Who says you can't relive your childhood? Recreated photographs are an internet hit

There are people who say you can never relive your childhood - and then there are these guys.

What started as a simple online photo competition has become an unstoppable internet force.

Internet blogger Ze Frank asked his readers to recreate childhood photos in a compelling 'then and now' experiment.

The results, from around the world, are bizarre, hilarious - and very often poignant.

It might be a little too late for people who haven't done so already - but many of the photographers are saying that the unique 'then and now' snaps will make a perfect Christmas gift for members of their family.

Hundreds of pictures have been submitted, and many are posted on Ze Frank's website - www.zefrank.com - under the 'Young me/now me' section.

Here is a sample of the more inventive recreations - from a man aping his baby photo (with his insanely co-operative mother) to a beautifully romantic snap of a couple still together after decades.