Mysterious poster claiming people may not 'know if they are dreaming' is a hoax, says Sheffield Council

A mysterious poster that has cropped up around Sheffield claiming to be council advice on how to check ‘if you are dreaming right now’ is a hoax, officials have said.
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The poster, which has been seen in locations including on The Moor, suggests to readers that they may in fact be living in a dream, and gives them instructions on how to check this.

At the bottom of the poster is the Sheffield City Council logo.

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The full message reads: “Would you know if you were dreaming right now?

The posters have been popping up in Sheffield.The posters have been popping up in Sheffield.
The posters have been popping up in Sheffield.

“Check your watch or your clock. Look at something else. Check your watch or clock again.

“If you are inside a dream your watch will display a completely different time when you look back at it.

“Remember to check frequently.”

Bemused passers-by have posted pictures on social media, wondering if the poster was really put up by the council, and what it means.

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Sheffield City Council said: "If you saw this street art you're not dreaming, but check your watch if you're unsure. We didn't produce this, so please don’t lose any sleep over it."

Twitter user Tropical Dad, who first spotted the posters, likened them to the fake public service broadcasts from popular satirical blog Scarfolk Council.

Some took the opportunity to point out the flawed logic of the poster, with one writing: “If you have an analogue watch and it doesn’t show you a different time each time you look, the watch is broken.”