This Sh--- Is Bananas

Today's apostrophe catastrophe/spelling disaster comes from the the Harrisburg, Penn., Artfest. The person who made this sign clearly doesn't listen to Gwen Stefani because he or she doesn't know how to spell bananas.


Nanci, who submitted this apostrophe catastrophe, is clearly awesome. She writes that the ice cream stand "had just taken down a handmade sign that said 'We have coffe' after I ordered a coffee and asked for two e's in mine."

Hilarious. Thanks, Nanci!

A Princely Catastrophe

Well, the good thing about this apostrophe catastrophe, spotted at Babies R Us, is that one-year-olds tend to rip hats off their heads rather quickly. It could be put to better use as a spit rag.


This type of apostrophe catastrophe is certainly a 1'st [sic]. Thanks to Melinda for sending it in!

Illiterate Library

Sticking with Scotland for another day, this catastrophe comes to us from (believe it or not) a library in the Barmulloch area of Glasgow.


Children's is misspelled and missing an apostrophe.

Thanks again to Marie for submitting this catastrophe.

No Apostrophes in My Beer!

Today's apostrophe catastrophe comes to us from Glasgow.


One could argue that combo's and promo's are not true catastrophes because they could be shortened versions of combinations and promotions, but pizza's gives it away. I don't think this sign maker had a clue.

Thanks to Marie for posting this to the Apostrophe Catastrophes facebook group.

You We Are

My friend Kurt sent me this sign that he found in a restaurant in Knoxville.


We've got missing commas, periods instead of commas, and an apostrophe catastrophe in were. This sign is a mess. And the tone is so angry that I might not necessarily trust their food...

Thanks, Kurt!

Starbuck Is and Walgreen Is

David sent in a screenshot from the Chicago Tribune that contains two apostrophe catastrophes. Neither Starbucks nor Walgreens should have apostrophes in their name.


Not only are both chains ubiquitous, there's an image of a Walgreens sign (without an apostrophe) right above the headline. That's just sloppy journalism.

Thanks, David!

Six out of Seven Catastrophes Agree

Bradley spotted this horrendously punctuated furniture store in Salt Lake City:


He thinks the one correct sign was added later than the others.

Thanks, Bradley!

Catastrophic Calzones

Josh spotted this catastrophic sign in Columbia, MO:


He writes, "There's a signmaker out there who needs to be slapped."

Thanks, Josh!

Hit the Road, Jack!

The missing comma in this t-shirt is really not that big of a deal. I mean, who is going to think that this shirt is saying that you should hit a road jack?


But I'm all about the Celtics right now, so I'm posting this comma calamity even though it's a bit of a stretch. I spotted it in North Station when I was on my way to the game on Thursday.

BEAT LA! BEAT LA! Three down, one to go, boys!

Punctuation Dreamin' on Such a Winter's Day

I was watching a show about the Ed Sullivan Show last night on PBS, and this Mamas and Papas album flashed on the screen:


"Were those apostrophes?!?" I exclaimed, but the person whose house I was at doesn't have DVR, so we couldn't rewind to confirm. I researched the issue and discovered that If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears does, in fact, feature two apostrophe catastrophes in the cover. And at the time, the toilet in the photo was considered shocking! Oh, what would people in the '60s have thought about Lady Gaga?

It is actually pretty gloomy in Boston today, so "California Dreamin'" is apt. Need. More. Coffee.

Sometimes Cigars are Just Cigar's

Erin spotted this apostrophe catastrophe at a smoke shop in Las Vegas:


For the record, Erin was shopping at the comics store two doors down, not the cigar store.

Thanks, Erin!

Punctuation in the Toilet

Don't ask me how I know this, but today is the one-year anniversary of the day I humiliated myself by accidentally using the men's room at work. So, it's only fitting that today's apostrophe catastrophe is bathroom-related. Marie found this double offender in Dublin:


Some drank too much Guinness, clearly.

Thanks, Marie!

Fiesta's. Forever.

Tim sent in this photo of "a massive billboard in the centre of Northampton," which he predicts must have cost a fortune:


Fiesta also just seems like a bad name for a car, and it makes me think of Lionel Ritchie.

Thanks, Tim!

One Magazine Cover, Two Catastrophes

Hanuman, who enriched our lives with the photo of Club Yesterday's, recently found two apostrophe catastrophes on the cover of a supermarket-checkout magazine.


Idea's and style's?! Oh boy!


Thanks, Hanuman!

Carving Into Irony

Sometimes there's just so much stupidity in the world that I can barely handle it. Case in point: this carving that someone is selling on etsy:


Yes, that's a semicolon. And of course we have a your/you're error and an it's/its blunder.

Thanks to Helen for sending this one in and thoroughly depressing me.