50 Times Signs Were So Hilariously Absurd, People Had To Share Them On This Facebook Page (New Pics)
InterviewAlongside funny cat pics (a true classic!), we absolutely love to look at photos of hilarious and weird signs that people share online. They make us laugh, instantly boost our mood, and remind us of one simple fact—signmakers and what they create can be downright bizarre at times.
Enter, stage left, The Absurd Sign Project. It’s a popular Facebook group that does exactly what it says on the tin: it celebrates pics of the most absurd signs that have ever graced the internet. It’s the kind of stuff that’ll have you giggling and forwarding pics to your nearest and dearest in the middle of the day because who doesn’t enjoy having a good laugh?
Check out the funniest, most absurd signs, as shared by members of the ASP. Upvote your faves and be sure to let us know which of these you loved seeing the most, dear Pandas! Do you have any experiences with some super strange signs as well? We’d love to hear all about it. Meanwhile, read on for Bored Panda's interview with Craig Hey, one of the friendly administrators running the Facebook group.
Do you still have room for dessert? Wonderful! When you’ve enjoyed this list to the fullest, check out Bored Panda’s previous feature about the wonderfully wacky Facebook group right over here.
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Need to show my hubby this. Even if he's early for the train he thinks he's "wasting time"
Please give me a hard slap the moment I start making calls to goat butter. Trust me, I'll be needing that.
Craig, one of the admins from The Absurd Sign Project, was kind enough to answer Bored Panda's questions. He said that the main focus of the project is making people laugh.
"I think people like the humor you find with absurd signs. Others like seeing all the comments they get when they find an absurd sign," he explained what appeals to the members of the group.
"A good absurd sign is one that makes people laugh and people will remember, Craig told Bored Panda, adding that the most common mistake that signmakers make, in his experience, is "the translation into another language."
We also chatted about the role of the team running The Absurd Sign Project, as well as their plans for the future. "The admins and mods just want to keep growing the group and seeing all the signs people find," he said.
Last summer I was seeking a place in the boondocks of Iowa, and Google Maps put me on some gravel roads. It's one thing g to drive on unpaved roads in a pickup, and another to do that in a Ford Focus! Google Maps, please add the option to stay on paved roads!
Load More Replies...On a related note, Google Maps is *not* a business's website. Anyone can suggest an edit/suggest changes to the information. Look for an official website, not the Maps listing.
More info please. Google sends everyone to my neighbor.
Load More Replies...Lots of these are needed in Iceland, where Google will steer drivers into hazardous places. (source: personal experience)
Beware official national survey maps in rural areas of Britain. Roads will disappear, dead end, become cart tracks, or trap your car between two giant oaks that might once have allowed a wagon of hay to pass but grew. True story. Trapped unable to turn around and had to back up down a steep hill with no view in any direction because it was a curvy hill with 1000 year old hedges higher than a house. Never use the back route from the village because there's a fair going on blocking the main roadway of escape from your holiday rental. Google was outdone by history before it even existed . Edited to add: we have photos
This happened to us in Grand Canaria. Google maps sent us down a (numbered) road that was nothing more than a rough boulder strewn path on the side of a mountain. After guiding my husband through a 304 point turn, we eventually found our way back. No phone reception, no one knew where we were. Never been so thankful to see tarmac again in my life!
Load More Replies...Ooh! Driving to the cabin and mom calls to ask if I'm okay. I say yes. She says Google Mops has me smack in the middle of the river. I stop to check and sure enough, according to Google I am rafting!
Load More Replies...Google Earth can't seem to place me at the right address, when I am in NY house.
Exactly. No one believes the numerous 'Private Road' and 'No Trespassing' signs on the gravel road in front of our house until they get to the locked gate. Then they get mad. Go figure...
Load More Replies...I had this in my notes for delivery drivers. My neighbour and I were switched in Google's db.
We have this problem with Google too. They have sent people to the wrong place, so now I always give directions on how to get to our house.
I really miss god old fashioned paper maps. I could even fold them.....
Google once wanted my hubby to "drive straight forward"........into a canal!!!!!
I remember once bumping into some news of someone with a van somewhere in the Swiss Alps. He dutifully followed GPS. He got stuck somewhere on a 45 degree slope if I recall it well. They had to use a hellicopter to get him away from there.🙈 Oh, found it: https://sector12.forumotion.com/t2062-following-gps-man-drives-van-up-swiss-mountain-gets-stuck
Google sent me on a route through a known drug zone to get to Outback Steakhouse. Stopped by cops asking what I was doing in the area....showed them my GPS and they escorted me to Outback! LOL
When I lived in Colorado, there was a pretty big snowstorm. (Surprise!) The main route into Denver International Airport got a bit backed up, as you can imagine. Anyway, folks turned to Google to see if there was a workaround. Google got several hundred people to take a "back road" to reach the airport. It was a little track that led to a dropoff point for the harvester for the sunflower field. Hundreds of people were stuck in mud and almost two feet of snow.
I have ended up at the end of a road, leading straight into the desert, while Google told me that it was the way to get to my destination
Yeah, true story. Happened to me in the Oakland hills AND the LA Airport. Also have two major mistakes on the old Veterans Bridge in H’burg Ca.
Google likes to send me on 17 turns through a residential neighborhood because it's 5 feet shorter than staying on the highway
This would have been great for the 2 different people that followed Google maps, and ended up in a river right outside my town. And stop looking at you phone while driving!
Yesterday in France, after having driven all night (shared with husband who was asleep at the time) I turned from the motorway onto a country road. At this point it's still dark. After about a quarter of a mile I went to check Google maps on my phone anchored to the dash, which had uncentered itself. I jabbed at it with my finger and when I looked up I was heading straight for a post on the opposite side of the road. Our car (large people carrier) then proceeded to hit the post, fly over a ditch, up a bank and through the forest. After mullering fifty meters of ferns and bracken, eventually slid to a shaky halt. Spent 5 hours waiting to be rescued. Tow truck eventually turned up and ended up in the same ditch. Poor guy broke his arm and had to send for another rescue vehicle. Finally got rescued and taken to our house. Whole day wasted, car in many pieces (thankfully we were unhurt) hours on the phone. Thanks very much Google Maps.
"The biggest challenge is having members agree on what should and shouldn’t be allowed to be posted. But overall the group is full of great people," Craig praised the friendly community.
"There is a lot of time that goes into managing the group. Christina and myself are very grateful that we have very dedicated mods who help a lot," he complimented his fellow admin and moderators.
At the time of writing, The Absurd Sign Project was home to nearly 103k members. This is the second iteration of the project. Facebook had banned the previous group when it had 166k members. However, the community was reestablished in 2021 and is now continuing to thrive to this very day!
The project is all about people sharing their love of authentic absurd signs, in all possible forms. “We're talking brutal spelling mistakes, contradictory statements... you know, the good stuff. So join us and let's take a look at some of the most popular posts on the group,” the team running the community shares.
Craig, one of the group’s administrators, shared a bit about the community with Bored Panda during an earlier interview as well. He explained that The Absurd Sign Project doesn’t have to deal with a problem that’s all too common in many large Facebook groups. Namely, toxic users who revel in spreading chaos and misery.
"Sometimes we have to take down a post we think Facebook won't like, but we don't get too many trolls. We have a dedicated admin and mod team who love seeing the group thrive and grow. Our most common issue is people not being happy over the posts we have to take down so we don't get shut down,” admin Craig shared with Bored Panda.
Oh man... I feel so bad for anyone that actually thinks they're pumpkins. >.<
"The biggest provider of entertainment, I would say, are restaurants and supermarkets," the online community representative explained what type of content resonates the most with members of the Facebook group.
According to administrator Craig, the real reason why there are so many hilarious and absurd signs out there is people’s desire to make each other laugh, not incompetence.
"We are the biggest absurd sign group I've found and we are the original group," the admin told us. "If anyone has any absurd signs of their own and wants to share, we would love to keep growing as a community and we want to see them!"
If you love the content and feel that the community is right up your alley, go on and apply to join in. You’ll have to answer a few quick questions after sending out a request and that’s it! However, you do have to promise to follow the Facebook group’s rules.
In short, you have to follow the Golden Rule and try to not be a jerk to anyone else. Be courteous, polite, and kind. There’s zero tolerance for hate speech and bullying, promotions and spam. Meanwhile, the three things you shouldn’t discuss under any circumstances are politics, religion, and Covid-19. According to the team running the group, these topics create “unnecessary conflict.”
“We strive for an entertaining and comfortable environment,” they point out.
Meanwhile, there’s no room for signs that are photoshopped. The pics you post have to be authentic. Moreover, memes are disallowed, too. In other words, just focus on posting funny and absurd signs as they appear ‘in the wild.’
Previously, entertainment and pop culture expert Mike Sington from LA, explained to Bored Panda that no matter how much time passes and how internet trends change, one constant will be people’s love (and need) of humor. He said that humor is here to stay.
"Funny thoughts, anecdotes, and memes are popular now, and will have staying power on the internet. People often go online for escapism, and humor has always provided that. I don’t foresee that changing," the expert told us.
"If something becomes popular quickly and seems to come out of nowhere, it’s more likely to be a passing fad," Mike noted about internet trends. "Long-term trends with staying power seem to build more slowly, but at a steady pace. Be careful of jumping on the 'bandwagon' yourself, just because something is popular in the moment. That’s the scenario that’s most likely to haunt you in the future.”
This isn't what people meant when they said that pumpkin spice needs to stop
Meanwhile, Professor Lisa McLendon, from the University of Kansas, told Bored Panda during an earlier interview that “clarity and brevity are essential” when making any sign… if your goal is to efficiently communicate your desired message to your intended audience.
“You only have a second or two to get your message across, so you want people to understand quickly with zero confusion," the professor said.
They couldn't spell Surströmming? "The process of fermenting the fish creates a strong rotten egg smell." - one or more reliable sources.
Turns out in the original image there's an Italian tree... itlay-6364...4e64cc.jpg
Is the bad part that it's your own poo? I didn't know the only problem was whose poo you're throwing.
Someone is downvoting most/all comments on here. I had about 9 upvotes. Went to zero in 10 minutes.
Someone is downvoting most/all comments on here. I had about 9 upvotes. Went to zero in 10 minutes.