Friday, April 9, 2010

A blatant misuse of clip art.

I was in a public building this week and had to use the restroom. As I was walking into the stall, I noticed a sign that I thought was worth sharing so I got out my camera and took a picture. I'm not really sure what others in the bathroom thought when they saw me walk into a stall and close the door and then heard me taking pictures, but that's neither here nor there. What matters is the sign. So here it is:

Putting the total lack of punctuation aside, we must agree that this sign carries an important (albeit, poorly punctuated) message for the patrons of the bathroom - and bathrooms all across this land, for that matter: clean up after yourself. And to underscore the message's importance, they have it in English and Spanish.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand clip art:

This hardly seems like the type of message clip art was meant to convey. And what exactly is happening in this picture, anyway? I stood in the stall for a long time examining this little scene and am no further along in figuring it out than when I began? I mean, what is this person dropping into the toilet? A fish? A piece of poop? A bag of marijuana she's hiding from the police? Is she casting some magical spell on the toilet, causing it to hover over the dog's head? Is that why the dog is cowering? Seriously - why is the dog cowering? What the heck does that girl have in her hand that would warrant such a response? And, perhaps most importantly, how on EARTH is she able to support her weight with those little ankles?

I don't get it. I just don't get it.

But for the sake of dogs and ankle-less employees and patrons everywhere, I did remember to flush the toilet.

8 comments:

Unknown said...

Hit it out of the ballpark again Catchy! Only you Catch. Only you could see this picture and weave this blog!

Phyllis Eddings said...

The picture IS a mystery, however the plea is, unfortunately necessary. At work, the only restroom upstairs is a unisex restroom. A big room with 2 sinks, 1 urinal and 2 stalls. We had to post a sign to remind people, men in particular, to lock the bathroom door, or risk getting walked in on. We need a new sign, however to go over the urinal.

Said urinal is in the open, and you must pass it to get to the stalls. Apparently, some men are really into water conservation.....ewwwww.

Cathy said...

I'm pretty sure that it's a used...ummmm...feminine hygiene product and the clipart was made for that type of sign. You know the ones that say 'Please don't flush your feminine stuff down the toilet.' Although I don't know anyone who would stand up and hold it over the toilet with a 'bombs away' approach. I'm pretty sure that's why the dog is cowering though. EEEWWWWW!!

Britt said...

That same pic is in the men's room. My guess: fish funeral. The fish has gone to the great underwater world up in the sky (look close and you can see his little eye), and is getting the traditional goldfish burial at sea, a flush down the john. The dog can't bear to look.

Anonymous said...

aaaaaa maybe a feminine product for an elephant!!!! In which case you'd need a much bigger stall.

Anonymous said...

Britt, that is exaclty what I am led to believe from this picture. A fish funeral. But why in this message? LOL

Sheri Culberson said...

I'm a little late to this party, but have to share: there's a toilet in the Courthouse annex on the 2nd floor that says "ALL TAMPONS AND SANITARY NAPKINS TO BE PLACED HERE (INDICATING A LITTLE METAL BIN)" Now, where and the HECK am I going to keep "ALL" my tampons and sanitary napkins until I can make it to the 2nd floor of the courthouse annex to dispose of them?! And do they really think that that little 12x2 bin is gonna handle ALL the world's lady goods? Shees. Government has gotten so restrictive.

Anonymous said...

What about the fact that the message is not the same. The Spanish version reads, "Please be considerate of others and keep the bathroom clean." It says nothing about employees and patrons or flushing. I hate incorrect translation; take a class.