These Public Bathroom Notes Show How Bathrooms Really Can Be Funny
Between the germs and the grime, public bathrooms can be gross, scary places. There is a bright side to these common areas, though, and that is the hilarious notes sometimes written on the walls. There's nothing like spotting a clever reference to your favorite movie while you're relieving yourself, or seeing "you're beautiful" written on the wall while you're in that vulnerable state. People can get very creative when it comes to hand driers and paper towel dispensers.
Run, Matt, Run!
There are two possibilities here. One is that the person who wrote this really needed to convey this message to Matt. And the other, more likely, possibility is that someone wrote this in an attempt to freak out anyone named Matt.
Either way, this message would be enough to at least get a smirk from someone using the john. It's hilarious to imagine a Matt yanking up his pants and racing out of the bathroom for an unknown reason.
A Physics Cheat Sheet
Whether you've taken physics or not, you can probably feel how valuable this note would be if it applied to a class you were taking. Memorizing formulas is one of the more challenging parts of math.
Some may think that whoever wrote this was being a good samaritan, while others would call this person a mischevious cheater. Truth be told, these hints wouldn't do much to save someone from flunking physics. Still, it's the thought that counts.
The Hand Drier With A Face
It may take a moment to figure out what's going on here, but once you see it, you can't unsee it. Someone added eyebrows to a hand drier so that the push button looks like a normal eye, and the piece that the air comes out of looks like a dangling eye.
The phrase "My eye!" on top helps convey what the artist had in mind. It certainly takes an artistic mind, or at least one that sees outside of the box, to come up with this idea.
Life Like Toilet Paper
This wise phrase is undermined by the fact it's referencing toilet paper of all things. Considering that this stranger is essentially wishing longevity and a higher purpose to strangers, it's a nice gesture.
What makes it so funny is that toilet paper isn't exactly the first thing you think of when it comes to your life's significance. When it comes to toilet paper, "long and useful" brings up an image that you'll probably wish never entered your mind.
The Liquid Metal Terminator
For anyone who is a fan of the Terminator movies, you probably already get what's going on in this photograph. For everyone else, we'll explain. You see, Terminator 2 had a character called the liquid metal terminator.
He looked like a cop, but could turn any part of himself into liquid metal. That's why this artist decided to turn a toilet handle into the arm of the liquid metal terminator, who is constantly looking for John Connor.
Harry Potter Was Here
Harry Potter fans will recognize the Chamber of Secrets as both the title of the second film, and as the secret realm that you only have access to via the bathroom. In the film, there was a specific bathroom that had a hidden system to access the Chamber of Secrets.
Harry and his friends figure all of this out and things get suspenseful as they enter the chamber. That's what makes the note a funny inside joke for Harry Potter fans.
Just Not Here
Some of the best public bathroom notes are the ones that get a response from someone else. That was the case with this message, which started out as a sincere "love one another." John Lennon would have been proud, at least until someone else added: "just not here."
What began as an innocent phrase of encouragement turned into a suggestive line with just three words. Best of all, it fits the stereotype that public restrooms are well known for, but we'll let you fill in that blank.
We Wouldn't Want That
Sometimes the best way to tackle an issue is through humor. That was clearly the thought process management had when they decided to print off this bathroom sign, which claims that not flushing will somehow lead to throwing the Earth into the Sun.
Though it's absolutely ludicrous to think that not flushing would seriously impact our planet's orbit, what the sign effectively does is characterize management as someone relatable. Ideally, patrons will want to respect the funny person who wrote the sign by being sure to flush.
Call Your Nan!
The grungiest of public bathrooms often have at least one, "For a good time call [insert phone number]" kind of note on the walls. This person took a tired joke and have it an innocent twist that's unexpected, and therefore hilarious.
Instead of calling a stranger for a good time, this note encourages you to call your grandmother! You know she would adore a Sunday dinner to hear all about your exciting life. The "Delightful!" at the end of the note is like the cherry on top of this clever joke.
Not A Fan Of Crocs
For anyone reading this while wearing a pair of Crocs, it's not that Crocs are bad. They are tremendously popular for their comfort and convenience. It's just that, from a style standpoint, they don't usually get jealous stares.
Whoever wrote this bathroom note must have had an especially bad experience with Crocs recently to be calling them out on a public wall. Perhaps they secretly have a pair of their own Crocs and are just bitter that no one ever complimented them.
They Are Both Beautiful
With all of the demeaning things that strangers can say to one another, it's nice to see this pleasant exchange. At the same time, the fact that the people who wrote these notes are anonymous, and therefore have no idea what one another looks like, makes it all the more hilarious.
The first message tells anyone who is in the bathroom that they are beautiful. Then someone replied "No you!" to this kind stranger. Finally, a third person says, with humorous intensity, that it's possible both of the authors are beautiful. Mind-blowing.
The Best Response
If you've ever heard of the rock band Queen, then odds are you're familiar with their song "Bohemian Rhapsody." Someone took the famous song's first two lines and wrote them on the wall, "Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?"
The response to the philosophical question comes from a different bathroom patron and has a drastically different tone. The dim-witted Patrick from the cartoon Spongebob Squarepants replies brashly, "No, this is Patrick," while glaring at a phone. Priceless.
Stuck In The Dispenser
Artists can really show off their skills when they incorporate objects into their work, as this person did with the paper towel dispenser. That's pretty great craftsmanship for being done on delicate paper away from a hard surface.
What we want to know is what the person who took this photo did about drying their hands. Did they leave the paper towel alone, use it after they got a picture, or rip it off and take it home with them?
Misleading Instructions
This feels like a test psychologists would give to measure how people follow directions. Though the first phrase says "Look Left," the arrow pointing to the right directs your eyes in that direction.
To be fair, Americans read from left to right, which isn't the case in every language. It's be an interesting experiment to see if this joke still worked on a bilingual person who first learned to read right to left. For such a simple bathroom note, it could be quite scientific!
Limbo Dancing Just Got Creepy
Limbo is a blast to do, especially at parties and especially when you're a flexible little kid. We never before considered how the best limbo dancers could be a hazard in public restrooms!
We don't seriously think that people who are skilled at limbo are a threat to the limited privacy of public bathrooms, but it is a funny thought. Just imagine you're using the restroom when all of a sudden you hear the daunting chant: "limbo, limbo, limbo!"
The Universal Symbol For Bacon
Back in the olden days, before the sleek-looking Dyson hand dryers came around, all we had were these World Dryers with the picture instructions on them. Then one day, some genius realized that the red squiggly lines look more like bacon than they do hot air.
Thus, the "push button, receive bacon" movement was born. More and more people started vandalizing these hand dryers, which spread the word like wildfire. Now, you can buy stickers, buttons, T-shirts, even a cutting board with this message on it!
The Purest Form Of Art
There are two ways to take this note: it's absolutely ludicrous or positively accurate. On the one hand, you have someone claiming that the often pointless writing done to vandalize bathrooms is not only art but the purest art.
On the other hand, their reasoning brings attention to the egotistical nature of the art world and how seeking compensation can ruin authenticity. The philosophical question is a valid one, but it's also hilarious because who gets thinks so deeply while using the restroom?
Kind Of A Downer
Did someone turn out the lights? Because things just got dark really quick. Rather than taking this wall note in all seriousness, we'd like to think it was written with a heavy dose of sarcasm.
A part of something being humorous is that it's also relatable. When someone pokes fun at themselves, it validates those same insecurities that we may have deep down. When we recognize the joke's morbidness, it reminds us to laugh off those absurd thoughts.
Looking At The Bright Side
For those who are not familiar with the show Adventure Time, this drawing may be confusing, so allow us to explain. The cartoon follows a pre-teen boy, pictured to the left, and his magical dog, shown at the right, as they battle evil.
The characters articulate questions of philosophy and morale in a way that kids can understand, which makes some of their quotes pretty funny. While this quote itself is a hoot, even funnier is that someone put the words of encouragement on a public bathroom wall.
Hopefully This Isn't A Joke
You may or may not remember that somewhere around the early 2000s, many people started doing "your mom" jokes. The fad died off, but its mark on society still lingers, as is apparent in this bathroom note.
Instead of saying something mean about "your mom," this person did the unexpected by simply calling her a nice lady. These kind of jokes are hilarious because they have an anti-climatic punchline. The lack of shock is what shocks, and that makes it funny.
Art Is In The Eye Of One Specific Beholder
It isn't too clear what's going on with this drawing. Is looks like either a lock or a purse with arms and legs is about to keel over, but we can't be too sure.
All that we know is the note written on the side appears to be making reference to the photo. The message tweaks the famous line, "art is in the eye of the beholder" and changes it to "art is in the eye of the manager on duty."
Isn't It Ironic?
This list is brilliant because of the way it orders everything so that the author is doing each thing they claim to hate. First and foremost, they claim to hate vandalism which is what they began with the minute they put a marker to the wall.
Next, we have irony which is what they just established by doing vandalism, which they supposedly hate. Finally, we have lists, which is on a list of things the author supposedly hates.
They Can Sympathize
This note is hilarious because of the two inconsistent feelings it elicits. On the one hand, it's a sweet, anonymous message of sympathy. On the other hand, it suggests that whoever wrote the note is all too familiar with terrible bathroom trips.
Many of us can relate to a time where reading this note would have been comforting, especially while in a public restroom. For those of you who have no idea what we're talking about, consider yourself lucky.
It Takes One To Know One
We're going to go out on a limb here and assume that whoever wrote this is a truck driver. The handwriting and the all capital lettering don't seem like a child's, and this person is clearly calling themselves out since they are, in fact, writing on the wall.
It's hard to believe that the irony was lost on whoever wrote this. They so easily could have printed out a note on paper and taped it to the wall to avoid looking like a hypocrite, but maybe that's the joke.
Case In Point
This message is brilliant, but only if you understand what a haiku is. A haiku is a style of poem that consists of three lines and follows the syllable pattern 5, 7, 5.
If you count it out, you'll see that the first line has five syllables, the second has seven, and the third, though it's just one word, also has five. The ingenious part is that the haiku is proving the very point it's making.
This Song Just Got Better
Some of you may remember the year that Cee Lo Green's song "Forget You" was on the radio constantly. Well, this person decided to take the chorus from that catchy song and adapt it into a haiku.
To point to the fact it is a haiku, the author changed the last two lyrics from "forget you" to "Haiku," which not only has the same number of syllables as the original lyrics, but also rhymes! We wish using the restroom made us that clever.
A Clever Misinterpretation
It's pretty common these days to see an "employees must wash hands" sign in the bathroom, since apparently they weren't doing that before. This restroom made the typical sign hilarious by adding a simple response below.
The message feigns shock at the fact no employees came in to wash the person's hands for them. Since the sign doesn't say that "employees must wash THEIR hands," it leaves some room for what we'll call "creative interpretation."
How Much Does A Hipster Weigh?
For anyone who isn't quite sure, a hipster as someone who follows non-mainstream trends. If that sounds like a paradox, it's because it is. That's why they often get made fun of for being a follower in the midst of trying to be a standout.
Since Instagram is a photo-based social media platform, it puts this irony on full display. By claiming that a hipster weighs one Instagram, the author of this joke plays on the word measurement "gram" while also making fun of a cultural norm.
The Jokes Are In The Comments
At first glance, this looks like the usual mark of two people's initials signifying that they were there. Why they wanted to make their presence known in a public bathroom is odd in and of itself, but that's beside the point. Where this note really gets funny is in the tiny comments around it.
Someone says the misspelling is like that of Mark Twain. Another person sarcastically calls the note original, and then someone sarcastically calls that person original. Why debates broke out over this simple note is a mystery, but that's what makes it funny!
They Asked For It
As you may have noticed from our photograph sources, Reddit is a popular forum for humorous nonsense. That's why someone prompted others to write something that would end up on the social media site.
Rather than it being some outrageous joke, someone followed the prompt with one word: likely. By simply correcting someone's spelling, the person who replied to this joke knocked out two birds with one stone. Someone else acknowledged this by saying "There ya go!"