Google Street View captures human beings at their most candid. Launched in 2007, Google Street View started as an extension to Google Maps and allowed people to explore all corners of the world from the comfort of their homes. The 9-eyed mobile camera that maps out Google Street View while capturing the impressive street scenes also captures civilians going about their day-to-day lives.
This can be bland in some cases but incredibly funny in others. Artist Jon Rafman screengrabs some of the best still-life scenes found on Street View and archives them on his blog 9-eyes.com. Here are some of the funniest ones we’ve come across!
- Double Trouble
- Trick or Treat
- Attack of the Gulls
- The Definition of a Power Nap
- Settling In
- Camera Shy
- Hang in There
- The Gate Escape
- Not Fooling Anyone
- Hide-and-Seek
- The Holiday’s Canceled
- Desperate
- And I Would Have Gotten Away with it Too…
- Not a Bridge
- Lucky Escape
- The Aftermath
- Natural Habitat
- The End of the Road
- Watermarks
- Play it Safe
- Big Splash Impending
- Poetry in Motion
- Coming for You Next
- Wacky Races
- Picture Perfect
- Ready for Action
- Unconvincing Setting
- The Whole of the Moon
- Stop and Search
Double Trouble
Either the Street View car was stuck in traffic, or this elderly gentleman is an incredibly fast walker; given the lack of traffic seen on the road, we believe it to be the latter!
This Pompertuzat resident was extra lucky to be caught not only once but TWICE by Google Street View.
Trick or Treat
Perhaps the driver picked up the pace after passing this eerie sight. We imagine this is what Halloween in Sonora, Mexico, looks like.
Or maybe, this gang of youths meticulously planned this stunt by finding out when the Google car was due to pass by their town and stood waiting for it in spooky get-up!
Attack of the Gulls
Looks like the seagulls were plotting a coup on the city of Matosinhos, Portugal.
They had arranged for a secret meeting to take place on this quiet residential street when, suddenly, the Street View car rolled around the corner and exposed these conniving gulls to the world!
The Definition of a Power Nap
Fighting crime and saving lives is a hard gig, even for Power Rangers.
After witnessing these intrepid warriors in action countless times, it’s easy to forget that they have a very human side.
Luckily, Google Street View was able to capture the Red Ranger catching 40 winks on a park bench.
Settling In
It’s unclear how long this extra-terrestrial has been on planet earth.
But by the looks of things, he’s settled into our way of life easily and even managed to find some fitting and snazzy attire to keep him cool on this hot day. I hope he’s got sunscreen on too!
Camera Shy
If you’re going to get captured on Google Street View, you don’t want it to be embarrassing.
Unfortunately for this horse rider, perhaps through no fault of their own, looks to be losing control of their noble steed at the wrong moment. Maybe the horse isn’t a fan of candid photos!
Hang in There
Taiwan may be a bicyclist’s paradise, but it seems as though this budding cyclist is only just finding the ropes.
Perhaps they’ve only just removed his stabilizers! Either way, he’s lucky there’s an abundance of brick walls he can cling to in the meantime while he masters the pedals.
The Gate Escape
After years of confinement to the precinct of his owner’s house, this pooch has finally lost enough weight to squeeze himself through the gate and out into the big bad world.
That is only if he manages to get his hind legs through also, which at this point remains to be seen.
Not Fooling Anyone
This person has gone all out in attempting to become as inconspicuous as possible.
However, if the Google Street View camera can make him out, surely passers-by can do too.
They’re looking relaxed about it, though, with their legs crossed, arms folded, and body planted firmly in a fold-out seat.
Hide-and-Seek
Don’t challenge Google to a game of hide-and-seek – Google will reign victorious every time!
With 9 eyes and four wheels, the Google mobile may possess a slightly unfair advantage; but that didn’t stop this valiant young man from having a go at deceiving the eyes with this rather simple hiding spot.
The Holiday’s Canceled
All that was left for the man on the right to do was to pop on a t-shirt, and then he’d be ready to go on his weekend getaway in his brand-new campervan.
Unfortunately – or perhaps, fortunately – for him, the vehicle has exploded in the meantime, rendering his weekend plans doomed.
Desperate
This feline was so desperate to get on Google Street View it went to all lengths to try and make itself stand out to the camera.
It struck up a deal with this pedestrian in a last-ditch attempt and was even able to convince Google not to blur its face out.
And I Would Have Gotten Away with it Too…
This meddling seagull swooped down and snatched a sausage out of a pedestrian’s hand at lightning speed.
So fast, the victim was unable to recount the culprit’s face for the police report. Luckily, Street View was able to capture this high-resolution image of a criminal, with sausage still in its beak!
Not a Bridge
Ironically, this driver was using Google Maps when he drove his motor off-road and into the river.
Unfortunately, they either mixed-up the river with the road or thought he was driving a boat instead of a car and has ended up face-first in the river. Luckily, Google was there to help!
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Lucky Escape
Dodging cars is a tricky enough task for deer as it is, let alone from cars with nine eyes.
This deer looks particularly perturbed by the oncoming vehicle, as it runs along a mountainside road in Norway.
Hopefully, it got away in enough time and lived to warn its deer peers about the futuristic vehicle.
The Aftermath
This house appears to have been heavily targeted with toilet paper on Halloween.
Shame, as it looks like the homeowners had tried hard to make their house look presentable – as if they had been anticipating the Google Street View mobile to drive by.
At least they won’t run out of toilet paper any time soon!
Natural Habitat
This tiger is out on the prowl…in a deserted parking lot. It was nice of Google to capture this sight of a tiger so far from its natural habitat.
Hopefully, they reported it. When retrieving your car, the last thing you want is a large cat obscuring the way.
The End of the Road
It looks like the Google mobile was heading in the right direction for the highway to hell.
Hopefully, the driver took heed of the warning and headed back to civilization. For now, hell remains uncharted by Google Street View!
Watermarks
This has got to be one of the most perfectly timed Google Maps snapshots. It seems this fire hydrant wasn’t too fond of getting its photograph taken.
It looks like it wasn’t only the Google car that got soaked, as an innocent bystander looks to have been caught in the crossfire.
Play it Safe
Not the safest place in the world to play with your kid, this dad seems to be inventing new games to play outside Paulina Meat Market.
The street looks deserted, so with nobody round to witness him (or so he thinks), this dad gets super experimental with his curb-side fun.
Big Splash Impending
It seems the nine eyes of the Google car have distracted the swimmer already in the water.
Why? They don’t appear to be moving out of the way in enough time to avoid getting seriously splashed by the incoming jumper.
Poetry in Motion
Google doesn’t capture what exactly it is that has caught fire, but it does capture the smoke and the reactions on either side of it.
The inhabitant of the house on the left seems to be just checking out the action, while the person on the right is frozen in transit, ready to extinguish the flames.
Coming for You Next
This man looks pretty fed up with Google maps’ antics. Charging towards the 9-eyed motor, with a loaded gun in hand, we wonder if the Google car made it out of this one alive.
Or maybe the character to the back left intervened and prevented bloodshed from occurring.
Wacky Races
To match their spruced vintage motor, these chaps have been dressed in the finest, albeit funny, attire.
They’re not getting the most out of the car, however, as they must be moving at a slow pace to be captured so clearly by the Google camera. They could have at least smiled!
Picture Perfect
This butterfly realized this Brazilian street scene was fairly bland, so decided to donate its beauty to the picture to liven things up a bit.
Ready for Action
These scuba divers look kitted out and ready to explore the uncharted territory of the ocean floor.
Except, it appears they are nowhere near to the sea – or any body of water. They should have referred to Google Maps for directions before setting out on their expedition.
Unconvincing Setting
This medieval wartime recreation scene is completely undermined by the modern housing and cars in the background, but their costumes are on point.
They should maybe think about going to a more secluded place next time, so as not to shatter the illusion.
The Whole of the Moon
This quick-thinking Irishman truly wanted to make an impression and leave his print on the internet permanently – the positioning of the car suggests he parked in a hurry.
Not caring what the neighbors think, he quite happily dropped his drawers to the passing Google mobile.
Stop and Search
The police officer on the right doesn’t look too happy about this moment being captured for Google Maps.
At least the 3 who are getting searched have their faces to the fence – nobody will know it’s them!
Summary
Google Street View gets updated every couple of years. Take caution when you’re out on the street and keep an eye out for the 9-eyed Google Street View car.
You might find yourself the subject of one of Jon Rafman’s Google Maps screenshots and find yourself on a list similar to this one!