To think that companies who make children's clothes should check how to use apostrophes?

[YaddaYaddaYadda]

We've been given a t-shirt for dd which says 'I'm the bees knee's' on it'. Surely SOMEONE should have checked and realised that there doesn't need to be an apostrophe in 'knees'?!?! Am I being mad and pedantic? Or should the muppets who made this t-shirt have got this right?

(BTW it's a Pumpkin Patch t-shirt in case anyone's interested)

Oh, and all the 20somethings at work think I'm mental to get cross about this and I should get out more (I agree with the 'get out more' bit)

I would post it to Pumpkin Patch and point out their mistake. You're bound to get some vouchers or something

I wouldn't let mine wear something like that so maybe should get out more too

And shouldn't it either be bee's or bees' depending on whether one or a swarm?

Tch tch

YANBU. Nor mad and pedantic. That is awful.
And, although I am no longer a 20-something , when I was in my twenties, or even teens, I would have been just as outraged.

I shall be boycotting Pumpkin Patch from now on. (Task made easier as I have no idea where/what it is!)

Yes, Grimma, I expect someone thought 'I know there's meant to be an apostrophe in here somewhere -but where?

YANBU.I was in H&M earlier to day and saw a bag emblazoned with 'I love tree's'.

Perhaps I should get out more.

YANBU - but, ultimately, I wouldn't get wound up.

Just don't buy this illiterate sh1te.

Rereading OP I now see it was a gift.

Wouldn't let my child wear it in case strangers think we're imbeciles and our national anthem is "Duelling Banjos".

Misused apostrophes make me die a little inside. We received a card on the birth of DD offering us congratulation's (as in that was printed on the front). DH emailed them

So a big fat YANBU from me.

Tesco do one that says 'Zebra's have stripes'.

I don't care if it makes me a sad raving pedant who should get a life: the misuse of apostrophes is guaranteed to make me furious. I especially hate the way in which teenagers / 20somethings accept it as though it is accurate, as though it doesn't matter! And it does! And I know you're not meant to start a sentence with 'and'.

I would have to write to Pumpkin Patch, but I wouldn't hold out much hope for vouchers. It'll probably be just like last year when I complained to Sainsbury's about their 'gingerbread Santa's' and just got a semi-apologetic email in response.... probably written by a 21 year old graduate trainee who didn't give a stuff about apostrophes and didn't have baby sick on her LK Bennett shoes.

YANBU. I get positively furious about the misuse of apostrophes. There was a coffee shop round the corner from work which had on its sign, "coffee's", "tea's". Thankfully they changed it fairly quickly.
I also completely disagree with people who say these things aren't important - the use of proper English is extremely important.
Is our education system so utterly inadequate that (apparently) no one knows how to use apostrophes any more? I'm going to drum these rules into my kids - no child of mine will use apostrophes incorrectly.

They should make one that says "I love apostrophe's"

DD had a bib that said 'Its a Pirates Life For Me'. It made me grrr.

Apart from the rage of true pedantry, the serious issue here is that things in print or on commercially available goods gain a spurious and unfounded aura of truth. In other words, if a child imitates this, it is much harder to refute than, say, the proverbial greengorcoer's chalk board or a written letter. Obviously, now that everyone can use a computer and desk top publish whatever they like, this risk is becoming more prevalent and needs combatting on every front.

We will fight them on the t-shirts; we will fight them in Sainsbury's ...

I was given the Tesco zebra one for ds, he has never worn it. I am such a pedant...

There's a designer clothes shop called "little vip's"
OMG it makes me MMMMMMAAAAADDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm an (early) 20-something and I wholeheartedly agree with you. If something's worth doing it's worth doing well! I would never buy a T-shirt with incorrect punctuation, it's so sloppy.

double checks all apostrophes before posting

www.littlevips.com/

Come on - there's no way it means 'belonging to' - it's clearly plural

Sasamax, I have to say that that is one example where I CAN see the point of using an apostrophe to denote a plural - I think it shows that it is the plural of VIP (very important person) rather than of vip (no idea what a vip is, but it rhymes with nip ... ) Similarly, TV's indicates that it is more than one TV, not the now defunct ITV company, TeleVision South.

I am aware that this acceptance of non-standard punctuation is contentious, though, so don't pull any punches ...

But if you all got out more you'd be exposed to even more t-shirts with apostrophe misuse. You'd be miserable

I see your point MIFLAW but surely capital letters imply that it's an abbreviation...?

You can use VIPs not vips

TVs not TVS

Quite clear really, and no apostrophes needed!

i SAW THE TESCO zEBRA'S HAVE STRIPES ONE, IT WAS CUTE, BUT i DID NOT BUY IT.

(WHOOPS SORRY)

DD had PJs which said "your'e a star"

(and I have typed that carefully, it was an apostrophe there)

all we can do is complain, all they will do is ignore us!

I had a rant about Mothercare a while back who had produced something similar. When I emailed them, they responded ''this should of been picked up by someone''

Thunk.

LOL @ mothercare

PMSL @ Mothercare.

But no no no no NO to apostrophes following abbreviations! Please show me anything to support this because every fibre of my being is protesting against it.

Which reminds me, our local Mothercare has a sign outside saying "NO H.G.V.'s at any time" which is going to get the Tippex treatment from me sometime soon