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The Mary Sue

The Mary Sue’s 10 Most Popular Posts of 2012

by The Mary Sue Staff | 12:33 pm, December 28th, 2012



  1. 1.Allow Us To Explain Allow Us To Explain

    Yesterday we gave you our most commented on posts of 2012, but most commented on is not the same as most popular. And by popular we mean looked at. The number of time a specific URL was visited. And what holds true on the internet holds true here: people like galleries (as long as they're not too annoying). So without further ado, here's the ten most viewed posts we wrote this year. We would have had to go to twelve to reach a post that didn't have a gallery of some kind in it (although that post would have been the announcement of The Casual Vacany, J.K. Rowling's first post-Harry Potter novel).

  2. 2.10. And They All Lived Happily Ever After: If the Disney Villains Had Won 10. And They All Lived Happily Ever After: If the Disney Villains Had Won

    Justin-mctwisp's mind went to a dark place one day. A place where the heroes lost and the villains won (those poor Dalmatians!). Usually any Disney imagery winds up being pretty popular on the site but Justin's Disney Villains are only one of two that made our top ten this year (and the only one of those two that wasn't controversial) so I guess you all have wicked imaginations too.

    Read: And They All Lived Happily Ever After: If the Disney Villains Had Won

  3. 3.9. Animal Sex, As Illustrated by Humanoid Cartoons 9. Animal Sex, As Illustrated by Humanoid Cartoons

    Oh, "Animal Sex as Illustrated by Humanoid Cartoons." You're such a cool series of very nearly worksafe images of cute cartoon people in relationships. You're an education in how cool and diverse the animal world is! You're a great counterpoint to the "living that way t'aint NATURAL" argument. You're also the reason why "animal sex" is the most common search term that leads folks to TheMarySue.com that isn't some derivation of the site name. Thank you, "Animal Sex as Illustrated by Humanoid Cartoons." We love you, "Animal Sex as Illustrated by Humanoid Cartoons."

    Read: Animal Sex as Illustrated by Humanoid Cartoons

  4. 4.8. This is What a Gender Neutral Toy Store Looks Like (Thanks Harrods)-gender-neutral-harrods 8. This is What a Gender Neutral Toy Store Looks Like (Thanks Harrods)-gender-neutral-harrods

    While gender roles mean different things to different people, we here at The Mary Sue were very interested to see Harrods Department Store trying something new - a gender neutral toy section. Stereotypical "boys" toys sat next to stereotypical "girls" toys and everything looked, well, awesome. It's certainly a place we'd like to visit and the images and story got some good discussion going.

    Read: This is What a Gender Neutral Toy Store Looks Like (Thanks Harrods)

  5. 5.7. Introducing: The Hawkeye Initiative 7. Introducing: The Hawkeye Initiative

    It was a banner year for Marvel Comics character Hawkeye. Thanks to The Avengers, a lot more people know who he exists. While tumblr has had a field day regarding anything having to do with Jeremy Renner and the role, something interesting emerged that was right up our alley. The Hawkeye Initiative. Not everyone gets the point of placing a superhero in the exact poses as comic book women of course, but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy helping people learn.

    Read: Introducing: The Hawkeye Initiative

  6. 6.6. Man Repaints Harry Potter, Twilight, LOTR Dolls to Spectacularly Realistic Effect 6. Man Repaints <em>Harry Potter</em>, <em>Twilight</em>, <em>LOTR</em> Dolls to Spectacularly Realistic Effect

    Either Noel Cruz knows magic, or he's just really, really talented. We'd hope for the former but assume the latter. The artist took dolls of some of our favorite genre characters, which are usually disappointing in their likenesses, and painted them to look more like the actors who played the role. They cost a whole lot of money but once you see the work involved, you'll understand why.

    Read: Man Repaints Harry Potter, Twilight, LOTR Dolls to Spectacularly Realistic Effect

  7. 7.5. Disney Princesses Re-Imagined as Women of Color 5. Disney Princesses Re-Imagined as Women of Color

    This summer, a Tumblrer's daughter used one of those online dollmakers that I (Susana) feel I'm way too old for but always play with anyway like every time to execute a little thought experiment. Despite the dollmaker lacking options like non-caucasian facial features or hairstyles, she tried to redesign Disney princesses of white-European descent into ladies of color. Lots of folks saw it as a lazy redesign, but we thought it was a neat opener to thinking about race in Disney movies, and a reminder that it took them a long time to get around to a WOC princess, and even longer before we got one in a starring role.

    Read: Disney Princesses Re-Imagined as Women of Color

  8. 8.4. A Challenger Appears for the Fake Geek Girl 4. A Challenger Appears for the Fake Geek Girl

    As we said in the post, "if there's one we wouldn't mind eradicating from the internet, it'd be the Idiot Nerd Girl Advice Animal meme." In a world where women weren't consistently called out for being inauthentic geeks who only cosplay because they can't get guys any other way (and, naturally, the only thing they want is a man's attention) by not just random folks but industry insiders, the meme might feel innocent instead of charged with sexism, judgement and inclusivity. But unfortunately, that's not a world we live in. Dark Horse Comics editor Rachel Edidin's idea was to attempt to take back the meme, however briefly, by flooding its Quickmeme page with examples of an inverted Fake Geek Girl instead. And yes, it also made our most talked about list this year.

    Read: A Challenger Appears for the "Fake Geek Girl"

  9. 9.3. Comic-Con 2012 Cosplay That Really Impressed Us 3. Comic-Con 2012 Cosplay That Really Impressed Us

    I (Rebecca) would not want to go to San Diego Comic Con. Too crowded, too crazy, too-long lines. Much of the cool footage and exclusive pictures are on the Internet hours after the SDCC crowd sees it anyway. I don't know if that makes me a geek heretic, but it's the truth. But every year when SDCC rolls around I relish seeing pics of all the cool cosplay that the con is host to. And you apparently feel the same, as two of our top three posts in terms of traffic this year were of cosplay.

    This particular gallery housed cosplay that really impressed us like Sarah and Jareth from Labyrinth, FemShep, and Steampunk DC characters.

    Read: Comic-Con 2012 Cosplay That Really Impressed Us

  10. 10.2. Genderswap and Other Alternative Cosplay From Comic-Con 2012 2. Genderswap and Other Alternative Cosplay From Comic-Con 2012

    It's easy to see why this gallery was a hit. It's one thing to cosplay a particular character exactly how they're depicted in the media, it's another to do something different with it. Genderswapped and other alternative cosplay (like superhero Disney Princesses) was very popular this year.

    Thank you, Comic-Con, for giving us (and you) intricate, gorgeous cosplay to ogle at each and every year.

    Read: Genderswap and Other Alternative Cosplay From Comic-Con 2012

  11. 11.1. 10 Anime You Should Watch (And That Are Easy to Find!) 1. 10 Anime You Should Watch (And That Are Easy to Find!)

    This was one of our most commented-on posts this year in addition to being the post with the highest traffic. It's not hard to see why: Both the post and the comments (168 and counting) are a treasure trove of info on good, female-friendly anime easily accessible through Netflix or Hulu.

    Don't say we never did anything for ya.

    Read: 10 Anime You Should Watch (And That Are Easy to Find!)

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  • Anonymous

    Dang, I was really hoping the Willy Wonka store would make the cut. Oh, to visit that place. I wonder if there is wallpaper with snozberries there?

  • Guest

    Here ya go. Dont say I never did nuthin’ for ya. ;-)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2pt2-F2j2g

  • http://www.facebook.com/brian.adkins.77 Brian Adkins
  • http://www.facebook.com/brian.adkins.77 Brian Adkins

    Hmm,a curly haired eccentric who like sweets. Tom Baker anyone? ;-)

  • http://www.facebook.com/ashe.samuels Ashe P. Samuels

    Can you guys try to avoid terms like ‘non-caucasian’ (and by association, ‘non-white’) in articles like these? They just perpetuate the flawed concept of the white default, and that’s the last thing we need if we’re going to progress with issues of race and intersectionality.

    If you say ‘non-caucasian’, you might as well stop using terms like gay and lesbian and pull out ‘non-straights’.

  • Anonymous
  • http://scavengersdaughter.lescigales.org/ Maxens M. Finch

    Didn’t read the article when I realized it was about the most regular posts of 2012 rather than the most popular poets of 2012. (astigmatism for the win.) :D

  • http://www.facebook.com/scott.mortensen.353 Scott Mortensen

    Some day there will be a viable woman that is the most important writer.
    Or an artist that simply overwhelms us with their abilities.
    But why isn’t it you?

  • http://www.facebook.com/lauren.soderberg Lauren Soderberg

    hey there! I made the Disney princess dolls and posted them on my own tumblr (used to be marrymejasonsegel, is now missmisandry). My mother made a comment on your original article, but she didn’t make them. I want to say that I wish I was more artistically talented so I could have drawn these and used more non-white features, but I’m not (sadly). I did these for fun, and I did not think they would blow up the way they did!

  • flash@freepdx.com Flash

    Terms like ‘non-caucasian’ and ‘non-straights’ all have their place in the right context. And considering that a majority of Americans are straight, white, gentiles, etc., what’s wrong with speaking of something as a demographical ‘default’ – especially when it is?

  • http://www.facebook.com/ashe.samuels Ashe P. Samuels

    Pretty sure white people are quickly becoming the minority in the United States, and actually are in many cities. As for straight people, who knows how many straight people are actually out here? Sexuality is extremely fluid, and many people who fall under different umbrellas remain secretive about this information, for good reason.

    Men are also considered the ‘default’ here, and we all know that’s not true, is it? Aren’t there slightly more women in the population?

    While we’re at it, let’s just assume everyone is mentally and physically sound, everyone adheres to the rigid male-female gender binary, and, hey, why not, everyone’s thin and slightly toned!

    Defaulting is a flawed, self-fulfilling prophecy at best. If that’s all you see, all the media/government/educational system acknowledges, or, better yet, it’s the umbrella YOU fall under, that’s how your world is going to seem, even when it’s not the case.

    There’s no such thing as a default human being. In a place as diverse as the United States, which is only going to become more so, this language does not and will not make any sense.

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