What makes a classic funny sign picture? According to our ed, it’s an exotic blend of innovative English grammar, plain and simple innocence and a dash of classic irony. It’s a wild cocktail that has brought countless laughs to our readers on their travels and readers have been sending us their favourite roadside howlers ever since the first issue of Getaway in 1989. It’s led to three books of funny signs and, now, I’m quite proud to present the fourth: The Best of Getaway Funny Signs.
I’m proud because not only did I get to pick the signs that made it into the book, but I was also responsible for providing a smartarse caption for each. Some of which, when perusing the book again, seemed a lot funnier when I wrote them. Perhaps I’m no match for authentic, quality, unwitting wit. Either way, I’m on the inside sleeve as The Editor which means my mom’s probably going to buy 75 copies and distribute them across my entire extended family. So just a heads up if you live in Benoni: they might be sold out at Lakeside Mall. If you’re keen to check it out, you can can order The Best of Getaway Funny Signs online here. It’s 85 bucks, so stick in someone’s Christmas sock for a laugh … literally.
Enter here to win one of three copies of Getaway’s fourth edition of Funny Signs: Best of Getaway Funny Signs.
Here’s a selection of 16 of my favourites from the book:
A petrol station with an inferiority complex? While this lonely sign, spotted by one of our readers in Limpopo, seems short 0n friends, at least it gives everyone who drives past a good ‘gas’.
One of our readers sent us this sign about a sign. A sign just for the sake of having one? We call that winning, any way you ‘slice’ it.
Maureen Verster was travelling around Australia when she came across this beauty. Seems even Australians know a tosser when they see one.
Flash! Aha! This sign, sent in by one of our readers, proves that there’s a positive side to everything … you just need a bright spark.
Always carry an umbrella at Mancora Beach. Ross Mitchell spotted this sign in the north of Peru where they seem to have taken to an odd new wind sport.
When the mood strikes, you can’t ignore it. We take no credit for this sign, sent in by Marius Viljoen. We blame it entirely on the boogie.
So, beans for lunch then? Hugh and Sandra Verreynne spotted this odd sign in Pilgrim’s Rest, Mpumalanga.
Yusraa Ameen snapped this in the Kruger National Park. You have to admire little ‘attacks’ like this. This was definitely planned and stickers had to be made. The ‘attack’ probably happened at night.
Russell Chilton discovered this sneaky piece of graffiti in Paris. Clearly the ‘artist’ was intent on bringing public access back to the area.
‘Like’ a boss. This sign, sent in by one of our readers, takes the word ‘omnipresence’ to a whole new level.
Hey diddle diddle, the cat played the fiddle and the cow jumped off to his doom? Megan Land came across this warning sign on the side of the road on a trip to New Mexico, USA.
Nina Martin noticed this sign at the Red Barn between Plettenberg Bay and Sedgefield. Is there a reason they have to warn people about the old boy? ‘Oh Grandad, you so crazy!’
Equal opportunities, equal reward? This sign, spotted on the roadside by one of our readers takes the image of the modern-day multitasking female to new heights.
The most concerning thing about this sign is that it had to have happened at some point for them to have to put it up .. perhaps even more than once. Hennie Gawsrich found this bewildering graphic outside the bathrooms near Table Mountain, Cape Town.
Lany Olivier stopped for a break at the Olifantsnek rest stop during a recent trip to Sun City in the North West, only to find this strange sign in the toilet. We wonder how many people might consider that a challenge.
Can you guess where in South Africa this sign is? One of our readers sent in this photo from, it would seem, the actual middle of nowhere. It is in fact, situated on a roadside just outside of Kimberley and has been the cause of miles and miles of laughter for readers leaving the old Northern Cape mining town.
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