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Wacky and irreverent signage around Toronto

Posted by Derek Flack / July 30, 2010

funny signs torontoA couple days ago, Torontoist posted about this little gem of an image in their Flickr pool (which can also be found in the Toronto Signs group). Loving urban interventions of this sort, I started poking around the blogTO Flickr pool for similar stuff, and in the process I came across loads of photos of comical and wacky signage around town. So, given that it's the Friday of a long weekend, it just seems like the right time to post a collection of this semiotic silliness.

After all, who wants to do any real work today?

If you know of other worthy images of Toronto-based signs, please add them to the pool or provide a link in the comments. If there are good ones, I'll add them to the post. Oh, and if you've got ample time on your hands, I suggest following some of the links to the photographers pages. Their descriptions of the signs are often the best part. Thanks to ronnie.yip for the lead photo.

The funny, the odd, and the unfortunate
funny signPhoto by titanium-white.

stop sign messagePhoto by Squeakyrat.

filmores g20Photo by malstad.

post no billsPhoto by picturenarrative.

sears signPhoto by Scott3eh.

hacked billboard torontoPhoto by eternal_seahorse (billboard by fauxreel).

20100730-pothead.jpgPhoto by Kattaka.

Juxtapositions
funny signPhoto by sevres-babylone.

crazy birdPhoto by Half my Dad's age.

funny signPhoto by designwallah.

Scott Snider's collection
There's a few Flickr members who've put together quite the selection of weird signage around the city, and sniderscion's is one of the best. Here are some highlights.

funny signLarger size here.

don't feed horseLarger size here.

funny sign torontoLarge size here.

danger fireLarger size here.

funny signLarger size here.

Check out the slideshow below for more silly signage in and around Toronto.

Discussion

8 Comments

Marian Alabama / July 30, 2010 at 10:33 am
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LOLZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Anton / July 30, 2010 at 11:07 am
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I've always loved that Post No Bills bit. So simple, but so clever.
Neville / July 30, 2010 at 11:08 am
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Thanks for putting a smile on my face! Great way to start the long weekend.
Adil / July 30, 2010 at 02:17 pm
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"STOP, hammer time"

hahaha

Thanks for this.
Jason Bondy-Sawyer / July 30, 2010 at 02:56 pm
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These are great!
Lovers of found art may also want to check out:
http://www.milkeggsvodka.com/

Cheers!
Scott Snider / July 30, 2010 at 03:36 pm
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Thanks!
Love some of the other finds as well.
Minty / July 30, 2010 at 06:38 pm
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Loved this!!! Stop, Hammer Time made my day. :)
Jonah B / July 31, 2010 at 03:14 am
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Earlier tonight I saw a Honda with a projector on its roof displaying an "I need Spain" ad on a portion of the white brick wall opposite "Hey Lucy's" on Bloor in the Annex - has anyone seen this before? And what's the deal regarding Toronto City regulations on this kind of advertising?

Do they pay for the ad space on that property's wall? And what kind of message does this send when after noticing the wall add, you find the car and notice that it's sitting there, idling for hours to power the projector (not exactly the greenest ad campaign)

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