Background
On March 16th, 2013, Redditor dont_stop_me_smee[1] submitted five images of a large-sized safe vault (shown below) to the r/pics subreddit,[2] claiming it was found in a friend’s new house in New Zealand that had previously served as a drug house, which naturally led to to extensive speculation as to what could be inside the safe.
Within the first 48 hours, the post garnered more than 41,000 upvotes, 3,100 points overall and 5,500 comments, while the Imgur gallery[3] was viewed more than 1.6 million times. While many commenters in the thread seemed excited by the story still in development, some expressed skepticism towards its significance and speculated that the opening of this safe may not live up to its hype, even drawing a comparison to the live opening of Al Capone’s vault[7] in 1986.
Notable Developments
Within four minutes of the original post, Redditor MrSweatpantsJackson requested[8] that the OP post results once the safe was open, to which Redditor dont_stop_me_smee responded with a verbal promise to deliver the finding. By the end of the evening, Redditor Tof1911[10] had possibly identified the lock as a Sargent and Greenleaf model 6630[11] and suggested the OP get a special stethoscope to try to crack the combination. Throughout the rest of the comments, the OP claimed that he contacted a safe expert[15] to pay a visit and inspect it.
Image Macros
Between March 16th and 18th, dozens of questions about the safe were submitted to /r/AskReddit. Additionally, more than 100 safe-related image macros were submitted to the AdviceAnimals subreddit.[16] Many of these posts contained very similar jokes, as illustrated in a March 16th post by Redditor ChrisTobin[17] who compiled 14 unique instances of the advice animal character Confused Gandalf portrayed as someone who had missed the original post but become aware of its popularity on the site.
/r/WhatsInThisThing
About an hour after the images were first posted on March 16th, Redditor red321red321 brought up similar stories[9] about mysterious safe vaults that were posted on the site but never went resolved. The OP then replied with a link to the newly launched /r/WhatsInThisThing[4] subreddit as a gesture of firm commitment to unraveling the mystery. Within the first 48 hours of launch, the subreddit accrued more than 62,000 subscribers. Redditors began sharing theories[12] as to the content of the safe, while others divulged into their own stories about discovering locked objects, including those who had successfully opened them[13] as well as people seeking help[14] in getting their items unlocked.
Media Coverage
On March 18th, The Daily Dot[5] and Business Insider[6] both provided coverage on the subreddit and dont_stop_me_smee’s story.
Search Interest
Though there have been previous queries for the phrase “Reddit safe,” there is a large spike in mid-March 2013, corresponding with the original Reddit post.
External References
[1]Reddit – dont_stop_me_smee
[2]Reddit – A friend of mine moved into a former drug house and found this HUGE safe. How do we get it open?
[3]Imgur – The Mysterious Safe
[4]Reddit – /r/WhatsInThisThing
[5]The Daily Dot – 60,000 redditors want to know what’s in this safe
[6]Business Insider – Mystery Contents Of Locked Vault In New Zealand Have Redditors Around The World Dying With Anticipation
[7]IMDB– The Mystery of Al Capone’s Vaults
[8]Reddit – MrSweatpantsJackson’s comment
[9]Reddit – red321red321’s comment
[10]Reddit – Tof1911’s comment
[11]Sargent and Greenleaf – Combination Locks Model 6630
[12]Reddit – OFFICIALPREDICTIONSTHREAD
[13]Reddit – I got this breifcase from my great uncle, here’s the opening! (With another opening inside…) (
[14]Reddit – This thing has been sitting in my house ever since we found it walled up in our garage during a remodel.
[15]Reddit – [UPDATE] Been at work all day (Monday morning), safe expert contacted
[16]Reddit – /r/AdviceAnimals: search results for “safe”
[17]Reddit – Yeah, there’s a safe.