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: Dan Epstein  LOCATION: Milwaukee, Wisconsin (2016) If you were alive in the 1970s, there’s no more irresistible photo-op than the statue of “Happy Days” icon Fonzie, the cooler-than-cool motorcycle mechanic who could snap his fingers and make any woman in the room fawn all over him – and fix a broken juke box […]

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: Ilya Mirman   LOCATION: Las Vegas, Nevada (2010) A shame that NBC weather guy and foodie Al Roker was immortalized by Madame Tussaud’s before his gastric bypass operation. It’s not easy to perfectly duplicate a jaw-numbing smile, but it looks like Ilya has a future career as a dental impressionist. (Rock concert photographer Ilya […]

SUBMITTED BY: Lillie Marshall   LOCATION: London, England (2013) Lillie’s smitten by David Beckham’s mannequin alter-ego at London’s Heathrow Airport. But logic wins out over lust as she keeps a “hygienic half-foot distance from the already-slobbered-on” British soccer star. Besides imaginary romance (or “adultery” since her hubby was in plain view), check out Lillie’s other Best […]

SUBMITTED BY: Greg Constantine   LOCATION: Orlando, Florida (2012) … you won’t like them when they’re angry! (Greg Constantine is the Founding Director and CEO of Galaxy Editing).

SUBMITTED BY: Stacy G.   LOCATION: Orange, Connecticut (2012) At the PEZ Visitors Center, right next to the PEZ factory, you can carry the weight of the Candy World on your shoulders. (Stacy G. has previously shared her Las Vegas fling with Roman Gladiators)

SUBMITTED BY: Al Kaufman   LOCATION: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (2012) It’s always a “Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” when you get to sit on Mr. Roger’s lap! It’s a fitting pose to pay tribute to the PBS sweatered icon. Good thing that sculptor Robert Berks did his research and didn’t believe the urban legend that Fred […]

SUBMITTED BY: Noelle Boc   LOCATION: Rumney, NH (2012) At Plain Jane’s Diner, James Dean is just waiting to be swept off his feet by the right woman. And given that he weighs about 9 ounces, it’s not a tough task. (Noelle Boc, a.k.a. “The Kissing Librarian,” most recently locked lips with a Giant Fish.)

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: Barrie Mirman   LOCATION: Cannes, France (2011) Once a year, you can find movie stars like Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Lui gallivanting around Cannes during the film festival. The rest of the year you can BE them. (On special assignment from TTP, Barrie Mirman recently crashed a wedding on the riverbanks of […]

SUBMITTED BY: Sharon McHale  LOCATION: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (2011) Any run-of-the-mill rock star can get immortalized at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, but how impressive is it to have a shrine in downtown Ulaanbaatar four decades after last topping the Billboard charts? Mongolia’s Beatles monument is a tribute to the role that […]

SUBMITTED BY: Leigh Hanlon   LOCATION: Chicago, Illinois (2011) Will the keywords “Marilyn Monroe” and “topless” send Tacky Tourist Photos’ web traffic through the stratosphere? Maybe if this were still the year 1962. (Photographer Leigh Hanlon, aka “The Chicago Cowboy,” blogs at ChicagoScope.com. Curious about this half-finished statue? Check out our Cheeky Controversy post about […]

SUBMITTED BY: Various Artists   LOCATION: Chicago, Illinois (2011) Is the 26-foot tribute to Marilyn Monroe a magnet for pop culture perverts or just harmless fun? Our Tacky Tourist correspondents report there is plenty of evidence to support both scenarios. “Although the sculpture itself isn’t anything groundbreaking and it would probably be better located in New […]