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The Fence of Public Cheerfulness
Turn your fence into a friendly row of signs, flags or planets. Nothing permanent. Nothing grumpy. Just enough nonsense for passers-by to notice.
The Fence of Public Cheerfulness is a small, mock-official act of civic daftness: visible, removable, cheap and much easier than explaining Earth politics to a bin.
Best for
- your own fence
- front garden railings
- shop windows or fences with permission
You’ll need
- paper flags
- string
- cardboard signs
- clothes pegs or removable ties
- felt tips
- foil planets
How to make it
- Confirm you own the fence or have clear permission.
- Make three to five small signs rather than one enormous proclamation.
- Tie or peg them on so they can come off without marks.
- Leave gates, handles, numbers, lights and neighbour boundaries clear.
- Walk past from pavement distance and check it reads as friendly, not furious.
Copy this wording
- “The Fence of Public Cheerfulness.”
- “Local area now 14% more constitutional.”
- “Please form an orderly queue for nonsense.”
- “A small but important victory for cardboard.”
- “Less beige. More Binface.”
Make it more ridiculous
- Create a row of cardboard planets.
- Add bunting made from scrap paper.
- Give each fence panel a fictional department.
Keep it sensible
- Nothing permanent on rented or shared boundaries without permission.
- No sharp ties, protruding sticks or loose string at eye height.
- Remove everything before bad weather if it might blow away.
For more boundaries that keep the nonsense cheerful, read the Tiny Rulebook or the guide.
Photo tip
Photograph close enough to show the joke, but crop out faces, house numbers, car plates, street signs, private letters and neighbours who did not volunteer for intergalactic administration.
How to remove it
- Peel tape slowly rather than yanking it.
- Untie string and save reusable pieces.
- Recycle clean card and paper.
- Wipe any chalk pen or residue with a suitable cleaner for that surface.
Tiny version
Make one handwritten A4 sign, place it somewhere you control, enjoy the tiny constitutional incident for five minutes, then remove it cleanly.
Big version
Build a three-part display with a headline sign, a fictional department, props, and one completely unnecessary label for maximum bureaucratic nonsense.
Why it works
A shop, cafe, barber, salon, pub or takeaway can join the nonsense with a window sign that makes customers pause and then grin. Try “This business has voluntarily entered the Binface Zone” or “10% more democracy. Same opening hours.”
Other shopfront lines: “Now accepting pounds, contactless, and intergalactic sanity”, “Proudly serving the Binface Zone”, “This establishment has passed its annual Binface inspection”, or “Emergency politics shelter”.
Tailor the joke to the business: a cafe can offer the “Binface Special: one normal tea, served with abnormal confidence”; a barber can promise “intergalactic trims, helmet not included”; a charity shop can advertise “pre-loved items, post-rational politics”; and any willing shop can build a tiny display around themes from official merch such as Make Earth Great Again, Up With Ceefax or the Five Point Plan.