Yes, it's again that magical time of the year when the Darwin Awards are bestowed, honoring the least evolved among us:
Here are the glorious winners:
1. When his 38 - caliber revolver failed to fire at his intended victim during a hold-up in Long Beach, California, would-be robber James Elliot did something that can only inspire wonder. He peered down the barrel and tried the trigger again. This time it worked.
2. The chef at a hotel in Switzerland lost a finger in a meat-cutting machine and submitted a claim to his insurance company. The company expecting negligence sent out one of its men to have a look for himself. He tried the machine and he also lost a finger. The chef's claim was approved.
3. A man who shoveled snow for an hour to clear a space for his car during a blizzard in Chicago returned with his vehicle to find a woman had taken the space...understandably, he shot her.
4. After stopping for drinks at an illegal bar, a Zimbabwean bus driver found that the 20 mental patients he was supposed to be transporting from Harare to Bulawayohad escaped. Not wanting to admit his incompetence, the driver went to a nearby bus stop and offered everyone waiting there a free ride. He then delivered the passengers to the mental hospital, telling the staff that the patients were very excitable and prone to bizarre fantasies. The deception wasn't discovered for 3 days.
5. An American teenager was in the hospital recovering from serious head wounds received from an oncoming train. When asked how he received the injuries, the lad told police that he was simply trying to see how close he could get his head to a moving train before he was hit.
6. A man walked into a Louisiana Circle-K, put a $20 bill on the counter, and asked for change. When the clerk opened the cash drawer, the man pulled a gun and asked for all the cash in the register, which the clerk promptly provided. The man took the cash from the clerk and fled, leaving the $20 bill on the counter. The total amount of cash he got from the drawer: $15. (If someone points a gun at you and gives you money, is a crime committed?)
7. Seems an Arkansas guy wanted some beer pretty badly. He decided that he'd just throw a cinder block through a liquor store window, grab some booze, and run. So he lifted the cinder block and heaved it over his head at the window. The cinder block bounced back and hit the would-be thief on the head, knocking him unconscious. The liquor store window was made of Plexiglas. The whole event was caught on videotape.
8. As a female shopper exited a New York convenience store, a man grabbed her purse and ran. The clerk called 911 immediately, and the woman was able to give them a detailed description of the snatcher. Within minutes, the police apprehended the purse-snatcher. They put him in the car and drove back to the store. The thief was then taken out of the car and told to stand there for a positive ID. To which he replied, "Yes, officer, that's her. That's the lady I stole the purse from."
9. The Ann Arbor News crime column reported that a man walked into a Burger King in Yipsilanti, Michigan , at 5 a.m, flashed a gun, and demanded cash. The clerk turned him down because he said he couldn't open the cash register without a food order. When the man ordered onion rings, the clerk said they weren't available for breakfast. The man, frustrated, walked away.
10. When a man attempted to siphon gasoline from a motor home parked on a Seattle street, he got much more than he bargained for. Police arrived at the scene to find a very sick man curled up next to a motor home near spilled sewage. A police spokesman said that the man admitted to trying to steal gasoline and plugged his siphon hose into the motor home's sewage tank by mistake. The owner of the vehicle declined to press charges, saying that it was the best laugh he'd ever had.
Win Bets! Invitations!
Scare Friends! Trick Criminals Announcements! Get Confessions!
Predict the Future!
Influence World Events!
Humiliate Your Neighbors! Expose Political Corruption!
Affect Local Property Values! Test Your Significant Other! Advertise Your Business! Create Publicity Stunts! Be Nice to Your Mom!
Express Your Views!
Roast a Colleague!
Honor a Retiree! Cause Trouble! Prove a Point! Impress Guys! Get Revenge!
Flatter Girls!
Be RIGHT!
Propose!
Personalized Fake and Joke Newspapers and Personalized Newspapers and Personalized Headlines for Gags and Gifts, Birthdays, Movies and Plays, Advertising, Publicity Stunts, Baby Showers, Wedding Showers, Stag Parties, Corporate Recognition, Awards, Thank You's, Revenge, Make a Point, Birth and Death Announcements, Wedding and Marriage Announcements, Practical Jokes, Cerebral Terrorism, Personalized Birthday Gags, Gifts. Fake Newspapers available in Small (pocket clipping) size, Full single page, Whole newspaper, Giant Poster, and Tabloid (by special request)
Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Paypal Accepted!
Giant Crossword Puzzles
Choose either dry-erase or permanent Giant Crosswords for parties, events, advertising gimmicks...
Post a Giant Crossword in your lunch area.
Giant Crosswords make great wall posters for
any waiting room where customers or patients are bored.
Choose your own words and clues!
Make your puzzle theme-based to bring attention to
product lines, safety requirements, medical hygiene issues...
Above puzzle demonstrates how tightly the words tend to pack, and how large the
squares tend to be using a clue list of approximately 20 words. Media size roughly 40 x 54.
Above puzzle demonstrates how tightly the words tend to pack, and how large
the squares tend to be using a clue list of approximately 50 words. Media size roughly 40 x 54.
Above puzzle demonstrates how tightly the words tend to pack, and how large
the squares tend to be using a clue list of approximately 140 words. Media size roughly 40 x 54.
Puzzles are approximately 42 x 54 inches. During the payment process select media (dry-erase or poster paper). Input your words and clues in the form below. We suggest a minimum of 20 words, and a maximum of, say, 200. Note that the more words you use, the tighter the puzzle will be packed, with more intersecting words and smaller squares. Fewer words will result in fewer cross-connected words, and larger square sizes. See examples above.
Plain-Jane or COOL?
What does this mean?
When you fill in the form below, you'll be prompted to choose between a "Plain-Jane" puzzle, or a "Creative" puzzle.
Plain-Jane: In the "Plain-Jane" version, the grids appear as shown above, with the background blocks being plain old gray, and the letter blocks being plain old white. No "artistic" touches are applied to the image whatsoever. It's ugly, boring, even against the law in some states (certainly in Venezuela), but it's traditional.
Creative: If you choose "Creative" for your puzzle type, then we get to have fun. No two "creative-style" puzzles are alike. They may look something like one of the samples shown below, or they may look nothing like any of the samples shown below. We spend the time and energy to create a unique image because we enjoy it.
The "Plain-Jane" style is a KNOWN. You can see, above, exactly what you're getting. No surprises. No risk.
The "Creative" style involves risk. You might not like what we create! Or you might love it, and consider it a treasured art piece. Well, maybe not. But you can only be sure of one thing if you choose to grant us "Creative" license: It will be DIFFERENT.
Can you AFFORD for us to be creative? Yes. There is no additional charge.
Above and below: Samples of "Creative-Style" puzzles -- no two are ever alike
Your completed puzzle will be in the format shown below (either a "Plain-Jane" or a "Creative" style). A "company" name appears at the top, with space for a secondary "Puzzle Name" underneath. Obviously the "Company name" space doesn't have to be the name of a company -- put anything you like in either of the two naming spaces.
We print and ship ten (10) letter-size clue-sheets with each puzzle. Each sheet contains lists of all clues, shown as "ACROSS" and "DOWN". Photocopy more if you desire. Tack a few next to the puzzle, pass more around, etc.
NOTE: The upper text line, shown below as "Barclay Middle School", is denoted in the personalization form as the "COMPANY Name". The lower line, shown below as "Barclay's Student Crossword Puzzle", is denoted in the personalization form as the PUZZLE Name".
"Creative Style" Sample "Plain-Jane Style" Sample
NOTE: Poster paper puzzles may only be used once (unless you plan to complete them in pencil or some other erasable marker). Puzzles printed on dry-erase media may be completed over and over, pretty-much forever. Please note our suggestions regarding dry-erase media at the bottom of this page.
We accept MasterCard
and VISA, etc..
"Giant Crossword Puzzles" generally ship within 2-3 days.
Item Number GC-1 Starting at $65 (poster paper) or $95 (flexible dry-erase)
Crosswords ship in a roll-tube
IMPORTANT! How to submit words and clues:
Words and clues should be submitted using the form below.
You MUST follow this format:
WORD,this is the clue
WORD2,this is clue number two
WORD3,this is clue number three
Note the the above words with numbers at the end are JUST EXAMPLES!
You would NOT actually place numbers at the ends of your words! (!!)
Each word and clue together should be on ITS OWN LINE
There should be one and ONLY one comma immediately after the word
There should be NO SPACE after the comma The clue ABSOLUTELY MAY NOT contain any other commas! NOT ONE! The clue ABSOLUTELY MAY NOT contain any other commas! NOT ONE! The clue ABSOLUTELY MAY NOT contain any other commas! NOT ONE!
Please be absolutely certain that your word and clue list follows this format!
If you've arranged your word and clue list over time using a word processor, please copy and past the list into the space below marked, strangely enough, "words and clues".
Thanks!
REMEMBER! If you choose the "plain-Jane" option, it cuts us to the quick
Please click ENTER / RETURN
after entering each word/clue set (each word / clue set should be on its own line)
Giant Crossword Puzzles
Fill out the following information and click 'Submit'.
What kind of dry-erase pen or marker should
I use if I choose dry-erase media??
There are dozens, if not hundreds, of dry-erase markers available in every drug store and office supply depot. Most fall into two categories:
(1) Slightly more durable, harder to erase
(2) Less durable, very easy to erase
The "Sanford" brand dry erase markers are designed in such a way as to not easily brush off if someone accidentally touches the board with a piece of clothing. Many dry-erase removal products are on the market -- the Sanford brand pens and markers generally require the use of one of these products for complete removal. Isopropyl alcohol will also remove Sanford brand markers (be careful not to let alcohol or any other fluid come in contact with the back side of the media). Most commercial dry-erase removal products are alcohol-based. Remember, alcohol is FLAMMABLE (it's used as fuel in dragsters). Keep away from flames and heat sources!
Marks-a-Lot dry-erase markers (by Avery) can be removed with any soft cloth -- no remover required. We suggest using only this marker.
About Mounting: Customers report good results with this method. Since we have not
tested it, this method of mounting is not warranted by TrixiePixGraphics.
We don't sell poster board or foam board due to the absolutely outrageous cost of shipping. A piece of poster-sized foam board, for instance, which might weight less than a Big Mac, costs between $30 and $100 simply for shipping. We find this downright insulting! Foamboard-type backings may be found at most office supply stores (i.e. Office Max, Office Depot, Staples, etc.) for between $3.80 and $13 (at last check). To mount your dry-erase product try these tips:
Use 3M Super 77 adhesive and mount poster to cardboard or foam core board.
1st: Cut board to size
2nd: Surround board with newspaper from below so overspray doesn't get on floor or table
3rd: Spray mounting board, keeping can 6-8 inches away
4th: Roll poster onto board, left to right, aligning short edge and bottom edge
5th: Use dry eraser to smooth poster
**Be careful to not get glue on front of poster.
(3M spray is at Home Depot for about $10.00)
**Note about dry-erase media: Facing side of this media is nearly indestructible. The back side, however, which is the printed side, is extremely susceptible to water, liquids, even the oils on your hands. In the shop we wear cotton gloves when handling. Do not scratch or abrade the back side. It should (!) go without saying that you should never use your dry-erase marker on the back side of this media. Only mark on the front (smooth/glossy) side. It should (!) also go without saying that only dry-erase pens be used on dry-erase media. Any other type of pen or marker will not be removable.