Turn off your TV and draw a giraffe

A Norwegian is attempting to single-handedly combat the rise of modern technology by asking people around the world to contribute hand-drawn pictures of giraffes to his website.

Ola Hellend launched the website, www.onemilliongiraffes.com, on 11 June 2009 and hopes to collect one million giraffe drawings by 2011 as part of a bet.

Giraffes may be created in any way as long as the use of a computer is not involved.

At the time of writing, Hellend has collected 6,274 drawings but with 549 days left to go, the rate at which drawings are submitted needs to significantly increase if he is to reach his goal.

Worldwide appeal
With drawings being uploaded by giraffe drawers from the USA to Uruguay, the site is certainly reaching audiences around the world.

Artists range from the age of two well into adulthood – the average age being 22.

However, Hellend clearly states that there is more to this project than simply reaching one million.

His overall aim is to get people to go back to old-school style entertainment, hence the ‘no computer’ rule.

“People spend too much time being digital. They should try being analogue, being human, creating something real for a change," he said.

In a world where digital devices are becoming an ever larger part of our lives, this project seems to be bringing old-fashioned fun to households around the globe as Hellend claims: “I have hundreds of emails from mums and dads saying that they sat down with their kids and had a blast drawing giraffes!”