As Mary Poppins always said, “A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down,” and there are a lot more situations where that wisdom applies than one might initially think.
For instance, most of us don’t really like being told what to do. Sure, some guidance is greatly appreciated if we’re totally lost, but that’s far from the only times we really get it, thanks to how many signs there are everywhere.
But while people can practically make a sport out of disobeying every sign they see, some are better at convincing us to follow them than others.
Obviously, we’re likely to pay attention to a sign that says, “Don’t touch this or you’ll die in a really painful way,” but we’re about to see that even lower-stakes examples can charm us into compliance.
This aquarium in Toronto, Canada has definitely committed to its theme.
So instead of your standard yellow sign, their “wet floor” signs are inscribed on the side of a big, blue shark’s fin.
The consequences seem a lot more dire if we don’t watch ourselves.
There are a lot of signs that get creative about what you can’t flush, but this one even presents its weird thoughts in an unusual way.
It seems that as this sign runs down the list, it’s doing it in a smaller and smaller voice like it’s talking to a cop who’s increasingly unimpressed with it, but it still can’t help itself.
I guess a lot of us can think of places that would genuinely make this their policy.
And if we were to somehow make it clear that it’s impossible to pay when we don’t technically exist yet, that would just be treated as an excuse.
RELATED STORIES
As amazing as it would be for Spirit Airlines to diss itself so savagely, this sign was made by an artist.
Well, that artist must’ve had their work cut out for them because there are more than a few airlines that could accurately use “Your sadness brings us joy” as a slogan.
Ah, haven’t we all?
But at least when vodka does play a role, we can at least make our embarrassing mischief a little easier to explain.
When we’re sober, we’ve got nothing other than “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”
These signs are always finding lighthearted ways to remind us to drive safely, but this seems especially appropriate right now.
And that’s especially true if you’re a Christmas Vacation fan with a less than glowing opinion of Twitter.
This local auto dealer’s sign makes a little more sense when you realize it comes to us from Weiner, Arkansas.
So they’re not warning us that the cop will be there to investigate our meat products, nor are they implying that he looks like Milhouse Van Houten.
The sign is still appreciated, though.
Apparently, this sign is in the bathroom of an “underfunded” research lab.
So if wondering how McDonald’s has automatic flushing systems while a high-tech research lab doesn’t, the answer is money.
This sign doesn’t promise as much as it my seem to, but I really feel sorry for someone who keeps falling for it.
In a way, however, the person who genuinely keeps becoming back here only to learn that the free beer has been postponed again might actually get a free one out of pity.
I suppose it’s important to make sure that nobody feels like they’ve been lied to.
Granted, I’d feel a little suspicious if somebody was offering me a cinnamon bun of that size for only one dollar, but I suppose some people are more trusting than others.
It’s hard to tell if this store name raised more questions before or after one of its letters burned out?
On one hand, what exactly is a barefoot shoe?
But on the other hand, that question doesn’t have anywhere near the cosmic implications of wondering whether we’ve been putting more shoes on our shoes all along.
Ouch, it’s pretty hard to call yourself a criminal mastermind when even the staff of the local Dairy Queen have sniffed out what you’re doing.
“Uh…no, no, it’s all been a big misunderstanding. We’re just playing a very slow, close-up and suspicious-looking game of catch.”
I’m so sick of the arguments about whether or not there’s a war on Christmas, but this is a funny way to deal with it.
In case you’re not ancient, the phone number is a reference to an old pop song.
Well, we can’t say that this office’s management hasn’t provided us with a wide variety of alternatives.
I can’t imagine that too many employees are going to opt to eat their trash, though. That doesn’t very healthy.
I live in a city full of tailgaters, so I think I need this bumper sticker.
I don’t get those people. They ride right on your bumper and then seem to think you’re the problem in that situation.
And for the record, I am usually already over the speed limit.
Good look trying to talk your way out of a haircut here. This salon has an answer for everything.
There’s something I find oddly wise about the person who doesn’t want to visit the barber because they’re afraid of power, though.
How many times does it take for this sign to be necessary?
I mean, the first time a pigeon gets in through the open window, you’d think it was a fluke. The second time, a coincidence. When does the pattern become clear that pigeons are just waiting for the window to open slightly too much?
This sign is really making me appreciate the idea of peeing as a “performance.”
It’s certainly a nicer thought than the fellas having to learn through a sign of all things that they’ve been more short-changed than they believed all this time, though.
I guess I really can’t handle the truth.
The wisdom in this sign feels like it was gained through some very bitter experience.
I’ve got to say, though. I wouldn’t have expected someone to put a positive spin on losing your car, but some people out here are just walking around with a downright admirable sense of optimism.
To be fair, I also passed school without Google.
It’s not like we were allowed to google the answer to tests just because search engines existed.
Well, now we know what the most frequently asked question they hear in this town is.
And if it seems unlikely that so many people would make that mistake, my best friend in high school told me about a musician buddy who accidentally traveled to the entirely wrong side of the country because he thought UC Berkeley was the Berklee College of Music.
Anything can happen, people.
Um, Wendy? Maybe you should give people a bit of time to mourn first?
It’s hard to say whether the memorial and the hiring are actually related, but the way the sign is laid out definitely makes it seem that way.
There’s nothing worse than being thirsty or snacky only to have the vending machine eat your last quarters.
Mr. Vending Machine understands and has politely informed you of his tendency to eat coins ahead of time.
Aw, how come only the staff get to nap in such an uncomfortable place?
Alternatively, this could mean that the rule only applies to staff and customers are free to nap in peace.
Yeah, smoking dogs would probably raise a lot of questions.
Whether the dog is smoking cigarettes or literally smoking, it’s not a good sign for their future health.
This sign has apparently been an ongoing war between the owners and the neighborhood teens.
Every time the sign was repaired, someone would go to the trouble of scraping away the L again. Eventually, the sign was laminated, and then the owners gave up all together and changed “Pool” to “Aquatic Center.”
Speaking of aquatic centers and poo…
This is why I can’t handle public water parks. People are gross and the sheer amount of chlorine required to clean away the grossness is upsetting.
It’s amazing how many people don’t seem to understand this.
I wonder if this sign was posted just as a general PSA or if the truck driver was sick of people not realizing he’s about to turn and causing problems.
Hard to say where this sign was seen, but I’m going to guess Northern Canada or Alaska.
Because where else would an office require a polar bear warning?
At least they said please and thank you.
If someone parks there, they definitely won’t be able to make the argument that they didn’t see the sign.
The choice of words here is making me uncomfortable.
Yes, “molest” has a secondary definition of to “pester or harass (someone) in an aggressive or persistent manner,” but there’s a reason the dictionary lists that as outdated.
Don’t molest alligators, please, or any human or animal.
Shout out to whoever put this sign up because they couldn’t have worded it clearer than this.
I know it’s common for us to go into denial when we’re inconvenienced, but we can only accept a truth that so boldly stares us in the face like this.
If you want lemonade, you’re out of luck.
If anything, the kids are doing less harm by putting their faith in Santa.
To be fair to them, there are actual presents that weren’t there before and the person who left them there isn’t keen on revealing themselves.
It’s a lot harder to tell what is leading Karen, Debra n’ pals to think essential oils are practically magical.
While it’s mostly pretty clear what these signs are telling us, this one will need a little more context.
As much as some of us know the struggles of having mosquitoes as admirers well, a place where they can actually carry you away needs to be identified immediately so none of us ever has to go there.
It’s like Jurassic Park without any of the parts that might actually entice the public.
