History Main / SignsOfDisrepair

* In ''[[WebAnimation/HoopsAndYoyo hoops&Yoyo's Haunted Halloween]]'', Hoops, Yoyo, and Piddles are all trapped in North Escapades Mall after it closes for the night. Lightning strikes a sign displaying the mall's name, leaving enough letters lit up to spell "No Escape".

* A meta-example courtesy of ManipulativeEditing is in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGIRCbyIenk this]] WebAnimation/YouTubePoop by Combuskenisawesome, which edits the Machinima series ''Teenage Pokémon''. Parts of Wartortle's computer screen are whited out in this fashion to make the [[ClusterFBomb rather loaded]] comment that he's posting into something considerably less effective, with the audio of his SoundingItOut chopped to match.

* ''Literature/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'' has a reference to a gigantic sign reading "SHARE AND ENJOY" (the advertising slogan of the ever-profitable Sirius Cybernetics Corporation Complaints Department). Being too heavy, the sign falls into the underground office block underneath, which is a little unfortunate for the occupants. In the local language the exposed top halves of the letters now appear to read "GO STICK YOUR HEAD IN A PIG" and is only lit up for special occasions.

* ''Series/TopGear'':

* ''Radio/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'' has a characteristically surreal take on this during some meandering exposition about [[IncompetenceInc the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation]]. Said corporation erected huge illuminated letters bearing the slogan "Share and Enjoy", the official motto of their complaints department on one of the three entire ''planets'' needed to hold said complaints department. However, due to an unfortunate miscalculation the letters proved too heavy for the terrain and sank into the ground. By one of that long string of pretty meaningless coincidences that are a side-effect of creating the Infinite Improbability Drive, or so it was said in the continuity of the novels, the upper halves sticking out of the ground form a coherent sentence in the local language: "Go Stick Your Head In A Pig". This would go on to become the ''un''official motto of the corporation's complaints department.

* In VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOpsII, when you play in zombies mode the sign above the diner will read ''NO[[spoiler:RTH]] [[spoiler:HIGH]]W[[spoiler:AY]] DI[[spoiler:N]]E[[spoiler:R]]''

* ''Videogame/NaziZombies'' has a neon light at a diner that says "OPEN 24 HOURS", but the only fully lit letters spell out "OPEN 4 U".

* In the prologue of ''Videogame/WeHappyFew'', Arthur reveals that he tried to throw a Welcome Back-party for his colleague Prudence who had "[[DeadlyEuphemism gone on holiday]]". When Arthur -- now off his [[GovernmentDrugEnforcement Joy]] -- enters her office, an old, broken streamer hanging in the office reads "[[spoiler:WEL]]COME BACK".

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* In ''WebComic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', Tarquin shows Elan a hillside with dots of fire spelling out his name (which are actually prisoners that tried to escape and ended being burned alive as a result). The three bottom lights of the 'E' go out and Tarquin complains that everyone will think he's got a crazy obsession with custard.

[[folder:Art]]
* The logo for ''Art/OmegaMart'' has the first letters of each word in yellow compared to the bright red and blue of the rest of the letters, making it appear to read "MEGA ART" instead. Given Creator/MeowWolf's focus on highly immersive art pieces and exhibitions, the statement fits.
[[/folder]]

* Apparently there's nothing as funny as the first time you see a waffle house with the w missing, but for some tropers it may be unclear why.

* ''[[Literature/TheMagicSchoolBus]]'': When Ralphie finds out where Liz went, due to the torn paper, he initially assumes she went to "Herp Ha". Turns out it was actually "Herp Haven".

* ''[[WesternAnimation/TheMagicSchoolBus]]'': When Ralphie finds out where Liz went, due to the torn paper, he initially assumes she went to "Herp Ha". Turns out it was actually "Herp Haven".

* The 1998 "''[[https://boingboing.net/2014/02/25/the-story-behind-the-too-coo.html Too Cool To Do Drugs]]''" campaign. To elaborate, pencils were distributed to schools with the slogan "Too Cool To Do Drugs" on its side, but unfortunately, [[https://www.reddit.com/r/CrappyDesign/comments/1yepaz/the_too_cool_to_do_drugs_pencil/ the slogan's placement was positioned in such a way]] that with each sharpening, the pencil got shorter and shorter until the words said "Cool to Do Drugs," "Do Drugs" or "Drugs". The funniest part is that the problem was soon solved...by simply printing the slogan ''the other way around'', so that when sharpened, the word "Drugs" would be first to be shaved off instead.

* There's an episode of ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'' where the sign for SACRED HEART HOSPITAL is amended to SACRED FART.

* To get people to their party, the main characters of ''Film/RevengeOfTheNerds 2'' modify they sign of their staying place: '''Hot'''el C'''oral''' Es'''sex'''.

* The Hotel Coral Essex features in the first level of ''VideoGame/{{Pain}}''. Players can fling their avatars into the sign's letters, performing the vandalism themselves.
-->HOT[[spoiler: EL]] [[spolier: C]]ORAL [[spoiler: ES]]SEX

* There's a ''Series/SesameStreet'' episode where the letter T goes missing, which results in a "trash" sign now reading "rash" and Telly's name being written as "Elly" (which isn't a name, but is close to the girl's name Ellie).

** At least one image exists online of a Home Depot store with a few of the letter burned out creating a "Ho Depot" instead.

** The sign has been altered at least twice, once in 1976 and again in 2017, to read "HOLLYWeeD".

* At least one image exists online of a Home Depot store with a few of the letter burned out creating a "Ho Depot" instead.

* At the end of ''Film/AChristmasStory'' the parker family is forced to go out for dinner at a Chinese restaurant. A sign outside the restaurant says "Bowling" but with the "W" burned out, which fits the full name of the restaurant: Bo Ling Chinese Chop Suey Palace".

* The famous "Ear Inn" by the [[BigApplesauce Hudson River]]. The neon sign originally said "BAR", but when it changed owners in the 70's, the new ones managed to avoid the red tape involved with changing the signage by painting over the archs of the 'B' and it stayed that way since then.

* ''Streets Of Blood'': Occurs during a shootout scene when a mook gets [[GroinAttack shot in the testicles]] while [[http://www.allouttabubblegum.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Streets%2011.jpg standing next to an ice-cream truck]]. The letters on the truck says ''SNOW BALLS'', with the first ''S'' obscured by a dirt patch. The mook's dead body leaves a bloody red patch that covers the ''W''.

* In the Soviet children's book ''The Adventures of Captain Vrungel'' (and its animated adaptation), the titular captain names his yacht "Pobeda" (Russian for "Victory") -- but due to an accident at its launch, the first two letters in the name fall off its stern, making it read "Beda" ("Trouble"). One English translation made the original name to be "Courage", which turned into "Rage" after the first three letters fell off.

* The LogoJoke for some Creator/IlluminationEntertainment movies has the Minions from ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe'' play with the letters in the logo (a giant lit-up "ILLUMINATION" sign) to read "MIN ION" or otherwise draw attention to those letters. For example, in ''WesternAnimation/{{Sing}}'', a Minion's off-key singing is so bad that it blacks out the "MIN" and "ION" in the logo, and in ''WesternAnimation/MinionsTheRiseOfGru'', a Minion on a disco ball knocks out all the letters except "MIN ION."

** In the New Years special, Red sets up a lit sign that says "TOAST YOURSELF AT NEW YEARS EVE". Then most of the lights burn out, leaving "YOU FAT ARSE".

Often used to create or highlight an unintended innuendo, such as "Public Library" becoming "Pubic Library". Also used in many AfterTheEnd and FutureImperfect scenarios. The seedier kinds of NeonCity will be full of this sort of thing. Compare the comedic version CensoredForComedy.

* In a show by the Dutch comedian Bert Visscher, the scenery contains a neon sign saying "Chéz Lulu" (it’s a brothel). After the owner sufficiently pisses Bert off, he grabs a gun and shoots the sign so that it says "hé Lul," which can be translated as "Hey, asshole!"