Towns coming out in paperback. Unfortunately, it was rejected by my publishers because “not enough people would see it.”
Original Caption:
Introducing Grand Spreading Awesome, the first nerdfighter video game. Set in Winner, South Dakota, your mission (should you chose to accept it) is to spread awesome and decrease worldsuck using puppy-sized elephants, Peeps, and pirate puppies. You may run into a certain Maureen Johnson, but you must not let her distract you with ABBA videos and glitter. Good luck.
Full size
Original Caption:
Hank just sent over the track list for his new CD. Personally, I can’t wait to hear the sea shanty.
Original artwork by @sharkeyejones.
Commentary:
This was the first time that fakejohngreen was featured in a Vlogbrothers video, which you can still watch here. Hank actually screwed up a little bit with that video though – I had emailed him the original files of all the photos he featured and included the one I was going to post the next day, just as a preview. However, he put that photo into the video, leading everyone to think fakejohngreen was him and leading me to put a disclaimer denying it a few photos down.
Full size
Original Caption:
Sorry I didn’t have time to take a very interesting photo today. I was just, you know, admiring my John Green Award.
Full size
Original Caption:
Hank brought up a good point in his video yesterday. It really isn’t fair for me to post all these secrets about myself without sharing any about him. So, I give you the truth about Hank.
(P.S. from fakejohngreen: I am not Hank Green. I simply gave him yesterday’s photo early.)
Original Caption:
Nerdfighters, it’s time to talk about my plans for the future. My publishers begged me not to, but I decided to change careers to become a cook. Come to Nerdfighteria Diner and try some of my critically acclaimed recipes!
Commentary:
John and Hank sure have eaten a lot of gross stuff in their videos, haven’t they?
Full size
Original Caption:
I know I said I was working on a screenplay, but it has instead turned into this.
Commentary:
This one wasn’t really supposed to be funny, I just kind of wanted the opportunity to design a poster for Paper Towns.
Original Caption:
Hi Hank, it’s Wednesday, September 29…2050.
Full size
Original Caption:
I hear this is what YouTube’s going to look like next Tuesday.
Commentary:
Oh the old YouTube layout, how I miss you.
Full size
Original Caption:
I swear Hank! Link is in the sidebar!
Full size
Original Caption:
I’m thinking about growing facial hair again. Should I go for the epic beard or epic moustache?
Original Caption:
Presenting the newest record from DFTBA Records, a hip-hop collaboration by Hank Green and Natalie Tran (aka communitychannel), featuring such songs as “Pwnin’ the Haterz” and “Ad Revenuez Bling.”
Commentary:
I don’t quite remember what the context for this one was, but I am so, so sorry for the awful Photoshopping of Natalie’s face.
Original Caption:
I heard some parents are trying to ban my new book because they find the name “John Green” offensive.
Commentary:
This is a reference to this very old Vlogbrothers video, which I still think is so funny.
Original Caption:
Few people actually know what was behind those walls in the basement.
Commentary:
I remember that this day I had no idea what to make and I was struggling to come up with an idea, but when I rewatched the video of John dancing with a crowbar in his basement, I realized that if I cropped it, it kind of looked like a horror movie poster. And thus The Nerd with the Crowbar was born.
Original Caption:
Sorry there’s nothing interesting going on in this photo. I’ve just been so busy making in your pants jokes and luring people down to my basement.
Commentary:
This one probably took the least time out of any photo on here, but it had one of the biggest responses. It’s so simple but their faces are so funny.
Full size
Original Caption:
Man, I sure have been writing a lot of books lately.
Commentary:
This is a reference to one of the very first Vlogbrothers videos.
Full size
Original Caption:
Didn’t you guys know that Hank’s (and Alan’s and Monica’s and Tom’s) song is non-fiction?
(Many thanks to the nerdfighters who submitted drawings that I blatantly stole jokes from)
Commentary:
I don’t know if everyone noticed, but the roads I drew in very subtly spell out DFTBA.
Full size
Original Caption:
The spray-on green mohawk just wasn’t extreme enough for a cool guy like me.
Commentary:
This one was actually surprisingly easy, since right away I found a photo of a mohawk at exactly the same angle as John’s head. Who thinks he should still do this IRL?
Full size
Original Caption:
Introducing an awesome new sport: Peep vs. Unicorn jousting.
Full size
Original Caption:
No matter how much I dress Willy up like a puppy-sized elephant, he’ll always be a pirate…in his heart.
Original Caption:
Hank and I argued over who got to be Mr. Green but he won. Now where did I put that lead pipe…
Also starring @meekakitty, @mickeleh, Maureen Johnson, @wheezywaiter and @italktosnakes.
Full size
Original Caption:
I wonder where he went.
Commentary:
This one could only have been done with the bobblehead, since I needed to photograph it at the exact right angle. I still think it’s technically one of the best Photoshop jobs on here.
Original Caption:
I expect the Grammy will be coming any day now.
Commentary:
If I remember correctly, this was originally Alan’s idea, to make a John Green spoken word album cover that’s as pretentious as humanly possible.
Full size
Original Caption:
Do you want to date my bobblehead?
Full size
Original Caption:
Cross your fingers, I hear the bobblehead is up for an Emmy!
Commentary:
I’m kind of embarrassed about this one, since I really hate that show now, plus the Photoshopping is really bad. But I said I’d make a full archive, so there it is.
Full size
Original Caption:
I’m starting to think this new YouTube channel might not have been the best way to conquer my fear of heights.
Full size
Original Caption:
My, I certainly do have large eyes.
Commentary:
I was trying to make John look like a manga character here, though he kind of just looks like some weird alien creature.
Original Caption:
Bill really should start working on his British accent.
Commentary:
Get it? Doctor Noise? The Doctor?
Full size
Original Caption:
“Paper Towns” is really just code for “Anglerfish” in this screenplay I’m writing.
Original Caption:
We’re just practicing for the newest sport added to the 2010 Olympics – puppy-sized elephant curling.
Original Caption:
After discovering the death of Robert Joyner wasn’t suicide but murder, Margo Roth Spiegelman teams up with Q Jacobsen to uncover a sinister plot. The victim is a high-ranking member of an ancient cult, whose mysteries lurk deep beneath Sea World and the Asparagus. Staying only steps ahead of the authorities, the duo are led through a thrilling adventure through Orlando, linking Walt Whitman, black Santas, and history itself.
Commentary:
I was very proud of this book blurb. Who wants to actually write the whole story?
Full size
Original Caption:
There’s a reason I know most of the presidents’ last words…
Full size
Original Caption:
Forget sparkly vampires – this is the movie I’m most looking forward to seeing.
Commentary:
Wow, the photoshopping on this one is so bad. I just remember being in a huge hurry, although I do think I managed to match the text effects in the title pretty well.
Full size
Original Caption:
I hear their single “Bye Bye Bye” is a mashup of all the different ways they’ve said bye in their videos.
Commentary:
Remember when fiveawesomeguys was a thing? Those were the days.
Original Caption:
Ok guys, I’ve got my Halloween costume figured out for sure now: Zaphod Beeblebrox.
Full size
Original Caption:
Oh look, it’s an abundance of Katherines looking for Alaska in a paper town.
Original Caption:
Did you really think Hank’s costume was just for Halloween?
Commentary:
This one was funny, since Hank announced his Halloween costume in a video and I got straight to work, getting this photo up less than a hour later, which also refueled the rumors that Hank was fakejohngreen. My only regret is not matching the V in vlog to the original font very well.
Original Caption:
The Headless Horse-BobbleJohn rides again.
Original Caption:
This nerdfighter costume is definitely going to be a best seller next Halloween.
Original Caption:
Time to answer the elusive question once and for all – who the eff is Hank?
(PS from fakejohngreen: Thank you to everyone to is following and commenting. However, due to the amount of time it takes to create these photos, they will no longer be posted daily. Thanks for understanding.)
Original Caption:
1. Name: FakeJohnGreen
2. Birthday: September 1, 2009
3. Hometown: A series of tubes known as the internet
4. Current location: Nerdfighteria Island
5. Relationship status: Married to the Yeti. Fake creatures really do attract.
6. Kids: Still working on the miniature soccer team. I’m hoping they’re not too hairy.
7. Eye colour: Come down to my basement and I’ll show you.
8. Hair colour: I’m bald, remember?
9. Piercings: May be revealed soon. Stay alert.
10. Tattoos: Have you not seen my first photo?
11. Smoke/Drink: I only drink Nerdfightastic Energy Drink.
12. Favourite colour(s): The color of 315 Peeps.
13. Favourite season: Whichever season John Green Day falls in.
14. Genre of music: The only music I listen to is Hank and Natalie’s Nerdz4Life on repeat.
15. 3 things you can’t live without: Imagine me complexly and maybe you’ll figure it out.
Original Caption:
Neanderthal November seems to be coming along nicely.
Full size
Original Caption:
Apologies for the lack of pictures lately. BobbleJohn attempted to take over this account in a narcissistic rage but he seems to be gone…for now.
Commentary:
I thought this one was rather clever in its meta-ness – taking a screenshot of Dailybooth and recreating the first few photos as if BobbleJohn was the star of all of them.
Full size
Original Caption:
Apparently the Yeti is too cute to be caught on camera.
Commentary:
I made Hank’s head wayyyy to small in this one. Whoops.
Full size
Original Caption:
Nerdfighter-opoly, where the currency is Awesome Points™ and the pieces are a Tetris piece, Willy the Nerdfighting Puppy, the Great White Wall of Cow, a Peep, and a Puff Level of epic proportions.
Commentary:
I actually may recreate this at some point with better graphics. Is that something you guys would want to see?
Full size
Original Caption:
We may have lost DARPA’s Balloon Hunt, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make one of our own featuring things nerdfighters are the best at finding.
Full size
Original Caption:
Alright Hank, I’m all ready for SquidCon, where the most influential Giant Squids of Anger are getting together to make fun of all the popular YouTubers. I’ve been practicing my best bad grammar for weeks!
Commentary:
Get it? SquidCon? VidCon? Hehehe.
Original Caption:
This keyboard will be entirely necessary next Project for Awesome. Better start saving up my spare change.
Original Caption:
New from the DFTBobble™ collection, BobbleYeti and BobbleBaby.
Commentary:
My goodness that baby is so creepy.
Original Caption:
Something gives me the feeling Maureen Johnson is trying to make this substitution permanent.
Original Caption:
Ok, for real @fakemaureenjohnson, this whole being me thing has got to stop. My kid is going to figure out eventually that you’re not his father.
Original Caption:
So @fakelukeconard thinks there’s room for both of us on this here website. Well Luke, I’ve managed to hide it thus far, but my music can pwn yours any day of the week. Look out for my upcoming album Bfak/E, being released on March 27 and featuring such hits as Hey Yeti, Summer of ’07, and Can’t (Stop Embarrassing Myself on YouTube).
Full size
Original Caption:
And in today’s news, the nerdfighters have taken over Times Square.
Original Caption:
Alright Hank, I’ve finally finished setting up my new vlogging background. Wait, what? I have to leave for tour now? Well, I’m sure the Yeti and Henry will enjoy this Will Grayson wallpaper I covered the house with anyway.
Original Caption:
What? I don’t see anything wrong with this picture.
Commentary:
People have since made better versions of this, but this one was definitely first, since this was one of the first images we even had of Henry.
Original Caption:
I really think this is the right direction for my writing to be headed.
Commentary:
I recently revisited this idea with The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. What do you guys think?
Original Caption:
If this whole “young adult author” thing doesn’t work out, my backup career is to be a superhero. A superhero that is a fake version of myself. Because that is the world I want to live in.
Original Caption:
You’ve all been so obsessed with the USA-Algeria game that you failed to notice the Nerdfighteria/Giant Squids of Anger game happening at the same time. Seriously though guys, I think we can win this.
Original Caption:
On the way to VidCon, a plane full of vloggers from all walks of life crashes on a deserted island. How do they live when their batteries run out and they can’t even tweet about how bored they are? And what’s with the weird giant squid shaped cloud of hate that shouts derogatory insults whenever it is seen? Join us this fall for the newest original web series LOST: Without the Internet.
(PS from fakejohngreen: I will indeed be at VidCon. Will you find me?)
Original Caption:
The answers you’ve all been waiting for – FakeJohnGreen REVEALED.
And there we go. In the last photo I posted to fakejohngreen, I outed myself so I could talk about it and wouldn’t have to be anonymous anymore. John and Hank knew it was me right from the beginning, but it was fun to see people’s reactions when everyone else found out. Feel free to ask on Twitter or Tumblr if you have any questions about any of this, and stay tuned until tomorrow for another Christmas crafting video! Happy holidays!
Previous 12 Days entries:
Day 1 – Intro video and Reddit Secret Santa vlog
Day 2 – Homemade Christmas Ornaments video and blog post
Day 3 – Graphic Design Holiday Gift Guide Part 2
Day 4 – Christmas Survey Tag Video
Day 5 – Project for Awesome video about charity: water
