Bored Panda
40 Times People Failed To Understand Instructions And It Resulted In Hilarious Mishaps
Funny,FailsJUN 2, 2022

40 Times People Failed To Understand Instructions And It Resulted In Hilarious Mishaps

261
18
Everyone loves custom things. Whether it’s a mug with your name on it from the secret Santa at the office, or cheeky BFFs shirts you ordered with your bestie, or a custom birthday cake, the list is endless. After all, life is one big customized order you weren’t even there to order, so our fascination with things made and designed for us is understandable. Philosophy aside, any custom order is also a perfect storm for a mishap to happen.
There’s a whole corner of Reddit known by the clever title r/PeanutButterIsOneWord, which references a hilarious scene from the BoJack Horseman show. The subreddit is dedicated to sharing the funniest examples of ordering a custom label, giving the instructions, and expecting the best, “only to have the instructions printed on the thing you ordered.”
The description says: “How about an engraving saying 'I want this left blank' or 'Hello, Mike! Underneath that, I miss you.' This is the sub for that!” With 35.2k subscribers, the sub is somewhat of a yet-undiscovered terrain of pure entertainment mixed with shamelessly high levels of absurdity, and it’s a question of time when it will be the next big thing on Reddit.

#1 A Welsh Classic

A Welsh Classic
Report
398points

#2 While Not Exactly The Same As The Gag, This Reminded Me Of The Show!

While Not Exactly The Same As The Gag, This Reminded Me Of The Show!
324points

#3 Generic Tweet For After The Debate

Generic Tweet For After The Debate
294points

To find out what a design expert had to say about such hilarious mishaps, Bored Panda spoke with Laura Vanagaite, a Portugal-based graphic designer. Laura explained that such unfortunate printing situations that occur during the process always depend on both sides.

“When presenting the final file to the person in charge of a printing procedure, it is better to leave exact notes, as well as tell them the instructions face to face, if it's possible. It will leave no doubts in case they have some and you can always ask how it will look in the end,” Laura said.

#4 Probably

Probably
267points

#5 Not Sure If This Was Posted Before, But My First Thought When I Found This Reddit

Not Sure If This Was Posted Before, But My First Thought When I Found This Reddit
265points

#6 Thanks To My Friends, Birthday Time!

Thanks To My Friends, Birthday Time!
251points

Laura argues that such misunderstandings are the result of miscommunication. “Sometimes there can be confusion if the text is not clear enough or the description reveals too much information. For example, if a present is for a surprise birthday party, it is better to write everything in the notes, leave your contacts and tell them that if there is any doubt, they can call you,”

“So, it depends a lot on both sides and good communication is the key in this situation. Sometimes, if it is possible, ask if they can send the final image of the cake which contains text as decoration, just to check in case there are any mistakes left.”

Moreover, Laura suggests preparing some easily understandable files with clear notes to hand to the person in charge of the order, and everything should go smoothly.

#7 Surpriiiise!

Surpriiiise!
Report
244points

#8 Came Across An Intentional One Today

Came Across An Intentional One Today
239points

#9 A Friend Of Mine Ordered A Picture Cake And Gave The Woman A Thumb Drive With The Picture She Wanted To Use

A Friend Of Mine Ordered A Picture Cake And Gave The Woman A Thumb Drive With The Picture She Wanted To Use
231points

To find out more about this miscellaneous Reddit community called “Peanut Butter Is One Word,” we spoke with its moderator GrahamfieldShip who happily shared some insights. The mod explained that this quirky name of the subreddit originates from the TV show Bojack Horseman.

“On the show, a character called Mr. Peanutbutter frequently buys signs from a company, but they always put his instructions on the sign. The first use of this was in season 1, with 'CONGRATS DIANE AND MR. PEANUT BUTTER. PEANUT BUTTER IS ONE WORD'.”

GrahamfieldShip added that “it became a running gag throughout the series and is the origin of our sub's name.”

#10 Association's Name

Association's Name
230points

#11 Parents Didn’t Want Their Son’s Name Printed On His School Photo

Parents Didn’t Want Their Son’s Name Printed On His School Photo
Report
227points

#12 Seeathy

Seeathy
Report
226points

When asked why so many people find the mishaps so hilariously funny and somewhat cringefully relatable, the moderator said that it’s probably because it’s so unexpected. “If there's a human reading the instructions, they should know what needs to be printed and what doesn't. So it's funny when they completely miss the mark,” they told us.

#13 Just A Plane Cake

Just A Plane Cake
Report
218points

#14 Oops In Arabic

Oops In Arabic
211points

#15 From A Facebook Group My Wife Is In

From A Facebook Group My Wife Is In
Report
209points

According to GrahamfieldShip, it’s also “worth mentioning the difference between peanutbutterisoneword and lipsum, as there's a lot of confusion between the two!” The mod explained: “Lipsum is 'dummy text used in laying out print, graphic or web designs'. For example, if you receive an email that says 'good afternoon <first name>', that would be lipsum.”

When asked about the mod’s favorite entries shared on the community, GrahamfieldShip said this one is one of their all-time favorites, “because I know if my iPad came back like that I would laugh every time I saw it.” The second favorite is this one, “because they didn't even include the stars and sprinkles.”

#16 Happy Birthday, Generic Men And Women

Happy Birthday, Generic Men And Women
Report
209points

#17 The Instructions On Bag Of Rice

The Instructions On Bag Of Rice
Report
206points

#18 If It’s Still Too Long Let Me Know

If It’s Still Too Long Let Me Know
195points

#19 He Did Get What He Wanted

He Did Get What He Wanted
180points

#20 Sample Text

Sample Text
Report
177points
261
18