Everybody makes mistakes. We can't always be perfect, so as a policy, it's best to give other people second chances. That said, there are some blunders nobody gets over. Suppose you're a professional bricklayer hired to assemble a wall: you can't glue them on all willy-nilly, can you? Or maybe your job is to lay tiles in a pattern, but you botch it entirely. The client probably won't find it funny, but we do, so we've compiled some of the worst mess-ups into one insanely hilarious list. These failures are so bad they'll make you scream, "You had one job!"
What Did They Do to Pikachu?
You might think buying knockoff merch is harmless, but it's not. For starters, the ethics of it is dubious, but that's a discussion for another time. In the second place, you might end up getting a figurine like this. Seriously, who put this together? It's like they'd never seen a Pikachu before, and that could only be possible if you've been living under a rock for over two decades.
Maybe it's a new limited edition unicorn Pikachu with only one ear. Although they also messed up by putting the brown tip at the bottom. There's no saving it, is there?
Lost in Translation
Do you ever wake up in the middle of the night, sweaty and with your heart beating out of your chest because you dreamed you were driving in Japan and couldn't understand the signs? Well, the good news is many of them use universal symbols designed for everyone to understand, no matter what alphabet they use, so you'll get the most critical information. You might not get all of it, though.
What's that supposed to mean? Is there a risk of deer jumping in front of your car? Or of baboons jumping you in the night. Maybe the monkeys enjoy disguising themselves with antlers.
Someone Got the Tiles Scrambled
Tiles are all fun and games unless they come with patterns. If you want your bathroom or kitchen tiled, we suggest you buy plain square ones that don't need to be arranged in a fixed way. Someone's bound to mess up and put one in the wrong spot, which will ruin the entire effect. These guys couldn't even put together a disability access sign. Do you think they can deal with mandalas?
Nope. We say you stick to the basics. That advice goes for public institutions as well. Wouldn't it be better to pave everything and then paint the sign on?
That's One Way to Make a Buck
Yesterday's fried chicken leftovers are today's chicken pot pie fillings. That's how fast food chains like KFC make a profit and minimize waste. Didn't you know? We're not against it because we love those steamy, creamy pockets of dough. However, some consumers may feel a bit disappointed with this strategy. It takes the magic away, you know? Especially when a chocolate company does it in such a blatant manner.
Come on, that's just the repurposed bunnies left over from Easter. What angers us is that they're not selling it as a half-off seasonal item but a full-price new product!
When You Literally Don't Know Left From Right
Do you struggle with figuring out where's left and where's right? We do too. In fact, one of our best-kept secrets is that we only know right from left because we have a bump on our finger from writing. That said, we haven't used a pen in ages, so the bump's fading, and we have no idea what we'll do once it's gone... We won't be putting remotes together, that's for sure.
If placing the buttons in the correct places was our job, they'd end up like this too. We wonder what the owners use as a reference, though. The arrows or the words?
Looking at This Makes Us Feel Drunk
Although most people tend to ignore them, the lines painted on the floor of highways and roads mean something. If the line is dotted, then you can overtake other cars. If it's solid, then overtaking isn't allowed because it's considered too risky. Now, if they're solid and wiggly... It just means whoever painted them had really bad pulse or that they were under the influence of something.
Don't stare at that picture too long, or you'll get dizzy. It almost makes us wonder how anybody could screw up so massively. They don't train workers like they used to...
The Perfect Spot to Sit at
Most public benches are there for people to sit and rest. Maybe they've been walking too long and need to give their legs a break before continuing their journey. Or perhaps they want to have lunch outdoors instead of hunched over their desk. Whatever the reason, the experience is supposed to be relaxing, but it won't be if they're assaulted by a jet of water coming from the wall.
We have to believe this was a massive screw-up because nobody would think this was a good idea. It renders the entire bench unusable since it'll all be a sopping-wet mess!
Here's Why Paying a Translator Is Always Better
Translators do an invaluable service, but unfortunately, their skills are often overlooked. Many people believe that Google Translate is all that's necessary to adapt a piece of text from one language to another, but that's just not true. Most of the time, if they try using it, they're sadly disappointed by the results, as this sign proves. Well, all the other automatic translation fails prove it too.
So, now you know, if you ever need something translated, pay someone with experience to do it. They'll be able to convey all the slight changes in meaning and context accurately.
Would You Grab That Handle?
Have you ever seen an ad or a sticker poorly placed and thought, "How unfortunate"? In those cases, who made the mistake? Was it a bad design choice, or should the person who installed it be to blame? Take this door, for example. It's not like the decal was stuck in the wrong place. It's just that the handle ended up in an unfortunate position... Could it have been avoided, though?
Not if the sticker was meant to be placed in between the doors. The design was at fault because there was no way to make the figure centered and avoid the handle mishap!
They Clearly Forgot Something
Men often complain about how urinals are open for everyone to see their business. It can even feel uncomfortable to have a stranger getting partially naked in full view. If we're being honest, they should also have closed stalls like women's restrooms do. That way, the rest of the population won't be treated to two dudes peeing every time they head to the WC. However, this isn't the correct strategy.
They closed up the urinal and left the toilet open! We'd like to know who made the mistake: those who installed the door or the ones who put in the porcelain bowls.
So, Was It First Place or Third?
One part of learning a new language that's surprisingly complicated is figuring out how to say positions, as in the first, the second, the third, etc. Think about it: there's no absolute rule that governs it. The worst part is that they're not even consistent. That's why we're willing to let some mistakes slide when talking to people whose native language isn't English, but not when the error is etched in metal.
Unfortunately, this particular mistake meant that people didn't know which medal was for the winner and which was for the person who came in third place.
This Deserves Jail Time
Renovations never go as planned, so if you're about to embark on that particular journey, you have to be willing to accept that fact. However, one thing that can help you get the desired results is to be on top of the contractor. Don't leave everything in their hands! Breathe down their necks, like a Karen would. It's the only way to ensure dumb mistakes like this get fixed.
Otherwise, you'll be left with drawers that can only be opened one at a time. Also, that's a death trap for hands and fingers because getting them stuck there won't end well.
The Headless Lady
Don't you hate it when you're laying down tiles, and a ghost comes in and re-arranges them all? It's a widespread problem when remodeling centuries-old houses, old subway stations, or any ancient building. If you're renovating your 5-year-old condo, you probably won't have spirits wandering around its flimsy cardboard walls, so it won't be an issue. However, the place where this picture was taken shows the effects of ghostly interference.
That has to be the explanation, right? No alive human would be dumb enough to put this lady's head on sideways. After all, it's not exactly a complicated pattern...
This Made Our Brains Hurt
Up until now, the fails featured were pretty average. You know, things anyone could get wrong. However, occasionally, we run into a mistake so massive that we keep finding layers upon layers o of mess-ups. That's what happened in this case, where the blunder was so severe that it'd take you a few minutes of staring just to find out all that's wrong with this picture.
The sign says onions, but the box reads potatoes. Then, the picture shows pastries, but if you look inside, it's filled with watermelons... We'll never know the price of the fruits.
Not Handled With Care
Look, we have nothing against delivery people. They're just trying to do their jobs most of the time, but have you seen how some handle packages? It's no wonder items arrive broken because they're definitely not handled with care. Sure, most shops put "fragile" stickers all over packages that need some extra love during transportation, but sometimes even those are ignored—case in point: this box.
It got so severely manhandled that the sticker turned into an accordion. It looks like the coyote in those old Looney Tunes cartoons when it gets squashed by a piano or something.
Someone Didn't Follow Directions Very Well
Here's an exercise in frustration for you. Imagine you own a restaurant, and you hire a company to make your menus. You carefully explain exactly what you want and go through several design meetings to get the best possible product for your business. Weeks later, they finally arrive, but when you open them up, you realize someone has messed up royally because they don't even feature the logo!
We would be so angry that we'd demand they make them again and give us a discount. Come on, if it says "restaurant logo," YOU PRINT THE LOGO.
Umm... That's Not How Humans Look
In the advertising world, things have to go exactly as planned for a campaign to work. Most of the time, it does, but sometimes one of the hundreds of players involved messes up, and everything comes tumbling down. If it's a small mistake, it can probably be fixed, but if it's a royal screw-up like this... someone's getting fired. What could be so dramatic? Well, have a look.
They must have noticed they'd bungled it the second they put up the first panel. We don't understand why they didn't take it down and start over.
Did They Even Check References?
Out of all the people reading this, there has to be one or two with bricklaying experience. Perhaps you can attest to what we're about to say. There's a reason why bricks are placed like they are, and no, it's not aesthetics, although that's undoubtedly an element of it. If you want a sturdy wall, you can't just build it willy-nilly; you need to follow a well-established pattern.
Needless to say, these guys will have to tear this wall down and build it again if they want it to last. Stick with us; there's plenty more nonsense where this came from.
They Definitely Didn't Win Any Spelling Bee Contests
We learn a lot of different subjects in school, but one of the most important things it teaches us is how to write correctly. That's why it doesn't make sense for a place of learning to have a sign with a misspelled word, right? Unfortunately, for this one, the people they hired to paint the sign on the pavement apparently skipped a few grades or forgot everything they learned.
We shouldn't judge. What if they had dyslexia? They probably thought the word looked fine until someone stepped back and realized the c and the h were swapped.
Neat Freaks Look Away
Remember how we talked about how bricklaying wasn't an aesthetic thing but had a structural reason? Well, this case is precisely the opposite. Here, somebody made a mistake that doesn't really affect the closet's proper functioning, but we'll be damned if it won't drive everyone who sees it mad. If you're a bit of a neat freak, you should probably look away because that'll haunt you in your dreams.
The way they're only slightly misplaced is so grating. Will it make a difference in how well the doors open and close? No. But come on, how can you live with that?
The Placement Doesn't Make It Sound Enticing
The US runs on Dunkin', isn't that right? We bet many of you on the other side can attest to that. You don't get that successful as a business if you don't know how to market yourself. However, that doesn't mean Dunkin Donuts doesn't drop the ball occasionally. As a catchphrase, "Something fresh is always brewing" isn't bad; it just takes another meaning when placed next to the bathroom.
If it was meant to entice people to eat their doughnuts and buy their coffee, let's just say it failed. We wouldn't want to get anything that's brewing in there.
We Have so Many Questions
If you made it here, congrats! That means you've seen people mess up road paint, tile placements, bricklaying, and putting on door handles in a symmetrical manner. However, you still haven't seen someone make a mistake out of sheer stupidity. We'll introduce this next blunder with a question: what's the most crucial characteristic an accessibility ramp needs to have? We'll give you a hint: it's in the name.
Yes, it has to be a ramp, which this isn't. We can't understand how someone would pay to have stairs painted with an accessible logo instead of leveling them.
A Waste of a Perfectly Good A/C
Don't you ever wish you could have an AC outside when it's hot? Unfortunately, we don't have the technology to make one powerful enough to cool open spaces. Otherwise, we would've solved global warming already. That doesn't stop some people from trying in the dumbest possible ways. See? Whoever installed this one just wasted an air conditioner and will likely get a steep electricity bill.
You see, it doesn't work outside because there are no walls to keep the cool air trapped. We bet they thought up the idea when they were under the influence.
Someone Needed a Few More Editing Classes
Photoshop doesn't just serve to brainwash people into adopting unrealistic beauty standards. In the right hands, it can be a pretty helpful tool. However, the Internet often paints it as a ridiculous and downright harmful piece of software sometimes. We want to say we're here to dispel that myth, but we're not. We're jumping onto the funny Photoshop fails bandwagon, and our entry is good. Check it out.
Did whoever made this sign not check the placement of the facemask? What's even funnier than the mishap is that it exposed that none of them were wearing a covering.
Was It the Baker or the Client's Fault?
Ordering a cake for a special occasion is an adrenaline-packed experience for any amateur party planner. Nothing ensures you'll get what you want, even if you try to make it yourself. The key is to have a trustworthy baker, but if you don't have one, you'll either have to order a backup or unthinkingly trust whoever you hired for the job. We hope these people's choice was the first one.
Because the place they ordered this one from definitely let them down. Still, we're left wondering if it was the bakery's mistake or the clients. Maybe they attached the wrong picture?
Privacy Please!
There's a secret we have to confess. We can't keep hiding it anymore. The truth is that we hate going to public bathrooms. They give us the ick, so it's almost impossible for us to be able to pee or, God forbid, poop in peace. Besides, we're always scared that someone will barge in while we still have our pants down. That wouldn't be the case with this restroom, though.
You thought that was a compliment? Oh, no. We just meant there was no need to feel anxious about someone barging in because they'd see you doing your business from outside.
Someone Had a Brain Fart
Despite our differences, we think some experiences are universal. Come on; you can't tell us you've never called a teacher "mom" by accident or that you always remember what an object is called and have never had to use "thing" as a replacement. We refuse to believe there's a single human who hasn't lived through either of these. That's why whoever made this label has our deepest sympathies.
We've never forgotten what bananas are called, but we might as well. Besides, it's not like people can't understand what the sign refers to. It's a pretty relatable experience.
That's One Goofy-Looking Lion
Nowadays, pretty much everybody knows what a koala or a panda looks like, even if they don't live in Australia or China. But have you ever wondered how people knew what exotic animals were like if they couldn't physically travel to see them? The answer is they didn't. Unless you went to India, you wouldn't know what a tiger was like. That's how you ended up with "lions" that looked like this.
This goofy lion was gifted to King Frederick I of Sweden, and it looks that way because the embalmer had never seen one before. The poor man had to use his imagination.
Those Aren't School Supplies
Supermarkets love the back-to-school season. It's probably one of the periods when they sell the most stuff. Even if you don't have a child in school, you'll know when classes are about to start again since the entire store will be plastered with banners announcing it. However, amidst the chaos, there are bound to be some slip-ups, like putting a "back to school" sign atop a knife display.
If your child is bringing a meat cleaver to the first day of class, it's a problem. No kid of any age needs that level of cutting power at school.
Hey Pavement Guys, You Missed a Spot
Ah, few experiences are better than driving on a freshly paved street. If it's already dry, that is. Don't go driving on top of wet cement because that won't end well. It's so buttery smooth when it's brand new; you can even hear the difference. However, sometimes they don't do a good job pouring and smoothing over the pavement. It's like you're gliding along, and then you feel a jolt.
Imagine getting out to check and seeing it wasn't a bump in the road but a shovel someone left lodged into the street. Hopefully, they didn't need it anymore...
You Either Have None or Too Many
If there's one thing we hate, it's washing out hands and having to dry them under those machines that shoot hot air at us. First, they just spread bacteria everywhere, but they also take so long to dry anything. Most people give up and leave with their fingers slightly damp. It seems several individuals complained about this bathroom not having any towel dryers because they went above and beyond.
We count five of those towel dispensers. Do you think there might be any more? What also makes us puzzled is how they're arranged in a zig-zag pattern.
Nobody Knows Geography
People often talk about Africa as though it were one big whole, but in reality, each country within the continent has its own culture and history. You wouldn't assume the Spanish are just like the Swedish, would you? So, why think there's no difference between Ghana and Morocco, which are both from the same continent? However, the average person isn't well-versed in geography and each continent's appearance.
Otherwise, a shirt like this one would never get made. Seriously, did no one catch this mistake? We thought most garments were manufactured in China, and they'd know how Asia looks.
We Would've Done the Same
Have you ever seen a mistake in the wild that made you think, "Wow, whoever did that is the same brand of lazy that I am?" Let us explain. Picture a wall painted perfectly except for one corner at the top, where there's a slight overlap where it meets the roof. Or a carpeted room with a poorly disguised patched area behind the door. Then there's this yellow line.
Not moving the dog poop before painting the line is something we'd also do. After all, it's the owner's fault it was left there. Why would we have to touch it?
Are People Okay in Julian?
Thanks to global warming, summers have been getting hotter and hotter. Heat waves and forest fires are more common, and ice caps are melting at a rapid rate. This brings a slew of issues, but the ones we feel the most are the unbearably high temperatures. This weatherman looks appropriately worried, although if you look closely at the image, you'll find that perhaps he should be more concerned.
About the people of Julian, who seem to be living in a literal hell. Seriously, can life even survive at that temperature? Wouldn't it feel like being inside a volcano?
Jesus Style: How to Turn Water Into Wine
One of Jesus' most well-known miracles was turning water into wine. No, he didn't do it because he enjoyed partying, but because he was at a wedding where the drinks ran out, and the bride and groom's families told his mother, and then she asked him to do it as a favor. Look, if you want to learn more, read the New Testament, or visit this supermarket's water aisle.
Should we call it the wine aisle? Perhaps whoever messed up was trying to paint themselves as the new Christ. Unfortunately, putting up the wrong sign is a much less impressive "miracle."
Isn't It Supposed to Be Lower?
The way drains work isn't that complicated because it's all about physics! Specifically, gravity, which is meant to pull the excess water toward the drain. However, for that to happen, it needs to be lower than the surrounding area and a way for the water to flow in the correct direction. We don't know the details about how they make them, but we do know whoever did this one failed miserably.
It's pretty obvious it doesn't work since everything is flooded except for the area surrounding the grate. If there are any drain experts out there, could you explain how this is possible?
Nala, Are You Okay?
Everyone knows that by buying a mass-produced item, there's a risk of getting a dud. If it's made cheaply and quickly, there won't be much quality control. That said, not all defects are created equal. Sometimes, it's just a seam or two that are slightly off or have a few loose threads, all things that may not affect the product's overall look. However, in other cases, the mistakes are fatal.
Any kid who receives this will run away in terror because how her eyes are placed does something strange to our brains. It's like we know there's something deeply wrong with that toy...
That's Embarrassing
Schools often hang up motivating signs in an attempt to get students to perform better. However, some places also use them to enforce rules and remind everyone of them. Our school had a dress code, and they permanently plastered it outside every bathroom so nobody would forget what was unacceptable to wear. The only thing we can say about it is that it was better written than this.
Sadly, it was every bit as useless. Isn't school supposed to be the place where they teach you spelling and writing skills? They could've gotten an English teacher to write it...
Someone Went so Fast They Confused the Sensor
Getting a speeding ticket is a pain in the butt, especially when it's for going only a couple of miles over the limit. Those are the kinds of mistakes people make because they momentarily lose focus, not because they're reckless. Nevertheless, there must be some rules in place to deter people from doing as they please and hurting others: that and proper equipment to enforce them.
We don't think a speed sensor that measures Fahrenheit degrees counts as "working," but we're no experts. Do you think it was so hot that it got confused?
It's Not Always the Mail Person's Fault
Remember how we talked about mail delivery people not caring about whether a package had a fragile sticker or not? Well, we lied. Sure, sometimes it is their fault, but it's not like they treat the boxes any more delicately in the warehouses. The truth is that you can never know precisely how much time they spent there or how they were stored. Maybe something like this happened.
And yet there we were, blaming the messenger. Sometimes the delivery man isn't at fault, so we shouldn't be so quick to point fingers. Still, whoever stacked these boxes messed up big time.