Fire hydrants are looked down on by everyone who isn’t wearing a firefighter uniform. They prevent you from parking, they block the sidewalk… even dogs mistreat them. Some urban artists have decided to help out this urban landmark and give it a confidence boost.

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Van Gogh’s Starry Night gets a remake with this example of fine art on the street. Washington University Medical Center decided to team up with artist Grace McCammond to decorate their hydrants, and this is one example of the cool designs she created. To give dogs a little more fun when they’re doing their business, the bottom left hydrant prominently features a cat, at the perfect level. Lastly, a Smart Car is contrasted with a huge structure with the definite appearance of a hydrant.

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It’s natural to anthropomorphize objects in our daily lives, and fire hydrants are no exception. An artist had a lot of fun creating the top left portrait, using bright colors and an abstract eye. The top right hydrant is a powerful lumberjack, found along with dozens of other hydrant people in Quesnel, British Columbia. South Boston features this colonial figure, painted to celebrate the city’s history. Lastly, this hydrant features an old style diver, and resides in Solomons, Maryland.

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This fire hydrant serves multiple purposes, including being a water fountain. It’s a great multi-use set up and it has some patriotic flair as well – found in Washington state. Artist Gary Stubelick came up with this bright photo, by setting a fire hydrant ablaze. Brooklyn artist DBILLY created the last piece, out of balloons!

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The Super Mario Bros. have saved the day a lot, so why not let Mario save the day if there’s ever a fire in the neighborhood? Mario would definitely be preferable to the frightening yellow face painted on the top right hydrant. There’s no doubt that everyone wants Oscar the Grouch on their street corner, so why not make him a permanent addition? Last but not least, a cute fire hydrant will make the kid’s laugh even if it isn’t a recognizable character.

(Images via grinding, animalhousepetcare, pennlive, nowthatsnifty)

For several reasons, it’s fitting and hilarious to put a dog on a fire hydrant. The first hydrant makes this abundantly clear, with its transformation into a Dalmation, the well known mascot of firefighters everywhere. In Carlsbad, California, the Animal House Fire Hydrant was created as part of a community art project and charity event. Meanwhile, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, a fire hydrant competition caused someone to submit this cute looking pooch. Lastly, a Snoopy look-alike adorns this snowbound hydrant, keeping a happy and watchful eye over the neighborhood.

So ubiquitous they almost escape notice, the stuff of everyday streetscapes follows certain laws of man and nature alike. Pointing out the obvious, in this case, is far more unusual and surprising than noting more atypical or rare species.

Consider the behavior of benches, with their seasonal advertisements but otherwise relatively low-maintenance requirements versus the level of attention demanded by a “No Parking” or “Stop” sign.

Fire hydrants and mailboxes also have unique care instructions, conveying levals of authority but also communicating rhythms and patterns of certain kinds of traffic (postal or fire and rescue vehicles at regular or erratic intervals).

“Carmichael Collective is an ongoing project from Carmichael Lynch, a creative company based in Minneapolis, MN. Everything you see here is just creativity for creativity’s sake. If you like it, share it. And if you want to see more, follow it. Or, don’t. It’s totally up to you. After all, art is in the eye of the beholder.”