Protesters, demonstrators, picketers, and sometimes advertisers walk around carrying signs that express their message. Wouldn't it be cool if these signs were white with a black border and black lettering, and were shaped like the speech or thought balloons in the comics? It might even be workable to rig up a hands-free contraption that would keep the sign floating just over the individual's head.

I don't know what practical use this would serve, but I really like the mental image it conjures.
-- beauxeault, Nov 21 2000

Doonesbury strip for Dec. 1, 2000 http://www.doonesbu...0001201&uc_comic=db
The first panel shows protestors shouting their slogans in speech balloons. I think it'd look better in real life, though. [beauxeault, Nov 21 2000, last modified Oct 04 2004]

Dry Erase Picket Signs http://www.halfbake...se_20Picket_20Signs
Make your signs this way and you only have to create the speech balloon shape once. [beauxeault, Oct 04 2004]

Obviously speech bubbles for all the protestors, with the occasional thought bubble that reads "little do they know I'm a police spy"
-- imagooAJ, Nov 21 2000


i have an illustration of a 3D speech bubble i designed that could be produced and used for this heretofor unknown application. the design is handsome and tasteful.
-- gnormal, Feb 05 2001


This would rob protesters of their only weapon against police baton charges. Without a message stuck on top of it, there would be no justification for walking down the middle of the road carrying a large plank of wood. I'm not going to say whether I think this is a good or bad thing in case the police pay me a visit (Oops! What a giveaway).
-- DrBob, Feb 21 2001


I was thinking about this idea today, and kicking myself for not bringing it back up a couple of weeks ago, but it seems we will still have at least one weekend yet (maybe two) in which large protests might occur. And so I was just wondering if there might be a halfbaker who might be involved in the organization of one of these demonstrations, who might feel inspired to bake this idea and post a picture of it.

There's been some press coverage of the humorous nature of some of the recent protest slogans. Wouldn't it be more appropriate to put those in speech balloons? It might even attract more media attention that way.

The idea talks about a hands-free version, but of course it could still be done with just a board and some properly-shaped posterboard.
-- beauxeault, Mar 07 2003


i'm going to a manchester demo tomorrow, but i'm drinking tonight so i can't be bothered making one of these. maybe next time. good idea.
-- sambwiches, Mar 07 2003


better yet, use the thought bubbles in everyday conversation if you're having a random thought you don't want to/are to embarassed to say out loud. Croissant.
-- igirl, Mar 08 2003


Possible design:

A white balloon, filled with healium, tetherd to the "wearer" by a thin cable.

The balloon contains a scanning laser system, which can project a 4 line x 25 character matrix onto the inside of the spheroid.

The wearer has a microphone and a speech recognition system integrated into a PDA. The PDA feeds the converted text to the scannning laser.

When the wearer speaks, their words appear projected on the sphere above their head as a real-world speech bubble.
-- 8th of 7, Dec 09 2008


:OW:STOP:HITTING:ME:IM:NO
T:RESISTING:OW:TAKE:THAT:
YOU:HIPPY:SCUM:MOONBEAM:
ARE:YOU:OK:MOONBEAM:OH:GO
D:SOMEONE:CALL:AN:AMBULAN
-- BunsenHoneydew, Dec 18 2008



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