Most of the time, vandalism is a nuisance—but every once in a while, a creative mind turns it into an opportunity to get a good laugh.
A new series of photos reveals how some people cleverly altered public signs to create new, much funnier messages.
Instead of sticking to run-of-the-mill vandalism, they took it upon themselves to at least insert a touch of humor into their creations, for example by turning a ‘no smoking’ sign into a ‘no pie’ warning.
Another person changed the ‘thanks’ written across a trash can by adding a period so that it reads ‘T. Hanks’, and added a photo of the 61-year-old actor Tom Hanks next to it.
Someone else spotted a Dior add for the perfume Sauvage, featuring Johnny Depp, and hilariously changed it to read Sausage.
No dessert! One person turned a ‘no smoking’ sign into a ‘no pie’ sign, even using the cigarette smoke to create the illusion of pie crust
Magical powers: Someone else tweaked an ad about pregnancy, making it look as though the positive pregnancy test is a wand and the girl holding it is none other than Harry Potter
Helpful reminder: The silhouette on this road sign appeared to be handing an oblivious person their forgotten lunch thanks to the addition of a text bubble
Homage: Another person changed the ‘thanks’ written across a trash can by adding a period so that it reads ‘T. Hanks’, and added a photo of the 61-year-old actor Tom Hanks next to it
Cheeky: These two surveillance cameras appeared to be deep in conversation about vandals, such as the ones who obviously placed these text bubbles above them
Meaty: Someone else spotted a Dior add for the perfume Sauvage, featuring Johnny Depp, and hilariously changed it to read Sausage
That’s forbidden: A person altered a ‘Dogs prohibited’ sign to read ‘Logs prohibited’, just a few feet away from an enormous log
Hey, stud: A student decided the ‘quiet study area’ in their library would be better renamed ‘quiet stud area’, a space perhaps reserved for their silent, handsome classmates
Musical: In Canada, someone completed this flu ad to read ‘Protect yourself and others from the flute’ and drew the music instrument in the hands of a sneezing man
Does art make you gassy? An art gallery became a ‘fart gallery’ with the simple addition of an extra letter
Feedback: Some vandals prompted officials to paint a mailbox red again, and continued until they were satisfied with the result
Throwback: One person found a creative way of paying tribute to Clippy, the paperclip who acted as a virtual assistant in old versions of Microsoft Office software
Do not try this at home: A vandal apparently wanted other people to injure themselves by inserting their keys into a outlet rebranded as a ‘key cleaner’
Well at least the message is clear: Someone completely changed the meaning of the McDonalds slogan ‘Keep your friends close & your fries closer’
What would Frida think? A sign prohibiting skateboarding became a ‘no unibrow’ sign thanks to some clever, albeit simple, doodling
What did she do wrong? One person apparently really wanted someone to ‘stop’ Miley Cyrus, and added the singer’s name to a stop sign in New York City
Karaoke: This Electric Avenue sign was a chance for someone to pay tribute to the 1982 hit song of the same name by Eddy Grant
How convenient: Parents looking to change their Banes can now do so thanks to this changing station with a baby version of the DC Comics villain
Anatomically incorrect, but good effort: One person creatively changed the word ‘litter’ on a trash can to read ‘clitterus’, an interpretation of the word ‘clitoris’
Is that meant to be an insult? Someone pasted a photo of Justin Bieber’s face on the ‘girls’ sign of a bathroom
Well that changes the message: One vandal altered the reserved seats sign while riding public transportation, so that it reads ‘Please eat disabled passengers’
Simple but efficient: One sign indicating ‘roof’ became much funnier once someone draw a tiny dog below the white letters
Rock on: A pedestrian traffic detour sign was the perfect chance to add lyrics from Aerosmith’s 1975 song Walk This Way to the scenery
Taking it literally: Someone spruced up a sign placed near a movable bridge by drawing a bridge onto it, as if following its instructions
Very punny: One person was inspired by a diesel generator and transformer sign and pasted a photo of the actor Vin Diesel and one of the Transformers sign next to it
Nice! This painting on a wall outside makes it look as though the trees behind it really are the character’s hair
Imaginative: Someone offered their own interpretation of what is supposedly really going on inside the minds of the two people in this photo
Much nicer: One person altered a sign warning shoppers against shoplifting and possible prosecution, so that it now reads ‘We r cute’
Reference: This person reinterpreted a line from the 1986 video game The Legend Of Zelda, in which a character hands the player a sword to help them in their quest
Rude: Someone added a few letters to the IBM logo to describe an activity no one should practice at a public computer
Playing it for laughs: Someone added a smiling face above a road sign that reads ‘humps for 300 yards’
Renamed: One person defaced a campaign sign for Dick Foreman during his run for the Tempe City Council, and changed his last name to Foreskin
Really? Someone thought it would be a good idea to replace a character on this sign with Pedobear, a meme often used online in reference to pedophiles