Unintentional humor

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Unintentional humor is the act of making other people laugh without actually meaning to. There are several different kinds of unintentional humor that arise out of various situations.

A no smoking sign at Baker Street tube station, surrounded by icons of Sherlock Holmes smoking a pipe, which adorn the station.

Unintentionally funny combination of "Way In" and "No Entry"

1 Unintended contradiction
2 Missteps
3 Taking one's creation too seriously
4 See also

[edit] Unintended contradiction

It is possible for unintentional humor to arise when two different well-meaning people contribute independent pieces of information, but in combination, they contradict each other. The image on the right is an example of this.

[edit] Missteps

A misstep in the (in)appropriate environment is often considered humorous, that is the tension or embarrassment it creates is released by laughter. Examples are misspeaks or falls by a famous individual, catching somebody at an official event with inappropriate manners or embarrassing body noises.

[edit] Taking one's creation too seriously

Some books, movies, and other literary works end up being unintentionally funny because they are comically clichéd or overwrought, despite appearing to be earnest and serious efforts by their creators. Examples are "so bad they're good" movies and the style of bad writing celebrated by the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest.