You probably didn’t know that an elevator is a mode of transport, just like a car, a motorbike, and a bus. The only difference is that instead of going different places, an elevator just goes up and down. Kind of a boring job, isn’t it? Well, fun and crazy things happen in elevators too! Here is our pick of the funniest messages and signs found in elevators from around the world:
One for the Introverts
This is one of the most brilliant signs ever made. Often in elevators, you have to exchange fake smiles, and sometimes, God Forbid, even make small talk with strangers, when you don’t want to. Why? Because it would get awkward if you don’t.
However, it also gets awkward if you do. So, what can you do to overcome this dilemma? Well, with this sign present, all you have to do is stare at it, like it says. Not only will you not make any eye contact, people accompanying you in the lift will realize that you are not the social type!
A Reboot Fixes Everything, or Does It?
“Have you tried shutting it down and restarting it?” is the first question your friend asks you when you tell them your phone/laptop/microwave isn’t working. A clever fella who came across this elevator sign thought the idea could be extrapolated to this broken elevator too.
You can’t call a non-functional elevator “offline” instead of “out of order” (or any other suitable description) and expect to get away without a witty remark. So, you can say that the writer of the original sign had it coming.
No Hanky-Panky Please
This one’s for all the young (or old) lovebirds who can’t keep their hands off each other for too long. Yes, you might be alone on the elevator, and yes, you might have a few minutes before the lift reaches the 112nd floor, but no, you can’t get intimate here.
The sign seen in the University of Nottingham prohibits the use of the elevator for any kind of sexual activity. It also warns everyone that they are being watched via CCTV footage, so unless you like being watched (and expelled from the university), don’t…
No Trivia is Bad Trivia
This elevator sign not only lets you know the maximum capacity of the elevator, it also adds to your trivia. Moreover, if the lift were to ever be used by animals, information on it could come in handy for them too.
You can transport 5,050 bananas or just over 10,000 1-pound coins via the lift. If you are a pigeon, you and 2,940 of your mates can hop on the lift (but why won’t you just fly to the top?). If you are a horse however, you will have to travel alone.
Surely Three Doesn’t Equal Four!?
The designer of this sign made a huge, unforgivable mistake. They drew four people on the image present on the sign, but described the maximum capacity of the lift as four people. Or was it meant to be this way?
Maybe this had a deeper meaning? Maybe a poor fella died there a few years ago, and his soul haunts the lift ever since? Maybe he is the fourth guy and he likes to accompany anyone who ever gets on the lift? We’ll never know.
Morning Blues
This one keeps it real. No matter how hard we might try to hide it, we don’t really love our coworkers, do we? Sure, we share a cup of coffee with them every day, and sure, we go to their nephew’s Bar Mitzvah, but they are not our real-life friends, are they?
The designer of this sign believes exactly the same. They know that when it’s all crammed up in the lift at 9am in the morning, nobody wants to exist, but the situation is made 10 times worse when somebody musters up the courage to speak!
Elevators Don’t Put Out Fire
Your whole life probably was a big fat lie but believe it or not, it’s the truth: Elevators don’t put out fire. This sign asks you to go to the nearest water source whenever a fire breaks out, because elevators, those lousy machines are no help!
It’s not their fault though, they are just not designed to put out fire. Water on the other hand, can do the trick. So, the next time you are all surrounded by flames, forget the elevator button and grab yourself a water hose!
No Durians Please!
Thai people, look away! Whoever designed this sign thinks your beloved fruit is as bad as smoking. Honestly though, Durian’s smell is not for everyone, so, if you like to eat one while you are out and about, please keep your hands off it in the elevator.
Or maybe don’t even bring it in the elevator. The amalgam of body odors is enough to make an elevator trip painful for everyone’s nose; please don’t smoke or eat Durian in there to make it even worse.
We Don’t Go There!
Apologies to anyone who wants to go to the second floor, because this lift doesn’t go there. But Why? It goes to every other floor. It even goes to the floor right above the second floor. Surely it can apply the brakes a bit earlier and stop at 2!?
What makes it worse is that you are asked to take the stairs. What is this, 1841? We live in the 21st century and we are very protective of our body fat, so please do the one job in the world that’s expected of you!
Tell You What? We’ll Take the Stairs…
If you thought you’d never see a creepy elevator sign, you were wrong. This sign asks you not to be alarmed in case an elevator stops all of a sudden, and you are stranded in the middle of nowhere, with only a Lay’s packet worth of air around you?
The most frightening part about it is how descriptive the sign is; it’s almost as if emergencies happen every day and they just want people to be best-prepared. Uh-uh, you want to keep your elevator to yourself, then so be it, I will just take the stairs!