best of getaway funny signs

Best of F

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9 781431 402601

ISBN 978-1-4314-0260-1www.jacana.co.za

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More hilarious messagesfrom Africa & beyond

More hilarious messages from Africa & beyond

Edited by Tyson Jopson

Getaway booksBest of

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BEST_OF_FUNNY_SIGNS.indd 1 2012/09/20 3:51 PM

ii | Best of Getaway Funny Signs

| Introduction From the fi rst issue of Getaway back in 1989, we have been publishing pictures of the funny signs spotted by our readers on their travels. They proved so popular that the very fi rst editor-in-chief, David Steele, and his team decided to produce a book celebrating the best of these pictures. The book was an instant hit and the catalyst to two further editions – More Funny Signs and Even More Funny Signs. Now we’ve decided to look back over the twenty-odd years of publishing to bring you this Best of Funny Signs collection. That isn’t to say these funny signs have all been seen before. In recent years travel

has become easier and more and more Getaway readers have explored an ever-increasing footprint across the planet, meaning our repertoire of funny signs pictures has grown to include some never-seen-before corkers.

What makes a classic funny sign picture? Well, an exotic blend of innovative English grammar, plain and simple innocence and a dash of classic irony. Do the creators of these signs do it on purpose? Well, sometimes they probably do.

We hope you enjoy this classic collection. And no matter where you

fi nd yourself, remember to snap those funny signs you see and share them with the rest of us by e-mailing them to [email protected] and include a short blurb, describing the sign, and details of where you saw it. And to all you sign-writers out there, please carry on producing these roaringly funny artworks – even if it’s simply by accident.

Cameron Ewart-SmithEditor – Getaway


Introduction | iii

This book is dedicated to everyone with fire in their funny bones: those who see the lighter

side of everything, those who make others smile and who aren’t afraid to laugh at themselves.

Because, like signs, life starts out as a blank board and it’s up to us to fill in the words.


iv | Best of Getaway Funny Signs

Published by Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd, in association with Getaway, 2012

10 Orange Street, Sunnyside, Auckland Park 2092, South Africa +27-11-628-3200 www.jacana.co.za

© RamsayMedia, Getaway, 2012

All rights reserved.

ISBN 978-1-4314-0260-1Also available as an e-bookd-PDF ISBN 978-1-4314-0649-4 The published photos were all submitted to Getaway and the source of some is unknown. In the event that your photo has not been credited, please contact the publishers and we will rectify this in future editions. Job No. 001809

See a complete list of Jacana titles at www.jacana.co.za

Contents | 1

| ContentsTalking shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

On the road . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

This is a warning! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Death by laughter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Lavatory humour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

For official use only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Walk on the wild side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

The environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Down at the pub . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Only for children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Before getting into the pool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Excuse me? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

ROFL! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Thou doth protest! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Funny signs with a twist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72


2 | Best of Getaway Funny Signs

| Talking shop Everything has a price. While that may be true for many of the weird and wonderful items we purchase on our travels, when it comes to these ridiculous shopping-store signs sent in by our readers the laughs are, well, priceless.

above Mitchell Krog came across this sign while on his way to Krugersdorp. It is great to see places keeping with the times and diversifying their range of products. Also, you can use your new bakkie to get your goats back home.

left There’s nothing a good fringe can’t fix. This photo was taken outside Mokopane by Charlene Smit.


Talking shop | 3

above Where James Bond gets his suits. Found by Amanda Robinson in Kasane, northern Botswana.

above OMG… but Michelle Trachsel assures us it’s the name of a soda in Windhoek.

left When life gives you lemons… make orange juice? This little beauty was discovered by Eddy Uys.



all This farmstore near Napier achieved its objectives with its signs – untranslatable – which change regularly. For people who don’t read Afrikaans, take it from us that honger, moerig and gatvol aren’t three of the seven dwarfs. Photos by Careen de Villiers, Marina van Rensburg and Johan Verwey.


Talking shop | 5

above No need to lose your head, just keep looking. Sign found in Thokozisa in Central Drakensberg by Vicci du Plessis.

above If you laughed at the breast-feeding sign, says Andy Dott, check the sign behind to see how they do metalwork.

left It was only a matter of time before someone stood up for the oppression and abuse of fresh avocados. Carene Malan discovered this sign in Pick n Pay while buying produce for their next camping trip.



left If your shoes are in a hell of a state, JA Cragg found a place in Worcester that will bring them back to life.

left He knows everything. Sent in by Fredre and Loudene Heunis.

above Renae Kriedemann didn’t hoot – she didn’t know whether it was the legal kind of grass.


Talking shop | 7

above Jerry Mamabolo found this sign in a pub at the Bundu Inn in Mpumalanga. Perhaps the barman was Chinese.

above Monique Tenderini spotted this sign while visiting Hong Kong. Sharp objects around bopping heads? Bad idea.



above Let’s hope the only casualty in Stone Town was a mangled wedding tape. Roger Stringer found this colourfully worded advert by a filmmaker in Zanzibar.

above Brett and Celeste Duncan were in Milan central at a quaint little restaurant on a corner and discovered this sign. If you feel that way about your establishment why bother opening in the first place? Perhaps the back reads, ‘Closed, please come in’?


Best of F

UN

NY S

IGN

SM

ore hilar

ious m

essages fr

om A

fric

a & beyond

9 781431 402601

ISBN 978-1-4314-0260-1www.jacana.co.za

Fu nyFu nyn Si nsSi nsgBest of

More hilarious messagesfrom Africa & beyond

best of getaway funny signs

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