Every country has its own subgenre of everyday tourist attractions, which the locals find completely superfluous, but which surprisingly attract foreign visitors. Right now on TikTok, people are obsessing over a very specific example: the European pharmacy sign.
The green cross is the international symbol of medicine or pharmacy, but European pharmacy windows look different because they are usually lit with animated LEDs. They're much more beloved than their foreign counterparts, inspiring memes where people combine recordings of pharmacy signs with techno music. He was captured for a viral TikTok with the caption: "Pharmacy signs are very different in France."
@thewollium While visiting Cannes, I saw a pharmacy sign, I wanted to go crazy. #cannes2022 #fyp #europetravel ♬ Stay With Me - Amelie Lens @aliwhome #pharmacy #france #rave ♬ Il cuore di Raver - Airod & Amelie Lens"Euro pharmacy graphic designer needs to raise wtffff," read one TikTok caption with an incredible 1.2 million views. Since the hygienist bowl is a well-known symbol of pharmacology, many of the signs include an animated neon green snake, which obviously looks pretty wild if you're not used to seeing it on every street.
"Live with the free advanced e-health mix," one commenter joked, while French TikTokers expressed surprise that other countries didn't have the same sign. Although the meme appears to have originated in France, it has since spread to other countries such as Greece and spread from TikTok to Twitter, with inspirational accounts dedicated to pharmacy sign videos.
@petro_franco when pharmacies in Greece hit you differently #farmaci #rave #greece #graphicdesign #lightshow #fyp #traveltiktok #techno #europe ♬ Originalton - Mike.mej @ondriftwoods #farmaci #flashwarning #twflash #epilepsypharmticsIf you're wondering why these symptoms are so difficult, there's a practical explanation. They are instantly recognizable from a distance, meaning people know exactly where to go to buy emergency medical supplies. So their popularity on TikTok means they are just doing their thing.
Is There Something Deeper With Drugstore Rev Memes? Not much. These pharmacy signs have recently attracted people's attention, because to foreign visitors they look strange and extreme and go very well with techno!
Today's headline* First broadcast: August 24, 2022, 10:40 a.m. CDT
Gavia Baker-WhitelawGavia Baker-Whitelaw is a Daily Dot writer who covers geek culture and fandoms. Specializing in science fiction and superhero films, he has also appeared as a film and television critic on BBC Radio. Elsewhere, he hosts the pop culture podcast Overinvested. Follow her on Twitter: @Hello_Tailor
