The Hunt For Heart-Man
Summary
TLDRThe video script delves into the enigmatic 'Heartman,' a heart-shaped mascot whose images have circulated online for five years without known origin. The narrator's accidental discovery on SoundCloud leads to an extensive investigation, uncovering a connection to a Japanese archivist and hints of a 'lost media' case. Despite numerous leads, the true identity and purpose of Heartman remain shrouded in mystery, sparking an ongoing quest to solve this internet enigma.
Takeaways
- π The script discusses an internet mystery surrounding a heart-shaped mascot known as 'Heartman', which has been circulating online for five years without a clear origin or purpose.
- π΅οΈββοΈ The narrator and others have been on a quest to uncover the origins of Heartman, which is believed to be connected to a lost media case from over 40 years ago.
- πΆ The narrator's initial encounter with Heartman was through a music video on SoundCloud that featured the mascot's image, sparking curiosity but no concrete information.
- π 'Doc Pile' is identified as an archivist who scanned images of Heartman from old magazines and uploaded them online, but the original source of the images remains unknown.
- π€ Despite Doc Pile's involvement, he is not interested in revealing the origin of the Heartman images and seems to prefer them remaining a mystery.
- π The script mentions nine known images of Heartman found scattered across the internet, with little information about their origins.
- π The investigation into Heartman's origin includes analyzing the images for clues, such as CMYK printing patterns and VHS distortion, suggesting they may come from a video source.
- ποΈ The images are believed to be from a fashion-related project due to Doc Pile's focus on archiving fashion and the images' appearance in fashion magazines.
- π The script details efforts to date the images by identifying vehicles within them, suggesting a timeframe starting from the late 1970s.
- π The location of some images is identified as the Ginza area of Tokyo, Japan, providing a geographical clue to the mystery.
- π A connection is made to the Kabukiza Theater in Tokyo, with the images possibly being related to a performance there, but the exact year remains uncertain.
Q & A
What is the central mystery of the video script?
-The central mystery of the video script revolves around the origins and purpose of a heart-shaped mascot known as 'Heartman,' whose images have been circulating online for years without any known background or context.
How long have the images of 'Heartman' been circulating online?
-The images of 'Heartman' have been circulating online for 5 years.
What is the significance of 'Doc Pile' in the mystery of 'Heartman'?
-Doc Pile is an archivist who runs an online archive of fashion collections. He is significant because he scanned and uploaded the images of 'Heartman' online, but he does not know or is unwilling to reveal the original source of these images.
What is the 'Mother Culture' website mentioned in the script?
-The 'Mother Culture' website is an online AR Gallery that featured scans from Doc Pile and also 'Heartman.' However, the site is no longer active, and its connection to the origin of 'Heartman' remains unknown.
What printing process is mentioned in the script that could explain the patterns seen in the 'Heartman' images?
-The script mentions the CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black) printing process, which can result in dot-like patterns when viewed closely, as a possible explanation for the patterns seen in the 'Heartman' images.
What clues about the age of the 'Heartman' images were discovered from the vehicles in the images?
-The vehicles in the images, including a Toyota Light Ace M10, an Isuzu Elf, and a Nissan Gloria 330 SGLE, suggest that the images could be as old as the late 1970s, with the newest model being from 1979 to 1980.
What is the significance of the 'Kabuku-za Theater' in the location of the 'Heartman' images?
-The 'Kabuku-za Theater' in Ginza, Tokyo is significant because it is the exact same location where three of the 'Heartman' images were taken, providing a potential clue to the origin of the images.
What is 'Design Festa' and how is it related to the new 'Heartman' images found?
-Design Festa is an international art event hosted annually in Tokyo. It is related to the new 'Heartman' images because one of the images was found to be from a performance at Design Festa in 2009.
Who is 'I Love UDA' and what is his connection to the new 'Heartman'?
-I Love UDA is a performer and street artist who was found to be connected to the new 'Heartman' images. He is known for spreading positivity and awareness about the environment through his performances.
What was the outcome of the search for the original 'Heartman' after the discovery of the new 'Heartman'?
-Despite the discovery of the new 'Heartman' and the uncovering of I Love UDA, the search for the original 'Heartman' remains unresolved, with many leads and dead ends, and the mystery continues.
Outlines
π The Enigma of Heartman
The script introduces the mysterious character known as Heartman, a heart-shaped mascot with no official name that has been circulating online for five years. Despite the character's online fame, the origins and purpose of these images remain unknown. The narrator recounts their accidental discovery of Heartman on SoundCloud and subsequent unsuccessful search for the character's origins. The script mentions a Reddit post that also inquired about the character, indicating a shared curiosity. The narrator and others have been on a quest to uncover the mystery behind Heartman, with some leads suggesting a connection to a lost media case from over 40 years ago.
π Tracing the Digital Footsteps of Heartman
The investigation into Heartman's origins leads to the discovery of nine known images scattered across the internet, with little information on their source. The narrator explores the possibility that these images are from a magazine, as suggested by the CMYK printing pattern visible on them. The connection to Doc Pile, an archivist who uploaded some of the images as part of his online archive, is established. However, Doc Pile's unwillingness to reveal the original source of the images complicates the search. The script delves into the technical aspects of printing and the potential for the images to be from a VHS tape, hinting at a larger project possibly related to fashion.
π Uncovering the Timeframe of Heartman's Appearance
The search narrows down the timeframe of Heartman's existence by identifying vehicles in the images, suggesting the photos could date back to the 1970s. The identification of a Toyota Light Ace M10, an Isuzu Elf, and a Nissan Gloria 330 SGLE hardtop sedan helps to establish a minimum date of 1970 and a more specific timeframe of 1979-1980. The script also discusses the possibility that Heartman could be part of a fashion-related project, given the connection to Doc Pile's fashion archive and the setting of the images in Tokyo's Ginza district.
π The Kabuku-Za Theater Connection
The script identifies a specific location in the images as the Kabuku-Za theater in Tokyo's Ginza area, providing a potential timeframe of July for the images based on a sign advertising an upcoming performance. Despite efforts to contact the theater for more information, the search hits a dead end. The narrator then seeks help from a Japanese YouTuber, Tuar, who posts about the mystery on social media, sparking interest and discussion among Japanese netizens and leading to new insights about the possible date and context of Heartman's appearance.
π Emergence of a New Heartman and Unraveling a Different Mystery
The search takes an unexpected turn with the discovery of new images featuring a different Heartman character from 2007, found in a Flickr collection and linked to a Japanese fashion model and musician. The script explores the possibility of a connection between the original Heartman and this new character, suggesting a predecessor or an evolution of the mascot. The investigation leads to the Design Festa art event and the character 'I Love UDA,' who shares a similar appearance with the new Heartman but has no direct link to the original mystery. The search for the original Heartman continues, with the hope that the spread of information will eventually reveal the character's origins.
π The Ongoing Quest for Heartman's Identity
The script concludes with an acknowledgment of the ongoing search for Heartman's origins and an invitation for others to join the investigation. Despite the discovery of a new Heartman character and the uncovering of an unrelated internet legend, the original mystery remains unsolved. The narrator expresses gratitude for the community's help and the spread of information in Japan, maintaining hope that the enigmatic mascot's origins will eventually be revealed.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Heartman
π‘Lost Media
π‘Archivist
π‘CMYK Printing
π‘VHS
π‘Kabuki-za Theater
π‘Tokyo
π‘Design Festa
π‘Internet Mystery
π‘Discord
Highlights
The mysterious 'Heartman' mascot has been circulating online for 5 years without a known origin or purpose.
Heartman images have been found on various social media platforms, sparking curiosity and various reactions.
The search for Heartman's origins is part of a larger investigation into a forgotten media case over 40 years old.
The narrator's interest in Heartman began accidentally through a music recommendation featuring the mascot.
A Reddit post from June 19th, 2022, asked about the Heartman creature, indicating others' curiosity as well.
Jorge, a YouTuber, used Heartman images in a video without knowing their origin, further deepening the mystery.
Nine known images of Heartman have been identified and verified, scattered across the internet.
Doc Pile, an archivist, is linked to the images through his online archive, 'Document Pile', but the source remains unknown.
The images are believed to be from a magazine, but attempts to contact Doc Pile for more information were not fruitful.
Analysis of the images suggests they may have originated from a VHS due to signs of CMYK printing and other characteristics.
The narrator speculates that Heartman could be related to a fashion project, given Doc Pile's focus on fashion magazines.
Investigations into vehicle models in the images suggest that they may date back to the 1970s.
A specific location in Tokyo's Ginza district is identified as the backdrop for some Heartman images.
A Japanese entertainment conglomerate's logo is spotted in one of the images, providing a potential lead.
Email correspondence with Kabuki-Za theater provided four possible dates but did not conclusively solve the mystery.
Japanese online boards and a YouTuber named Taru helped spread awareness and gather more information about Heartman.
Two new images of a different 'Heartman' appeared, suggesting a possible evolution or reinterpretation of the character.
The second 'Heartman' was linked to a performer named 'I Love UDA', adding another layer to the mystery.
Despite uncovering information about 'I Love UDA', the original Heartman's origins remain unknown, leaving the mystery unsolved.
The search for Heartman has become a collaborative effort, with an active Discord community contributing to the investigation.
Transcripts
have you ever seen this man
before you might have come across some
of these images online in passing images
showing this heart-shaped mascot we call
him heartman but he has no official name
yet these images have been circulating
the internet now for 5 years and in that
short time they have been reposted all
over social media on almost every
platform
some find them cute some find them
unsettling and some find them
curious yet as famous as his character
is online the origins or purpose of
these images has remained completely
unknown what people don't know is that
these images are some of the last
remaining evidence of a lost media case
has been forgotten a time for more than
40 years and for the past year I as well
as many others that have been intrigued
by these images have been a search for
the origins of this unknown figure no
one seems to know where this character
came from this is the hunt for Harman
[Music]
I first stumbled upon Hartman by
accident one day while listening to
music on SoundCloud a random song popped
up in my recommended list featuring a
heartman picture as an art
cover the image instantly grabbed my
attention it looked both familiar and
strange sparking my curiosity enough to
look it up but to my surprise I found
nothing I did however come across
someone asking about a similar image in
a Reddit post made on June 19th 2022 on
the blame it on hor subr can anybody
tell me what's up with all the pictures
of this weird heart creature that
appeared in his latest video it never
comes up again in the video and it's
driving me crazy is this another piece
of lost Media or
something just like me they found
themselves curious and intrigued by
Harman when they first encountered these
images but couldn't find any info about
them online searches for Harman man in
pink heart suit or reverse image search
yields
nothing this B was about a video that H
uploaded titled lost media Case Files
volume 4 in it Jorge flashed these
images at the very start without giv
giving any context or extra information
before continuing on the video's topic
like nothing had happened this
rediscovery of this post picked my
interest enough to send Jorge a
message hey I know you briefly featured
this character in an old video of yours
in the intro I'm curious to know if you
know anything about
it oh cool yeah I found that from an old
Reddit post let me see if I saved
it yeah that's all I know thought those
photos would make for a cool intro to
that
video while the redditor was right that
it is a piece of lost media turns out
Jorge himself didn't really think twice
about where the images came from and
just thought they would make for a cool
intro little did anyone know how deep
this Rabbit Hole truly goes since that
time many discoveries have come to light
bringing us closer than ever to
uncovering the mystery of the man in a
pink heart suit
[Music]
okay so as of the time I'm recording
this there are nine known and verified
images of Harman that can be found
scrambled all over the Internet some of
them are of him walking around the open
streets dancing at a local
park finding friends at a sushi
restaurant riding a
Subway and entertaining a
preschool like mentioned before when
reverse image searching any one of these
nine images you find very little info
about their Origins just people
re-uploading them online without knowing
where they came from and a lot of Tumblr
reposts if you trace these reposts back
far enough however you eventually come
across his name doc pile doc pile is an
archist he runs an online archive
fashion collection titled document pile
an archiving side project it's a large
repository of personal scans taken from
real magazines ranging from the late'
60s up to the early 2000s these
magazines are mostly Japanese in origin
like high fashion poey and soen magazine
as well as a bunch of scans from a
variety of fashion runway shows however
if you scroll down far enough you
eventually find our heartman hosted as a
part of this online collection on
February 8th
2019 its description reads photos from
my image dump for mother culture the
mother culture part is an embedded link
that that's
clickable this site however is long gone
thankfully though I still have a saved
screen grab from last year that I took
when it was still up with all the images
still Sav this mother culture website is
an online AR Gallery it features a bunch
of scans from Doc palal himself and also
Harman okay so if doc pile scanned these
images himself then this is where the
images came from right we've just
discovered their origin well it's not
that simple see dopel is simply an
archist he buys old-fashioned magazines
and takes scans of things he finds
interesting he bought some old magazines
found pictures of Hartman in them and
decided to scan them and upload them
online he was the reason why Hartman
ever made it to the internet in the
first place but the origin Source from
where these photos came from from or
even from which magazines these scans
were taken is still completely unknown
an effort was made to try and get in
contact with docp to get him to Aid us
in a search to which he
replied hi so the series of photos were
intended to be uncredited and remain
confusing additions to the internet
annoying concept but part of this means
I'm dedicated to not reveal much about
these images aside from the image itself
glad you enjoyed the photos though
that message was a year ago since then
we've sent more messages back and forth
where he hinted at maybe trying to help
in the future but it has become quite
obvious that doc pile just isn't
interested in a search he either doesn't
have access to the original magazine
anymore doesn't know from which one he
took these images from or doesn't even
want people to find these scans in the
first place which is odd because if your
hope page is about archiving fashion and
history why would you then go and
gatekeep that same information for
yourself preventing others from
accessing and preserving that history
and
artwork but it doesn't really matter at
the end because we don't need to
identify which magazine it is from we
can instead go straight to the
source here take a closer look peering
deep enough into the images themselves
we can see a pattern it's more obvious
on some than others but it's this mui
like pattern that's on top of the images
this is due to a printing process called
a four-color printing method or cmk
printing see instead of using the more
color accurate spa color printing or
Pantone which is a lot more costly many
commercial printers opt for CMYK
printing CMYK combines four in colors
cyan magenta yellow and black to produce
a wide range of colors making it a
versatile and cost effective choice for
high volume printing however ever the
tradeoff is that it can sometimes result
in less precise color matching and also
when viewed at a closer distance can
result in these dotlike patternss that
we see here okay so we already know that
these images came from a magazine what's
new but look deeper try to look beyond
the pattern look at what's behind look
at the images themselves notice the
ghosting the color bleed the horizontal
Distortion the motion blur and the fact
that each one of these images just so
happened to fit perfectly in a 3x4
aspect ratio these are notable signs of
VHS so where could this be
from well from the fact this was
mentioned on a notable magazine and the
fact that Harman seem to be running all
over the city different locations hints
at this being part of a larger project a
project that's most likely somehow
related to fashion since that's pretty
much all the doc pile collects some of
his scans even come from mainstream
fashion events that do in fact come from
videos like this post
here finally got around to digitizing my
VHS of 1120 2047 spring 1998 runway show
and BTS photos all available for
download here
I believe that just like this show was
showcased on video and on print that
Hartman also has a video segment from
where these images came from during a
lot of these shows they usually have
some sort of introduction that's meant
to be crazy or over the top to accompany
them the Tokyo recycling project from
2000 to1 by Masahiro nakagawa and Lisa
was about traveling to various cities
taking people's old clothes and
reworking them into One of a Kind
garments the opening of that show had a
Godzilla like monster destroying Tokyo
and causing a mess when a superhero
recycling Man shows up and saves a day
at first I suspected that our heartman
could be a similar figure a part of an
opener for a fashion show perhaps but
other than this and a few other possible
leads we know absolutely nothing about
Harman where the images were taken when
or any anything else finding ourselves
at a standstill of information it was
time to put on our detective hats and
deduce as much information from the nine
images as we could possibly get starting
off with image dating currently these
images could really have been taken from
any decade starting from the late' 7s to
even as late as the early '90s as the
only thing we are sure of is that they
were taken by a camcorder of
sorts this is not good because it gives
us a time frame that is too long to do
any worthwhile research one of the first
things thought up was to go after one of
the easiest time tellers in the
images the vehicles there are three
vehicles overall across two images that
are either clearly or somewhat visible
knowing the exact make and year of these
vehicles could give us at least a time
frame to work off of a starting dat if
we spot a vehicle whose model and make
we can clearly pinpoint let's say a car
that came out in 1983 for example that
at least gives us a limit that tells us
none of these images can be any older
than that
date okay the first one the truck to the
right was quickly identified to be a
Toyota light Ace M10 easily identifiable
with the vertical design around the
front headlights this design was mostly
prevalent in the M10 line which was
produced from 1970 to
79 that doesn't give us much except a
time limit of 1970 the second truck was
identified as an Isuzu elf this line of
trucks similarly begins in the early 7s
but we were able to narrow it down to
either the 1979 or 1980 model mainly due
to this thick bit on top of the two
headlights which can't be seen in any
other models before
that the third identifiable vehicle can
be found in this image this was by far
the hardest to track down as only the
backside of the car is visible and there
are many cars from this era with very
similar looks this was found to be a
1976 Nissan Gloria 330 sgle hardtop
sedan very few images can be found
online of this exact model which is why
it was harder to track okay so now we
have three vehicles that are all from
the '70s with the most recent and newest
model being the blue Isuzu elf dating to
1979 to 1980 which could mean that the
this heartman could be as old as
1979 these images are way older than we
initially
thought with this knowledge we started
looking into the location within the
nine images Harman is seen at multiple
different locations but there are three
images where Harman can be seen at the
exact same location these
three we were able to find exactly where
this was mainly due to this photo the
only photo with visible text in the
scene two large panels behind Hartman
one of which has some large visible text
with a logo on
top this logo is from the chiku company
limited and this text wrs
kabua chiku is a Japanese entertainment
conglomerate that manages and owns
kabuku Za theater the famous kabuku Za
theater located in the Ginza area of
Tokyo a historical and cultural landmark
and one which is still active till this
day with life performances now we have a
set location of Ginza Tokyo studying the
rest of the sign it reads tickets
currently on sale the screening of the
drama will begin on the 1st of August
these screenings usually begin at the
end of the month lasting 3 to 4 weeks
which means that these images were most
likely taken in July of that year now
that we have a date of a performance we
could technically look back at The
Archives of the kabuka website to see on
which year there was a performance that
began on August 1st sadly though the
website was lacking of this information
which prompted a member of the Discord
zaved to email kabuka a theater and ask
them directly and to our surprise they
actually responded given us four
different dates and four different
years seems like another dead end with
no more leads to follow we had no other
choice but to spread this across the
globe back to where it originated
[Music]
[Music]
I we thinking was to get this in front
of as many Japanese people as possible
and see if anyone recognizes no know or
recalls anything about this heart
man Most Japanese online boards like
tchan 5chan or futuba have certain Geo
blockers that stop people outside of
Japan from posting using a VPN or even
routing a tour exit node to be Japanese
can't get around this block zav the same
person to email kabuka a theater
suggested I reach out to a Japanese
YouTuber instead named tuar
I did and taru accepted to help posting
a tweet about the mystery a few days
after across these replies and comments
besides the jokes about heartman how it
looks creepy and cute at the same time
and some awesome artwork from his
community someone picked up on something
that we all fail to see I think the
original footage was taken in 1982 in
the top right of the third photo this
appears to be the road in front of the
kabuka theater and a banner behind it
says BT isn't this most likely the skd
no subete performance at the kabuka
theater in August of 1982 the opening
day was August 1st this was huge because
now we finally have a concrete year the
photos are from 1982 tuu Then followed
up with a full video about this mystery
a week after bringing even more
attention to it from the Japanese side
of the
internet for
plenty of good observations and of new
possible Leads Here worth looking
into before we continue I want to take a
quick second to thank everyone who's
made it this far into the video every
video I make is a passion project that
takes a lot of time and effort to create
and so I want to thank everyone who
watches and supports my work because
this truly would not be possible without
you I also want to take a quick second
to promote my socials it's where you can
stay connected with upcoming project
behind the scenes work and stay in
contact with me as well as the Channel's
patreon if you want to support us
further and get access to more perks and
exclusive content from the bottom of my
heart thank you for watching
[Music]
a week had passed since tuu had uploaded
his video and no new leads had popped up
yet until something strange
happened while doing a routine IM search
checkup online to see if anything new
had come up something must have
triggered in the Google algorithms
because For the First Time Ever two new
images popped up I couldn't believe it
at first but I was staring at a second
heart man one link into an old blog from
Japanese fashion model and musician Karu
pamu pamu from 2011 a photo of her a
friend and heartman with the description
everything is pink the second image
linked to a large flicker public photo
collection titled 35mm film
photographers with 1.2 million photos
and 27,000
contributors hidden amongst a million
images we found our second heartman this
image was from 2007 titled simply pink
heart man how could we have missed this
there's two images within this one with
a much higher quality letting us take a
closer look at our second heartman and I
got to say as much as these two are
different the resemblance is also
uncanny the giant heart mask the two
hearts around the chest and back the
second pair of Hearts around the waist
even down to the three sets of hearts on
each leg and arm I mean besides the
difference of the face hole / ey holes
the missing bug-like heart antennas and
the addition of a guitar this is by far
the closest looking thing to the
original Hartman costume that we've ever
found if you look up Hartman costume or
mascot you usually get images like this
very different idea from our two
characters they were so close that we
seriously began thinking that these two
had to be somehow linked maybe one
inspired the other or maybe they both
came from the same original source and
both represent something else it's just
a little bit too close to swipe it off
as just pure coincidence right the
search quickly switched from looking for
the original heartman to this new
heartman we had to follow this new lead
to its conclusion just to make sure we
started off by tracing the location of
these two images quickly discovering
that they were from Harajuku station in
Tokyo which is a 20-minute drive from
Ginza District where Hartman 1 was
photographed almost 25 years before
these new images soon more images began
popping up around this time we began to
think that maybe our heartman is a
predecessor something that would develop
over time into this and since their
General locations are pretty close that
maybe this is something local to the
area as some sort of Tokyo Street mascot
that's been in operation since the early
80s revamped reworked and refined until
we ended up with this eventually we
found this picture
it's from 2009 in it Hartman seems to be
performing a song on a stage the name of
this upload is design Festa
294 design Festa is an international art
event hosted every year in Tokyo think
of it like a Japanese ComicCon but more
focused on different forms of art
sifting through videos from that design
Festa around that year I found
this we also found an archived copy of
the designed festive site from that year
with some more info on our
performers there he is his page
reads I
[Music]
his name is I love UDA searching for the
term online we were able to find this
old blog and website that had
information that helped us get a general
idea of who our har man is he seemed to
put great care on spreading positivity
and awareness of the state of the world
showing great care for animals and
nature his latest post from his website
dated to 2014 is him performing for
children in schools there was an email
address that was posted we tried sending
an email asking if he had any
information or knowledge about the
original heartman but this email has
long been
discontinued there was also an old video
interview from 2008 in it he says that
he was mainly inspired by duraman and an
panan but no mention of any previous
Harman okay so what started off as a
search for one thing uncovered something
completely different something that
seemed related but actually had nothing
to do with each other a story about a
simple man who took it upon himself to
try and spread love peace and awareness
for environmentalism through the streets
of Tokyo performing his songs along the
way and the search for Harman 2 was just
another dead end but not for nothing
because we seemingly have just
accidentally uncovered another internet
legend that we just didn't know we were
looking for
well I guess we're back exactly where we
started with many leads and many dead
ends I want to thank tubo for his help
his community has been extremely useful
and because of them the word has finally
began to spread about Harman in Japan
soon it's just going to be a matter of
time before we finally find our elusive
unknown mascot as of now we'll keep
looking on our end and if you're just as
intrigued in who or where Harman came
from you can join our research in
cracking this internet mystery in our
Discord until then the question still
stands who is hman and I will see
you very
[Music]
soon
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
for fore
[Music]
[Music]
Browse More Related Video
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)