‘Dumb Ways To Die’ Becomes A Surreal PSA Internet Sensation

Dumb Ways To Die is a video people find so amusing it causes jaws to drop when they realize it’s a safety PSA about railroads. The Melbourne Metro Lines safety reminder has gone viral with over 14 million hits. Dumb Ways To Die is now the most successful ad of this kind in Australian history.

Leah Waymark, a Metro Lines spokeswoman, tells ABC News that Metro spoke with their employees about dumb things they have witnessed in and around train stations.

”All our staff were talking to us and complaining about some of the dumb behavior people exhibit out on our networks. So that’s really where this evolved from, and we workshopped the best way to reach young people.”

In an article written for mUmbrellaDumb Ways To Die creator, John Mescal said of his work:

“Firstly, we had a good idea. That bit’s critical obviously. But this idea came from an absolute truth: trains are the most predictable things on earth, and to be brutally honest if you decide to walk across train tracks between the platforms and don’t see a train coming and get hit by it… well, it’s your own dumb fault…

…The decision to mix a morbid subject matter with saccharine levels of cute is what ultimately made it funny I think. The lyrics were written with the visual story in mind: this had to work both as a song and as something the animator could work with…

…The rest of the time was spent making the video as funny and likeable as possible. Not just that, but to load it with so many moments, you finish watching it and want to watch it again.”

Dumb Ways To Die has been making people laugh around the world and hopefully this PSA will help them avoid their own dumb way to die.

If you haven’t seen the Dumb Ways To Die video here it is:

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