It is a sign that has become somewhat of a symbol of the #stayathome campaign and at the same time probably the best marketing Croatia's tourism industry. A man holding a simple sign reading – Stay Home!! I want to go to Croatia this summer! – has appeared on numerous social media feeds and has been shared thousands of times. But who is the man behind the sign, or rather under the sign?
His name is Seth Phillips and he is a New Yorker. The whole idea started back in October 2019 when Seth and Elliot Tebele took to the streets of New York with simple and effective messages on pieces of cardboard. The messages proved so popular that the two set up an Instagram account called simply “Dude with Sign.” Six months later that account has over 7 million followers.
What started as somewhat of a prank, with the odd new Yorker giggling and clapping, soon went viral and Seth is now a celebrity. And has even appeared with several American TV stars holding up his messages with his deadpan face.
Here are just a few of the signs from the Instagram account @dudewithsign
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So how did Croatia get in the mix? Well the original sign that Seth held up in the popular Croatian message had absolutely nothing to do with Croatia. Instead it read – Stop wearing T-Shirts of bands you don't listen to –
Whoever recreated Seth's sign with Photoshop to read - Stay Home!! I want to go to Croatia this summer! – deserves more than just a pat on the back from the Croatian National Tourist Board. However, as yet, we still don’t know how made it.