Park signs can be very useful in all aspects of our daily lives. They show us where to go, where not to go, what to do, what not to do, etc. Signs can be a big help in many ways, and you’d be surprised just how many of them are out there.
As a test, the next time you take a drive or walk around your local neighborhood, just look and count up all the signs you see. There are simply so many signs out there that we don’t even notice some of them or take the time to read what they say.
But you should always read signs for two main reasons: firstly, they can tell you some very important information about your local area, and secondly, they can actually be quite hilarious. Yes, there are some super funny signs out there, and we’ve listed up some of the best below.
These signs are confusing, beguiling, and might even make you want to scratch your head in sheer bewilderment sometimes, but they’re also hilarious examples of sign-makers playing around and coming up with unique ideas for their sign creations.
Important Advice in a Scary Situation
This sign has been placed in a park that has seen some mountain lion sightings over the years and tries to let people know what to do if they ever encounter one of those ferocious big cats for themselves.
The information on the sign could actually save lives, but the way it is presented is very funny, especially when the sign gets to the third panel and seems to show a man using his kid as a human shield against the lion.
Even Tom Hanks Isn’t Sure
If you wanted proof that crazy park signs can confuse even the brightest of minds, look no further! Here we can see Hollywood actor Tom Hanks, famous for his roles in movies like Apollo 13 and Cast Away, looking wholly bamboozled by this strange sign.
‘Heavy plant crossing.’ What could that possibly mean? Is it something to do with overweight potted plants somehow sprouting a pair of legs and walking over the street. Maybe we’ll never know, and neither will Tom.
Here’s to You, Bob Ross
Any Bob Ross fans out there will immediately understand and adore this particular park sign. Bob Ross was a fantastic painter, well-known for his lighthearted tutorial videos and use of phrases like ‘happy little trees.’
This sign takes the classic Bob Ross terminology and applies it to the real world, letting people know to be on the lookout for some happy little trees in the area up ahead. A great homage to a great man.
Maybe Just Go Somewhere Else?
There’s nothing too funny about any of these signs in particular. In fact, they all sound quite serious and scary, and that’s what makes them so funny. These signs were found at the Pololu Trail in Hawaii.
This is a hiking trail that people can check out while on vacation, but when you see all of these terrifying signs grouped together listing lots of different and dangerous ways you might get hurt, you probably start to have second thoughts about following the trail.
Don’t You Have a Guide Dinosaur?
There are some funny signs you might not even notice the first time because they seem pretty reasonable at first glance, and that’s what we can see here. The signs start off with the typical park rules like ‘no cycling’ and ‘no skating.’
Then, however, right down at the bottom, we can see a picture of a dinosaur crossed out with a little message to the side, letting us know that people aren’t allowed to bring their dinosaurs along to the park, except if they happen to be ‘guide dinosaurs.’
Try Saying That Three Times Fast
There’s always something funny about super long place names, and they can look even funnier when written down like this. This sign was found at Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg, which is also known as ‘Lake Webster.’
Almost everyone who walks past this sign has to stop and try to pronounce the name of the lake, but almost all of them fail. A funny aspect of the sign is that the name was clearly way too long to be written in a straight line so had to be written in this curved way.
The More You Know
Some signs are put in place around parks to teach people a little something about the flora and fauna they might happen to spot in the area, or maybe some interesting facts or statistics about the park itself and its history.
This is an example of that, but it’s not a very good one. Letting us know that ‘most black bears are black’ really isn’t teaching anybody anything. It looks like the sign maker ran out of ideas.
Well That Sounds Scary
Some of the funniest signs are found in places around the world where English isn’t necessarily the primary language of the country. When sign makers have to translate into languages they might not be 100% proficient in, some funny things can happen, just like in this sign.
The actual message of the text, talking about people boiling alive if they fall into a pond, is actually quite serious and scary, but the way it has been written and the use of the word ‘boiled’ makes it so funny too.
Why Would Anybody Do That?
Sometimes, signs get put up in response to people misbehaving or doing things they shouldn’t be doing. For example, if a group of kids are playing their music too loudly in a park, a sign might get put up asking people to keep the noise down.
We can only assume that the same kind of thing happened here, as this sign discourages people from having picnics in a cemetery, but how would anyone have ever thought of making such a sign in the first place?
Everyone Stay Very Silent
We often see signs asking people to keep their voices down. Maybe you’ll see this kind of sign in a library, or you might see a sign in a park asking you to refrain from playing music, but have you ever seen a sign quite like this one?
This sign was found in an Asian park and asks people to keep the noise down as it might cause them to be attacked by a swarm of angry hornets!
What Is That Deer Doing?
The text of a sign isn’t always the most interesting thing about it. Sometimes, it’s the little drawings and symbols on the sign that really make it stand out, and that’s what we can see here.
This sign shows a deer doing something to a man who appears to be floating a few feet off the ground. We’re not really sure what the sign is supposed to say, but the little wave lines around the scene make it look like some kind of deer dance party.
This Doesn’t Quite Make Sense
This sign doesn’t have a whole lot of text on it, yet it still managed to make a major mistake that makes it highly confusing for anyone who happened to be passing by and took the time to take a look and read it.
The sign tells us about a ‘bottomless’ pit just beyond the barrier but then goes on to state that the pit is actually only 65 feet deep. It’s quite a deep pit, but it’s not exactly ‘bottomless’ if it has been measured at 65 feet, is it?
This Is a Total Contradiction
There are some signs in this world that really just do not make a single bit of sense, and this is absolutely one of them. The whole point of a ‘one way’ sign is to let people know which way they should be traveling.
However, this particular ‘one-way’ sign has two arrows pointing in completely opposite directions, confusing everyone who sees it and leaving nobody any the wiser as to which direction they should be going.
Just in Case You Wanted to Know
If you feel like taking a really, really, really long hike, you might find some useful information on this Pacific Crest Trail sign. It lets us know that a local camp and footbridge are less than a mile away.
Then, it gets a little crazy by revealing that Mexico is over 1,400 miles in one direction and Canada is over 1,200 miles the other way. This information is more or less irrelevant and pointless, but the sign makers took the time to print it anyway, just to let people know.
This Sign Needs to Get Its Priorities in Order
Some signs have multiple messages to get across, and that’s the case with this particular sign, but it clearly needs to get its priorities in order! The sign amusingly lets us know that it has sharp edges so people should avoid touching it.
All of that part of the message is written in large text, but then the sign hilariously makes use of very tiny text at the bottom to let people know that the bridge is out up ahead.
Flipping the Script
Here’s a sign you probably never thought you would see. So often, ‘Keep off the Grass’ is one of the most common signs we can see all around. Even in parks, some grassy areas tend to be prohibited if they’re part of a garden or protected land.
This sign, however, completely changes everything by asking people to keep on the grass, rather than off it. Many people probably looked at this sign and didn’t even see what it said until taking a closer look.
Keep Your Eyes Peeled
Most signs typically start off with a big word in capital letters to try and grab your attention. ‘Attention’ is actually one of the words they can often use, but this amusing sign decided to take that classic word and put a little spin on it.
The sign immediately catches our eye with the huge ‘Attention!’ at the top, but then you see it’s actually just letting you know you should keep an eye out and stay alert to spot all the different wildlife around you.
Cats vs. Dogs
Sometimes, if you look at a simple sign all by itself, it really doesn’t seem too funny or interesting, but when something else happens around it, that simple sign can take on a hilarious new meaning, and that’s what we see here.
It’s almost like this cat had a sixth special sense and could understand the ‘No Dogs’ sign. Not only did it stroll past the sign, it decided to take a nap right behind it, hilariously teasing any dogs that might be in the area.
Very Clever Wordplay
Sometimes, you look at a sign and think it really isn’t all that necessary, but someone still decided to put it up. In some cases, signs are more about making people smile and brightening their days than actually telling them anything important.
That’s the case with this hilarious sign, which uses clever wordplay by switching the word ‘towed’ for ‘toad’ while talking about ‘frog parking’ in the pond. It’s a pointless sign, but still so funny.
How Strong Is Your Faith?
Here’s another hilarious sign was taken from an Asian location. Any English-speaking visitors to this place will have had a good laugh upon seeing this sign, and now you can too.
The sign shows an image of a tiger and strongly advises people to stay away, jokingly suggesting that you should only get near if you have a very strong belief in rebirth and aren’t scared of being eaten by a hungry tiger.
This Is What Logic Looks Like
When parks have lakes, rivers, ponds, or other bodies of water, there are usually signs posted around the place to let you know whether or not you’re allowed to swim, fish, dive, etc.
Hilariously, this Asian sign tells people that there is no swimming in the water, but that message only applies to people who can’t actually swim, which just defeats the whole point of the sign because why would anybody who can’t swim even try to swim in the first place?
Think of The Animals
As you roam around parks and natural spaces, you’ll see a lot of signs related to animals. This particular sign encourages people to not try climbing or leaning on the fences as they might fall.
That seems reasonable enough, but then it goes on to explain that if anyone falls, an animal might eat them and then get ill afterward. Clearly, a real animal lover came up with this kooky sign.
One for the Competitive Parents
Watching your kid play any kind of sport can be a great way to show them how much you care and feel a great sense of pride, but we all know that some highly competitive parents tend to get a little carried away.
This sign was made for those people. It gently reminds all parents that they’re not at an official NHL match and that everyone is there to have fun, rather than screaming and yelling at the participants and referees.
So Many Paths
The whole point of a sign is to make things easy and clear to understand. They’re supposed to provide very brief, to-the-point instructions or information about a situation or area, and that’s what these signs are doing, but they’re also completely pointless.
Telling people that paths are in every single direction just seems like a waste of wood and time. Logically, people should be able to see the paths for themselves anyway and wouldn’t even need these signs at all.
You Really Didn’t Need to Specify
Here we can see a standard sign with a little extra message at the bottom that really wasn’t necessary at all. The sign discourages people from petting any animals they might see or find in the local area.
Then, it decides to specifically mention rattlesnakes, but we don’t think anybody would really be too interested in petting a rattlesnake. If you do see or hear a rattlesnake, the best thing to do is to stay far away.
What Does That Mean?
Every now and then, you come across a sign that just leaves you scratching your head in a state of total confusion. Here’s an example of that, but it’s really not worth even trying to understand what this sign was supposed to mean.
We’ll never know what ‘language games’ the sign is referring to, but at least we know that we’re not allowed to play any of those games in this part of the park.
A Very Scary Sign
If you head off on travels around the world, you start to see that some parks and natural areas are very different from what you might be used to back home. This particular sign was seen in a park in Thailand.
If you happened to come across this sign, you’d instantly get very scared and with good reason! The sign reveals that cobras can sometimes be spotted in this area and encourages people to be on the lookout for the large, deadly snakes.
Drink It All Right Now!
Alcohol is prohibited in most parks all over the globe as people of all ages make use of park facilities and don’t want to be bumping into drunk or rowdy people as they’re trying to have a good time. Plus, all those bottles and cans would cause a big mess.
However, instead of simply saying ‘No Alcohol,’ this funny sign decided to take a more amusing, lighthearted approach to the idea and tells people to ‘start chugging’ any booze they happen to have before walking past the sign.
That’s Pretty Extreme
We can all agree that littering is bad. It’s a disrespectful, ruinous habit that some people sadly have. It makes the place look a mess, harms the environment, and contributes to pollution all over the world.
‘No Littering’ signs are quite a common sight in parks, but this one really goes to extreme lengths, suggesting that ‘evil’s door’ is opened by people who litter. It’s a bold message, but maybe it scared a few people into not littering, so it’s doing a useful job.
Keep Fit While Keeping the Park Clean
Here’s another hilarious sign related to dog owners cleaning up after their furry friends. It would have been easy to just write something like “Please Clean Up” but this sign maker decided to get creative.
They wrote and stylized the sign to look like an invitation to join a yoga class, catching people’s attention with the ‘Want to start yoga?’ the message at the top, before continuing on to reveal the true intention of the message.
Can Your Dog Do This?
Here’s another example of a sign maker taking a classic sign message and putting a funny spin on it to make people laugh and brighten up their days a little as they walk by. Those are the sorts of signs we love the most.
Rather than simply ordering dog owners to clean up after their pets, this sign jokingly suggests that perhaps they could train their dogs to clean up after themselves instead.
Someone Clearly Isn’t a Soccer Fan
Soccer is the most popular sport on the planet, but the maker of this sign clearly isn’t much of a fan of the ‘beautiful game.’ First, the sign sets the scene by stating that soccer isn’t allowed.
Then, however, the sign takes a darker turn and goes even further in its anger against the sport of soccer by saying it’s only allowed in the highly dangerous archery zone!
Another Fake Warning Sign
Signs are usually put in place to stop people from doing things or to tell them what they should be doing at all times. Things like ‘No Parking’ and ‘Keep off the Grass’ are just a couple of examples, but this sign goes in a different direction.
The cute sign lets people know they probably should stay on the path but then goes on to encourage them to follow their own paths and do some exploring too, finishing up by wishing everyone a wonderful day!
A Creative Sign for Pet Owners
Sign makers must get bored having to write the same old things over and over, so sometimes they like to get a little creative and show off their creative side in the making of their signs, and that’s what we can see here.
This hilarious sign gives us a new twist on classic, encouraging dog owners to be conscientious about letting their furry friends leave any ‘deposits’ lying around.
Something Is Ahead, but We Don’t Know What
Some signs really just leave you scratching your head and wondering what exactly the makers thought when they put them up. This is definitely an example of that sort of sign, as it gives us just one word to go on: Ahead.
What is ahead? How far ahead is it? Should we be worried and run in the other direction? Nobody knows what this sign was trying to say, but it has definitely made a lot of people laugh over the years.
We Get the Message
Some signs, even when poorly translated in parks from around the world, are basically universal. No matter where you happen to travel, parks always encourage owners to clean up after their dogs.
We can only imagine that that’s what this sign maker was trying to say when they wrote down ‘Please do not empty your dog here.’ It’s a badly written sign, but at least it gets the message across.
Watch Out for Falling Men!
If you happened to be listening to the song ‘It’s Raining Men’ while walking past this sign, you’d definitely burst into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. This sign is another example of how foreign text doesn’t always work the same way when translated into English.
Firstly, simply stating ‘Here is dangerous’ doesn’t really let people know why they should be concerned or what to look out for. Secondly, that picture of a falling guy doesn’t make a lot of sense since the area seems quite flat.
One for the Skaters out There
The folks responsible for signs in the parks department of the North Vancouver District must have had a lot of laughs thinking up this one. They wanted to create a sign to let skaters know that there was a good park nearby for skating rather than doing it out on the street.
They could have just made a classic ‘No Skating’ sign, but instead, they decided to get creative and invent an entire rap/poem involving a lot of skate-related words and phrases like ‘kick flips’ and ‘trucks.’
What Qualifies as A Small Parent?
Sometimes, a sign is trying to get a really serious or essential message across to people but just ends up looking hilarious due to the words that have been chosen, and this is a perfect example of that.
The sign wants to let people know that they can ride this park attraction with their kids but specifies that only ‘small parents’ are allowed on board. It must be difficult for parents to figure out whether or not they qualify as being small enough for the ride.
How to Deal with A Bear
Hiking in Alaska is a fantastic experience, but is also pretty dangerous, with a lot of frosty conditions and scary predators out there, including bears. Fortunately, this park sign is here to help!
It encourages all hikers to stay on the paths at all times, as well as instructing them to yell and scream if a bear approaches. It’s a funny sign with the bear up on its hind legs and the man waving his arms, but making noise really can deter bears.
Appreciate the Little Things
So often, signs are all about telling us what not to do or what we’re not allowed to do, but this one takes things in a different direction. It catches the eye with its bold red and white color scheme and big ‘Stop’ symbol at the top.
However, once the sign has captured your attention, it surprises you by encouraging everyone to actually take some time to smell the flowers and appreciate the beauty of the park, rather than simply rushing through. We can all learn a lot from this funny sign.
For Safety Reasons Only
This hilarious park sign starts off simply enough by encouraging people not to smoke, litter, spit or bring their pets to the park, but then it takes a drastic and bizarre turn at the bottom.
The sign says that ‘For Safety,’ there can be no Gangnam Style dancing in the park. This will be a big disappointment to any fans of the classic Psy song but will come as sweet relief to people who are really tired of that Korean dance craze.
We’ve All Been Doing It Wrong
Here’s another fantastic and hilarious example of a sign that really has no need to exist in the first place. It’s possible that maybe this sign was created by someone who didn’t speak English too well or maybe it was just made as a joke.
Either way, it’s dumb and funny. The sign lets people know that they shouldn’t try breathing under the water, which is of course, impossible. Although, if any fish happen to be reading this sign, they’ll definitely get confused.
Are You in A Hurry?
Here we can see another example of a sign that has been translated to English from a different language, resulting in a rather amusing message that definitely put a smile on the face of any English speakers who happened to walk past it.
The sign lets us know that the ropeway station is a 10-minute walk away, but says if you ‘run a little,’ you might be able to get there in 7 minutes instead.
This Sign-Maker Started Losing His Mind
This sign is a hilarious one to read, but you don’t see why it’s funny until a little later on. At first, it starts off quite normally, with rules around dogs being on leashes and no alcohol.
Then, however, it starts to get very strange, talking about the dogs being clothed and Catholic, then randomly bans the presence of alpacas and starts talking about skateboarding coyotes and no human sacrifices before 8pm. What do you think the funniest part of this sign is?
Furry Friends Need Signs Too
Here’s an amusing example of a sign-maker who clearly loves his furry friends and never wants to leave them out of anything. We often see signs related to dogs, usually prohibiting them from accessing certain places, but this one is different.
This sign is split into two sections, one for the humans and one for the pups, written explicitly in doggie language. Plenty of dog owners had to smile when coming across this lovely sign.
These Two Things Shouldn’t Be in The Same Place
If you saw these signs right by each other, would you really go any further with your family? The signs reveal that a fun children’s play area is up ahead, but also indicate the presence of bears.
The two images really do not go very well together at all, and most parents who walk down this street simply stop, turn around, and head right back in the other direction when they see the signs.
Angry Squirrels Are on The Loose
It can be lots of fun for families, especially those with young children, to roam around a park’s paths in search of cute little squirrels and maybe even feed them some healthy nuts or snacks.
This park sign, however, serves to let people know that they really shouldn’t get too close to the squirrels. The sign is quite violent, showing a chunk missing out of someone’s finger and blood dripping from the wound just to show that squirrels can bite.
Chemistry Students Will Love This One
Here’s a hilarious sign that science lovers and chemistry students or graduates will instantly smile at. Other people might need a little time to figure it out, but if you need a little hint, you should know that ‘dihydrogen monoxide’ is another name for something straightforward.
In reality, ‘dihydrogen monoxide’ is just water! So someone put up this sign to try and scare any illegal fishermen into staying away from the lake by using a complicated-sounding term, and it worked too!
She Doesn’t Exist!?
Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy might be real enough, but apparently, there is no ‘Poop Fairy’ hiding out there in magical fantasy land. This sign was spotted in a Chicago Park and is a hilarious way to remind people to clean up after their dogs.
We’ve seen a few great examples of sign makers getting creative when addressing dog owners, and this is definitely one of the best. The funny drawing of the fairy really makes it extra special.