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Before we dive into the crux of it all, can we just stop for a moment appreciate the fact that appreciation societies—whether fun or real ones—exist and are a positive thing in general? Keep it up!

With that said, we present to you an admiration society for a curiosity of a concept that we’ve already discussed numerous times, but can’t get enough of—and that is signs. The Sign Appreciation Society collects and shares all manner of signage for the internet to enjoy.

#1

Reassuring to all arachnophobics I’m sure…

Image credits: Erja Summers

#2

Another sign in Tenby Wales. They got a good sense of humour.

Image credits: Stephen Bass

#3

Image credits: Stu Darby

So, the Sign Appreciation Society is a public group found on Facebook that, just like the name suggests, is all about appreciating signs in a collective manner.

The group isn’t even a year old and already it has a bit over 200,000 members—actually surpassed this threshold in the last week—who bring in around 50 new posts a day with 2,000 just in the last month.

#4

Image credits: ChristopherandSara Weaver

#5

I don’t know about you, but I hate bones in my bananas and always make sure to buy the boneless ones

Image credits: Susan Ding

#6

NO. THEY DO NOT

Image credits: Laura Orwin

As you might have already gathered, signs are out and about in the world to convey information. And that can be any bit of info that is relevant to the place that you might find yourself in at that moment. This alone sets an expectation for signage to be serious—after all, they are meant to help folks get around and understand what’s going on.

#7

Image credits: Pete Rhodes

#8

Image credits: Helen O' Rourke

#9

Image credits: Fleur Brown

And because of their serious nature, folks don’t really expect signs to be funny. Whether intentionally or accidentally. But it does happen. This admiration society and a good number of Bored Panda articles on the topic are testament to it. But I digress.

But it’s that unexpectancy that throws us off and spins us into laughter.

#10

Image credits: Fernando Soriano

#11

Image credits: Janet Pawlicki

#12

Image credits: Sign Appreciation Society

Humor in part revolves around the condition of something being unexpected. Like, wildly unexpected. It’s things or elements that, when we discover them, throw us off by offering an ambiguous meaning or a new way of seeing it and also makes us think “What in the actual heck? Did I see that right?” It’s a fun discovery. And this is called the theory of incongruity.

#13

Image credits: Simon Eden

#14

Image credits: Ahmed Jamal Jallad

#15

Image credits: Sharlene McCormick

This has become a basis for several other explanations as to what laughter and humor is all about. Researchers A. Peter McGraw and Caleb Warren jumped off this theory to explain other kinds of humor.

They went on to say that humor is when a person simultaneously identifies ethical, social or physical norms that were violated, but not in very offensive ways, but to a degree where this was amusing.

#16

Drinking game taken to the next level!

Image credits: Sonja Marie Isaacs

#17

Image credits: Sonja Marie Isaacs

#18

Image credits: Rob Raincock

Amusing was a keyword that other researchers identified from a different perspective—an evolutionary one. There are suggestions that laughter has evolutionary roots as an emotional, spontaneous and impulsive expression of amusement and joy. All of this to support relationships and social connectivity in order to survive in this crazy crazy world.

#19

Image credits: Nigel Budge

#20

As far as I know, we don’t have these in Canada.

Image credits: Eugene Stickland

#21

Image credits: Sign Appreciation Society

Now, a sign doesn’t need to be anything other than just itself in order to draw the attention of people. Signs are specifically designed to draw attention so that they could convey information.

However, in a world full of ads and information overload, design of visibility is left to traffic signs and the like. All others now aim to be not necessarily visible, but memorable.

#22

Image credits: Dan Taylor

#23

Well-behaved aliens.

Image credits: Pascal Bérubé

#24

Image credits: Sam Gammilonghi

And this is where humor comes into play.

Making a sign funny will get stuck in your head. Heck, it might even merit a quick photo snap and a share on social media (or the Sign Appreciation Society). But it will be more memorable than any other sign—even the important ones, like the fire exit. And you’ll, like, be more than cool with that.

#25

I’m in Australia and we have big ones – whenever there is a Huntsman or a big whitetail, I scream, try to run away to find the nearest human and promptly pass out at their feet!

Image credits: Lauren Lolly

#26

Image credits: Rich Lucke

#27

Image credits: Jonathan Moy

And, honestly, the more ridiculous, the better. Usually a sign is funny on accident, like when it lacks commas and you just see “Flowers produce eggs” in a column (with an added moral of why punctuation matters), but it can be deliberate for added effect, like depicting extra human silhouettes to include babies, aliens, mutants and Roman warriors in their encouragement to wash their hands after partaking in some toilet adventures.