Tacky Tourist Photos

SUBMITTED BY: Peter Koziell   LOCATION: Louisville, Kentucky (2018) At the Louisville Visitor Center, you can rub shoulders with Kentucky Fried Chicken frontman Colonel Sanders and tell him your innermost feelings. Whatever it takes to learn KFC’s 11 secret herbs and spices. (Peter Koziell is a photojournalist, documentary filmmaker, antique car enthusiast and co-founder of […]

SUBMITTED BY: Isiah K.  LOCATION: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (2018) Despite its meek, accountant-like appearance, the tuna occasionally can harbor violent tendencies. This is only one of the many things you’ll learn at the Senator John Heinz History Center! (Isiah K. is a middle school student in Massachusetts. He likes soccer, lacrosse and watching old TV commercials.)

SUBMITTED BY: Mike and Denise Reiss    LOCATION: Times Square, New York We don’t know what time this picture was really taken, but it is a bit odd that Elmo works the night shift after most kids have gone to bed. “At any one time there are four Elmos working Times Square,” Mike says.  “People are […]

SUBMITTED BY: Daryl Morey  LOCATION: Orlando, Florida (2013) The #1 Dad Responsibility? Act like a goofball for your kids. “Dug,” the Talking Dog from the Disney/Pixar film “UP,” eagerly recreates his Squirrel pose thousands of times a day. It’s a role that Daryl can’t resist! (Daryl Morey is our top Tacky Tourist Photos correspondent from […]

SUBMITTED BY: Alexandra Pecci   LOCATION: Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts (2013) On the morning after their World Series triumph, we understand the impulse to show the Red Sox mascot a healthy dose of affection. But getting frisky with the statue of the mascot?  That’s diehard! (Alex Pecci is a freelance writer and cooking enthusiast based […]

SUBMITTED BY: Peter Hartlaub   LOCATION: Gilroy, California (2013) Mascots Gil and Roy (on right) are brother and sister cloves.  Roy is actually named Royelle and supposed to be a “little bit princess, little bit tomboy.” Gilroy Gardens is California’s only horticulture-themed amusement park, as Disney and Universal foolishly opted not to invest heavily in […]

SUBMITTED BY: Ben Cole   LOCATION: Los Angeles, California (2012) Since 1984, UCLA athletes have won more gold medals at the Olympic Games than all but four countries. And this Bruins mascot has bitten more tourists than all other bear statues in America combined. We made up that last statistic, but the Olympics thing is […]

SUBMITTED BY: Erik Paulsen   LOCATION: Times Square, New York City (2012) When posing for a Tacky Tourist Photo, it is usually customary to embrace the quirky statue or mascot as if you are best friends. Yet, there is something rather skeevy about getting intimate with a Naked Cowboy you just met. Enter the brilliance […]

SUBMITTED BY: Ari G.   LOCATION: Boston, Massachusetts (2011) A more snooty mascot might have ignored the fans trapped behind home plate at Fenway Park — or at least have pretended not to hear anything through those thick furry ears. But not the Nutcracker Bear. He (or she) had time to spread some holiday cheer with […]

  SUBMITTED BY: Noelle Boc and Isabelle    LOCATION: Orlando, Florida (2011) Just like Buzz Lightyear’s muscle flexing sessions, Peter Pan teaches Walt Disney World visitors how to be confident and sassy. The key is making a fist as you put your hands on your hips and stick your chest out. Captain Hook would be very […]

SUBMITTED BY: Daryl Morey   LOCATION: Shanghai, China (2011) Our sources have spotted Daryl Morey, general manager of the Houston Rockets, meeting with a giant inflatable rabbit and his alien friend in the Chinese countryside. Given that our source is Daryl Morey, we believe that the reports are accurate. The creepy bunny with facial hair […]

SUBMITTED BY: Brian Henderson   LOCATION: Houston, Texas (2011) The shiny mascot of Goode’s Armadillo Palace — a local BBQ and music joint — looks sweet and innocent by day. But after nightfall, it turns evil. Be forewarned! (Brian Henderson is a photojournalist with an appetite as huge as the Golden Gate Bridge.)

SUBMITTED BY: Bill Burke   LOCATION: Lake Buena Vista, Florida (2011) According to the Wookieepedia, the Gamorreans were “porcine humanoids from the lush jungle Outer Rim planet of Gamorr, where their technological level was equivalent to lower technology periods that human civilizations experienced more than 25,000 years before the battle of Yavin.” The piglike militants “also […]

SUBMITTED BY: Eliza Truitt    LOCATION: Baltimore, Maryland (2011) Or to be more accurate, a woman-eating bird… Why is the Baltimore Oriole about to bite off the head off this innocent baseball fan? Maybe because she was outed as a die-hard Mariners fan! (Eliza Truitt is an enterprising wedding photographer who has been stalking Bigfoot […]

SUBMITTED BY: Greg Constantine   LOCATION: Orlando, Florida (2009) Having absolutely no fear of public drinking fountains, holding subway poles or sticking his tongue on supermarket carts, Greg eagerly awaits his first taste of germ-covered pretend honey. H1N1 virus be damned! (Filmmaker Greg Constantine, founder and CEO of Galaxy Editing, refuses to vacation at destinations NOT […]