Tacky Tourist Photos

Not-So-Super Originality -- Before the Patriots-Giants showdown, there was no shame in copying your neighbor's photo-op!

SUBMITTED BY: Jason Feifer    LOCATION: Indianapolis, Indiana (2012)

Unlike in the real Super Bowl XLVI, there were no dropped footballs outside Lucas Oil Stadium.

This classic pose essentially is a variation of the one we recently captured with the World’s Largest Potato on Prince Edward Island.

An ongoing scene in the parking lot of Canada's Potato Museum in O'Leary, PEI.

(Jason Feifer is a Fast Company senior editor, a Miami Heat fan, and a die-hard air conditioning enthusiast.)

World's Largest Toilet in downtown Columbus, Indiana

SUBMITTED BY: Julie Henning    LOCATION: Columbus, Indiana (2010)

On first glance, there’s something rather distasteful about encouraging your children to frolic in a toilet bowl, even if it is The World’s Largest Toilet. But let’s face it, the ball pit at your local family-friendly arcade/pizza parlor is teeming with way more germs.

It would be fantastic if the alliteration-happy Kids Commons Columbus Community Children’s Museum (yes, try fitting that on souvenir pencils) added life-size bacteria mascots to mingle with visitors by the hand sanitizer. But the KCCCCM did put a motion detector inside the toilet so kids can hear the flushing sound again and again!

Best part of all: When kids get sucked down the plumbing, they don’t wind up in the World’s Largest Septic Tank. Instead they slide down to the floor below for more potty-themed fun!

Shouldn't these kids be doused with blue liquid for the full effect?

Perhaps not so ironic is that Julie routinely uses scatological humor to bond with her children, Calvin, Marie and Owen, pictured above.

“We take a remote-control fart machine with us on the occasional road trip,” she admits. “I put the speaker in my purse and the kids take turns with the remote control. It’s funniest when you stand really close to a stranger or in a large group of people.”

When these kids get older, we’d love to read their “What I Did on Summer Vacation” essays!

(Julie Henning is the “Feed Me” and Geocaching editor of Road Trips for Families. Special thanks to Traci Suppa, founder of “Go BIG or Go Home,” for alerting us to this extraordinary plumbing story!)

Nothing charms a beautiful woman more than a Tacky Tourist Photo…

The TTP curators happened to cross paths with all 53 Miss America contestants last week at a fashion show in Las Vegas — and world peace never came up once in conversation!

Miss Maryland Brooke Poklemba calls Tacky Tourist Photos a "great idea."

Brooke, we appreciate the invite 🙂

Miss Massachusetts Amanda Kelly wishes us "safe travels" with a smiley face

Very classy, Amanda!

Miss Kansas Becki Ronen

Becki reminds us that no matter how much we love to travel, “There’s no place like home.”

Miss Louisiana Katherine Putnam

God Bless You, Too, Katherine…

Nicole, you need to plan ahead about how to fit in all those consonants!

Miss Kentucky Mallory Ervin

We know this is worse than telling an NFL quarterback that he throws like a girl, but Mallory, your penmanship looks like a guy’s. Scrap the ALL-CAPS thing and try a few more hearts to dot your i’s.

Miss Indiana Nicole Pollard

Nicole, we’re digging the doodled crown topping your signature.

Miss California Kristy Cavinder was named a preliminary talent winner for her Ballet en Pointe performance to the Slave Maiden Variation from "Le Corsaire."

“Always” is the perfect high school yearbook salutation. Luv ya 4-eva! Don’t eva change!

Anne Michael Langguth plays the Glee card and shows the sexy side of the violin

Tune into this space later this week to find out why Miss Iowa inscribed her picture to Dino Flintstone…