Also called What Is This, a Center for Ants? · Zoolander for Ants
Derek Zoolander stares at a tiny model and demands an explanation. Name the object that is absurdly small and ask whether it was made for ants.
The reaction treats a small version of something as completely inadequate. It works for tiny portions, cramped furniture, unreadable pictures, or a screen that cannot show enough.
The familiar question supplies the exaggeration. The object only needs to be noticeably smaller than the person expected.
In Zoolander (2001), Ben Stiller’s Derek is shown a model of a proposed learning center. He treats the miniature as the real building and complains that children could not fit inside it. [1]
By 2011, online versions were applying the question to small pictures, videos, and other objects. A Tumblr devoted to the format appeared that August, and r/thingsforants followed in February 2013. [1]
Derek misunderstands the purpose of an architectural model. [1]
The question is adapted to many kinds of tiny objects. [1]
A community forms around miniature objects and the recurring joke. [1]
Start with the familiar question in the empty space above the model. At the bottom, replace “center” with the undersized object.
The building can stand in for the object you describe. If you want a more literal comparison, add your own small picture over the model while leaving Derek visible.
Original captions to try with this template.
The reaction exaggerates how little usable space the desk provides.
The complaint turns a disappointingly small serving into the joke.
A tiny image makes the promised information impossible to inspect.
References for this template. Example captions are original.
Explains the Zoolander scene and traces the phrase’s online variations.
