Tacky Tourist Photos

Looks like Buzz Lightyear, Jessie and Woody are trying to blend in as tacky tourists on their latest Toy Story adventure. Coming soon to your child’s playroom:  A Leaning Tower of Pisa for Barbie to hold up?

SUBMITTED BY: Mark “Pierre” Z.    LOCATION: Paris, France You might mistake the above Parisian street scene with a photo from a 6th grade social studies book. This is what French people do in their cultured capital: smoke and wear funny hats on their way to the boulangerie. But wait!  Something is amiss!  That French [...]

Based on his spirited Superman pose in Metropolis, we already knew that Barack Obama was a fan of the Tacky Tourist genre. But it’s a pleasure to see he has company in the Emerald Isle. Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny just presented President Obama with a hurling stick, joking that members of Congress should get “a [...]

Tweet SUBMITTED BY: Adriana Perez  LOCATION: Wall, South Dakota (2011) Anyone who’s ventured on a cross-country trip to find themselves, has likely found at least a hokey billboard teasing Wall Drug. The tourist mecca is about 75 miles from Mount Rushmore, but it hypes itself as a coming attraction from hundreds of miles away. Some [...]

SUBMITTED BY: Tacky Tourist Photos    LOCATION: San Antonio, Texas (2011) Sexual puns related to cows make us extremely squeamish.

Our friends over at I Wanna Go There are sponsoring a “Tackiest Souvenir Ever!” contest that runs through Sunday, October 10. Here’s our entry, a bloodied Rocky Balboa coffee mug commemorating the bruised mug of Sylvester Stallone at the end of both Rocky I and Rocky II. What I especially love about the mug is [...]

SUBMITTED BY: Jonathan Willis   LOCATION: Jerusalem, Israel (1991) Compared to the nutcakes running the Middle East today, there’s something almost cute about having Saddam as your enemy. (Jonathan Willis is a high school English teacher who loves promoting literacy and Greek mythology-themed water ballet.)

The above headline is the flattering endorsement we just received from Away.com, a witty travel blog owned by Orbitz. Editor Lacy Morris names her Top 10 Tacky Souvenirs (Photo-ops @ Pisa are #4) and her historical insights on snowglobes are worth the click alone!

When the Chinese government politely asks a t-shirt designer to stop selling political parody, there’s really only one underlying question to take into consideration: “Hmmmm… Would I rather have a few hundred dollars or have tanks run over me and my souvenir shop?“ These Obama-Mao shirts were selling as fun kitsch, like the cute Maoist [...]

These dice need no elaboration, however, it is odd they are being marketed next to Eiffel keychains and coasters. Nice product placement, souvenir store guy!