404 Pages That Will Turn Your Click Fail Into a Win
By Claire Downs
Clicking on a broken link is always a bummer. Usually, you are greeted with "Page Not Found" or an error code, also known as a 404. We've seen these messages since we first "booted up" America Online on our parents' computers and they've usually been pretty blasé. Once getting them, we're headed for the "back" button faster than you could say "Geocities." Lately, it seems like web designers have had enough of the boring, and are here to entertain us with some totally epic 404 fail pages. From presidential candidates and celebrities, to toymakers, these sites make your click error feel like an Internet dream!
Martha Stewart
Though we have a hard time believing that Martha Stewart has ever burnt cookies in her life, this error page is perfect for her home and lifestyle site. We would still eat those cookies, though. Sometimes the burnt ones are deceptively good.
Lego
Lego's 404 site paints a scene of a pirate, a construction worker, a court jester, all freaking out because some guy in a red shirt pulled apart two plugs. It's pandemonium and we're glad we typed in the wrong address to see it.
GitHub
The developers at GitHub must be huge Star Wars fans, because they parodied Obi-Wan's famous quote "These aren't the droids you're looking for" and turned it into this adorable 404. Move your cursor around the page and this little cat/octopus seems to be following you.
Flickr
When Japanese photographer Nagano Toyokazu snapped this cute pic of his 5-year old daughter, he didn't know he was providing Flickr with their perfect 404 error page. "We wanted to find something that would still make users smile," said Markus Spiering, Flickr's head of product.
Someecards
Keeping with their hilariously sarcastic tone, Someecards provides an eCard as their error page. But unlike Martha Stewart, this time the blame is on us!
New York Daily News
The New York Daily News is known for its savage covers, especially this election season. Thus, it makes sense that they would lampoon themselves for their webpages "vanishing."
Mashable
At first, this Mashable 404 is pretty cute. The smiley face, the idea that somehow they found our missing socks. On second glance, it seems like that foot really needs a pedicure! Gross!
Mattel
Interactive 404 pages are a brilliant idea. Mattel's takes their classic Magic 8 Ball and turns their error page into a nostalgic game. Go ahead, ask it anything!
Huffington Post
Huffpo's error page is after our hearts. Who cares how we got to the 404? There's an upside-down Frenchie and we're here for all of it. No wonder the photo has 230,000 likes!
Nintendo
Everybody loves a good pun. If you're too young for this brilliant Nintendo joke, let us explain. The video game, "Legend of Zelda" starred an elfish explorer named Link. We always wondered - why isn't the game called "The Legend of Link"? That up there, that's an old Link!
IMDB
If you happen to mistype a URL on IMDB's page, you'll be greeted by a famous movie quote that has been edited to be about the 404. There are several different versions of these quotes. Refreshing the page produces different results.
Bloomberg
For a serious business news website, Bloomberg's error page is pretty epic. The 404 is vaguely 00s in design to begin with, but a freaky animation of an exploding 3D businessman tops it off. You have to check it out.
Magnt
Magnt is a company that has pretty dope websites. Their 404 is just as aesthetically pleasing. Besides, venn diagrams are awesome.
Spotify
Spotify's error page features a hipster taking a power nap (or passed out) at a music festival. At least that's what we infer. Spotify's not sure what happened but while we're there, we've gotta keep quiet.
Hillary Clinton
Hill's 404 page is one of the funniest. It's a self-deprecating gif of her struggling hard with an NYC subway turn style. Hey, we've all been there, even if we're not running for prez.
Modcloth
Finding yourself on the error page of clothing site, ModCloth, isn't so bad. The site offers a Tinder-like swiping-game to help you find a perfect dress. We wish dating apps were this fun!
Heinz
Heinz, the makers of our favorite ketchup and mayo, have one of the saddest 404 sites. The imagery is heartbreaking! However, we've never seen an empty ketchup bottle this clean, no matter how many times we hit the 57!