We’ve previously showcased some great improvisational acting on the Great Wall of China, such as TTP star correspondent Brian Henderson’s “Where Can I Find a Decent Chinese Restaurant?” pose.  But YouTube dance star Nonstop really kicks things up a notch!

Jumping Norman gets a tepid reaction from the residents of Easter Island.

SUBMITTED BY: Jumping Norman  LOCATION: Easter Island, Chile

From the same kooks who probably think the 1969 NASA Moon Landing was created in a secret CIA movie studio, we’ve been accused of creating some of our more surreal Tacky Tourist Photos in Adobe Photoshop.  The “Egyptian Cheerleading Tryouts” shot in particular has a few conspiracy theorists wondering if the picture is “real.”

All it takes these days to capture your friends and family in orbit these days is a half-decent point-and-shoot camera with a sports setting — and the perfect angle.

Similar to planking and leisure diving, jumping shots have a global fanbase that keeps trying to top each other. Our friend “Jumping Norman” meticulously collects these images and catalogues them on Facebook, punctuating the year with the Jumping Norman Awards.

In honor of Jumping Norman’s contributions to the Tacky genre, we will be featuring his Award winners sporadically throughout the rest of the year.

Do you have any classic Jumpshots taken at a tourist attraction around the world?  Drop us a line at tackytouristphotos@gmail.com for a chance at dual immortality — with us and with Norman!

The Tewksbury Public Library does not attract as many visitors as the Leaning Tower of Pisa, but it nonetheless offers memories of a lifetime!

Sorry to go all regional on you, but if you happen to live in New England (or are vacationing there), come on out and meet the Tacky Tourist founders, curators, and administrative staff!

TEWKSBURY TACKY TOURIST PHOTOS NIGHT
6:30 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 7
Tewksbury Public Library
300 Chandler Street
Tewksbury, MA 01876
978-640-4490

Join founding curator Darren Garnick as he guides you through the Do’s and Don’ts of silly travel photography and offers exclusive tips for the best vacation photo-ops within reasonable driving distance of Tewksbury. The presentation will kick off a month-long gallery exhibition of some of the world’s Tackiest snapshots.

Visitors are encouraged to bring contributions from their childhood vacation albums and their latest creative cell phone pics for group discussion and possible inclusion in an offbeat coffee table book.

Bring your cameras for bonus “Tacky Tourist” photo-ops throughout the evening.  Can’t make it?  No worries: Check out our Submission Guidelines and be there in spirit!

This event is held in the Meeting Room.  Doors open at 6:15pm.  Talks begin at 6:30pm.  The room is handicap accessible.  Light refreshments will be provided.  A door prize will be awarded.  Pre-registration is strongly recommended.  Register by stopping by the Reference Desk; calling 978-640-4490 ext. 205; or by clicking “register” below.  Talk is FREE thanks to the generosity of the Friends of the Tewksbury Public Library.

The Praying Mantis subsists on a rich diet of plush animal toys high in fiber and antioxidants.

SUBMITTED BY: George Scully  LOCATION: Winchester, Virginia (2011)

At Dinosaur Land, the most fearsome place in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley, no one is safe. Not even pink little bunnies.

(Fascinated by giant mutant insects?  Check out the Tough Guy Butterfly).

Gracious Host: George Washington mingles with commoners at his Mount Vernon compound. (Click the pic to find out how YOU can share your favorite tourist history photos!)

SUBMITTED BY: Mark Arsenault and Jennifer Levitz 
LOCATION: Mount Vernon, Virginia (2011)

Barack Obama won’t come greet you when you tour the White House.  Speaker of the House John Boehner won’t give you the time of day when you visit the Capitol.

But George Washington cares about his fans. The Father of Our Country’s PR handlers are also smart enough to make sure he’s never caught drowning his problems in alcohol… like a certain Benjamin Franklin!

Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas gets a little fresh with herself at the Madame Tussauds Wax Museum in Las Vegas. (Source: Las Vegas Sun)

SUBMITTED BY: Tacky Tourist Photos   LOCATION: Las Vegas, Nevada (2011)

If a guy posed with the new Fergie wax museum statue like this, he might be chastised as sophomoric, crass, or perhaps even a little bit sexist.

But when you are touching your fake self, it is amazing what you can get away with!

Something missing, Miss Monroe? (Click photo for larger image).

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 Chicago’s kitschiest tourist attraction).

Belting out the classics with Sonny and Cher.

SUBMITTED BY: Gerry Cronin   LOCATION: Canobie Lake Park, Salem, NH (2011)

Sonny & Cher, icons of cheesy 1970s entertainment, would be horrified by how they are being immortalized in a New Hampshire amusement park.

The late Congressman Bono looks like one of those overstuffed pantyhose puppets.

U.S. Rep. Sonny Bono (R-Calif).

And Cher’s hair looks like vinyl siding. No amount of plastic surgery could defame her more.

I Got You Babe? Click on the image to see the full horror.

Hey Donny & Marie, aren’t you glad you’re not enshrined in the Canobie Lake Music Hall of Fame?

(Gerry Cronin is a Massachusetts utility company worker with a soft spot for bell bottoms and tight plaster turtlenecks.)

Hooking up with a REALLY old boyfriend...

SUBMITTED BY: Dana Prey   LOCATION: Cairo, Egypt (2009)

Wanna recreate the sensation of getting sensual with the Sphinx?  Go kiss a bucket of sand!

(Dana Prey is a bacon-loving Southern belle living in New England, who documents her competitive cycling addiction on her “Wall of Pain.”)

CURATOR’S PICK — Do you LOVE photographing ancient cultures with a tacky flair? Check out Emily’s classic Egyptian Cheerleader pose at the Great Pyramids.

Groovy Baby! Remembering a time when bell-bottoms, tight shirts and Tacky Tourist Photos were the latest rage!

SUBMITTED BY: Raymond Hoffer    LOCATION: Paris, France (1972)

Backpacking through France after his freshman year of college, Raymond hopped from youth hostel to youth hostel in his disco duds and his copy of “Europe on $5 a Day.”

“As for my clothes, these were standard issue among college students at the time,” says Raymond. “Construction worker boots, bell bottom jeans with a wide leather belt and some kind of unique print t-shirt. I also traveled with a green Army/Navy bag over my shoulder.”

Fashions may fade, but the Eiffel Tower looks the same after all these years.

(Ray Hoffer is the publisher of “Before Disaster Strikes” magazine).