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If you've been around Bored Panda long enough, you know we have a soft spot for signs.

From Australian artist Michael Pederson to the legendary El Arroyo restaurant, we cover pretty much everyone who knows how to send a message. Or doesn't!

There's a Facebook group called 'The Absurd Sign Project' and, as the name implies, its members are sharing the funniest sign fails they can find.

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.

More info: Facebook

We contacted the group's administrators and moderators and one of them, Craig Hey, was kind enough to tell us more about this amusing corner of the internet.

"The community is fantastic," Craig told Bored Panda.

The gang is approaching 100,000 members but the predecessor of 'The Absurd Sign Project' had 166,000 before Facebook decided to ban it.

However, when it comes to content, numbers aren't the most important thing. 

#3

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Larry Nannery Report

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Kimberly Gibbs
Community Member
6 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes, because being unnecessarily rude and calling names is so funny. Honestly, this is why our society is in the pits; people think it is so cool to "school" someone like this. Whatever happened to simple kindness? The sign could have easily read (and should have), "Check with the city as it is illegal to lockup your bike here." There is no need to humiliate someone while educating them. Just tired of the ugliness all the time. No need.

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Ke Brown
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Nothing like the righteous indignation of the ignorant.

Kimberly Gibbs
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The second person didn't need to humiliate while educating the person on something of which they were clearly unaware.

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Adrienne Mcginley
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And the ticket for chaining the bike to a handicapped signpost will probably be more than they paid for the bike & lock! As it should be!

James Pasquini
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In my locale the first fine *was* $75 and went up from there. Now I think the first fine is $150. And every now and then I still see idiots pull into a handicap space, hop out and walk into the store... and watch someone who does have a handicap tag or license plate have to park farther away from the entrance. What gets me if you say something to these Karens and Kens, they act like they did nothing wrong at all. Or they simply ignore you and leave with a look of indignation on their sorry faces.

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Crocodile
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My guess is a handicapped person did this to teach others not to park their if you're not handicapped and not to park your bike where it's not allowed.

Louise Donnell
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

These were both written by the same person 🙄 same paper and pen; upper case and lower case Y's match...

Crocodile
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My guess is a handicapped person did this to teach others not to park their if you're not handicapped and not to park your bike where it's not allowed.

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Chris Beard
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The I's and O's are different its not hard to ask your mate to write the other half

Jae Finney
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That’s funny. I’m so dumb, I’d probably do the same thing!🤣

Kristen C.
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I’ve seen this pic a number of times over the years and it never fails to get a chuckle out of me.

Yoyo
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Return it with a new lock"?! But how... I mean... just how?

Kim Bush
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Since the top sign is in all capital letters and the bottom sign is in lowercase, you very well could be right. I'd have to agree that they were written by the same person.

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Crocodile
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My guess is a handicapped person did this to teach others not to park their if you're not handicapped and not to park your bike where it's not allowed.

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#4

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Katie Boyle Report

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Floof
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

yes, the chances of you pooping on your hairdresser is never 0

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#5

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Amber Yancey Report

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Jack
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How many incidents have happened to need a sign put up Before said sign little kid pat's fart squirrels gets sprayed parents complain because they thought it was a squirrel many many complaints later

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From time to time, bigger Facebook groups attract toxic users who want to litter all over them but Craig said they don't have this problem.

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"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."

#6

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Steve Falletti Report

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Kona Pake
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I saw her last week running out on the pitch and the referees tackled her.

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As you can see, the signs that get featured on the group come from a variety of places but there are a few leaders.

"The biggest provider of entertainment, I would say, are restaurants and supermarkets," Craig said.

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The representative of 'The Absurd Sign Project' thinks the main reason why there are so many funny signs isn't incompetence. Rather, it's our desire to make each other laugh.

"We are the biggest absurd sign group I've found and we are the original group," Craig added.

"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!"

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If you also have to make a sign, whether it's for your kid's lemonade stand or a business of your own, it might be worth remembering a chat in our earlier piece on funny and clever signs with Adrian Geach.

Geach, who has been a signwriter since 1980, told Bored Panda that "a good sign should be eye-catching, easy to understand and not too wordy with enough negative space around the text or logo, and have a good color scheme."

#19

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Eddy Darbinian Report

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phil bishop
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Stay in drugs, eat school, and don't do vegetables. Sounds reasonable to me....

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Geach has been successfully involved in all areas of signage and graphics for decades but not that long ago, he went back to his roots and now concentrates on traditional signwriting.

With the current resurgence of interest in signwriting and hand-rendered work, he utilizes his skills to offer clients a more personal, unique, environmentally friendly, and organic signage solution using old-fashioned materials and techniques.

"A sign might only be looked at for a few seconds so it needs to leave an impression within this time frame, hence the less is more approach," he said.

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Di Davies Report

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"There are many factors to take into account when designing a sign, but the most important thing is to make sure it doesn't get lost in its surroundings," Geach revealed. 

"A bad sign is too much lettering, not enough space around or in-between text and logos, and bad color choices."

But after seeing a few more posts on 'The Absurd Sign Project', we'll become experts on those by ourselves!

#27

The-Absurd-Sign-Projects

Moe Rogers Report

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ThePanInPanda
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Watch someone take the table and leave all the rest of the stuff on the ground, untouched.

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#34

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Tricia Allen Report

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June’s Very Own
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I love EVERYTHING about this. Especially the voodoo dolls being made while you wait 😂

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#39

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Daniel Adams Report

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June’s Very Own
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The fact that they probably had to write the sign based on some persons actions is unreal

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#40

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Susan Dault Powers Report

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Lawrencium
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

For those of you not familiar, Rocky Mountain Oysters are bull testicles...

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#48

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Jason Crockett Report

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Lawrencium
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The missing closing quotation marks is what bugs me the most about this...

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#49

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Barrett Ludwig Report

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June’s Very Own
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is the weirdest thing I have ever seen/read in my whole life without a doubt

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#51

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Naomi Wilkey Report

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Rose the Cook
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Had a student who called everything a thingy when she couldn't remember the name of it in English.

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#55

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Aaron Essig Report

#60

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Michael Morales Report

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ThePanInPanda
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

All of you talking about the sign, meanwhile me: 'why are that guy's legs so long?'

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#69

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Bella V. Vid Report

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Natalia Linnik
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

“Our visit was wonderful but we never saw any bears. Please train your bears to be where guests can see them. This was an expensive trip to not get to see bears.” – Yellowstone visitor complain.

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#71

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Greg X Scragg Report

#76

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Jesse Holland Report

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Troux
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Welcome TO the fence. Not welcome IN the fence.

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#80

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Nathaniel Gordon Report

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Trophy Husband
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Is it sad that my new goal is to have a BP comment with 500 up votes?

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#84

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Fredrik Viklund Report

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Katie Lutesinger
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I understand they put these signs up to assist people from countries where toilets aren't raised but are set into the floor so you have to squat over them.

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#90

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Mark Gilchrist Report

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ThePanInPanda
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Guys, it's filler text, it appears automatically as sample text in many programs. It's not supposed to mean anything important, they just forgot to delete it.

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#91

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Eddy Darbinian Report

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sanityisnotproven
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Welcome to the Hotel California. You can never leave. Because you are forever lost.

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#93

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Rob Jones Report

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APL
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah, because some smoke alarms detect a change in air conductivity rather than smoke per se. Nothing odd about this.

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#98

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Chris Mohler Report

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Lawrencium
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This sign makes a lot more sense when you realize it's in Hawkins, Indiana

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#100

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Mary Elisabeth Report

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Trophy Husband
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And here's what it looked like after the small tornado from that Bugs Bunny cartoon came through!

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#107

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Anthony Rooney Report

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David Meacheam
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In my home town there was the White Bus Company. The buses were painted blue. The White family preferred them that way.

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