20 Times An Attempt Was Made, But Only Barely

Ashley Hunte
Three bootleg Victoria's Secret tags that misspell the words in different ways.
reddit | Ok_Translator_5061

You can usually tell when someone makes a genuine attempt, even if it doesn't work out as planned. Like, anything that has effort put into it is always going to be somewhat good at the very least.

The things in this list, though? I'm not really sure any attempts were made. Or maybe the people responsible for these things just barely tried.

"They all add artificial flavours anyway."

Two slushie machines; one has green slush but is labeled as cherry, while the other has red slush and is labeled as green apple.
reddit | brownlisa23

I'm not gonna lie, those two flavors are kind of similar anyway. But the fact that they're mislabeled is still gonna bother me. Like, a lot.

It's not like putting them in the right spots would've been that hard!

"Faucet placed further than its length in hotel room resulting in a cascading waterfall."

A sink faucet that's too far back on the counter; it's running and the water is missing the basin.
reddit | jvjishnu

I feel like you almost have to try to mess up this much. What a shame, too, because the design isn't even that bad to begin with.

Not the kinds of academic references I was expecting...

Shelves full of literary fiction novels in a bookstore Academic Reference section.
reddit | Esther0506

I mean, unless there are English literature classes where all you talk about are random fiction novels, I don't see this as academic references. Like, where are the textbooks and stuff?

"Seems alri- hol'up..."

A bootleg Supreme pouch that has a small red label to the bottom left that reads, "Supermen."
reddit | Most-Transportation8

Okay, I have to admit it. The attempt here is... actually good. It feels like they did the absolute bare minimum to avoid a lawsuit from the actual brand.

Of course, that could've still been an accident...

"It’s my daughter’s birthday in the morning. Guess we’re singing 'Yadhtrib yppah to you!' (This isn’t a reflection it came out the pack like this)."

A birthday banner where the words "happy birthday" have been printed backwards. (yadhtrib yppah).
reddit | AnOriginalId

All you have to do is put a mirror on the opposite wall and have the daughter look at that. Problem solved!

"Who else remember Pokémon Special Pikachu Edition La Versión Esmeralda for the Game Boy Color Advance ? Ah... The memories..."

A bootleg Pokemon cartridge for the Special Pikachu Edition On Game Boy Color Advance.
reddit | POGO_BOY38

Oh yeah, totally remember that game.

I actually really want to know if this is playable. And if it is, what's on there...

Shrek and the gang look different from how I remember.

Bootleg Shrek, Fiona, Donkey, and one of Shrek's kids statues in front of a restaurant.
reddit | Snek8345

Even if these didn't look slightly terrifying, I'd be able to tell they were bootlegs a mile away. Why? Because everyone knows Shrek and Fiona have 3 kids, not just one. Obviously.

"They don’t want you to ever find the checkout."

A floor sticker directing people to the checkout section of a store, only it's pointing in the opposite direction of where it should.
reddit | ChaChaRealSmooth33

This is classic retail worker behavior. You can't say they didn't try, but you can say they probably didn't try very hard. At least, not when it comes to that sticker placement.

"Not sure how well this will vent."

A man cooking on a commercial kitchen stove. The rangehood above the stove has no ventilation connected to it.
reddit | UndignifiedStab

I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure that thing isn't going to do a lot of venting. On the plus side, it looks nice in that spot. Plus there's a window, so that's something.

"Some interesting bacon cheese burgers."

Chicken strips in paper plates resting in a heated tray labeled " bacon cheeseburger."
reddit | Chaboomy69

I dunno, I almost feel like they don't actually sell bacon cheeseburgers. Or maybe they just didn't have any already made. Looks like they have plenty of chicken strips, if that counts for anything.

What's that one brand called? Pana-something?

An off brand Panasonic (PemesaniG) AAA battery.
reddit | zzzotaku_un

See, I'd probably trust a battery from a random brand I'd never heard of over one that's trying (and failing) to pass itself off as an actual brand like Panasonic. Seems like it would fry your electronics.

"I guess it was too difficult..."

An access panel in a paved ground; the lines don't match up with the lines painted in the concrete.
reddit | SuMannau

I'm gonna be honest here. Was an attempt actually made? Like, really and truly? Because it looks to me like whoever decided to put the handles in the wrong spots like that didn't try at all.

Lays, but make it weirder.

A bootleg Lays (Legs) chip bag that seems to be some kind of onion and pepper flavour.
reddit | International-Hat882

Maybe it got lost in translation, maybe it's just completely off-brand. But I couldn't possibly eat chips that called themselves "Legs." There are some things in this world that are just a little too weird.

"If you can't Crush it, Push it."

An off brand Crush (Push) grape soda bottle.
reddit | killall187

See, here's my thing about soft drinks. They're all just sugar and carbonated water. So, like, does it really matter if you have the real deal or the bootleg brand? Probably not.

One way, but actually the other way.

A one way road sign that's been flipped to face the opposite way, causing the "one way" to be upside down.
reddit | atrisorb

I mean, that's one way to make sure the sign is facing the right direction. It'd probably be a little easier to just get a sign with the right orientation, though.

"I repainted the bike lane, boss!"

A hastily painted bike lane symbol on a road.
reddit | urboob

I would hate to see the kind of bike this sign is based off of. In all seriousness, at least you can sort of tell what they were going for? Mostly.

"I've had this notebook for a while now and I had to find it again."

A notebook with a kitten on it. The kitten is wearing a tiara and a diamond necklace. Above it are the words, "Diamond Puppies."
reddit | Apart_Midnight_1348

I have a feeling whoever made this notebook has never seen a puppy before in their life. Or a kitten, for that matter.

"It’s a Range Rover I swear!"

A small white car that resembles a Range Rover.
reddit | ddoherty958

Well, it's a... something. According to the comment section, it's some kind of electric vehicle. So, definitely not a Range Rover.

I can't help but feel like this thing is in disguise or something, though.

"Some more Voicria's Screat (Found in Vietnam)."

Three bootleg Victoria's Secret tags, each misspelled differently.
reddit | Ok_Translator_5061

I appreciate the fact that each one has a different typo. "Victoria's" becomes "Voctoaris." "Secret" becomes "Segert." That bottom one mostly just looks like a string of Roman numerals. It's kind of amazing.

"Ngl the sandwich was better than Subway."

A bootleg Subway (FreshWay) wrapper with a sandwich inside.
reddit | TriTowel

Eat fresh? Subway? FreshWay. Of course! It all makes sense now.

I love the fact that they even copied the font. Like, it's so close to being plagiarism without actually being plagiarism.