A tattoo is something someone has forever - that is, unless they spend a lot of time and money getting it removed. Lucky for us, there are still plenty of bold (and hilarious) tattoos out there! Here's a closer look.
Marilyn, Who?
Marilyn Monroe was one of the most idolized celebrities in the world, so it’s no surprise that there are countless people who have inked her face on their skin. We’re not sure what she’d think about this…
The tattoo artist who crafted this, um, masterpiece probably should have spent more time studying the source material. While the roses below it look fine, Marilyn’s face looks a bit alarming. Honestly, if we didn’t have the original photo, we’re not sure we’d even recognize her!
Till Death…
It's ironic that this next couple chose this quote of all things, considering that most tattoos really will stay with someone 'til death.' Still, we try not to be too harsh on this pair of lovebirds. After all, love makes us all do some wild things, and matching tattoos are pretty commonplace.
We just wish someone had proofread their tattoo inspo first! After being uploaded to Reddit, one commenter said, "I've got to wonder if they did each other's [tattoo]," and another chimed in, saying, "Her [tattoo] looks like it was written by a 2nd grader learning cursive for the first time. At least his is semi-straight." Yikes!
A Tasty Translation
For decades now, getting tattoos in a foreign language has been all the rage. It’s exotic and mysterious, right? We just wonder if this next guy ever knew what was being tattooed on him or if he just really loves his favorite food. Either way, he knows now.
This particular Reddit fail came from a friend of the tattoo owner, who shared the above picture with the title "Today I learned that my friend's Chinese tattoo literally means "Turkey Sandwich." We just wish we could have seen his reaction when he pulled out Google Translate!
“It’s Is My Life!”
When it comes to tattoos, people love getting their favorite song lyrics inked - and we don’t blame them. Many people have a strong emotional connection to their favorite music, and a tattoo is a great way to honor it. But this particular tribute to Bon Jovi’s hit song Its My Life isn’t quite what we had in mind.
It's one thing to get the lyrics wrong, but when they get the name of the artist (Jon Bovi?) wrong too, we have to wonder if the tattooed man and his artist were in on the joke. One Reddit user echoed this sentiment, suggesting that the man had actually "lost a bet," and this was the result. Let's go with that one…
No ‘Kindess’ for the Tattoo Artist
When it comes to sentimental and emotional tattoos, it’s the thought that counts. At least, that’s probably what this next tattoo owner keeps telling themselves. This ink was posted to Twitter by the person with the tattoo, who snapped a shot of their forearm with the offending piece.
The tattoo reads "Treat People With Kindess," and she followed it up by sharing, "If you're ever having a bad day, just remember my tattoo artist did me dirty and spelled my first tattoo wrong." Looks like she'll be wearing long sleeves for the rest of the year!
The Big Dipper?
Anyone who is looking to get an abstract tattoo of their own should take this next one as an important lesson - always communicate thoroughly with the tattoo artist! This tattoo owner knew exactly what she wanted when she went to the parlor - but unfortunately, her artist wasn’t as confident.
According to one Reddit user, this tattoo was "apparently supposed to be of 'stars.'" Instead, it looks more like a messy spattering of black freckles on her chest! "I guess no one told her stars are not black," one commenter said, while another declared that it looked "like an ink pen sneezed on her."
He Sees Everything
Unlike a lot of the tattoos on this list, we don’t think this next mini-mural was a mistake. It’s much more likely that the tattoo owner just has an interesting sense of humor. While it’s no doubt funny to him, we can’t imagine what it was like for the poor people sitting behind him on the plane.
This man really went all out - requesting a tattoo and haircut combo to create this Mr. Potato Head-like face on the back of his head. Now that's what we call creativity! Though we can't help but wonder how those flight attendants felt about it.
The Darb Superfan
While some cinema lovers will get Marilyn Monroe's entire face tattooed on their arm, other fans go for a more subtle look. Just look at this next tattoo owner, who must be one of Brad Pitts's number one fans - because she got the Fight Club actor's first name tattooed on her pits.
Despite the fact that 'Brad' is actually written out as 'Darb' for anyone who happens to be looking at her armpit, @bonkers.on.coffee was super proud of her commemoration to her favorite actor, even posting it on Instagram with the caption "Say hello to Brad Pitt." Hello, Brad.
Certified ‘Other’ Boy
It's not just film buffs who like to have their idols tattooed on their bodies - music lovers do too. Just take this next tattoo owner, who chose to get their favorite rapper, Drake, etched onto their skin. We're glad they added his name in capital letters over the top - otherwise, we'd think we were looking at a potato.
This particular tatt was posted on Instagram by its owner, who shared that it was based on Drake’s album Scorpion, which is something we’re sure only the most diehard fans would recognize. The user even took it a step further, tagging Drake’s Insta handle @champagnepapi. We’d love to know what Drizzy thought of it!
Almost Had It
We love to see a tattoo owner with a sense of humor! This guy came up with an idea for an intentional tattoo fail that is sure to make people laugh whenever they see it. Though we’re not sure if we have the guts to take a joke this far, it’s great to see someone fully commit to the bit.
The tattoo artist shared his perfectly imperfect ink online, along with the caption, "if you want a nice tattoo, go somewhere else!" It shows a tattoo with the ironic words "A Tattoo Must Be Perfect" with a crossed-out "perfa" written in the middle. We're not sure it'll drum up more customers, but hey, it definitely made us laugh.
When Ball Is Life
Here we have another motivational quote, no doubt meant to inspire the tattoo owner in question. The ink covers half of their forearm and reads, “Believe in yourself and never lose hoop.” So close… and yet so far. Maybe the tattoo owner is actually a basketball player, and this is just a fun play on words?
Unfortunately, people on Reddit aren't as hopeful. Hundreds of people joined in to make fun of the misspelled quote, with one user joking, "I'm impressed they spelled lose right. So they didn't loose that bad," and another user responded, saying, "Believe being spelled correctly was a bigger surprise for me."
#COVID-19
The pandemic has been a tense time for billions of people around the world, and many are still coming to terms with it. So we wholeheartedly support this next tattoo, which takes a humorous approach to the COVID-19 virus - aaaand two years of lockdowns, quarantining, and toilet paper hoarding.
This tattoo shows a tiny little germ with the capitalized words “I survived a global pandemic, and all I got was this stupid TTTOO.” It may be a little cynical, but we’re sure people across the globe can relate. Though we’re not sure how many will relate to misspelling the word “tattoo.”
I C U
We’ve already seen a man with eyes (and an entire face, really) on the back of his head, but this more minimalistic take is definitely interesting. One perturbed Twitter user took to the platform to share this photo, which he took while standing behind the tattoo owner in a line.
Though we don’t have any background on the tattoo and why the man chose it, we have to guess it was meant as an elaborate, if a tad creepy, joke for the people behind him. It shows two disembodied eyeballs with the words “I C ALL” printed between them. Interesting…
Farewell Angela
There are so many people who get names tattooed on their bodies, whether it's their children, parents, or partners. We always wonder how many of those people regret having their lover's names tattooed on them - especially when the relationship ends.
It’s pretty clear that this guy had his fair share of regrets. But rather than getting the name lasered off, he found a creative way to cover it up. His tattoo artist simply added a neat little tattoo of a painter, rolling paint right across the tatt. Unfortunately, we can still see Angela’s name, but we give it an A+ for effort.
A Not-So Temporary Error
Everything is temporary. Heck, even some tattoos are temporary. Maybe that’s the joke this tattoo owner was thinking of when he paid for this tattoo. At least we hope it was… otherwise, he’s got one big spelling mistake etched across his shin, and it sure ain't temporary.
But we think he must have planned it since the tattoo owner was more than eager to share his questionable ink on Instagram with friends and followers. The tattoo reads “temporarary,” serving as a warning to anyone who wants to get a tattoo in the future - make sure the artist proofreads it first!
Welcome to Springfield
Ok, we kind of love this next one. While the tattoo ink is laid on a little thick, any Simpsons fan will appreciate this chuckle-worthy tribute to everyone's favorite spiky-haired skateboarding Springfield resident. There are countless Simpsons tattoos out there, but none quite like this.
The tattoo owner chose a tribute to ‘El Barto,’ the alter-ego of Bart Simpson. When Bart dons a mask, he becomes the mysterious graffiti-tagging El Barto, seen above. He even had the words “El Barto wuz here” beside Bart’s face. It may be a spelling mistake, but it’s definitely intentional. And we approve.
Too Busy To Spellcheck
It feels like we'll never be short of misspelled tattoos. People will spend months choosing the quotes or lyrics they want to be inked on them, and all it takes is one tattoo artist who isn't a great speller to undo it all. Fortunately, this tattoo only had one misspelled letter. So that's something?
And it didn’t take too much to amend the mistake. Where the tattoo says, “I’m too busy to desappear,” the artist diligently crossed out the “e” and added an “I” below it. From what we can see of her face, it doesn’t seem intentional - and we just hope she got a decent discount.
Together Forever – Sort Of
Here’s another favorite for the lovers out there - matching tattoos for couples! Tragically this next set of tattoos missed the mark… by several inches. This duo opted for a drawing of an abstract compass (at least, that’s what we think it is) broken in half, with each half tattooed on their biceps.
The idea was that when they pressed their arms together, the pieces would fit together, showing that the pair were one. How sweet. Unfortunately, the tattoo artist drew both tattoos completely lopsided, so the halves don’t even come close to each other. We just hope their relationship has survived it.
Have A Hart
We all know that one friend who got a ridiculous tattoo after a few too many Jägerbombs. But getting a tatt with an obvious typo only makes it more embarrassing (and amusing). One Instagram user took to the platform to share his friend's newest tattoo from the previous weekend.
"My friend got this tattoo while drunk at a country festival. Need new friends," the user teased. Come on, it's not that bad - is it? The photo shows his friend's wrist with the words "With every hartbeat." While we're not quite sure where the quote is from, we are sure of one thing - he'll never forget that festival. (And hangover.)
Forever And A Day
At this point, we’re starting to wonder if people should just call off the inspirational quotes. Are they giving their tattoo artists words with typos, or are there just that many tattoo artists who make spelling mistakes? We’re not sure, but we hope this tattoo owner isn’t too bummed.
The tattoo above was meant to say, "Forever and a day, til my last breath." And it almost did… except the tattoo artist added an unnecessary 'e' at the end. Of course, Reddit quickly jumped on this hilarious typo, with one commenter joking, "That's gonna stay there "forever and a day." They're not wrong!
Bart, Is That You?
While the last Simpsons tattoo of El Barto was an intentional spelling mistake, this next one we’re not so sure about… it’s another tattoo of Bart Simpson, but with a very different stylistic approach. Did the tattoo artist take some liberties, or did his client want a more minimalist approach?
Whether they wanted it or not, it’s a very minimal tattoo that they received. In fact, we’re wondering if this particular tattoo was unfinished since it’s a very, very simple outline of the beloved character. But finished or unfinished, we’re loving Bart’s cyclops look.
Patients Are A Virtue
We have to ask… was this a genuine mistake, or does this next tattoo owner just work in medicine? We sincerely hope it’s the latter, at least for their sake - otherwise, this next tattoo owner really just got the word “patients” tattooed on their wrist.
If they aren’t a doctor, our next best bet is that this client asked their tattoo artist to ink the word “patience” on their skin - and ended up with “patients” instead. As funny as it is, we’re sure the tattoo owner learned an important lesson that day: always write tattoo ideas down for the artist! And have patience, of course.
Going In The Wrong Direction
Oh no! This next one is such an obvious but easy mistake to make. And though we’ve probably all gotten north, east, south, and west mixed up before, it’s a very different situation when it’s being plastered on someone’s back! At least they got half the compass correct...
While it could be that the tattoo artist just wasn't quite focusing enough, or that she actually forgot the order of the four coordinates, we'll never know for sure. Some Reddit users even theorized that "the tattoo artist did it with a sharpie first, but when she saw it in the mirror, she thought it was backward." Could be?
A True Bulls Fan
We know a tattoo fail is bad when strangers are taking a photo of it in public. That seems to be the case with this next tattoo which was uploaded to Reddit after one user saw it on a beach. User @Burulambie shared the photo of the unfortunate Bulls tattoo saying, "spotted on the beach. Go bulls!"
We can't help but wonder why the Chicago Bulls logo turned out like this - but there must be a reason, right? Some Redditors even jumped on the case, suggesting that "I think he gave himself the tattoo, hence the wonky perspective," while another quipped that "maybe his kid drew it?" Sadly, we'll never know.
An (Almost) Win For England
Sometimes, being a huge sports fan can really backfire. Just take this next tattoo owner and avid British soccer fan. He began watching the 2018 World Cup with hopes so high, he was confident he already knew what the results would be - hence the "England 2018 World Cup Winners" tat on his leg. Yikes.
He must have been heartbroken when the French team took the cup home that year, and his tattoo artist probably wasn't impressed either. Commenters on Reddit were quick to suggest that the owner get it lasered off, while another said he should "get a line put through it and get the England vs. Croatia score underneath."
YOB vs YOLO
‘You Only Live Once’ is probably the same motto that has driven many people to get their tattoos. But this next tattoo owner took the saying to the next level, opting to get the YOLO acronym tattooed on their hip. It must have been earlier in the decade, back when the saying was all the rage.
Unfortunately, the four letters are so close together that it looks a lot more like "YOB" than YOLO. Not to mention, we can still see the outline of where she first got the ink tested. One Redditor commented, saying, "Let's face facts here people, yob is a much better tattoo." Every cloud has a silver lining.
Zero Regerts (Well, Some)
A few years ago, the “No Ragrets” or “No Regerts” tattoos were all the rage. It wasn’t that tons of people were getting them, just that tons of people were making jokes about them. So this next ink fits perfectly on our list. And thankfully, we’re pretty confident it’s an intentional mistake this time.
This guy used his ironic tattoo to challenge that famously funny saying: No ‘regerts.’ While actually, he does have some regret, which is much more agreeable and relatable than the original. Don’t we all have some ‘regerts,’ after all? We definitely like his style!
I Can’t Find My Knee
We’re sure this guy had a lot of fun getting this next tattoo done, and it’s living proof that tattoos really don’t have to be that serious, meaningful, or deep. For anyone who forgot where the knee is located on the body, this legend is happy to help!
One half of the tattoo reads “Above Knee,” and - sure enough - it’s located just above his knee, while the other tattoo reads “Bologne”... get it? To be honest, ‘baloney’ might have been a more phonetically accurate food choice, but we have to give him props for the joke!
Sweet Dreams?
It’s always sweet to see how much a parent adores their newborn child, especially when it comes to making a permanent tribute to them in the form of a tattoo. That’s also why it’s so heartbreaking (and, let’s be honest, hilarious) to see a baby tattoo that has gone completely off the rails.
And that’s exactly what happened here when one parent took this photo of their smiling newborn to their local tattoo artist. No hate to the tattoo artist, but this isn’t exactly a faithful rendition of the photo - in fact, their baby looks more like an angry old man. Just… why?
...Batman?
It’s not every day that someone can own up to having a truly, hilariously terrible tattoo. But that’s exactly what this next Redditor did, sharing a photo of their Batman-themed tattoo, which shows the Batman emblem with the Joker looking out of it. At least, that’s what we think it is…
He added, "Hey Reddit, I have a horrible tattoo! Lol, tell me your honest thoughts." The responses quickly flooded in, with one commenter saying, "I'm so sorry, this is hilarious… I think blacking it out is the way to go," and another chiming in with, "Use a laser. Just get rid of it." Harsh, but we appreciate the honesty!