Wednesday, April 29, 2020

The Ministry of Silly Walks

Someone recently shared an image of a man walking silly in front of a sign that read:

YOU HAVE NOW ENTERED THE JURISDICTION OF THE MINISTRY OF SILLY WALKS. COMMENCE SILLY WALKING IMMEDIATELY.

There was also a bunch of smaller-print text, which I couldn't read.

But the image said it all.

Image traced back to Bored Panda Article

It is, of course, a reference to the classic Monty Python sketch about a fictitious ministry.

A still of John Cleese in that classic role

 If you haven't seen the sketch, it is embedded below.



We have regularly posted silly dad joke style puns in the front yard on a daily basis, something we started well before the global pandemic. But, ever since the self-isolation phase of this lockdown, I have made sure to update it every day.

It's great to see people pause to read it, and then either laugh, or exercise their eyes with a good solid eye roll.

So when I saw that image of the sign on Facebook, I decided to craft my own sign and post it in the front yard. I added a few silhouette images of Cleese to the sign and a bit of color, covered it in plastic to protect it from the rain, and fixed it to a board, so it would be a bit more solid.


The Silly Walks Ministry Sign in front of our house in Waterloo, ON

The sign I crafted, inspired by that first one, reads:

NOTICE: This property is an official jurisdiction of  THE MINISTRY OF SILLY WALKS. Commence silly walking immediately!

Then, in smaller text below that it reads:

No FINES for non-compliance, just potential FUN if you give it a try.

My home office is on the second floor and looks down on the front yard. From my standing desk I have a pretty good view and have delighted in seeing the smiles it brings to people's faces. And also, for those daring enough to give it a try.

I've seen countless folks give it a shot over the last week. The young, the old.

And, in the past few days, with the weather getting warmer so I can open the windows, I can now also hear the laughter.

Yeah, most of us who aren't on the front lines are pretty helpless to do anything but self-isolate and try to help with flattening the curve.

But if I can help make a few people smile and laugh, then that's not such a bad thing.

I have since read that this hilarious trend was started by a woman in Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan, named Liz Koto. Here is a Bored Panda article about it. So three cheers to Liz for starting this awesome movement. There's also an Instagram account showing video of people trying the walk. under the name Yorkshire Silly Walks.


If you wanted to make your own sign, I created a PDF of the one I used that you can download.

Click here to download PDF of this sign


Because, so long as Graham Chapman doesn't show up as The Colonel and tells us to stop that, lets spread some more much needed laughs and smiles.





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