History Main / ObviouslyFakeSignature

* ''VideoGame/PapersPlease'': Your first encounter with Jorji Costava has him present his infamously bad fake passport. Even in the low-resolution style of the game, it looks like it was made with crayons. It's also for "Cobrastan", a country that doesn't exist[[note]]Jorji is from ''Obristan'', which is probably what he meant and [[EpicFail somehow failed to write]][[/note]]. Jorji tries to claim that the equally bad "pre-approved" stamp means that [[BlatantLies you don't have to bother examining it]], even though no such "pre-approval" exists within Arstotskan border security.

[[folder:Comics]]

A character makes a weak attempt at forgery -- either because he's immature/stupid or because he considers his audience to be. The faked signature is impossible: the real person would obviously never sign a document that way.

A character makes a weak attempt at forgery -- either because he's immature/stupid or because he considers his audience to be. The faked signature is impossible: The real person would obviously never sign a document that way.

* In ''Literature/BoredOfTheRings'', the Boggies attempts to remain undercover when signing into the inn leave something to be desired: Alias Undercover, Ivan Gottasecret, John Doe-Smith, and Ima Pseudonym.

* ''Series/LawAndOrder'': In one episode, a woman kills her husband after she learns he faked her signature to clean out an account she'd set up for her efforts to start a business. When the detectives see the signatures on the checks, they note that it doesn't come close to matching the wife's, and that the bank should have known. Realizing she didn't empty the account herself, it's what tipped them to her motive.

* ''VideoGame/PapersPlease'': Your first encounter with Jorji Costava has him present his infamously bad fake passport. Even in the low resolution style of the game, it looks like it was made with crayons. It's also for "Cobrastan", a country that doesn't exist[[note]]Jorji is from ''Obristan'', which is probably what he meant and [[EpicFail somehow failed to write]][[/note]]. Jorji tries to claim that the equally bad "pre-approved" stamp means that [[BlatantLies you don't have to bother examining it]], even though no such "pre-approval" exists within Arstotskan border security.

* One of the most famous articles on ''[[http://www.zug.com/ Zug]]'' is about a guy who noticed that nobody ever seemed to check signatures on receipts, so he decided to [[http://www.zug.com/live/83057/The-Credit-Card-Prank.html see how strange a signature he could create before it got rejected]]. He started doing pretty normal-looking signatures that obviously didn't match the signature on the back of his credit card, but quickly moved on to much more clearly fake things like signing with 'X', drawing pictures in the box, signing in hieroglyphs, signing as Zeus, and even writing 'I stole this card'. All were accepted. The ''only'' time it failed was in [[http://www.zug.com/pranks/credit_card/ part two]], when he tried to buy three large-screen [=HDTVs=] with the signature 'not authorised'.

* ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHead'': One episode has the guys want to get their ears pierced, only to be told that they need parental admission first. What they come back with are two barely legible pieces of scrap paper in their own writing, with Butt-Head's stating "Just do it, huh-huh" and Beavis' stating "Yeah, yeah".

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Sidekick}}'': Eric has been signing his own permission slips for Maxum Man, since he's disappeared. It works, even if Professor Pamplemousse is suspicious.

'''Eric:''' Uh, that's so that no-one can forge it!

** "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS1E2BartTheGenius Bart the Genius]]": Principal Skinner has a meeting with Bart, Marge, and Homer, where he accuses Bart of forging Homer's signature on several admission slips because of how childish the writing is. Then he compares one of the admission slips he brought along as evidence to the check Homer just signed for him and is proven wrong. [[SubvertedTrope Homer's handwriting really is just]] ''[[SubvertedTrope that]]'' [[SubvertedTrope bad]].
** "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS5E20TheBoyWhoKnewTooMuch The Boy Who Knew Too Much]]": Lampshaded. Skinner reads an obvious forged letter Bart did of Marge, in part stating "Please excuse my bad handwriting; I recently busted whichever hand I write with."

* In ''Film/TheSandlot'', Smalls steals his stepfather's signed Babe Ruth baseball to play with only to knock it into "The Beast"'s yard. While they're trying to get it back, he replaces it with a cheap store-bought ball he signed "Babe Ruthe".

* ''Literature/BimbosOfTheDeathSun'' Fantasy writer (and AssholeVictim) Dungannon deliberately signs books he wrote as "J. R. R. Tolkien" when an obnoxious fan admits he only wants the autograph for the resale value.

* The eponymous protagonist of ''Literature/{{Wilt}}'' is pressured (up to and including sleep deprivation) to confess a crime that he actually wasn't able to commit. So he signs it as "Tom Sawyer".

* In one episode of ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'', JD forges a basketball player's autograph for a patient finally on her way out of the hospital. Guess who walks in to take notice?

* In some ComicStrip/{{Dilbert}} strips, Dogbert sells autographs supposedly made by famous people. In one such strip, he offers a baseball signed by Jesus. In another, he offers a ball signed by Martin Luther. When the prospective customer says he was looking for one signed by Martin Luther ''King'', Dogbert tells him to come back in a few minutes.

[[folder:Comic Books]]

->'''Potter:''' By the way, you put too much swoop on the "T".

* ''Series/LawAndOrder'': in one episode, a woman kills her husband after she learns he faked her signature to clean out an account she'd set up for her efforts to start a business. When the detectives see the signatures on the checks, they note that it doesn't come close to matching the wife's, and that the bank should have known. Realizing she didn't empty the account herself, it's what tipped them to her motive.

* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHead'' has the guys want to get their ears pierced, only to be told that they need parental admission first. What they come back with are two barely legible pieces of scrap paper in their own writing, with Butt-Head's stating "Just do it, huh-huh" and Beavis' stating "Yeah, yeah".
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Sidekick}}'', Eric has been signing his own permission slips for Maxum Man, since he's disappeared. It works, even if Professor Pamplemousse is suspicious.

** In episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS1E2BartTheGenius Bart the Genius]]", Principal Skinner has a meeting with Bart, Marge, and Homer, where he accuses Bart of forging Homer's signature on several admission slips because of how childish the writing is. Then he compares one of the admission slips he brought along as evidence to the check Homer just signed for him and is proven wrong. [[SubvertedTrope Homer's handwriting really is just]] ''[[SubvertedTrope that]]'' [[SubvertedTrope bad]].
** Lampshaded in "The Boy Who Knew Too Much", where Skinner reads an obvious forged letter Bart did of Marge, in part stating, "Please excuse my bad handwriting; I recently busted whichever hand I write with."

[[folder:Web Original]]

* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButthead'' had the guys want to get their ears pierced, only to be told that they need parental admission first. What they come back with are two barely legible pieces of scrap paper in their own writing, with Butt-Head's stating "Just do it, huh-huh" and Beavis' stating "Yeah, yeah".

'''Eric:''' Uh, that's so that no one can forge it!

* ''VideoGame/PapersPlease'': Jorji has his infamously bad fake passport. Even in the low resolution style of the game, it looks like it was made with crayons. It's also for a country that doesn't exist.

* In some ComicStrip/{{Dilbert}} strips, Dogbert sells autographs supposedly made by famous people. In one such strip, he offers a baseball signed by Jesus.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS1E2BartTheGenius Bart the Genius]]", Principal Skinner has a meeting with Bart, Marge, and Homer, where he accuses Bart of forging Homer's signature on several admission slips because of how childish the writing is. Then he compares one of the admission slips he brought along as evidence to the check Homer just signed for him and is proven wrong. [[SubvertedTrope Homer's handwriting really is just]] ''[[SubvertedTrope that]]'' [[SubvertedTrope bad]].

* ''ComicBook/TheBeano'' often featured a joke which inverted this trope;

* In ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'', Calvin attempt to do a parental signature for a document from school, signing it "Calvin's mom".
* In some ComicStrip/{{Dilbert}} strips, Dogbert sell autographs supposedly made by famous people. In one such strip, he offers a baseball signed by Jesus.

* In ''Film/SweeneyTodd'', the ConMan Pirelli claim to have shaved the pope. The document that proves it is signed simply "The Pope".

* In ''Series/WelcomeBackKotter''. the excuse notes signed "Epstein's mother" (or in one case "Epstein's mother's doctor") are a running gag.

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[[AC:WesternAnimation]]

* ''ComicStrip/TheBeano'' often featured a joke which inverted this trope;

-->Luger: Was he with the Giants?\\
Wojo: No, um, he was one of the original Yankees.

A character makes a weak attempt at forgery - either because he's immature/stupid or because he considers his audience to be. The faked signature is impossible: The real person would obviously never sign a document that way.

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]

-->'''Darlene Conner''': Mom can usually sign her own name without having to erase a bunch of times.

* The ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode, "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS1E2BartTheGenius Bart the Genius]]", Principal Skinner has a meeting with Bart, Marge, and Homer, where he accuses Bart of forging Homer's signature on several admission slips because of how childish the writing is. Then he compares one of the admission slips he brought along as evidence to the check Homer just signed for him and is proven wrong. [[SubvertedTrope Homer's handwriting really is just]] ''[[SubvertedTrope that]]'' [[SubvertedTrope bad]].

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobSquarePantsMovie'': Early in the movie, Plankton steals King Neptune's crown, framing Mr. Krab for it by leaving a poorly written note where the crown was kept. The signature Plankton provides on the note is in poorly scrawled print, whereas Mr. Krab's ''real'' signature is clean old-fashioned cursive as previously seen on his driver's license in the episode ''[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS1E15SleepyTimeSuds Sleepy Time]]''. Somehow, the signature Plankton provides is enough to fool King Neptune, kicking off Spongebob's quest to get the crown back.

-->Luger: Was he with the Giants?
-->Wojo: No, um, he was one of the original Yankees.

-->'''Pamplemousse:'' Funny how his signature is different every time.\\

-->"Why is this homework written in your father's handwriting?"
-->"[[BlatantLies ...because I used his pen, sir?]]"

--> '''Darlene Conner''': Mom can usually sign her own name without having to erase a bunch of times.

--> Pamplemousse: "Funny how his signature is different every time."
--> Eric: "Uh, that's so that no one can forge it!"
* In the first regular episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', the school counselor accuses Bart of forging Homer's signature on his admission slip because of how childish the writing is. Then he sees the check Homer just signed and is proven wrong. [[SubvertedTrope His handwriting really is just]] ''[[SubvertedTrope that]]'' [[SubvertedTrope bad]].